I recently went to Ahmedabad with the Gujarat Tourism Authority. The most epic part of my stay was the Heritage Walk, which introduced me to Pol’s and the most famous temples and mosques in the city. Ahmedabad Heritage Trail Starting at Swaminarayan Temple (in the Kalupur area), this is a fantastic place of worship. This temple is worth noting because it is the first Mandir (temple) Hindu sect of Swaminarayan Sampraday. With the development of history, Shree Swaminarayan, the founder of the sect, built this amazing Swaminarayan temple.
In his will, he divided the administration of Swaminarayan Sampraday into two seats, namely Laxmi Narayan Dev Gadi and Nar Narayan Dev Gadi. Swaminarayan Mandir represents Nar Narayan Dev Gadi. Bal Swarup Ghanshyam Maharaj, Dharmabhaktimata, Hari Krushna Maharaj, Nar Narayan Dev, Radha Krishna Dev and Ranghmohal Ghanshyam Maharaj are the gods enshrined in this temple. Before we reached the other side of the charming gate, our tour guide Sanket paid some attention to the fascinating history of this magnificent (1866) temple.
Yes, Swaminarayan Mandir is an 18th-century temple, but it is well maintained and makes you feel like visiting a newly built place. To my advantage, there are small raindrops hanging in the air, making the temple shine more than ever. As far as I know, this land was received as a gift by the British imperial government Swaminarayan Sampraday. At that time, Swaminarayan entrusted the construction of Mandir to Ananandand Swami. They said that British officer Dunlop was fascinated by Swaminarayan and his disciples. This is one of the reasons why the government donated 5,000 acres of land to build this temple.
Not only that, when the temple was completed, it received 101 salutes to show respect. Later, when the British government stated that it would build a railway station in Karupur, the Swaminarayan Temple surrendered part of the land, and the government granted the temple 1,000 acres of land in the village of Narayanagar as compensation. Now is the time for me to walk through the high gates and observe carefully the design that illustrates the biblical norms of the sect.
Sanket went on to tell me that the entire building of this temple is made of Burmese teak, and the colorful arches and brackets are the symbols of most Swaminarayan temples. The temple is richly decorated and carved ornate. Frame by frame, you will see a series of sculptures of gods and auspicious icons representing well-known religious beliefs in Indian culture. If you look closely, you will even notice some sculptures depicting India’s First War of Independence. Regardless of the strange irony, let’s take a look at the different parts of the Swaminarayan Temple.
Narayan Temple
Located in the center, Nar Narayan Mandir is the core of the temple architecture, with a “very” fantastic architecture! The intricate Burmese teak carvings mentioned by Sanket before suddenly become vivid. Every visitor wears a mask and seems to be abiding by the sanitary regulations of the temple. Like a child in a candy store, I walked from one space to another, observing and admiring the biblical norms of the Narayan Temple tirelessly.
In addition to the venue, the gods of the temple are also smeared and gorgeous. They have a luxurious wardrobe, and their charming clothes are changed seven times a day, and they are never repeated. In addition to the carvings of ruling deities and auspicious symbols, you can also find images of Narnarayan Dev, Radhakrishna Dev, Dharmadev, BhaktiMata, and Harikrishna. These images were carved from stones from Himmatnagar and eventually turned into concrete art in Dungarpur.
Aksabafan
On the first floor, Akshar Bhavan used white marble to house the child idol of Ghanshyam Maharaj. The southern wing of this temple, Tejendra Bhuvan, is the home of pilgrims. Among them, Shree Swaminarayan’s personal belongings are displayed on the ground and first floor.
Stri Vibhag
In the past, the mansion (Haveli) on the west side of the temple was the customary house of Nar Narayan Dev Gadi. As of today, the first floor has been equipped with an office. Among them, there are Sankhya Yogi women who practice the vow of celibacy, and they have dedicated their lives to the temple. I didn’t have a chance to see this mansion from inside, but I learned from Sanket that this former residence of Acharya is decorated with beautiful chandeliers, beautiful chandeliers and large mirrors.
The arches and pillars in the porch display geometric carvings and floral and vine patterns. Acharya’s wife, Gadiwalla, led the Swaminarayan Sampraday women spiritually and held a sacred assembly for Sankhya Yogi female devotees in the inner temple, which was equipped with the idol of Ghanshyam Maharaj.
Jean Mahor
Rang Mahol in Swaminarayan temple saw the idol of Ghanshyam Maharaj installed in the place where Swaminarayan lived during his visit to Ahmedabad. Nevertheless, the extraordinary thing about this space is that it displays a life-size Swaminarayan woodcarving statue at Sambhang. This idol was placed 50 years after the temple was built and is one of the finest examples of wooden art in Gujarat.
East Haveli
The Haveli in the East is a two-story mansion with a porch on the ground floor that welcomes you to flowers and animal sculptures, rattan-carved wooden pillars and objects related to Nar Narayan Dev. The first and second floors are the Sanskrit and Music Academy, which is the home of the saints. The backyard in East Haveli is the residence of Brahmachari (single) students and the well where Shree Swaminarayan used to bathe.
Haveli North
Northern Haveli is an 18th century three-story mansion built by Acharya Keshavprasad Maharaj. One of the main highlights of this Haveli is the wooden seats by Shree Swaminarayan, now used by Acharya. This magnificent Haveli was built in 1871, and its octagonal and square wooden pillars are carved with Ardh-Murt flower and plant sculptures. The comprehensive central hall Sabha Mandap has 60 beautifully carved pillars. The twelve towering pillars in front; display the huge Madal Shilp sculpture, above which is the porch on the first floor.
Some of the most eye-catching sculptures are the pot-bellied Lord Ganesha wearing a bright red South Indian turban, groups of monkeys, the flying Hanuman lifting Mount Dejiri, and miniatures of soldiers in Marathi costumes. illustration. The other 12 pillars depict the 1857 uprising, in which the Maratha fighter Rani of Jhansi disguised as Durga and other war heroes such as Tatia Top. The balcony is located on the corners of hand-carved symmetrical Bharnai and wooden pillars; the lower part of the pillars, roof and more are decorated with artistic freehand designs.
Other sculptures in North Haveli include birds, elephants, lions, peacocks, parrots, and elegantly etched panels with flowers and leaves. The newly added Vrajendraprasad Mahal (saint’s residence) with a restaurant is also part of this mansion.
In general, Swaminarayan Temple has a lot to admire, and I need multiple visits to explore every corner of this amazing complex.The Ahmedabad Heritage Walk I participated in allowed me to stay in the venue for 35 minutes because Visiting hours are limited to 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. However, you can plan your own temple tour, whether you are willing to spend more time in the temple complex.
Address: Swaminarayan Mandir Road, Old City, Kalupur, Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Date of establishment: 1876 (Vikram Samvata)
