Last updated 29 September 2026
Akshardham is free to enter, closed every Monday, and open roughly 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM with last entry around 6 PM. Allow two to three hours, and more if you are doing the exhibitions, which are ticketed separately at around ₹250.
The thing to plan around is not the temple. Phones, cameras, bags and all electronics are prohibited inside and go into a free cloakroom before airport-style security. On a busy afternoon that process alone can take forty-five minutes, and it is the single most common reason a Delhi day runs late.
Timings, tickets and the rules
Monday closes it, along with the Red Fort, the Lotus Temple and the National Museum. If your Delhi day is a Monday, this is one of four major sights off the table at once.
There is no photography anywhere inside the complex, and that is enforced rather than nominal. Shoulders and knees covered for everyone; wraps are available at the entrance if needed.
| Open | About 9:30 AM – 6:30 PM, last entry around 6 PM |
| Closed | Every Monday |
| Temple entry | Free |
| Exhibitions | Around ₹250, ticketed separately and optional |
| Water show | Evening, separate ticket |
| Phones and cameras | Not permitted inside — free cloakroom at the entrance |
| Bags | Not permitted inside |
| Time to allow | 2 – 3 hours, plus the security queue |
| Nearest Metro | Akshardham (Blue Line), a short walk |
What it actually is
Akshardham is not an ancient monument and does not pretend to be. It was completed in 2005 by the BAPS Swaminarayan organisation, hand-carved in pink sandstone and white marble by thousands of craftsmen using methods that are genuinely traditional, on a scale nothing else in modern India matches.
That divides visitors. People arriving expecting Mughal-era heritage sometimes find it strange — a new building in an old idiom, with an exhibition complex and a boat ride attached. People who take it on its own terms tend to rate it among the most impressive things they see in Delhi. The carving is not decorative veneer; it is structural stone worked the way it was worked five centuries ago.
It is also a working temple with daily worship, which is why the rules about phones, dress and photography are what they are.
The exhibitions and the water show
The temple and grounds are free. The ticketed exhibitions are a separate decision and add an hour or more: a film, an animatronic presentation on the life of Swaminarayan, and a boat ride through a depiction of Indian history.
They are aimed squarely at families and are well done of their type. If your time in Delhi is short, the building and the grounds are the reason to come and the exhibitions are optional.
The Sahaj Anand water show runs in the evening, is separately ticketed, and is worth staying for if you are there late and the weather is good.
Getting there, and when to go
Akshardham sits east of the Yamuna, which puts it on the opposite side of the city from Old Delhi and the southern monuments. That matters more than the distance — it is not a stop you drop into between two other things.
Akshardham station on the Blue Line is a short walk away and is genuinely the easiest way to reach it. By road, allow longer than the map suggests at rush hour.
Afternoon into early evening is the best slot: the stone warms in low light, and staying for the water show turns the trip into an evening rather than a detour. Go early only if you want it quiet.
Common questions
What are the Akshardham temple timings?
Roughly 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM with last entry around 6 PM, and closed every Monday. Allow two to three hours for the temple and grounds, more with the exhibitions. Budget extra for the security and cloakroom queues at either end, which on a busy afternoon can add the better part of an hour.
Is Akshardham free to enter?
Yes, the temple and grounds are free. The exhibitions — the film, the animatronic show and the boat ride — are ticketed separately at around ₹250 and are optional. The evening water show is a separate ticket again. If your time is short, the building itself is the reason to come.
Can you take your phone into Akshardham?
No. Phones, cameras, bags and all electronics are prohibited inside and must be left in the cloakroom at the entrance, which is free. Photography is not permitted anywhere in the complex and the rule is enforced. Arrive carrying as little as possible — the deposit and collection queues are the slowest part of the visit.
Is Akshardham closed on Mondays?
Yes, every Monday. So are the Red Fort, the Lotus Temple and the National Museum, which is why a Monday can take out most of a Delhi itinerary at once. Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb, Jama Masjid and India Gate all stay open and make a good Monday day.
Is Akshardham worth visiting?
For most visitors, yes, with the expectation set first: it was completed in 2005 and is not a historic monument. What it is, is the largest piece of traditional hand-carved stonework built in modern India, at a scale nothing else matches. Visitors who arrive expecting Mughal heritage sometimes find it strange; those who take it on its own terms usually rate it highly.