A drive along the Noida-Delhi highway brings before one’s eyes a crimson red tower surrounded by huge minaret-like structures. The monument built with snowy white marble slabs and pink-coloured sandstones stands over nine fascinating hemispheric sections sprawling over a vast area of 100 acres of land.

Yes, that is Akshardham, the great shrine erected on the eastern bank of the Yamuna in commemoration of a celebrated saint of the 17th century Swaminarayan.

He is said to have lived in Uttar Pradesh uplifting the masses of his times with his spiritual sermons and sacred deeds.

The gigantic temple, opened to the public on November 8, 2005 is funded by millions of Bochasanvasi Aksharpurushotthom Swaminarayan Sanstha followers worldwide.

Within the temple complex is 234 ornate pillars besides 20,000 statues and innumerable arches carrying beautiful carvings of Indian architecture. As we enter the temple, the superb architecture engraved on the walls draws our attention.

A gaze at the exquisite carvings of human figures and flowers on the red marble stones – all fetched mostly from Rajasthan – is a feast for the eyes. The ceiling is replete with astounding figures of flowers, flowery garlands and mythological characters.

Gazing through the pictures and writings depicting the life and spiritual teachings of Swaminarayan, we proceed into where the incomparable marvels unfold.

With an entrance ticket of Rs 60 per head, visitors step on threshold of  the special enclaves that house exquisite idols of the rural folk of yore besides the reigning saint of the shrine in the company of his disciples, all appearing life-like before our eyes.

Every idol makes gestures with hands and head in perfect harmony with movements of lips like living men and women.

All this is has to be seen to be believed. Every bodily movement made by the figures is in perfect consonance with the recorded background dialogue in Hindi.

The sight of the saint appearing as a king on the throne and standing up with his hands folded in respect is indeed so baffling that we are compelled to think that all that we see is real. Visitors viewing the figures and the gestures they make are left in a dilemma – as to whether they are human like themselves or figurines.

The human representations in every enclave leaves one totally captivated. As one proceeds past some of the thrilling sights in the enclaves,  one sees a huge pipal tree with its branches widely spread. Under this tree, a replica of Swaminarayan seated and preaching to his followers the righteous path of life.The pipal tree with its trunk, branches and leaves appears as a real one.The scene dazzles the viewers.

Covering our passage through all the enclaves in about 40 minutes, we find ourselves out in the open. Now, we are going to sink in the joy of  ferry in boats for about 15 minutes across a lake nestled amidst lush green plantations and beautiful gardens.

There are snack bars modelled after Ajantha and Ellora caves welcoming the weary visitors with a good spread of palatable dishes suiting to the tastes of both North and South Indians. Compounding all this is an Ayurvedic bazaar where all kinds of herbal medicines are available.

The last lap of our visit is the scene of the fountains. With a large number of visitors seated on concrete benches placed around huge fountains, the show awaits its start.

All lights switched off, a number of splendid fountains in multicolours begin to rise and fall to the accompaniment of recorded harmonious verses (slokas) recited in Sanskrit in perfect rhythm with the whirl and tide of the spectacular spout.

The display of the fountains to the background of sweet-sounding musical verses is certainly a surfeit of feast for the hearts. The splendid show of the fountains in Akshardham no doubt outdoes all others of its ilk including the one in the Brindavan Gardens.

A visit to Akshardham, the height of Indian art and architecture is no doubt a must for every tourist with an aesthetic taste for architectural beauty.