Rt. Hon. Winston Peters visits Swaminarayan Akshardham, Gandhinagar, Gujarat.

Rt. Hon. Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, New Zealand and delegation visited Swaminarayan Akshardham, Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The Deputy Prime Minister was greeted at the ornately carved stone Mayur Dwar with a garland of flowers by Pujya Vishwaviharidas Swami, Kothari Swami (Head) of BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, Gandhinagar, Gujarat on behalf of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, the inspirer of Swaminarayan Akshardham and spiritual head of BAPS. The Prime Minister was accompanied by High Commissioner of New Zealand to India, HE David Pines. Senior volunteers of Swaminarayan Akshardham were also present to welcome the Prime Minister and his delegation.

Then, Manish Mistry, a senior volunteer at Swaminarayan Akshardham gave the Deputy Prime Minister an overview of Swaminarayan Akshardham – a 23-acre spiritual and cultural complex which is a humble tribute to Bhagwan Swaminarayan (1781-1830), the avatars, devas and great sages of India. It portrays the traditions and ancient architecture of India and promotes the timeless Hindu spiritual messages of faith, devotion and harmony.

From here, the deputy prime minister went to the abhishek mandapam where he performed the abhishek (ritual pouring of water) on the murti of Shri Nilkanth Varni Maharaj, the teenage-yogi form of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and offered prayers for world peace, progress and harmony.

After performing abhishek the deputy prime minister headed toward the Akshardham Maha Mandir. Inside Akshardham Maha mandir he paid respects to the murti of Bhagwan Swaminarayan by offering flowers, and admired the art and architecture. He learned how His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the fifth spiritual leader of BAPS, inspired thousands of volunteers and artisans to create Akshardham to share the messages of love, peace, tolerance, non-violence, co-existence and global harmony.

Deputy PM Winston shared, “I am thankful to you for arranging a special visit of mine on Monday as Akshardham temple remains closed every Monday. I am overwhelmed by this visit and deeply moved by the messages given here. Thank you for your hospitality and I appreciate the birthday wishes given to me well in advance by Swami a month ago. Looking forward for a traditional stone mandir by BAPS in New Zealand.”

Deputy PM Winston wrote in the visitor book, “Sincere appreciation for a special visit and guidance.”