I have visited many ashram(Sri Sri, Aurovile, Shri Aurobindo Ashram Pondy), Akshardham(Delhi etc).
The Golden Temple at Vellore came across as a out right fraud to cheat people. They have made Tirupati like que’s .pay Rs. 100 and you join the main que in between pay Rs. 500, you are closer etc. You will be in a caged que for atleast half the distance. Bathroom at available only at the end.
The entrance etc. are shabby. You walk, and walk and walk(we had a Rs. 100 ticket). It was hard on my otherwise very fit 65 year old mom. The temple itself is a tiny structure.which any city would have literally tens or hundreds of. It has a nice smallish landscaped garden. If you have seen Akshardham Delhi, in terms of comparison of architecture, class, size: it would be 1%(yes, one hundredth) of it.
Then as you come closer to the temple.you have to again go through a long 1.5? km star shaped corridor to get to it. Nopes .there is not short cut. I am not sure if the gold plates(which are 2 to 3 mm thick plates) are gold.I have my grave doubts.
When we came out of the temple rows of staff behind computer screen were loudly seeking donations.
The whole place reminded me of a shabby, money seeking exercise. There is a PR effort that Rs. 600cr has been spent. I don’t think that even Rs. 5cr would have been spent on it.