Akshardham from Delhi: How to Reach, Timings and Entry Fees

Akshardham, properly Swaminarayan Akshardham, is a vast temple complex in East Delhi, and getting there from anywhere in the city is easy on the Blue Line metro to Akshardham station. Entry to the grand mandir and its gardens is free, while the indoor exhibitions and the evening Sahaj Anand Water Show carry separate tickets. The complex is open Tuesday to Sunday and closed on Mondays, with first entry at 10:00 AM and last entry at 6:30 PM. One thing to know before you go: mobile phones, cameras and bags are not allowed inside and must be left in the free cloakroom. This guide covers how to reach it, the full timings, the entry fees and everything to see.

I was born in Delhi, and in 11 years showing visitors around the city for Experience My India I have learned that Akshardham rewards a little planning, because it is enormous and the best of it, the exhibitions and the water show, runs to its own schedule. Here is how to do it properly.

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Akshardham at a glance

Where is Akshardham and how to reach it from Delhi

Akshardham sits in East Delhi near the Noida Mor crossing on NH-24, just across the Yamuna, which puts it within easy reach of the whole city. The simplest way there is the Delhi Metro Blue Line to Akshardham station, whose exit is about a 5 to 10 minute walk from the complex gate. It is roughly 9 km from Connaught Place, 10 km from New Delhi Railway Station and around 20 km from the airport, all straightforward by metro or taxi. Autos and app cabs reach the gate directly, and if you are arriving in Delhi as part of a wider trip, our Delhi Agra Mathura map shows how the city connects to Agra and the Braj towns.

Akshardham timings

Akshardham is open Tuesday to Sunday and closed every Monday. The grounds take first entry at 10:00 AM and last entry at 6:30 PM, while the mandir itself is open for darshan until 8:00 PM. The exhibition ticket counters run from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and the water show takes place in the evening after sunset. Here is the full schedule.

Akshardham entry fees

Entry to the mandir and the gardens is free, so you can see the temple itself at no cost. The indoor exhibitions and the evening water show are the paid attractions, and they are well worth it. Here are the fees.

Children under four go free. Tickets for the exhibitions and the water show are bought at the counters inside the complex, so allow time before the 5:00 PM exhibition counter closes if those are on your list. Fees are set by the temple and revised from time to time.

What to see at Akshardham

The heart of the complex is the main mandir, an astonishing structure of carved pink sandstone and white marble, built without steel or concrete and covered in thousands of sculpted figures. Around it lie the paid exhibitions, which bring Indian culture to life through a hall of values, a large-format film on the life of the young yogi Neelkanth, and a gentle boat ride through ten thousand years of Indian heritage. Outside, the Garden of India and the lotus-shaped garden are lovely to wander, and the whole site is spotless and calm despite its scale.

The Sahaj Anand Water Show

The evening highlight is the Sahaj Anand Water Show, a musical spectacle of water, light, fire and projection staged on a large step-well after sunset, usually around 7:30 PM. It lasts about 25 minutes and tells a story drawn from the Upanishads. Since it runs after the general last-entry time, plan to be inside well before then and buy the ticket earlier in your visit, because it is the perfect way to end the day at Akshardham.

Rules: phones, cameras and bags are not allowed

This is the rule that catches most first-time visitors: mobile phones, cameras, tablets, laptops and bags are not permitted inside Akshardham, and there is airport-style security at the entrance. A free cloakroom stores your belongings, but the queues there can be long at peak times, so travel light and ideally leave electronics behind. Photography is not allowed inside the complex, though professional photos can be bought on site. Footwear is removed before the mandir, food from outside is not allowed, and modest dress covering the knees and shoulders is required, with wraps provided if needed.

How much time do you need at Akshardham?

Allow at least three hours, and closer to four or five if you want the exhibitions, the gardens and the evening water show, because the complex covers around a hundred acres. If you only want to see the mandir and gardens, a shorter visit of about two hours works, but the exhibitions and shows are what make the trip memorable.

Best time to visit and tips

The pleasant months are October to March. Weekday afternoons into the evening are ideal, letting you tour the exhibitions, see the mandir lit up at dusk and finish with the water show, while weekends are the busiest. Arrive with time in hand for the security and cloakroom queues, carry a little cash for tickets, and remember the mandir closes for darshan at 8:00 PM after the show. Mondays are closed, so never plan Akshardham for the start of the week.

Fit Akshardham into your Delhi day

Akshardham takes up a good half-day, so pair it with sights on the eastern or central side of the city. For the wider itinerary see our places to visit in Delhi guide, and for two more easy stops our Lotus Temple New Delhi timings and Jantar Mantar Delhi timings guides cover two of the city's other landmarks. To eat well along the way see our famous street food places in Delhi guide, and to base yourself well on where to stay in Delhi guide lists the best areas.

Plan your Delhi trip with us

We build private Delhi days that time Akshardham for the exhibitions and the evening water show, with a car, a driver and licensed guides. Browse our Delhi Agra Tours or compare durations across our Golden Triangle tours, and for the classic Delhi, Agra and Jaipur circuit see our Golden Triangle tour and its Golden Triangle tour itinerary. Want it arranged around your dates? Message us on WhatsApp and Experience My India will set it up.

Experience My India has personally hosted 50,000+ travelers and the service he leads is rated 4.9 from 2,600+ reviews, operating since 2015. Delhi Agra Tour Packages is a unit of Experience My India.