On December 15, Tulsi Gabbard, the next Director of National Intelligence visited the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey. Gabbard – who was raised a Hindu – became the first Hindu elected to Congress in 2013.
Her visit coincided with the 103rd birth anniversary celebrations of the late Pramukh Swami Maharaj, a spiritual leader who was president of BAPS. Women of all ages gathered at the temple to commemorate his legacy on this occasion.
Gabbard offered flowers and prayers to the sacred images enshrined in the temple and delivered an address during her visit.
“To be able to hear about the many thousands of hands and hearts that went into building this iconic temple, and to walk through and see the meaning behind every single one of those sculptures—both the magnificent and the small etchings of some of the most famous stories about Krishna and Arjuna from the Bhagavad Gita—was truly inspiring,” she said.