The town of Vadtal stands as a pre-eminent spiritual citadel of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. Established 14 kilometres from Nadiad, this magnificent Swaminarayan temple is globally renowned as the headquarters of the ‘Lakshminarayan Dev Gadi’ and the religious capital of the southern division of the sect. Sanctified by the physical presence and residence of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, this pilgrimage site draws millions of devotees annually. The historical temple, constructed under the personal supervision of Bhagwan Swaminarayan himself, is considered an unparalleled masterpiece of architecture and holds supreme significance within the fellowship.
Sahajanand Swami, the founder and ‘Ishtadevata’ (cherished deity) of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, was born on 3 April 1781, the auspicious day of Ram Navami, in the village of Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh. Born to Dharmadev Pande and Bhaktimata, the child was originally named Ghanshyam. At the tender age of twelve, having mastered all branches of knowledge, he renounced his home to embark on a journey of penance. He spent seven years traveling throughout India and performing penance in the Himalayas. During this period, he was known as Nilkanth Varni. In 1800, after being initiated by Swami Muktanand in Mangrol, Saurashtra and later by Guru Ramanand in Piplana, he chose Gujarat as his field for religious and social reforms. Drawing on the philosophies of Vishishtadvaita of Ramanujacharya and Shuddhadvaita of Vallabhacharya, he propagated a syncretic religious doctrine.
On 28 October 1800, Ramanand Swami, the successor of the Uddhav Sampradaya, conferred the Mahadiksha (grand initiation) upon Nilkanth Varni, naming him Sahajanand Swami and Narayan Muni. Following the demise of Ramanand Swami in 1801, Sahajanand Swami held his first assembly in the village of Fareni. To foster the practice of Bhakti (devotion), he established temples in Ahmedabad, Bhuj, Vadtal, Junagadh, Dholera and Gadhada. During his lifetime, he initiated approximately three thousand followers as saints, a group that remarkably included former thieves and dacoits.
He vehemently opposed prevalent social evils such as untouchability, superstition, the practice of Sati and animal sacrifice. 
By establishing Vedic values including Dharma (righteousness), Gyan (knowledge), Vairagya (detachment) and Sadachar(good conduct), he provided equal opportunities in education and spirituality to the Dalit, impoverished and marginalised communities. Wielding the potent weapons of love and non-violence, he curbed hypocrisy and sensual indulgence practiced in the name of religion. He continued his mission effectively by nurturing various arts such as architecture, music, theatre, painting and sculpture.
In the early nineteenth century, the fertile region of Kheda was plagued by political instability and the menace of Bhil-Koli marauders. During this period, Bhagwan Swaminarayan orchestrated a profound social and spiritual revolution through his teachings and devotion. Against this backdrop, 
prominent local devotees of Vadtal – Joban Pagi, Kuberbhai Patel, Ranchhodbhai Patel and Narayan Giri – travelled to Gadhpur to earnestly entreat Bhagwan Swaminarayan to construct a temple in Vadtal. Acceding to their request, Bhagwan Swaminarayan personally selected the site in Vadtal and entrusted the responsibility of construction to Brahmanand Swami and Aksharanand Swami. The project advanced with remarkable celerity, funded by an initial sum of a mere twelve rupees provided by Bhagwan Swaminarayan and the voluntary labour of thousands of devotees. During the laying of the foundation, the Lord Himself carried 37 bricks upon His head. Thirty-five of these were laid in the main foundation, while the remaining two bricks are preserved to this day in a special niche on the rear wall of the temple for the veneration of pilgrims. 
Completed in a record time of just fifteen months, the idols were consecrated by the hands of Bhagwan Swaminarayan Himself amidst Vedic chants on Kartik Shud Dwadashi, Vikram Samvat 1881 (3 November 1824).
