BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Temple - Where all Gods are one!

     

     On Padwa we visited this exquisitely carved and designed temple in the outskirts of Pune in Narhe, Ambegaon Khurd. At first sight itself, the temple mesmerizes us with its tranquil ambience, lush green surroundings, verdant hills all around and cool breeze. 

     We gave our footwear in bags to the volunteers who gave us tokens. When I inquired for a wheelchair for my Dad who can't walk a lot, I was directed to a place where I couldn't find any! We spotted an aged lady sitting on a wheelchair and wondered if it belonged to the temple and whether only one was available. Hence my father had to make do with sitting patiently on a stone bench while the rest of us enjoyed the 'darshan'. 

     The 'Chhappan bhog', a sumptuous and mind-boggling array of delicacies had been offered to all the deities, saints and other revered figures in the temple. 

     There were two levels, with magnificent halls displaying pristine marble statues of deities and religious luminaries where intricately carved pillars, a huge vaulted dome with a dazzling chandelier, cool marble flooring; well-decorated with ethnic wall-hangings, draping and the like; floored us all with their breathtaking detail. 

     The offerings ranged from traditional sweets to confectionery, desserts like cakes, milkshakes, ice-cream and fruits. A lady informed us that it takes a week to arrange all the offerings. Thus the absolute devotion of those who selflessly manage such a mammoth display deserves respect and kudos. 

     A volunteer urged the visitors to stop clicking snaps and have a darshan of the deities, etc. Some bar-codes were displayed outside the temple which could be scanned by the visitors for high-resolution snaps. 

     We walked down the 20 steps to the spacious surroundings, clicked umpteen snaps and returned with the prasad and a snap of the temple provided by the volunteer, to our Dad, who had busied himself with playing with a baby of a visiting family there. 

     We bought some snacks from make-shift stalls managed by ladies, took our footwear and made a beeline to the canteen for our lunch. We missed having 'bhog' at the Annakoot due to an oversight. There was free lunch just for that day! 

     The canteen has a good variety of snacks, but sadly doesn't have a 'thali'. The pot ice-cream sold in plastic containers was yummy. 

     The temple has a toilet facility but it could be better maintained. There is ample parking space available. I observed that there are no garbage bins on the premises of the vast temple. Some visitors were surreptitiously and carelessly throwing the plastic wrapping in which the prasad had been given, into the neatly pruned bushes. 

     Some more comfortable seating could be provided for the visitors. Even the canteen should provide more covered seating. Since it was a self-service facility, the tables were littered with food dropped by the earlier visitors. There was no one around to wipe the tables clean. 

     But overall the pleasing architecture and tranquility of the temple and its surroundings made our day blessed! We will surely return some time again to watch it in the evening when it is beautifully illuminated by LED lights.

The copyright of this review is with Mrs. Priya Ramesh Swaminathan.

P.S. An abridged version of this review has been published at www.tripadvisor.in.