Vadtal Dham stands as a timeless sanctuary and the heart of devotion, personally established by the hands of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan. Within the entire Sampraday, Vadtal holds a unique and unparalleled status. It is the only place where Maharaj personally scouted and selected the land, drafted and approved the architectural plans, and performed the ground-breaking ceremony. Demonstrating His immense love for His devotees, Maharaj even carried bricks and mortar on His own head during its construction. Most importantly, it is the only temple in the universe where Maharaj installed His own divine form with His own hands. For generations, this temple has been a source of spiritual awakening for countless santo and haribhakto.
The Center of Upasana
Vadtal Mandir emerged through the profound sacrifice and service of Sadguru Shree Brahmanand Swami and legendary devotees such as Joban Pagi, Dalabhai, Vasan Sutar, and Kuberbhai.
In the southern wing of this temple—distinguished by its nine lotus-shaped domes—Maharaj installed His own swarup, Shree Harikrishna Maharaj, on the auspicious day of Kartak Sud 12, V.S. 1881 (1824 C.E.). Regarding this, Sadguru Shree Shatanand Swami records:
Tadantike tu me murti rasti, sviya prasattaye |
Dharma bhakti yuta chasti, mandire tuttare mama ||
Maharaj Himself declared: “In the southern shrine, My murti resides near Shree Radhakrishna for the eternal joy of My devotees. Likewise, in the northern shrine, I reside alongside Dharma and Bhakti to grant happiness to all who seek Me.” (Shreemad Satsangi Jivan: 4/27/56)
For all who worship here, Maharaj remains manifest in Vadtal Dham, granting the four goals of life—Dharma, Arth, Kam, and Moksh. As stated in the Shree Satsangi Jivan:
Vruttalay sa bhagwan jayatiha sakshat
In Vadtal, Maharaj visibly resides victoriously
The Crown Jewel of All Tirths
While many cities in the Sampraday are prominent for their wealth or size, Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan chose the humble village of Vadtal as His most beloved, elevating it to the “Crown Jewel” of all holy sites.
Maharaj celebrated festivals in many regions, but Vadtal is the only location where every single festival of the calendar year was observed. Even in Gadhada, the twenty-four Ekadashi festivals were not all celebrated; in Vadtal, Maharaj personally celebrated them all. Sadguru Shree Shatanand Swami records:
Prativarsha durgapur addharir vruttalayam puram |
Muhur jagama nrupate, dharma sthapana udyatah ||
Tenot svastatra mahanta eva kruta hyanek ekhi lsaukhya kartra |
Vadami tatrai katamam samas sattena numeya itarepi tadvat ||
(Shree Harililamrut 10/13/04 and Shreemad Satsangi Jivan 3/42/31-32)
This translates to “Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan would frequently travel from Gadhpur to Vadtal every year. Maharaj, the bestower of happiness to all devotees, has celebrated many grand festivals in Vadtal. I shall describe one of those many festivals in brief; based on that, one should infer the magnificence of the other festivals that were celebrated there.”
Maharaj often compared the Charotar region of Vadtal to the sacred groves of Vrindavan, calling it His “most beloved” (Mama preshthe vrindavanam mivanayam – Shreemad Satsangi Jivan 4/27/10). Sadguru Shree Shatanand Swami also confirmed this divinity by describing Vadtal as:
‘Punya madhya-bhumi-vrindavanam-ivottamah’
This land comparable to that of Vrindavan is the most holy land (Shreemad Satsangi Jivan 3/47/57)
Sacred Origins and History
The history of Vadtal mirrors that of Vrindavan. Ancient scriptures tell us that in Satya Yug, Vrindaji performed intense penance in Vrindavan to attain Bhagwan. Similarly, in Vadtal, the daughter of Bhrigu Rishi, Laxmiji, performed severe penance under a Banyan tree during the Dwapar Yug to attain Bhagwan Shree Vishnu. Bhagwan Shree Vishnu then proceeded to tell Laxmiji:
Tapo-vruttasya te yasmadalayo vartate tvidam |
Tatosmin bhavita sthane puram vruttalayabhicham ||
(Harililakalpatru 9/15/31)
“O Laxmiji! Because this place is the abode (alay) of your penance and vows (vrat), a city named Vruttalay shall be established here. In this manner, your wish will be fulfilled.”