For administrative and spiritual efficacy, Bhagwan Swaminarayan divided the fellowship into two parts via the legal document ‘Desh Vibhag no Lekh’ in 1826. In this process, the Lakshminarayan Dev Gadi was established at Vadtal and His nephew, Raghuvirji Maharaj, was appointed as the first Acharya. Sensing the conclusion of His earthly mission, Bhagwan Swaminarayan renounced food and water and discarded His mortal body on 1 June 1830.
Numerous legends and mythological references are woven into the fabric of Vadtal and this Swaminarayan temple. Two centuries ago, Vadtal was notorious as a village of thieves and outlaws, with Joban Pagi serving as their ruthless chieftain. 
While Bhagwan Swaminarayan was organising a grand Yajna (sacrificial ritual) in the village of Dabhan, Joban Pagi plotted to steal the Lord’s mare named Manki, considered as the swiftest of her kind. Upon entering the stables in the dead of night, he saw the form of Bhagwan Swaminarayan standing beside every single horse. Stunned by this miracle, Joban Pagi experienced a complete transformation of heart, renounced his criminal life and sought servitude at the feet of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. This very devotee later donated his vast lands for the construction of the Vadtal temple. Bhagwan Swaminarayan frequently resided in a room on the upper floor of Joban Pagi’s house. In the nearby Khodiyar Mata temple, the ancestral deity of Joban Pagi, a violent tradition of animal sacrifice existed. Bhagwan Swaminarayan opposed this practice, 
sprinkling colours instead of blood upon the deity’s idol and commencing spiritual discourses there. In Vikram Samvat 1879, the excavation of the Dharu or Gomti Lake began under the supervision of Aksharanand Swami on land donated by local Patidar devotees. In the month of Chaitra, Vikram Samvat 1881, Swami Sachchidanandji formally invited the Gomti River from Dwarka to reside in this lake. Bhagwan Swaminarayan Himself participated in the labour, carrying soil upon His head. It was on the banks of this Gomti Lake that the Lord, with a mere gesture, caused a large troop of monkeys to sit in a meditative posture and chant the divine name.
Detailed descriptions of this site appear in many significant texts of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. The ‘Shikshapatri’,
a Sanskrit text outlining a code of conduct in 212 verses for householders and saints, was completed by Bhagwan Swaminarayan Himself on the day of Vasant Panchami, Vikram Samvat 1882, at the Hari Mandap of this temple. The ‘Vachanamrut’, a collection of 273 spiritual discourses edited by Muktanand, Gopalanand, Nityanand and Shukanand Swami, includes the ‘Vadtal Section’. In these discourses, the Lord provides profound guidance on Bhakti, the nature of Samadhi (meditative absorption) and the omnipresent philosophy of God. The ‘Satsangi Jivan’, composed by Shatanand Swami in Sanskrit with 19,387 verses, contains a detailed account of the temple’s creation and the installation of the idols. The ‘Bhakta Chintamani’, a 164-chapter work by Nishkulanand Swami in Gujarati, describes the ‘Fuldol’ and ‘Annakut’ festivals at Vadtal. Furthermore, references to Vadtal’s traditions are found in the ‘Gitabhashya’ by Gopalanand Swami, ‘Satsangi Bhushan’ by Vasudevanand Varni and ‘Hari-Leelamrut’ by Acharya Viharilalji Maharaj.
The temple complex is remarkably vast, with two grand gateways providing entry to the courtyard. Resembling a royal palace, the architectural style is a magnificent example of the Nagara tradition. The entire temple stands upon a large lotus-shaped plinth and its nine spires further enhance its height and grandeur. The Darshan Mandap (viewing hall) and Sabhamandap (assembly hall) feature distinctive carvings. Moving forward from the assembly hall, the exterior walls of the Antarala (vestibule) are adorned with paintings depicting various episodes from the Ramayana epic.
