Location
The Kalupur Swaminarayan Mandir is located near Gheekanta Road. This is in the old city area of Ahmedabad. It is the first temple of Swaminarayan Sampraday. Moreover, the temple holds the utmost importance even today.
Some interesting facts
Shree Swaminarayan – the founder of Swaminarayan Sampraday instructed the construction of this shrine. Also known as “Uddhav Sampraday”, Ramanand Swami spread it. Neelkanth Varni got the leadership of the same after 21 years. He continued to spread the teachings & philosophy of Vishishhadvaita. This included all three important aspects of – Tattva, Hita, and Purushartha. The “Maha” mantra which is the father of all mantras in the Swaminarayan Sampraday was introduced by Swaminarayan. At the age of 49, he took Samadhi. The samadhi was under Nar Narayan Dev Gadi and Laxminarayan Dev Gadi (Vadtal) which was Dakshin Vibhaj.
Architecture
The beautiful temple stands in Kalupur. It is based on Burma teak wood, colored architecture, and bright brackets. In conclusion, these look really amazing. It is the headquarters of the Narayan Gadi. The British Government gave the land for temple construction. Therefore the first shrine of Swaminarayan Sampraday was built here. The responsibility of the temple was given to Aaanandand Swami.
Role of the British
Now, why did the British government suddenly give land to the temple? In conclusion, the activities of the Swaminarayan sect and their followers impressed British officer, Sir Dunlop, greatly. Therefore, he decided to give 5000 acres (20 km) of land in Kalupur. Later the temple returned a part of the land to the government. This is where the Kalupur Railway Station stands today. In Narayannagar, the British gave a concession of 1000 acres to the temple authorities. Above all, he gave 101 gun salute to the temple upon completion.
Amdavadi religion in aapnu Amdavad !!!
The good fact of the people of Ahmedabad is the feeling of being ONE. People here cannot ever take a fight beyond 15 days. This is because continuing a fight beyond 15 days is not really within a true Ahmedabadi’s emotional capacity! One of the best examples of religious diversity was the massive earthquake that took place in 2001. During those difficult times, the people of Ahmedabad did not have a biased mind. In other words, they rather chose to help each other with love. In other words, the Muslim community people cooked food and gave it to temple authorities. The authorities distributed it among the earthquake victims.
The first heritage walk by AMC
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation conducted its first heritage walk on 19th November 1997. The starting point was the Kalupur Swaminarayan temple. It covered 18 sites, within 1.5 km and the duration was 3 hours!
In conclusion, can you imagine how beautiful, mind-tickling it would have been? In other words soul-satisfying, isn’t it ?