One of the India’s most popular actors and a national icon, Shri Amitabh Bachchan, visited Swaminarayan Akshardham in Gandhinagar to see the Sat-Chit-Anand watershow.
Shri Bachchan was welcomed by Pujya Ishwarcharan Swami with a garland, chandlo and nadachhadi to the accompaniment of Vedic mantras.
At the end of the 45-minute show, Shri Bachchan exclaimed, “Amazing, amazing, amazing.” He met the sadhus and volunteers who setup and operate the Watershow.
Then he spoke with Pramukh Swami Maharaj by telephone, “Please accept my pranams. I have seen the amazing and beautiful Watershow. Please grant me your blessings and love. Thank you.”
Before leaving, he autographed the visitors book, “I have come to Akshardham for darshan many times, but in today’s experience my mind has experienced peace. And I have understood the truth about atma and Paramatma.”
After his visit, Shri Bachchan also wrote about his feelings regarding his visit on his daily personal blog :
But the day ended in another spectacular and amazing moment - a visit to the Akshardham Temple in Gandhi Nagar, the capital of Gujarat and just a 20 min car ride away from the city of Ahmedabad. The Akshardham Temples in many parts of the country have been amazing architectural achievements and the one here in Gandhi Nagar was no less. The constructions and designs are indigenous and without the use of any steel. They are neat clean and aesthetically kept regions. There is a pious feel to the area as a result of this, and a very dedicated loyal and hard working volunteer group of people maintain and propagate its beliefs and principles.
Tonight though, they had kept the temple open and lit long after closing hours for me and that was most gracious of them. Housed in a massive complex, with space and position for research and teaching the laser cum water show at the end of the tour was what we were there for and I have to say I had never seen anything like this ever.
In a large amphi theater that seated 2500 people in a picturesque open space, we witnessed a dramatic and utterly delightful show of a symbolic story that depicted the philosophy of the Akshardham Temple. The laser imagery on flowing fountains and building images on them with a story tale between Nachiket the son of a Saintly father that banishes him to YamRaj the disciple of Death, was a delight to watch. The deeper meanings of Atma and Parmatma were exquisitely woven into the happenings unfolding before us on varied screens of water, with such beauty, that I felt so proud to have been invited to such an event by my dear friend and family like Jigi bhai, JJ Bhatt.
Such a fulfilling experience and then to be able to speak on phone to Pramukh Swami ji, whom I have met on a few occasions, to seek his blessings, was an ideal end to the most, how should I put it, ethereal hours in a day.
(courtesy: bigb.bigadda.com).