Travelogue: Swaminarayan Temple

The Swaminarayan Hindu Temples were started by Swaminarayan, as part of his Swaminarayan sampraday and promote his philosophy of belief in God and idol worship. The most known and fascinating attribute of any Swaminarayan temple is the architecture, and in many cases, the overall construction spread across acres of land. These temples are not just in India but are found worldwide.

We recently visited the one in Pune at Narhe and true to its name, this one is also beautifully made. If coming from Mumbai side, after your cross Warje and the Sinhgadh road, you take the Katraj bypass going towards Bengaluru. Continue for about 2 kms and take the side road. This road is narrow and that means traffic could build up here. This road eventually crosses over the highway on the other side, taking right to the Swaminarayan temple. You do need to go right and then left, towards the parking, which is huge. That said, there is bound to be additional rush on weekends and festivals, so you may want to plan your timing as per.

While you can visit the temple in the morning or evening as well, I would suggest going there in the evening. This is not because it will be more pleasant in the evening, but because you would miss the lighting otherwise, which you can obviously see only in the evening. We had reached the temple around 6.45 pm and were just in time for their 7.00 pm aarti. I must say that aarti is also very good and if you are there, do not miss it. It is sung by many people, including some kids, and accompanied by drum and bells. It creates a very nice and ‘bhakti’ wala atmosphere. If you get there in time, you get to sit inside the temple. The doors open promptly at 7.00 pm and the aarti starts. It lasts for about 20 min or so. The entire process is very well managed.

While the temple itself is worth watching due to its architecture and lighting in the evening, the place around the temple is also very well landscaped. Beautiful garden and ample place to sit. There is also a small food court. Nothing grand about it, but then it is only for tea/coffee and some quick snacks. If you want to have proper lunch/dinner, you would need to get back on the highway.

One can easily spend 3-4 hours here, so it would be apt to say that it is a half day trip. We had an enjoyable time there. This should be on the tourist map of Pune now and if you are wondering where to take your guests, you can surely think of this place, even if you aren’t of the religious kind. For details about the timing, do refer to their site.

Address Off Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway, Ambegaon Road, 4, NH 48, Narhe, Pune, Maharashtra. Map]