India GO
Akshardham
Stone Lace
Akshardham is a district of one building: the Swaminarayan temple complex on the Yamuna bank in East Delhi, opened in 2005. Nothing else here needs your time, so the real question is how to fit the half-day in. The complex is closed on Mondays and allows no phones or cameras inside, and Akshardham station on the Blue Line is about 350 metres from the gate. Hours, tickets and rules are on the [Akshardham Temple page](/en/delhi/akshardham-temple/).
👥 Who it suits
the carved grand temple the evening fountain show families
Staying here
No stays: a half-day visit, metro at the gate.
🌙 In the evening
Sunset brings the light-and-water show; phones and cameras are checked at the entrance.
Getting there
Ⓜ Akshardham (Blue)
What to see
Morning or evening?
There are two good shapes for the visit.
Morning. First entry is at 10:00; the site warns that the security check can take time, so allow for a queue. About three hours covers the mandir and the gardens.
Late afternoon into evening. Come for the 18:00 arti, enter well before the 18:30 last entry, and stay for the Sahaj Anand Water Show after sunset: water jets, projections and live actors telling a story from the Kena Upanishad, in Hindi, about 24 minutes long. With the exhibitions as well, plan four to five hours.
By season: October and February to March are the comfortable months for the open courtyards; in May and June the evening shape is the kinder one; from November to January check the air quality before a long evening outdoors.
✅ Before you go
- Phones and cameras: not allowed past security at all. They go, switched off, into the free cloakroom, so agree a meeting point with your group in advance.
- Money: bring cash for tickets and food, since your phone stays outside.
- Clothes: shoulders, chest, back and upper arms covered; nothing above the knee. Shoes come off before the mandir.
- Food: food and drink may not be brought in; the all-vegetarian Premvati Food Court is inside.
- Monday: the complex is closed, and so are the Lotus Temple and several museums; see the Delhi itinerary for a Monday plan.
Whose temple it is
Akshardham is dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan and was built by the BAPS Swaminarayan organisation in rose sandstone and white marble to traditional canons, with carved figures in their thousands and an elephant plinth. It is often listed as a Krishna, Vishnu or Lakshmi temple, but those deities have altars or images among others around the main shrine: Radha and Krishna have one, and a Lakshmi-Narayana image stands there too. How it fits among the city's other shrines: temples of Delhi and Krishna temples in Delhi.
What to pair it with
Akshardham is the only one of the city's districts east of the Yamuna, so it rarely combines with a walk. Two pairings work:
- Birla Mandir first. The Laxminarayan Temple opens at 4:30 and is also on the Blue Line (RK Ashram Marg is about 1.5 km away): morning prayer there, then east to Akshardham before the 18:30 last entry. See Laxminarayan Temple.
- Another kind of temple. For contrast, the silent Bahá'í hall and the kirtan of ISKCON are in Lotus and Kalkaji in the south.
The city's evening shows, from qawwali to the Akshardham water show: shows in Delhi.
❓ FAQ
Is entry to Akshardham free?
Yes for the grounds and the mandir. The exhibitions (about ₹260 for adults) and the water show (about ₹110) are paid.
Which God is Akshardham, Delhi for?
Bhagwan Swaminarayan. Radha-Krishna and Lakshmi-Narayana have altars or images among others around the main shrine.
How much time to see Akshardham Temple?
About three hours for the mandir and gardens; four to five with the exhibitions and the evening water show.
Why are photos not allowed at Akshardham?
The complex admits no phones, cameras or other electronics at all; they are left switched off in the free cloakroom at the entrance.
Is Akshardham open on Monday?
No, it is closed every Monday. First entry is at 10:00 and last entry at 18:30 on other days.
Sources (5)
Facts checked: 8 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.
Other areas of Delhi
In the app: the city's areas on the map, the places inside and a route.
Open in India GO