Poster showing Swaminarayan disciples as reincarnations of Hindu gods stirs row in Rajkot

Rajkot: The Swaminarayan sect has landed in yet another controversy in Rajkot after a poster went viral on social media showing Hindu deities as the previous divine incarnations of various Swamis. The banner, which is now removed, was displayed at the Jagaswami Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Temple on Raiya Road. It claimed that several disciples of Shreeji Maharaj were incarnations of deities like Lord Krishna, Lord Shankar, Hanumanji, and others in their past lives.

The list featured 52 disciples and their alleged former incarnations, including Gopalanand Swami as Shri Krishna, Muktanand Swami as Naradji, and Gunatitanand Swami as Akshardham.

The banner started doing rounds on social media, however, when the media visited the temple following the banner’s viral spread, it was no longer on display. When asked, temple administrators claimed they had not seen such a poster in the past year and distanced themselves from its content, stating that if it had been put up previously, they were unaware of it.

A devotee, Bharat Yagnik, told the media, “When you showed me the photo, I realized such a banner existed. I have been serving at the temple for the past year, but I’ve never seen this kind of banner. However, this temple is around 10 years old, so I cannot say if someone had put it up before.” DeshGujarat

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