IN Surat�s affluent Adajan locality, on the banks of the River Tapti and besides the broad Sardar Bridge that spans the river, proudly stands the architectural marvel that is the city�s Swaminarayan temple. By Indian historical and religious standards, it is a fairly new temple. It stands impressively in the sun, a magnificent brown stone shrine to one of India�s great spiritual leaders, tall and long and with domes rising up to the sky. Visitors to Surat make it a point to visit the Swaminarayan temple before coming away. The temple draws people to it.

Swaminarayan (1781-1830), legend has it, was born Ghanshyam Maharaj to a Brahmin family in Uttar Pradesh. He left home at the age of 11 to travel the whole of India, eventually settling in Gujarat, where he founded a religious community by 21. Maharaj later became known as Swaminarayan after the mantra he taught. The teachings of Swaminarayan have been preserved verbatim in the Vachanamrut. And today, many Hindus worship Swaminarayan as the ninth avatar of Vishnu.

There are well over a hundred Swaminarayan temples worldwide, each belonging to various sects. While their devotees may differ, the basic architecture of the temples remains the same. They all have one main prayer hall. This is where the main idol(s) are kept, the backdrop of these idols is usually a gold leaf. And most of the temples have three domes, if not more.

The temples that were constructed hundred years ago were of stone, but the more recent constructions would be of marble and granite, material that needs practically no maintenance, except regular cleaning. You won�t find wood or any of the modern-day materials being used. The temples also have similar carvings, hand-carved on stone by traditional craftsmen. In many instances architects who have worked on the designs of a Swaminarayan temple previously are hired.

As a community, those belonging to the Swaminarayan sect are known to be extremely wealthy. Perhaps that�s why no effort is spared while a temple is being constructed. As in this one in Surat, it is evident that the finest material was used and the finest craftsmen were employed. Anybody can visit the Surat temple. But before that, do stop by at the small information centre outside that sells all kinds of literature, books and pictures of Swaminarayan.