Our wonderful journey was in full conformity with its name. During the pilgrimage tour we visited the places, being sacred for five world religions: Hinduism, Jainism, Islam, Tantrism and Sufism.
At the very start we were joined by the sheikh of the Sufi order Chishtiya, the esteemed Hameed Chishty, and that was a great blessing for us. We express our deepest gratitude and appreciation to Hameed Chishty and his family for help, hospitality and the discoveries we could make thanks to his participation.
Our unforgettable tour started on 26 January, 2019. A group of 51 people landed in Delhi early in the morning. After a short rest in the hotel we went to the biggest Hindu temple – Akshardham (meaning “Holy habitation of God”).
What makes this temple unique is the statue of the guru Neelkanth Varmi in the very centre of it.
The Guru Neelkanth Varmi (1731-1830) lived and preached near the place of the modern temple. Neelkanth Varmi was canonized while he was still alive. As the legend has it, his disciples wanted to build a temple to honour him, but they got Neelkanth Varmi’s denial, who said that he was not God, he just was conducting certain vibrations of the Lord Vishnu. After Neelkanth Varmi’s death people kept coming to that place, and, in 2000, construction of Akshardham Temple was started.
It was built as a temple dedicated Vishnu, in effort to depict India in the period of its thriving. It is built of sandstone and marble. Every element of the temple has its sacral and symbolic meaning, 20,000 stone-carved statues of Hinduism spiritual personalities can be found inside the temple. The complex was being built only for 5 years and financed completely by the donations of believers; over 20 thousand people took part in its construction. It is also noticeable that Akshardham was built exactly on the place of an ancient temple, which stood there five thousand years ago.
Unfortunately, it is forbidden to take pictures in the temple. Still, in the photos, taken from available sources the splendor and magnitude of this religious complex.