Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the centenary celebrations of Swaminarayan sect chief Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who he stated handled him like a son. Recalling his dialog with the late Pramukh Swami when the Akshardham temple confronted a terrorist assault in 2002 when he was the chief minister of Gujarat, Modi stated the previous had requested if the CM’s residence was affected because it was close to the temple. Modi, who was in Ahmedabad on Monday to attend the swearing of Bhupendra Patel as CM, made his second go to to his dwelling state in three days, to inaugurate the month-long celebrations.
The PM recalled his particular relationship with Pramukh Swami Maharaj, saying he was handled as a son by the “great saint” who constructed many temples all world wide. Modi stated the pen with which he signed the nomination papers to contest his first state meeting election from Rajkot was despatched to him by Pramukh Swami Maharaj. “After that he used to send pens to me every time to sign nomination papers and he even sent pens with BJP colours when I fought the Lok Sabha election from Varanasi,” Modi stated.
As its fifth non secular guru, Pramukh Swami Maharaj headed the BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha), the most well-liked of the 16 branches of the Swaminarayan neighborhood, between 1950 and 2016.
Throughout this era, the sect arrange temples in locations like Atlanta, Los Angeles, London, Toronto, Auckland and Sydney. There are Akshardham temples in New Delhi and Gandhinagar and one other will open quickly in New Jersey. The Swaminarayan Sampraday is a Vaishnavite motion that originated within the early 18th century, reaffirming the values of the Hindu “sanatan dharma”. The pinnacle of the sect is taken into account very highly effective and has an iron-like grip over its one 10 lakh-plus followers. The sixth and present head of the Sampraday is 89-year-old Mahant Swami Maharaj.
Whereas the sect attracts followers from all faiths and castes, the Patidar neighborhood is related with the highest echelons of the sect. It’s important for state politicians to have the blessings of the BAPS non secular head, a political observer stated. The 800-plus “saints” related to BAPS throughout the globe would not have any form of interplay with ladies, even via distant modes of communication like an electronic mail.