Bhagwan Shree Krishna celebrated the Raas-Leela festival at the very site where Vrinda had performed her penance. Similarly, upon the beautiful and scenic land where Laxmiji had performed penance, Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan celebrated Pushpadolotsav in V.S. 1875 (1819 C.E.).
Vadtal is the Lila-bhumi (land of divine episodes), Karma-bhumi (land of action), and Utsav-bhumi (land of festivals) of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan. A popular saying echoes this significance: “Narsinh Mehtani kartal, Gandhiji-ni hadtal, ane Swaminarayan-ni Vadtal.”
The Divine Legacy
The historical weight of Vadtal is evidenced by several milestones established by Maharaj while residing here:
- Aside from Gadhpur, Vadtal is the only other mandir that He personally performed the ground breaking
- He established the Acharya Pad (the throne of succession and lineage of gurus) on Kartak Sud 11, V.S. 1882 (1825 C.E.).
- He composed the Shikshapatri on Vasant Panchami, V.S. 1882 (1826 C.E.).
- He organized the Mandal system for the sadhus and built the first Dharmashala (rest house) for them in Vadtal.
The Promise of Moksha
Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan gave a special promise regarding Vadtal that He did not utter for any other temple:
Paurna masyam paurna masyam ye cha graman taradapi |
Etyaisham darshanam bhaktya karish yant yatra manavah ||
Sarve manorath stesham siddhi meshyanti nishchitam |
Bhukti Tathep sitam mukti prapyant yeshaam prasadatah ||
(Shreemad Satsangi Jivan 4/27/58-59)
Those who visit Vadtal on every Full Moon and have darshan of Shree Laxminarayan Dev among all of the other devs will have their desires fulfilled and will attain moksha.
Sadguru Shree Nishkulanand Swami captured the mahima of Vadtal in Bhaktchintamani 74/15:
Valyam kahe vartal jevu, nathi biju koi gam |
Satsangna madhyama, sundar che eh thahm ||
H.H. 1008 Acharya Shree Viharilalji Maharaj emphasized the importance of Vadtal as well:
“Ek trājve teerth hajāre, beejā trājve Vadtāl dhāre; Dhām Vaikunth ādi dharāy, toy Vadtāl tulya na thāy.” (Shree Harililāmrut: 1/13/91)
“There is no other village like Vadtal; situated in the very heart of the Satsang, it is a truly beautiful place.”
If one were to place a thousand other holy pilgrimage sites on one side of a scale and the sacred land of Vadtal on the other, Vadtal would remain weightier. Even if divine abodes such as Vaikunth were placed on the scale, they would still not equal the greatness of Vadtal. Because of the divine presence of Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan, Maharaj has imparted such glory to this place that no other destination can compare to it.
H.H. 1008 Adi Acharya Shree Raghuvirji Maharaj further declares in the Shree Harililakalpataru:
“Those individuals who constantly have the darshan of Laxminarayan Dev and other deities in the village of Vruttalay are certainly liberated souls; blessed are they. A person who has performed no meritorious deeds since birth becomes a recipient of great merit simply by having darshan of this Vruttalay. Even after visiting all other holy pilgrimage sites, if a person does not see Vruttalay, their pilgrimage remains incomplete, and they do not reap the full fruit of those other travels. Those who, due to negligence or inability, cannot visit all the sacred tirthas on Earth, yet simply have the darshan of Vruttalay-pur, obtain the fruits of visiting all pilgrimage sites.” (Shree Harililakalpataru: 9/32/10-12)
Yogiraj Sadguru Shree Gopalanand Swami also explains the mahima of Vadtal Dham in the Archavatar Stotra
Vadtal is also home to H.H. 1008 Acharya Shree Ajendraprasadji Maharaj and the Dharmakul Parivar at Shree Raghuvir Vadi. Raghuvir Vadi used to be the utaro for Gangama of Jetalpur and for haribhakto during big utsavs. It has since been known as “Acharya Nivas” (residence of Acharya Maharaj) for many generations.
To visit Vadtal is to walk upon ground purified by the lotus feet of Maharaj. It is the ultimate destination for any seeker of Moksh.