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A 49-foot image of Bhagwan Swaminarayan as the youthful yogi Nilkanth Varni stands at Nilkanth Plaza, at the entrance to the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham campus in Robbinsville, New Jersey, according to the temple's operator.
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Tapomurti Shri Nilkanth Varni Murti
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Site-level location · 40.2537° N, 74.5798° W
FIELD GUIDE
The story
The temple's operator says that at the entrance to the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham campus in Robbinsville, New Jersey, stands a 49-foot image of Bhagwan Swaminarayan portrayed as a youthful yogi. The operator says he was known as Nilkanth Varni during his teenage years and was the founder of the Swaminarayan Hindu tradition. It describes his pose as "engaged in deep yogic prayer" and says it symbolises spiritual focus and discipline.
The figure marks Nilkanth Plaza, which the operator's site presents as 'A Space for Reflection'. Beyond it the campus includes the Akshardham Mahamandir and Brahm Kund, a stepped pond that the operator says is filled with water from India's 108 holy rivers and from rivers in the fifty US states.
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PRACTICAL
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WHAT TO EXPECT
The statue stands at the campus entrance plaza. The operator's visit page gives opening 9am to 7:30pm daily except Tuesday, with timed reservations required on some days (the operator lists weekends and certain holidays; check its visit page before travelling), a dress code (no shorts, no sleeveless or low-cut tops, nothing above the knee), and a visit of about two to two and a half hours. The operator's pages do not describe whether the statue can be seen from outside the campus. Plan to enter under the temple's rules.
ACCESS
Akshardham campus, 112 N Main Street, Robbinsville, NJ. A working temple that welcomes visitors under the operator's rules; closed Tuesdays. The operator says timed reservations are needed on some days, including holidays and, on one page, weekends; check its site first.
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