Gajendrapith - The Incredible Story and History of the Elephant Plinth

Sadhu Aksharvatsaldas

Swaminarayan Aksharpith

2012

49 páginas

1h 38m

ISBN-10: 8175263504

Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi, India is an architectural wonder, a divine temple dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan. The beautiful temple, supported by over two hundred intricately carved pillars, nine ornate domes, and twenty thousand statutes of great sadhus and devotees, rests on a plinth of stone elephants, called the Gajendra Pith. This book, titled Gajendrapith, is a testament to the elephants who shoulder the Akshardham temple. It tells their stories and shares their wisdom. The different scenes depicting elephants along the base of Akshardham are drawn from Hindu scripture and Indian folklore. That Akshardham shares with its visitors an elephant carrying a goat at the behest of a lion or an elephant welcoming Lord Vishnu while a crocodile is stuck to its leg is not arbitrary. The scenes share profound life messages in a vivid, concrete fashion. To know their stories and appreciate their wisdom one has to read this book.