Just one word, Quality! Because we fully understand that a true devotee never compromises on their devotion and therefore we hold ourselves to the highest standards of excellence in quality and workmanship, which has been the pillar of our success for four decades and counting.
Our wooden temples are made from a combination of original teakwood, marine MDF and veneer. We are very proud of our quality, which has been the hallmark of our success since 1979.
Since 1979, Aakaar has been proudly designing and creating wooden home temples from it’s in-house workshop in Mumbai, India and ships it from there to its international clientele the world over.
All Aakaar Temples are made with the same premium materials and finished with the same smooth compressor-matte polish. There is no difference between the two collections as far as the quality of the material and workmanship is concerned.
The differences between the two collections are inherent in their designs and are purely aesthetic. The temple designs in the Heritage collection are fitted with more moulding trims and involves even more intricate hand carving work as compared to the Classic Collection.
Aakaar temples are already made with the finest quality materials. If for some particular reason, however, you require the temple to be fully made in a certain wood only, we could most definitely do so. In that case, we would highly recommend making it in teakwood because it has good tensile strength and is easily available. Rosewood is not easily available and original Sevan tends to be too soft, bends easily and is not strong enough for making a sturdy temple with the hope of lasting for several years.
Yes, the machine-compressor polish using a melamine spray coat enables you to daily wipe our mandirs with a moist cloth without a problem. We have also lined the base of our drawers with a laminate (formica, sunmica) sheet so that any oil spills or residue can also be easily wiped off. Please see our product care guide for more details.
Ideally, as per the guidelines in vaastu shastra, it is believed that it’s best if the pooja mandir is placed in the north east corner of your premise, i.e. the gods should face the south west. Therefore, when you worship them, you will be facing the north east direction. The north, or east are also considered appropriate directions for a placement of a home temple.
Having said this, sometimes it's hard for everything to align and fall in place. We believe more in a faith based approach than the fear driven one, and wonder shouldn’t any location be ok? With no disrespect meant to anyone, we truly feel that if our faith in our Lord is true and if our intentions are good and our conscience is clear, then no matter what the direction, any place where the temple is kept is the best place in the home, irrespective of the direction, because our Lord resides there. It’s just something to think about!
Our usual turnaround time for custom orders is 4-5 weeks and we’re committed to that time. However, this time frame can easily vary depending upon the dimensions and complexity of work and therefore, if you’re short on time, it’s best to check with us before placing an order.
We ship all our products using FedEx’s global network both within India and Internationally. The speed and service time varies from region to region but on average a client in the US receives our shipments within 7 working days.
Although we’ll do our very best to ensure our shipment reaches you within this time frame, we are by no means to be held responsible for any delay in delivery, which could be caused by the shipping company or customs or any other unforeseen situation that is beyond our control.
Most of our wooden temples are shipped in the assembled form. Only the central domes and four small side kalashs are removed from the top and can be easily screwed back. As a result of this, over the years to come, your Aakaar temple will continue to remain sturdy and will not bend or become flimsy like most modular furniture that is constructed in a dismantled form.
Because of this importance given to longevity, when we ship our pooja temples, the courier company charges us on the volumetric or dimensional weight of the packaged box since that is bulkier than the actual physical weight of the temple shipment.
International shipping is unfortunately expensive. Therefore, to help ease your burden we offer you our lowest discounted rates offered by FedEx and back that up with a hassle free door to door delivery without any damages.
We only use FedEx’s International & Domestic service for our delivery to ensure our shipments are handled only by the best and therefore reach you damage free.
We take utmost care and precaution to ensure that our products are very safely and securely packed to withstand the rigours of shipping. Most times, we’ve had no issues, however, despite our best efforts, the shipping process is not fool proof and once we handover the shipment to FedEx or any courier company, the fate of the package is simply beyond our control.
Our commitment to delivering the temple to you is backed by our commitment to ensure you receive our product damage free and we stand by that. It’s a very high risk that we’re willing to take on your behalf, however, your cooperation is equally important, and required in this process to rule out foul play.
In the unforeseen situation wherein our products are received damaged during transit, we require you to notify us no later than 48 hours in order to immediately report the damage to the shipping company so the proper insurance measures can be followed.
Here are some important precautions we urge you to take in order to help us ensure we can quickly resolve the issue:
When you receive the package, inspect the outer box to ensure there is no damage before you sign off on the package. If you see any damage, please ensure you make a note and bring it to the attention of the delivery man of the shipping company immediately.
Keep a camera phone handy and video record the entire unboxing process. This will not only show the quality of our packaging but also prove to the shipping company that the damage truly happened during transit. We record the packing of every shipment on our end as well.
Do not throw away any of the original packing material. Please keep it safely as it will be needed for inspection by the shipping company.
All these above mentioned points and the 48 hour claim-window must be strictly adhered to in order for us to send you a replacement product.
Please note, we’re only willing to offer a replacement if you’ve adhered to the above mentioned points and help us prove to the shipping company that the damage did in fact occur in transit. Also, we are only liable for the replacement if we are directly shipping the product to you through our appointed shipping company and in no other situation will we be responsible to damage during transit.
Yes and No. It’s best to reach out to us before you decide to opt for this solution. When considering this option, do not base your decision simply on the weight of the temple displayed on our product page. That is just for your reference. The weight of the packed shipment is much heavier, but more importantly, one also needs to consider and factor in the linear dimensions of the packed box, which is an equally important restriction that must be complied with depending on the airline you are flying.
A lot of our clients opt for this solution and so far fortunately, our clients have had no problem either with the airlines or in terms of damage. We request you to, however, fully understand the rules and restrictions of the airlines before you reach out to us so that we can help you figure this out.
Yes, most definitely. Our goal is to ensure that you receive our products damage-free and in the most economical way. Shipping is just a service we provide to help our clients and provide them with a hassle-free buying experience. If you prefer an alternate way, by all means we would encourage that.
You could simply have FedEx or another shipping company pick up the shipment from our gallery in Mumbai or we could ship it to you anywhere within India.
We are very proud of our packaging, for we take a lot of care and precaution in doing so. We take no chances and pack our products the same way whether it’s a domestic shipment or an international one. Whether we are shipping it ourselves or handing it over to someone else, our intention is always to ensure and hope our products reach you safely - that never changes.
Many of our clients check-in our packed temples in airline cargo as well and it’s reached them safely. So far we have not had any issues. But it’s pertinent to note that we are only responsible for when we directly ship it to you. In any other event, our liability for loss or damage ceases, once we hand over the shipment to you or the courier company.
Buyers are responsible for any quarantine, customs and import duties or taxes that may apply and be legally binding in their destination country. The shipping company will clear customs on your behalf and sometimes issue you an invoice after the delivery of the shipment, as per the destination country laws, which will be payable by you and is not included in our shipping costs.
