Holy Relics of Bhagwan Swaminarayan

Hall of Holy Remains

		Space and silence; prayer and presence are the signs of this hall. Entirely treated in white and red, to represent the two auspicious colors of abil and gulal, the hall has a profoundly spiritual atmosphere. The hall preserves the Holy Remains of Bhagwan Swaminarayan's personal body. His Teeth, Asthi, Charnarvind, etc. are presented here: \| Teeth \| Asthi \| Charnavind \| Mala \| Hair and Nails \|
		Teeth: In olden days, goldsmiths performed the delicate task of removing teeth. Goldsmith Dhondu Soni of Khandesh went to Gadhada and extracted two painful teeth of the Lord. Pleased with his skill, the Lord gave him the teeth and one silver coin. Dhondu Soni's direct descendants gave them to Manchharam Govanbhai Rangoonwala who gave one tooth to his wife Hasmukhben and the coin and the other tooth to Maganbhai Patel who passed them onto his son Harikrishnabhai Patel. Both teeth and the silver coin were finally given to Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj - one by Hasmukhben and the other by Harikrishnabhai Patel of Surat.
		Asthi: Asthi are the remains of ash and bones after cremation. In 1830 CE, Bhagwan Swaminarayan left His earthly body to the grief of hundreds of thousands of devotees. After His body was cremated at a gigantic ceremony in Gadhada, the Lord's holy bones and ash were collected by the devotees. The exhibited Asthi of the Lord were donated by Maniben, a direct descendant of Mayaram Bhatt who was a very close disciple of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.
		Charnavind : The holy footprints of Bhagwan Swaminarayan carry a deep spiritual significance in the Swaminarayan Sampraday. The Enlightened Sadhu is considered to be the feet of the Lord. Like the Lord's feet, he leads thousands towards liberation. Reflecting this philosophical truth of oneness between the Lord and His Sadhu, the original Kumkum footprints of Bhagwan Swaminarayan have been placed amid the saffron upper garment of Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who is the present Enlightened Sadhu.
		Mala: The Mala - rosary, preserved in the Hall of Holy Remains belonged to Bhagwan Swaminarayan. The Lord gave it to Vignananand Swami, who gifted it to Shastriji Maharaj. Shastriji Maharaj used it daily in his morning worship and finally gave it to Pramukh Swami Maharaj.
		Hair and Nails: n 1825 CE Bhagwan Swaminarayan arrived in village Kosad, near Surat. There, a barber devotee named Govinddas shaved the Lord's head, bathed Him and requested Him to sanctify his humble house in Surat. The Lord conceded and lovingly ate the simple meal of wheat and bananas cooked by his wife. Govinddas kept a lock of the Lord's hair as a divine memento. It has since passed through generations from Govinddas to Kalyandas to Vitthaldas to Kantilal to Natvarlal, who offered this precious gift to Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Also in the case are the nails of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.