Shree Swaminarayan Mandir, Ayodhya: The Homeland of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, Timings and Darshan Guide

ॐEssential info at a glance

ॐSwaminarayan Mandir timings and aarti

The temple keeps a split day, open in the morning and again in the late afternoon and evening, and entry is free, open to all. Its aartis, at the morning opening and in the evening, are its most devotional moments, kept in the beautiful, orderly Swaminarayan way. It is a peaceful, well-kept temple, so darshan is calm and unhurried, and a Bhakta Niwas is available nearby for pilgrims who wish to stay.

ॐThe Swaminarayan Mandir in Ayodhya

The Shree Swaminarayan Mandir at Rayganj is a peaceful and beautifully kept temple of the Swaminarayan Sampraday, the great devotional tradition founded by Bhagwan Swaminarayan, which today has millions of devotees across India and around the world. Here the Lord is worshipped in the loving, disciplined and joyful way of the Sampraday, with the murtis of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and the deities dear to the tradition, cared for with the beautiful daily worship, the aartis and the singing that mark a Swaminarayan mandir. And its presence in Ayodhya is no accident, but a homecoming, for this holy region is the very homeland of Bhagwan Swaminarayan himself.

ॐAyodhya and Chhapaiya: the birthplace of Bhagwan Swaminarayan

Here is the deep and beautiful truth that gives this temple its special meaning: Bhagwan Swaminarayan, revered by his millions of followers as a manifestation of the Supreme God, was born right here, in the land of Ayodhya. He was born Ghanshyam Pande, the son of a devout Brahmin couple, Dharmadev and Bhaktimata, in the village of Chhapaiya, close to Ayodhya, in the year 1781; and, most wonderfully of all, he was born on the sacred day of Ram Navami, the very birthday of Lord Ram himself. There is a perfect and moving beauty in this, that the founder of the Swaminarayan faith should be born on Lord Ram's own birthday, in Lord Ram's own holy region, so that Ram's Ayodhya and Swaminarayan's homeland are one and the same blessed ground. The child Ghanshyam was a wonder from the first, a prodigy who, it is said, mastered the four Vedas and the scriptures while still a small boy. For the devotees of Swaminarayan, therefore, to come to Ayodhya is to come home, to the sacred land where their Lord was born.

ॐNeelkanth Varni: the young yogi and his great journey

The story of Swaminarayan's beginning is one of the most extraordinary in all of India's spiritual history, and it too belongs to this region. For when Ghanshyam was still a child of only eleven, both his beloved parents passed away; and the boy, already free of all desire for the world, resolved to renounce his home. And so, early one morning, this child of eleven set out entirely alone, on foot, into the great forests and across the whole vast expanse of India, taking the name Neelkanth Varni, the young ascetic. His journey lasted some seven years and covered thousands of miles, the length and breadth of the land, in barefoot austerity and in service to all he met, a feat of devotion and endurance almost beyond belief for one so young. It led him at last to Gujarat, and to his guru Ramanand Swami, who gave him the name Sahajanand Swami and, before long, the leadership of his order; and from that great work grew the whole Swaminarayan Sampraday. That this epic journey, which changed the spiritual life of millions, began here, from the region of Ayodhya, makes this a place of the deepest reverence, the ground from which Neelkanth Varni set out to become Swaminarayan.

ॐThe pilgrimage to Chhapaiya, his birthplace

The Ayodhya temple pairs naturally with a pilgrimage to the actual birthplace, the village of Chhapaiya, a little way from Ayodhya, which is one of the holiest of all places for Swaminarayan devotees and draws them from across the world. There stands the Ghanshyam Bhavan, the shrine upon the very spot where the Lord was born, and a beautiful Swaminarayan mandir; and to visit Chhapaiya, the birthplace, together with the Ayodhya temple, is to make a complete pilgrimage to the homeland of Bhagwan Swaminarayan. We are glad to arrange the Chhapaiya visit for our Swaminarayan pilgrims, alongside the darshan of Ram's Ayodhya.

