s of Laxmi Narayan with Ranchhodrai at Vadtal Dev with Harikrishna Maharaj at Vadtal As an adjunct to the scriptures in establishing ultimate redemption and consolidating the framework of the holy fellowship (Satsang), Swaminarayan constructed stone
mandirs, buttressing
Upasana – worshipping God, and devotion towards the deities. Towards the end of his second decade of work, he placed a greater emphasis on devotion than detachment – vairagya to foster love for God. This emphasis on devotion culminated in the building of mandirs, which served as permanent places of worship, centres for religious gathering, instruction, the study of Sanskrit, devotional music and Vedic literature, and as centres of social services where alms, medicines and clothes were available to the poor and needy. In a span of six years, from 1822 till 1828, Swaminarayan sanctioned the construction of nine mandirs in
Gujarat: Ahmedabad, Mooli, Bhuj, Vadtal, Jetalpur, Dholera, Dholka, Junagadh and Gadhada. One of the most prominent features of the heritage of Swaminarayan is its temple architecture. The images in the temples built by Swaminarayan are the evidence of the priority of
Krishna. All of the temples constructed during his life show some form of Krishna, and all temples since have such worshipable figures, or
murtis. In the temples of the dioceses of Ahmedabad and Vadtal, these are predominantly a central altar or a shrine. Human forms are predominant, with the exception of the
Hanuman temple at
Sarangpur, where
Hanuman is the central figure.
Temples in India Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is the first temple Swaminarayan constructed. It was built in Ahmedabad in 1822, and presents images of
Nara Narayana, who occupies the principal seat of the temple, and forms of Arjuna and Krishna at the central altar. The left altar has murtis of
Radha Krishna. The land for construction of the temple was donated by the
East India Company government of the day. The task of constructing it was entrusted by Swaminarayan to Ananandand Swami. The temple is constructed as per scriptural norms with intricate carving in Burma teak and sculptural art depicting deities' episodes, auspicious symbols and religious icons representing axiomatic religion and Indian culture. The temple is believed to be a valuable cultural heritage in the socio-religious history of
Gujarat and India. The installation ceremony of the murti forms in the temple was celebrated in the presence of thousands of pilgrims from across India. Nara Narayana . The
Gujarat earthquake on 26 January 2001 destroyed much of the city of Bhuj, including this temple. Members of the Swaminarayan Sampraday, including saints and satsangis of Kutch residing in India and abroad, have resolved to construct a new marble temple a short distance from the site. The new temple, the largest in Gujarat, was opened in May 2010 by the then Chief Minister of Gujarat,
Narendra Modi.
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Vadtal The temple in
Vadtal, also known as Vadtal Swaminarayan, is in the shape of a
lotus, with nine domes in the inner temple. The land for this shrine was donated by Joban Pagi, a
dacoit who was later converted into a devotee by Swaminarayan. The temple was constructed under the supervision of
Brahmanand Swami, was completed within fifteen months and the idols of
Laxmi Narayan was installed by Swaminarayan on 3 November 1824, amidst chants of vedic hymns and devotional fervour of the installation ceremony. Swaminarayan also installed his own idol in Vadtal, naming it
Harikrishna Maharaj. The walls are decorated with colourful representations from the
Ramayana. The temple's walls are decorated with colourful representations from the
Ramayana.
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Junagadh This temple, in the city of
Junagadh on
Mount Girnar, has five domes and external decoration with sculptures. Its construction was supervised by Brahmanand Swami; it was built on land donated by king Hemantsinh of Jinabhai, Darbar of Panchala. On 1 May 1828, Swaminarayan installed the murtis of Ranchhodrai and Trikamrai on the principal altar of the temple, which is in circumference. The life of Swaminarayan is crafted in stone on the dome of the sanctum.
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Gadhada The land for the temple in
Gadhada (or Gadhpur) was donated by the court of
Dada Khachar in Gadhada.
Darbar Dada Khachar and his family were devotees of Swaminarayan. The temple was made built the courtyard of his own residence. This shrine has two stories and three domes and is adorned with carvings. Swaminarayan assisted in the construction of the temple by lifting stones and mortar, and he installed the figures of
Gopinath,
Radhika and Harikrishna on 9 October 1828. This is the burial place of Swaminarayan's ashes. The site is marked by a shrine consisting of the idols of brother Ichharam, Swaminarayan himself and Raghuvirji Maharaj.
Other temples Sahajanand Swami also ordered construction of temples at
Muli,
Dholka and
Jetalpur. Although these temples were completed after his death, the
Murti pratishtas, idol installation ceremonies, were conducted by Sahajanand Swami. He installed images of various manifestations of God, such as Nar Narayan Dev, Laxmi Narayan Dev, Radha Krishna, Radha Raman and Revti Baldevji. Swaminarayan lived in Gadhpur for about 27 years; he stayed at the Darbar of
Dada Khachar, one of his best-known devotees. At some temples, footprints of Swaminarayan are worshiped by his followers. Swaminarayan entrusted the day-to-day performance of the worship rituals in these mandirs to ascetics. By 2012, there were over a thousand
Swaminarayan temples across five continents.
Overseas outside the
Indian subcontinent in
Nairobi (1945) In the 1920s, members of the sect began to move out of India to East Africa in search of work and better lives. Among these was a large number of
Kutchis of the Leva Patel/Patidar community, who remained to the
Bhuj temple under the Nar Nararayan Dev Gadi. All the temples built in Africa come under the temple in Bhuj. The first
Swaminarayan temple in Africa was built in Nairobi in 1945, and temples were built in
Mombasa and other Kenyan towns in the following years. Temples were also built in Tanzania and Uganda. The Swaminarayan temple in
Karachi, Pakistan, was built in 1868 when Karachi was part of the
Indian Union. After the Second World War, members of the movement in East Africa began migrating to the United Kingdom; the number of migrants rose significantly in the 1960s and 1970s. The first Swaminarayan temple in the UK was built in
Bolton in 1973. This was followed by a temple in the London suburb of
Willesden, which was consecrated in 1975 and is the sect's biggest temple in the UK. Temples have been built in other parts of the UK, such as
Cardiff,
Oldham,
Leicester and
Brighton and several others in London. The temple in Leicester was opened in 1993 and was the first in Europe under the
International Swaminarayan Satsang Organisation (ISSO) and was followed by one in Sweden. at the
Swaminarayan temple in
Houston A small number of followers migrated to the United States before 1965 as students, and following a 1965 immigration law, a large number of Indians, including members of the sect. moved there from the 1970s until 2000. By 2012, the organisation had 20 temples in the US, in cities including
Boston,
Houston,
Chicago,
Los Angeles,
Tampa, Florida,
Detroit and
Cleveland, Ohio,
Colonia,
Parsippany and
Cherry Hill. Another organisation,
International Swaminarayan Satsang Mandal (ISSM), under the Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi, has temples in Chicago,
Grand Prairie, Texas,
Sunnyvale, California,
Downey and
Somerset, New Jersey. Also under the Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi, the Laxminarayan Dev Spiritual Organisation (LDSO) has been set up in
San Francisco to promote the faith there. The movement also has temples in Australia, Seychelles, Canada, Thailand, Fiji, Mauritius, New Zealand, Oman, UAE and Zambia. == Australia ==