The design of the Garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum) is highly unique, featuring three main altars arranged in a single line. On the central altar, upon a gold-leafed pedestal, stand the idols of Lakshminarayan and Ranchhodray, 
adorned with various ornaments. To the right of this central altar are seated Radha-Krishna, accompanied by Bhagwan Swaminarayan in the form of Harikrishna Maharaj. On the left altar, the idols of Dharmadev, Bhaktimata and Vasudev are consecrated. On the left wall of the worship area rests a Dakshinavarti Shankh (right-handed conch) and a Shaligram (a stone symbolic of Lord Vishnu). Within the inner dome of the sanctum, Lord Vishnu reclining on Sheshnaga is exquisitely carved, surrounded by stone idols of the Dashavatara (ten incarnations). White marble has been used extensively throughout the temple.
To the south of the main temple lies a three-storey building known as ‘Akshar Bhavan’. 
On the first floor, the idol of Ghanshyam Maharaj, the wooden chariot used by the Lord and a twelve-doored wooden swing are kept for the veneration of devotees. The upper floors preserve the seated idol of Ghanshyam Maharaj, his footprints, rosaries, garments and other Prasadi (sanctified) items. To the west of the main temple stands a sacred structure called ‘Hari Mandap’, where Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Gopalanand Swami resided for a long duration. This site, featuring spacious halls, houses the seat of Gopalanand Swami, several antique wooden artefacts and the Vachanamrut location.
Behind the temple stands the ‘Acharya Sthapan Chhatri’, a marble memorial erected in memory of the appointment of the Acharyas in 1826. To the north-west lies the ‘Gyan Baug’, an expansive garden. Within this orchard of mango trees, Bhagwan Swaminarayan celebrated the festival of Holi.
It was there, seated on a twelve-door swing, He performed the miracle of assuming twelve forms simultaneously. To commemorate this event, a twelve-arched stone memorial and a marble seat have been erected. For the convenience of pilgrims arriving from across the country, a large Bhaktanivas(guest house) capable of accommodating a thousand people is maintained. The temple also provides free meals to visiting devotees. Its massive dining hall can accommodate as many as ten thousand people at a single time. Furthermore, the temple administration has established a modern multi-speciality hospital to provide free medical treatment to patients.
Throughout the year, several grand festivals are celebrated with splendour and meticulous discipline. On the day of the full moon (Purnima), the temple is swarmed by throngs of devotees. Bhagwan Swaminarayan initiated the ancient tradition of celebrating ‘Fuldol’ in ‘Gyan Baug’ by lighting the Holi fire and sprinkling colours. During this festival, the deity is seated on a special twelve-doored wooden swing and gently swayed with silver ropes. Every year, festivals known as ‘Samaiya’ are organised on Kartik Shud Purnima and Chaitra Shud Purnima. During these periods, the entire temple complex resonates with continuous chanting, scriptural readings and discourses. Additionally, festivals such as Gurupurnima, Janmashtami, Holi, Diptotsav, Dev Diwali, Patotsav, Shakotsav, Ganesh Chaturthi and Raksha Bandhan are observed with great devotion.
Recently, the temple celebrated its Bicentenary Festival on a grand scale to mark 200 years since its inception. This festival featured a massive Annakut (where over a thousand varieties of delicacies were offered to the deity) and a large cultural exhibition depicting the history of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. Recognising the significance of this milestone, the Department of Posts issued a special postage stamp and a 200-rupee silver coin. The Prime Minister of the country also addressed the festival, honouring Vadtal Dham’s contributions. The ‘Laduli’ laddu and chilli pickle distributed as Prasad here are famously renowned.
In the temple the daily Aarti and viewing times are strictly observed. Each day commences with the Mangala Aarti at 5:30 am. This is followed by the Shringar Aarti at 7:15 am and the Rajbhog Aarti at 10:15 am. The Darshan closes at 12:00 pm. After the afternoon hiatus, the temple reopens for Utthapan Darshan at 3:30 pm. The Sandhya Aarti is performed at 6:45 pm, followed by the Shayan Aarti at 8:30 pm, after which the temple doors close for the day.
