Visit to Famous Swaminarayana Temple at Vadtal in Gujrat State in India

There are many Lord Swaminarayana temples all over the world, particularly in India in the Gujarat State. One such ancient and famous Swaminarayana temple is located at the town of Vadtal near the city of Anand in the Gujarat State in India. Swami Sahajanandji established this historical temple in the year 1824. He himself established the statue of Lord Laxminarayana, brought by Lord Laxminarayana himself. We will find the statues of Lord Swaminarayana in most of the Swaminarayana temples. However, you will find the statue of Lord Laxminarayana here at this temple.

This temple is located at the small village of Vadtal, which is situated around 5 miles away from the city of Anand in the Kheda district of the Gujarat State. This temple complex is situated in very vast area of 4 kilometers. It has a large and the artistic gate, which is 76 feet tall. There is a famous Gomti Lake near this temple, which has been built by the stones. There are statues of Lord Swami Sahajanandji and Lord Narnarayana in addition to the main statue of Lord Laxminarayana. The original clothes and his holy mala have been kept here at this temple. There are in all three summits to this temple and the statue of each god has been placed below each summit. There are three havelis all around this temple, where all the resident Swamis stay. There is a holy Akshardham at the North side of the temple. All the costly, and expensive items received by the temple from the pilgrims are stored here. The original cart in which Lord Shreeji had come from Bochasan to Vadtal is also preserved here. The ancient copy of the Mahabharata, which is said to be around 2000 years old, is also stored here at the temple. The Gomti pond was made by Lord Swaminarayana himself through the help of the people of this region. Taking a holy bath here at the Gomti Lake is considered very holy and can free all the pilgrims from all the sins of their life. There are 138 artistically engraved pillars supporting this temple. The statues of Lord Krup Narayana, Matsya Narayana, Nrusinh Narayana, Varah Narayana, Shesh Narayana, and Lord Surya are also kept here at the temple. The gates below the three main gates are made up of solid gold.

There are many dharmashalas available near the temple complex for all the pilgrims to stay by paying very nominal charges only. All the meals are served free of cost by the temple management through the large kitchen operated by the temple trust. There are basically two parts of the Swaminarayana religion. The headquarter of one of the part is located at Akshardham in Ahmedabad. The main temple of the second part is located at Vadtal at this temple. Thousands of pilgrims visit this holy temple every year from all over the world. One can easily reach Vadtal by road through hired car or taxis or through the train by getting down at Anand railway station. If you do not like the facilities of lodging and boarding provided at the temple complex in Vadtal, you may stay at Anand, where many nice three star hotels are available. The tariffs of such hotels at Anand are around Rs.200 ($5) to Rs.400 ($10) per day for a nice and clean double room. You may then travel to Vadtal by taxi, rickshaw, or the government bus service. Vadtal is one of the most vital places for the Swaminarayana religion. The temple trust also performs many types of useful social services for the poor and needy people of this Charotar area.

I would advise all my AC friends not to miss the visit to this holy and gorgeous temple during their next visit to the Gujarat state in India. I myself have visited this beautiful temple many times and have enjoyed my visit every time, as I was able to visualize something new and unique each time I visited it.