The Laxminarayan Dev Gadi (Devnagari: लक्षिमिनारायन देव गदी) is one of the two Gadis that together form the Swaminarayan Sampraday. It is headquartered at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Vadtal and controls the Dakshin Vibhag.
The current Acharya of this Gadi is Acharya Shree Rakeshprasadji Maharaj.
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In Vadtal, on Prabodhini Ekadashi of Vikram Samvat 1882, Swaminarayan adopted his nephews Ayodhyaprasadji Pande (Son of elder brother Ramprasadji) and Raghuveerji Pande (Son of younger brother Ichcharamji) as his sons. Establishing the two Gadis i.e. NarNarayan Dev Gadi, headquartered at Ahmedabad and LaxmiNarayan Dev Gadi, headquartered at Vadtal, Swaminarayan instructed the two cousins to draw lots, to decide who would be seated on which Gadi.
Ayodhyaprasadji Maharaj was appointed the inaugural Acharya of the NarNarayan Dev Gadi (also known as the Uttar Vibhag - Northern division), whilst Raghuveerji Maharaj became the inaugural Acharya of the LaxmiNarayan Dev Gadi (also known as the Dakshin Vibhag - Southern division).
The administrative division between the two is set forth in minute detail in a document written by Sahajanand Swami(Bhagwan Swaminarayan), called Desh Vibhaag Lekh. The method by which future Acharyas are to be appointed is enshrined in the document Desh Vibhag Lekh.
Swaminarayan then instructed all the followers present to do poojan of their respective Acharyas.
The following table lists all the Acharyas of the Vadtal Gadi till date.
| Acharya Number | Name of Acharya | Born on | Became Acharya on | Death | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Acharya Shree Raghuvirji Maharaj | 21st Mar 1812 | 10th Nov 1826 | 9th Feb 1863 | 37 Years |
| 2 | Acharya Shree Bhagvatprasadji Maharaj | 11th Oct 1838 | 09th Feb 1863 | 12th Aug 1879 | 17 Years |
| 3 | Acharya Shree Viharilalji Maharaj | 19th Apr 1852 | 12th Aug 1879 | 27th Sep 1899 | 20 Years |
| 4 | Acharya Shree Laxmiprasadji Maharaj | 15th Aug 1892 | 27th Sep 1899 | 24th Apr 1909 | 10 Years |
| 5 | Acharya Shree Shripatiprasadji Maharaj | 18th Aug 1875 | 26th Apr 1909 | 12th Feb 1931 | 22 Years |
| 6 | Acharya Shree Anandprasadji Maharaj | 22nd Jul 1906 | 12th Feb 1931 | 08th Jul 1974 | 28 Years |
| 7 | Acharya Shree Narendraprasadji Maharaj | 25th Jan 1930 | 30th Apr 1959 | 1986 | 25 Years |
| 8 | Acharya Shree Ajendraprasadji Maharaj | 16th Aug 1949 | 1984 | Present | N/A |
| 9 | Acharya Shree Rakeshprasadji Maharaj | 23rd Jul 1966 | 31st Jan 2003 | Present | Present |
Organisations under the LaxmiNarayan Dev Gadi.
A gurukul is a place of learning. Started by Dharmajivandas Swami in 1948 in Rajkot, the organisation imparts education to thousands of students in various parts of India today. Gurukuls have been established in places like Junagadh, Surat, Hyderabad, Taravada, Navsari, Bangalore, Dallas, USA, Vidyanagar and Narmada over the years.[1] This organisation is a totally independent organisation. The current head of this orgainisation is Guru Shree Devkrushndasji Swami. The Acharya of the LaxmiNarayan Dev Gadi, however, is the highest spiritual authority at the Gurukuls.
Located in the San Francisco Bay area this organisation was formed at the behest of Acharya Shree Rakeshprasadji Maharaj to perform Satsang in the area.[2]
The International Swaminarayan Satsang Mandal (ISSM) is an organisation based in USA that comes under the Laxminarayan Dev Gadi, Vadtal.[3] It has temples in various parts of the country, all of them being named Vadtal Dham after the parent organisation....[4]
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