Thousands of worshippers thronged the stunning new 191-feet tall temple, called the Akshardham Mahamandir, in Robbinsville, New Jersey.

It took a combined total of about 4.7 million hours of work by artisans and volunteers to hand-carve the about 2 million cubic feet of stone.

According to a report in The New York post, volunteers from the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham North America, the Hindu complex where the temple is located, are hosting the inaugural events.

The festivities will conclude on Sunday with a grand dedication ceremony organized by BAPS Spiritual Leader and Guru Mahant Swami Maharaj.

The temple has been built by an army of more than 12,500 volunteers from across the US in over 12 years from 2011 to 2023.

* The Akshardham temple measures 255 ft x 345 ft x 191 ft and spans over 183 acres.

The four varieties of marble from Italy and limestone from Bulgaria traveled first to India and then over 8,000 miles across the world to New Jersey.

The temple has been designed according to ancient Hindu scriptures and includes design elements from ancient Indian culture, including 10,000 statues and statuettes, carvings of Indian musical instruments and dance forms.

* The temple is possibly the second largest after the iconic Angkor Wat in Cambodia, PTI reported.

* The unique temple design also includes one main shrine, 12 sub-shrines, nine shikhars (spire-like structures), and nine pyramidal shikhars.