| Names |
Lord SWAMINARAYAN (a.k.a.
Sahjanand Swami) (Birth name: Ghanshyam
Pande) |
| Date of Birth |
April 03, 1781 - Chhapaiya, Gonda District, Uttar
Pradesh, India. |
| Date of
Death |
June 01, 1830 - in Gadhada, Botad district in the
state of Gujarat, India. |
|
Profession / Traits / Activities |
Spiritual Guru |
| Special Achievements
/ Events |
- He is the central figure in a modern sect of
Hinduism known as the Swaminarayan Faith, a
form of Vaishnavism.
- Within the faith, he is equated with the Supreme
Being, Purna-Purushottama.
- At the age of just 11 years in 1792, he began a
seven-year pilgrimage across India, adopting the name
Nilkanth Varni.
- He settled in the state of Gujarat
around 1799.
- In 1800, he was initiated into the Uddhav
Sampraday by his guru, Ramanand Swami,
and was given the name Sahajanand Swami.
- In 1802, his guru handed over the leadership
of the Uddhav Sampraday to him before his death.
- From this point onwards, he was known as Lord
Swaminarayan and regarded as an incarnation of God
by his followers.
- That is how the Uddhav Sampraday became known as the
Swaminarayan Sampraday.
- He had followers from Hindu, Islam and
Zoroastrian denominations.
- He built many temples in his lifetime and appointed 500
paramhansas, and many others to spread his
philosophy.
- Paramahansa is a sannyasi of the highest level
of spiritual development in which union with
ultimate reality is attained.
- He is also remembered within the faith for undertaking
reforms for women and the poor.
- He had an estimated 1.8 million followers at the time of
his death. Currently, his following is estimated between 5
and 20 million.
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