The Short Answer
Most "largest Hindu temple" articles online pick one of these and ignore the other two — which is how you end up with three different websites confidently naming three different temples as "the" largest. Here's the full picture, sourced to Guinness World Records and primary reporting.
Three Different "Largest" Records
Largest religious monument (overall)
Angkor Wat, Cambodia — 402 acres (162.6 ha). Guinness World Records recognizes it as the largest religious structure ever built, of any faith. Built as a Hindu temple; now primarily Buddhist.
Largest active Hindu temple complex
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam, India — 156 acres (63.1 ha). Guinness World Record holder for largest Hindu temple complex still in continuous religious use.
Largest single Hindu temple building
BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, Delhi — 86,342 sq ft footprint. Guinness World Record holder (2007) for "World's Largest Comprehensive Hindu Temple" as a single structure.
A fourth temple complicates things further: BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville Township, New Jersey, inaugurated in October 2023, spans roughly 183–185 acres — larger than Delhi's Akshardham campus — and BAPS itself describes it as the "second-largest Hindu temple in the world," after Angkor Wat, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. It does not currently hold a separate Guinness title of its own, so that "second-largest" framing comes from BAPS and widely-repeated press coverage rather than an independent Guinness record.
Ranked Breakdown of the Largest Hindu Temples
Angkor Wat
- Location: Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Area: 402 acres (162.6 hectares / 1,626,000 m²)
- Built: Early 12th century CE (c. 1113–1150 CE), by Khmer king Suryavarman II
- Original dedication: Vishnu — built as a Hindu temple-mountain representing Mount Meru
- Current status: Primarily a Buddhist site today, after a gradual conversion from the late 12th–13th century onward; no longer in regular Hindu worship
Angkor Wat is the single largest religious structure ever constructed, by Guinness World Records' own classification — not just the largest Hindu temple, but the largest religious monument of any faith on Earth. It's also the reason most "largest Hindu temple" searches lead here first, even though the site is now predominantly Buddhist, which is why we've kept it in its own category rather than crowning it simply "the largest Hindu temple."
BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, New Jersey
- Location: Robbinsville Township, Mercer County, New Jersey, USA
- Area: Approximately 183–185 acres (74 hectares)
- Inaugurated: October 8, 2023
- Deity / tradition: Dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan, in the BAPS Swaminarayan tradition
- Why it ranks here: Described by BAPS and widely reported in press coverage as the second-largest Hindu temple in the world after Angkor Wat, and the largest Hindu temple complex in the Western Hemisphere by a significant margin
The complex includes the main Akshardham mandir, a separate BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (opened 2014), a welcome center, museum and event spaces. Built using traditional hand-carving techniques transported from India, it took roughly 12 years and around 12,500 volunteers to complete.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam
- Location: Srirangam, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India
- Area: 156 acres (63.1 hectares); perimeter of roughly 9,934 m (32,592 ft)
- Deity: Vishnu, as Ranganatha
- Architecture: Seven concentric enclosure walls (prakarams), the highest tower reaching about 70.1 m (230 ft)
- Why it ranks here: Guinness World Records explicitly notes this is a working temple, unlike the larger-but-inactive Angkor Wat — making it the largest Hindu temple complex still in continuous active religious use
Part of the UNESCO World Heritage "Great Living Chola Temples" designation, Srirangam is often the answer locals and scholars give to "largest Hindu temple" specifically because, unlike Angkor Wat, it has never stopped functioning as a living place of Hindu worship.
BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham, Delhi
- Location: Delhi, India
- Building footprint: 86,342 sq ft (356 ft long × 316 ft wide × 141 ft high)
- Inaugurated: November 6, 2005, by Pramukh Swami Maharaj
- Record: Awarded by Guinness World Records on December 17, 2007, as the "World's Largest Comprehensive Hindu Temple"
- Note: This record is specifically about a single temple structure, distinct from the larger-acreage "temple complex" category held by Srirangam
Built without structural steel by around 11,000 artisans over roughly five years, Delhi's Akshardham is a UNESCO World Heritage-adjacent landmark drawing an estimated 70,000–100,000 visitors daily, making it also one of the most-visited religious sites in the world.
Also Worth Knowing
Prambanan, Indonesia (c. 850 CE)
The largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia and one of the largest in Southeast Asia, dedicated to the Trimurti — Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Central Java.
Thillai Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
Spread over roughly 40 acres (160,000 m²), this Shiva temple in Tamil Nadu is frequently listed among the largest and most architecturally significant South Indian temples, though smaller than Srirangam.
Comparison Table
| Temple | Location | Size | Record held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angkor Wat | Siem Reap, Cambodia | 402 acres | Largest religious monument ever built (any faith) |
| Akshardham, New Jersey | Robbinsville, NJ, USA | ~183–185 acres | Largest Hindu temple campus in the Western Hemisphere (per BAPS) |
| Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple | Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, India | 156 acres | Guinness: largest active Hindu temple complex |
| Akshardham, Delhi | Delhi, India | 86,342 sq ft (building) | Guinness: largest comprehensive Hindu temple (single structure) |
| Prambanan | Central Java, Indonesia | ~152,000 m² | Largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia / SE Asia |
| Thillai Nataraja Temple | Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India | ~160,000 m² | Among South India's largest temple complexes |
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the record. By total area, Angkor Wat in Cambodia (402 acres) is the largest religious monument ever built and was originally a Hindu temple, though it's now mainly a Buddhist site. Among temples in active Hindu worship, Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, India (156 acres) holds the Guinness World Record for largest Hindu temple complex. By single-building footprint, Akshardham in Delhi holds the Guinness title for largest comprehensive Hindu temple.
It was originally built in the early 12th century CE as a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu by King Suryavarman II. It was gradually converted to Buddhist use from the late 12th–13th century onward and today functions primarily as a Buddhist site, though its architecture and original dedication are Hindu.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu, holds the Guinness World Record for the largest Hindu temple complex still in active religious use — about 156 acres, enclosed by seven concentric walls, dedicated to Vishnu as Ranganatha.
New Jersey's Akshardham campus (~183–185 acres) is larger in total land area than Delhi's (~100 acres). But Delhi's Akshardham holds its own separate Guinness World Record specifically for the largest single comprehensive Hindu temple building. BAPS describes the New Jersey mandir as the second-largest Hindu temple in the world after Angkor Wat.
BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville Township, New Jersey, inaugurated in October 2023, is the largest Hindu temple in the United States.