Swaminarayan Mandir, Bhuj

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Bhuj is a Hindu temple in Bhuj. This temple was constructed by Swaminarayan, founder of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. The temple is dedicated to Nar Narayan.

History

This mandir comes under the Narnarayan Dev Gadi. According to legend, senior devotees Gangarambhai jethi Sundarjibhai, Jigneshwarbhai and others from the Bhuj region of Kutch went to Gadhada where Swaminarayan was attending a Fuldol festival. In that festival, the devotees of Bhuj met Swaminarayan and requested him to construct a temple in Bhuj.
Swaminarayan asked Vaishnavananand Swami to proceed with a team of the saints to Bhuj and construct a temple. Vaishnavanand Swami and the accompanying saints went to Bhuj in 1822, camped at the place neighbouring the land of temple drew plans of the temple, complex, executed the plans with minute details and within a short span of one year, they built a temple abode of NarNarayan Dev.

Gujarat earthquake

The earthquake on 26 January 2001 destroyed much of the city of Bhuj, including this temple. There are plans to construct a new temple a short distance away from the site.