[Eauz]

The sprawling Akshardham temple in the eastern reaches of this city is an impressive sight.

Its stone pillars are decorated with ornately carved reliefs. It has several massive domes, and its polished marble floors are deliciously cool to the touch of bare feet.

In the center of the main building, pilgrims kneel in prayer before a golden seated statue of the temple's holy figure.

This ostentatious religious center represents a new kind of Hindu temple, one that is as far from the dusty, hot and incense-filled atmosphere of traditional temples as can be imagined.

The 40.5-hectare complex features a movie theater, an indoor boat ride past dioramas on Indian history, and a fantastic, illuminated fountain built according to traditional beliefs about the unity of God, man and nature.

There are also restaurants and souvenir shops.

"The appearance (of this new form of worship) is a phenomenon that helps ease the anxieties of busy people in urban areas who have lost their belief in their traditional communities," Anand Kumar, a sociology professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, said.

He added, however, "If the commercialism becomes too strong, people will notice it."

Amid India's rapid economic growth, Akshardham temple was built in 2005 by a religious organization which has millions of international and Indian followers.

Visitors to the vast gardens and temple precincts include believers from all over the world, as well as tourists arriving on sightseeing buses.

"It is clean and quiet here. I can ease my mental stress," said Divyakant Mehta, a 55-year-old lawyer from Mumbai in western India.

The temple is a sharp contrast to conventional Hindu temples, where worshippers walking inside soon find their feet black with dust. In the hot, humid air of such traditional temples, the smoky incense combined with the odor of human bodies can leave a potent impression on visitors.

"That's one reason why we like this place (Akshardham temple)," said one visitor, as others nodded in agreement. Akshardham sees about five million visitors annually.

The first such temple complex was Sri Venkateswara temple in Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh state, southern India. It receives about 17.5 million pilgrims a year.

Link

Oh No! What would the ancestors and religious figures say to the construction of such places? What happened to the strong spirited people who could accept the temple as it is, as opposed to visiting a modern temple with A/C, restaurants and clean floors? For shame...