ॐThe homeland of Swaminarayan, in my own words

By Rajeev Sharma, guide with Experience My India

I especially love welcoming my Swaminarayan pilgrims, so many of them Gujaratis from all over the world, to this temple, because I get to tell them: you have come home. Bhagwan Swaminarayan was born right here, near Ayodhya, at Chhapaiya, and, I always say with a smile, on Ram Navami, Lord Ram's own birthday, here in Lord Ram's own city. They are always so moved by that. And I tell them the amazing story of Neelkanth Varni, how a boy of just eleven set out alone from here on foot across all of India for seven years, which became the whole Swaminarayan faith. It began right here in our land.

For my Swaminarayan guests, I always arrange the visit to Chhapaiya, the birthplace, with the Ghanshyam Bhavan on the very spot where He was born; to see Ram's Ayodhya and Swaminarayan's Chhapaiya together is the complete homecoming for them. And for my other guests, I use this temple to show the beautiful unity of our faith, that the great Swaminarayan tradition was born here in Ram's land, on Ram's birthday. It is a peaceful, joyful, welcoming temple, with a Bhakta Niwas to stay, and I never let a Swaminarayan devotee pass through Ayodhya without coming to their Lord's own homeland.

In more than forty years of guiding, this is the temple whose homecoming most moves the Swaminarayan pilgrims I bring.

ॐWhat to see and do

• Take darshan of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and the deities in the beautiful Swaminarayan way.
• Attend the morning or evening aarti, kept in the joyful, orderly Swaminarayan tradition.
• Hear the story of Ghanshyam, born nearby on Ram Navami, and of Neelkanth Varni's great journey.
• Make the pilgrimage to Chhapaiya, his birthplace, with the Ghanshyam Bhavan, nearby.
• Stay at the Bhakta Niwas in Rayganj if you wish to spend time in the homeland.

ॐHow to reach the Swaminarayan Mandir

The temple is at Rayganj, on the Pratapura and Railway Colony Roads in Ayodhya, easily reached by road, with a Bhakta Niwas nearby for pilgrims.

It pairs beautifully with the Chhapaiya birthplace pilgrimage for Swaminarayan devotees.

ॐBest time to visit and how to plan it

• Pair it with the Chhapaiya birthplace pilgrimage and the core Ayodhya temples.
• Allow 30 to 45 minutes for the darshan; a full extra half-day for the Chhapaiya excursion.

For Ayodhya, or a combined Kashi and Ayodhya pilgrimage, planned end to end, see our tour packages.

ॐAccessibility for elderly and mobility limited visitors

• The temple is reachable by road and generally well laid out; check on any steps to the sanctum.
• The Bhakta Niwas nearby is a great convenience for elderly pilgrims who wish to rest and stay.
• Swaminarayan temples are usually calm and orderly, which suits a gentle, comfortable darshan.
• We arrange transport and plan a gentle visit, and the Chhapaiya excursion, comfortably.

ॐOur guided darshan and the Chhapaiya pilgrimage

We are a Varanasi and Ayodhya based operator, a unit of Experience My India, with more than forty years of guiding pilgrims across Kashi, Ayodhya, and Prayagraj, and we have our own local guide in Ayodhya. Entry and darshan are free, so what we arrange is the visit around it: a guide who tells the beautiful story of Swaminarayan's birth in this region and of Neelkanth Varni's journey, and, above all, the complete Swaminarayan homeland pilgrimage, the Ayodhya temple with the birthplace at Chhapaiya, the Ghanshyam Bhavan, alongside the darshan of Ram's Ayodhya.

Inclusions and exclusions are stated up front, with any taxes and conditions, and no charge appears later that was not named. Darshan is free; our charge is only for guiding, transport and services. See all our tour packages for the full range.

Experience My India is a travel operator, not the temple or the Sampraday administration. Darshan is free; our charge is only for our guiding and services. Timings and rules are set by the temple and can change.

ॐNearby sacred sites in Ayodhya

The Swaminarayan Mandir is in Ram's Ayodhya, the homeland of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.

For the Ram Mandir darshan and its free Sugam booking, see our Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir guide.