Shree Swaminarayan Temple

Dedicated to Lord Swaminarayan, one of the most revered of all Hindu deities, BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is one of the most famous temples at Rajkot in Gujarat State. Located on the Kalawad Road in Rajkot, the temple is a magnificent structure built in pink stone and marble. Built in 1998-99 by Swaminarayan Sampradaya, it is situated on Kalavad Road near Mahila College.

A must see to the visitors of Rajkot and surroundings, it stands loftily in the centre of the town.

it follows the Swaminarayan Sampradaya founded by Bhagwan Swaminarayan and belongs to the Vaishnav tradition which is a form of Hindu religion.

A remarkable structure of architectural brilliance, the temple has three shrines. The 'mandir' (temple) has been built according to the Ancient Vedic shilpashastra techniques and no cement or concrete has been used in the construction.

The first shrine has an idol of Harikrishna Maharaj which is a 'panchdhatu murti', made from an alloy composed of five metals. Besides there are idols of Lord Krishna and Radha made in marble. The Central shrine in the temple has idols of Lord Swaminarayan, Mul Akshar Gunatitanand Swami and Gopalanand Swami all made of marble. The third shrine has a marble idol of Ghanshyam Maharaj. The shrines in 'pradakshina' has marble idols of Bhagatji Maharaj, Shastriji Maharaj, Yogiji Maharaj and Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Besides Ambaji marble, Makrana marble and Udaipur pink marble has also been used in the temple building. The pink stone used for construction has been brought from Bansipahadpur in Rajasthan and is similar to the stone used in Akshardham at Gandhinagar.

This temple is host to a number of festivals and fairs, and the daily prayer timings. The temple also boasts of one of the largest auditorium in the state, having a capacity of thousands.

The temple is under the care of Swaminarayan Gurukul, an organisation that aims to promote 'true and good education'.

The Swaminarayan Sanstha is actively involved in many philanthropic activities like running of schools, medical care, education care, social work, work related to welfare of women, relief work during natural calamities, tribal care etc. It is also active in imparting spiritual, moral and cultural education and has been instrumental in providing financial aid for many developmental activities in the city as well as other places.