Akshardham The Song in Stone

When the moonlit drop of devotion mingles with the power of selfless service, creation becomes poetry. Akshardham is poetry — a song in stone. Over 12,643 creative souls poured themselves into shaping this spiritual landmark, now the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. Rising with grace and precision, it spans 1.3 million sq. ft, adorned with a 2,485-ft colonnade, 298 arches, ~548 intricately carved pillars, and over 10,000 statues, all sculpted from 1.9 million cu. feet of stone sourced from Bulgaria, Italy, and hand-carved by Indian artisans finally arriving in America.

Every carving is a verse. Every pillar is a rhythm. Every arch is a breath. The mandir’s 18 pyramidal shikharas and 12 sub-shrines ring with the quiet echo of 4.7 million volunteer hours, woven into timeless devotion and collective harmony.

My own journey here was a transformation — from “I” to “me” to “ours.” For a year and a half, I lived in the rhythm of stone: chiseling, sanding, shaping, lifting, aligning. In our team of 35, we assembled thousands of feet of carved stone railings — the ‘jakti’ — piece by piece, like stitching prayers into architecture. The work was physical, demanding, and deeply purifying lifting stones, bending steel, pouring concrete, and most importantly, unlearning the boundaries of self.

To honor the spirit of each person who served, I once sustained myself on only air and water for five days and performed 12,643 circumambulations — one for every volunteer — praying for their health, strength, and joy.

Akshardham to me is not just a structure. It is a living hymn, sung by human hands, guided by devotion, and rooted in love. I feel blessed to be its sub dot...