New Delhi: A 108-foot murti of Neelkanth Varni was consecrated at the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Delhi on March 26 after a two-day religious programme attended by devotees and sadhus.
The ceremonies were conducted in the presence of BAPS spiritual head Mahant Swami Maharaj. Temple authorities said the rituals began early morning and continued through the day as part of the Murti Pratishtha programme.
The statue shows Neelkanth Varni, the early ascetic form of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, standing in meditation. According to the Swaminarayan tradition, this represents his spiritual travels across India at a young age.
Devotees started arriving from morning and participated in prayers and yagna rituals organised inside the temple complex. Around 300 sadhus were present during the ceremonies, organisers said.
A peace yagna was also held a day earlier as part of the programme schedule.
Temple volunteers handled visitor movement and arrangements as the crowd increased during the day. After the rituals, devotees were allowed darshan of the newly installed murti.
Akshardham remains one of the major spiritual destinations in Delhi and receives visitors from across the country. Temple authorities said the new installation would become part of the regular darshan route for visitors.
