Date:05/11/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/11/05/stories/2005110503580200.htm

New Delhi

Akshardham set for a grand inauguration

Mandira Nayar

CROWD-PULLER: The Akshardham Temple in New Delhi is all set for opening on Sunday. — Photo: V. Sudershan

NEW DELHI: It might not yet be officially added to the city's list of tourist attractions, but the brand new Akshardham Temple -- the huge pink sandstone building on the banks of the Yamuna that belongs to the Swaminarayan sect -- is already a crowd-puller. Bringing in large number of visitors to the Capital before the grand opening this coming Sunday, the devotees thronging its sprawling green lawns from early in the morning have already emerged as a segment for the hotel industry even if for a brief period.

From five-stars like Radisson working out packages for non-resident Gujaratis visitors to go back to their "roots" to travel agencies getting enough enquires to make them aware of the opening date of the temple, the mass movement into the Capital is not going unnoticed.

"We started getting many enquires from May onward primarily from people in London. We then decided to float a special package on the Internet and tied up with Google, so that when anyone does a search on Akshardham our page would feature. We have more than 90 people staying with us at the moment," says the Associate Director Sales at Radisson MBD in Noida, Taran Deep Singh.

While Radisson might be organising a special breakfast for their visitors at 5-30 in the morning, there are others who are not going all out to woo the devotees but consider the numbers coming in "significant".

With close to 7,000 volunteers alone staying in Delhi to help out during the opening, organisers are not able to give a specific figure for the number of devotees coming in but they believe that it could be around 10,000. "We are usually sold out during this time of the year and people coming to visit the Akshardham Temple are about 7 to 8 per cent of the bookings at the moment. The devotees have contributed to the busy hotel bookings during this season but these numbers are only specific for an event," says Akhil Mathur of Le Meriden Hotel.

On a pilgrimage for an extended period of time, five-stars might not necessarily be the destination most Gujaratis choose to stay in, but low-budget options in Karol Bagh and Pahargunj are certainly benefiting from the rush. With a hundred rooms in The Ashok and 200 rooms in Centaur Hotel, the recent bomb blasts in the city might be scaring some tourists, but for those here for the Akshardham opening are staying on.

"The number of people coming in for the opening of the Akshardham Temple is significant for the hotel industry in Delhi in general. Everyone can't stay in luxury hotels, so there are other hotels that are being booked. The devotees are also staying for 15 days and if you get a booking for 15 days straight, it is a boost for the industry," said an official of Centaur Hotels.