Four days in ahmedabad - Day 1 - Akshardham

At around 5pm, Dad suggested that we visit Akshardham. A five-minute walk brought us to the main road. I heard the cuckoo again and was satisfied to know that it was the real bird. We hired a rickshaw and set off to Akshardham, near Gandhinagar. The road to Gandhinagar is lined with trees on either side of the road, and there are proper signs to direct you to Akshardham. And boy, was it getting cold! An hour later, we reached Akshardham. There are stringent security checks here. Mobile phones, cameras, and hand bags must be deposited in the lockers outside the entrance. There are separate queues for men and women, and the security personnel frisk everyone. The queues were long, but fast moving. We entered Akshardham 20 minutes after reaching the place.

You can call Akshardham an amusement park for its giant wheels and the likes for kids and adults. Or you can call it a place of worship for its Satyanarayana temple. Or yet, you can call it a place for leisurely walks and loads of food for its well manicured gardens and walker’s area and food courts. There’s even a water laser show conducted there thrice a day. Each show lasts for 45 minutes. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get tickets to the show as the place was teeming with people! Mom hurried toward the temple; dad and I followed her. The details in the architecture of the temple were amazing. I believe that daylight streams inside the temple through the gaps in the intricate designs of the temple. We saw the life-size idol of Satyanarayana all lit up by electrical lamps. “The idol is made of pure gold,” mom said.