Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who has died aged 94, was the fifth spiritual guru of the BAPS Swaminarayan Hindu sect, which claims to have more than a million devotees. He led the sect steadfastly for 45 years and expanded it internationally and in India. He was responsible for the construction of hundreds of temples around the world, including the Hindu temple in Neasden, north-west London.
The BAPS sect is an off-shoot of the original sect named after its founder, Swaminarayan. He established it in the early 19th century to spread a strict form of Hinduism promoting asceticism and social service. A schism in the sect in the early 20th century resulted in the formation of BAPS. All Swaminarayans believe that their founder was an incarnation of God, which differentiates them from other Hindus. The BAPS sect differs again in believing that all the gurus who have followed, including Pramukh Swami Maharaj, have been Akshars, ideal devotees of God, through whom God can be seen and liberation achieved.
Pramukh Swami Maharaj was born Shantilal Patel in the Gujarati village of Chansad, youngest of 10 children of Motilal and Diwaliba Patel. His father was a farmer and both his parents were devotees of Shastriji Maharaj, founder of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (or BAPS Swaminarayan) sect and its then guru.
When he was 18 he was initiated as a sadhu, a celibate monk, and given the name Narayanswarupdas, servant of God. Seven years later he was appointed to be a temple administrator. At the age of 28, he became president of the BAPS Swaminarayan. From then onwards he was honoured by being known as “Pramukh” or presiding Swami. He became guru of the sect in 1971 on the death of his predecessor.
As guru, Pramukh Swami Maharaj travelled widely and met world leaders. In 2000 he spoke at the United Nations millennium world peace summit of religious leaders, saying that: “True religion is that which inspires love for one another.” He was a staunch advocate of religious pluralism and the Hindu belief that there are different ways to God. In India it is not uncommon for Hindu religious leaders to be involved in politics, but Pramukh Swami Maharaj played no public political role.
After the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots in Gujarat, in which more than 1,000 people were killed, a newspaper reported that Pramukh Swami Maharaj had criticised the chief minister, Narendra Modi (now the prime minister), but he denied this. Later in the same year, though, when terrorists attacked the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, the capital of Gujarat, killing 33 people, Pramukh Swami Maharaj did issue a statement calling for peace and calm.
He lived a simple life in the tradition of the Swaminarayan sect. He observed its strict vegetarian code, which also bans onions, garlic and other foods thought to promote debilitating moods. He was keen for more men to take a vow of celibacy. During his life he initiated 950 young men as sadhus and established a training centre for them.
In addition to his concern for the religious life of the sect, Pramukh Swami Maharaj encouraged its social work. He campaigned against tobacco, alcohol and drugs. He made sure Swaminarayan volunteers were active in relief and rehabilitation after two big earthquakes in India. He instituted a woman’s wing of the Swaminarayan BAPS institute. He was responsible for the construction of 1,000 temples in India and 125 in other countries. When it was built the temple in Neasden was the largest Hindu place of worship outside India. All the marble and limestone was carved in India before being assembled in London.
The day after Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s death, in the Swaminarayan BAPS temple in the Gujarat village of Sarangpur, his body, sitting upright, was displayed in a refrigerated cabin for his followers to have their final sight of their guru. Modi flew straight from delivering his Independence Day address to the nation on 15 August to Sarangpur. He told devotees: “You have lost a guru. I have lost a father.”
Before he died, Pramukh Swami Maharaj nominated Mahant Swami Maharaj as his successor.
• Pramukh Swami Maharaj, religious leader, born 7 December 1921; died 13 August 2016
