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{{EngvarB|date=January 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{primary sources|date=September 2016}}
{{rewrite|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox museum
|name = Shree Swaminarayan Museum
|image = SSM.JPG
|imagesize = 300
|caption =
|map_type = India Ahmedabad#India Gujarat#India
|map_size = 300
|coordinates = {{coord|23.055|72.550|display=inline}}
|established = 8 March 2011<ref name=deshg>{{cite web|title=Modi at Amdavad’s newly opened Swaminarayan Museum|url=http://deshgujarat.com/2011/03/08/modi-opens-shri-swaminarayan-museum-in-amdavad/|access-date=17 March 2011}}</ref>
|dissolved =
|location = Naranpura, [[Ahmedabad]]
|visitors =
|director =
|curator =
|publictransit =
|collection = 3,000 artifacts used by [[Swaminarayan]]
|website = {{url|http://www.swaminarayanmuseum.in/}}
}}
The '''Shree Swaminarayan Museum''' is a museum in [[Ahmedabad]], [[Gujarat]], India. It houses of three thousand personal objects of [[Swaminarayan]], who is believed to be a manifestation of god in [[Swaminarayan Hinduism]]. It is a project undertaken to protect God Swaminarayan's objects of Prasadi (personal objects) which can be viewed by all people for [[Darśana|darshan]].<ref name="Shree Swaminarayan Museum">{{cite web | url=http://www.swaminarayanmuseum.in| title=Shree Swaminarayan Museum}}</ref>

This is the first ever project in the Swaminarayan Sampraday to create this unity in all of God Swaminarayan's Prasadi objects from temples all over the world and will be a {{convert|175000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} complex built on {{convert|30000|sqyd|m2}} with a total project cost of {{INR}} 10.5 Million.<ref name="Shree Swaminarayan Museum"/><ref name="AM">{{cite news|title=Rs 30-cr museum for Swaminarayan|url=http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=3&contentid=2009082520090825030521796757c2b47&sectxslt=|publisher=[[Ahmedabad Mirror]]|date=24 August 2009|access-date=24 August 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707095431/http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=3&contentid=2009082520090825030521796757c2b47&sectxslt=|archive-date=7 July 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
This museum was envisioned former Acharya [[Tejendraprasad]] of the [[Narnarayan Dev Gadi]].<ref name="Shree Swaminarayan Museum"/>

==History==
During his lifetime, when Lord [[Swaminarayan]] went around village to village, on request from his followers he gave his belongings as 'prasadi' to his followers. This 'prasadi' is passed from generation to generation, and is still owned by hundreds of families.<ref name="Purpose of the Swaminarayan Museum">{{cite web | url=http://www.swaminarayanmuseum.in/purpose.html | title=Purpose of the Swaminarayan Museum}}</ref> [[Swaminarayan temples]] also have their own collections, but items are usually not kept in an organized manner. The people who pass through them have no historical information about these items.<ref name="Purpose of the Swaminarayan Museum"/> Acharya [[Tejendraprasadji Maharaj]] has endeavored to establish this museum of [[Swaminarayan]]'s belongings. He had some personal collections of Swaminarayan, and dreamed of gathering the 'prasadi' from the devotees. He intended to put all this collection, which gave a glimpse of [[Swaminarayan]]'s life, in the museum. To fulfill this dream he passed on leadership of the [[Narnarayan Dev Gadi]] to his son, [[Koshalendraprasad]] in order to give full attention to this project.<ref name="Shree Swaminarayan Museum"/> He agreed to celebrate his 60th birthday only on one condition, that all the donation and proceedings given by the devotees will be passed on towards the realization of this museum.<ref name="Shree Swaminarayan Museum"/> This was the founding stone of the museum.<ref name="Shree Swaminarayan Museum"/>

The museum was opened on 8 March 2011 by the [[Chief Minister of Gujarat]], [[Narendra Modi]].<ref name=deshg/> The ceremony started on 5 March 2011 and continued till 9 March 2011 in which 800,000 people participated.<ref name=toi2011/> An organ donation camp was held on the museum premises on 8 March 2011 to coincide with the opening ceremony by Shatayu (a NGO). A total of 1600 - 900 women and 700 men - took the pledge for multi-organ donation.<ref name=dna2011>{{cite news|title=Gujarat women take a pledge to donate organs|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gujarat-women-take-a-pledge-to-donate-organs_1518173|access-date=17 March 2011|newspaper=[[Daily News and Analysis]]|date=10 March 2011}}</ref>

==Layout==
The museum itself takes up {{convert|30000|sqft|m2}}. Another {{convert|35000|sqft|m2}} houses an office and guest house. The museum uses an audio visual system to take people around the complex. Along with this there is a mini theatre to showcase the life and times of Swaminarayan and a library with rare resources to help researchers and provide them with information on Swaminarayan. A workshop has been constructed to take special care of all the artifacts and sell replicas.<ref name = AM/>

==Collection==
The museum holds items such as Swaminarayan's writing scripts, everyday garments, ornaments, footprints, fragments of his hair, nails and many other items.<ref name="swaminarayanmuseum.in">{{cite web | url=http://www.swaminarayanmuseum.in/highlights.html | title=Highlights of the Swaminarayan Museum}}</ref>

What makes this place unique is that it houses the only existing writing scripts with the signature of Swaminarayan.<ref name="swaminarayanmuseum.in"/> This document is a power of attorney given by Swaminarayan to Thakur Kubersingh to enable the latter to handle a land dispute at the [[Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Ahmedabad]]. This document is the centerpiece of the museum.<ref name = "AMAMD">{{cite news|title=Paper bearing Lord Swaminarayan’s handwriting found |url=http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article&sectname=News%20-%20City&sectid=3&contentid=2009112320091123023815703ad0c039b|publisher= [[Ahmedabad Mirror]]|date= 23 November 2009|access-date=30 December 2009}}</ref>

==Sustainable construction==
The museum has been set up keeping in mind the environment. Solar and wind energy power this air-conditioned museum which has been planned with a green cover of three hundred trees surrounding the building. [[Rainwater harvesting]] is done using an underground reservoir. Windows are double glazed and insulated, along with two outer walls and an insulated ceiling to help maintain the internal temperature and save electricity.<ref name = AM/> Instead of bricks, fly ash blocks have been used for the structure.<ref name=toi2011>{{cite news|title=New Swaminarayan museum opens today|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-05/ahmedabad/28658186_1_museum-building-devotees-land-documents|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323190301/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-03-05/ahmedabad/28658186_1_museum-building-devotees-land-documents|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 March 2012|access-date=17 March 2011|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=5 March 2011}}</ref>
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.swaminarayan.info/ Official website of the Nar Narayan Dev Gadi]
* [http://www.swaminarayanmuseum.in/ Official website of the Swaminarayan Museum]
* [http://www.facebook.com/Swaminarayanmuseumofficial/ Official Page of the Facebook ]
{{Swaminarayan Sampraday}}

[[Category:Swaminarayan Sampradaya]]
[[Category:History museums in India]]
[[Category:Museums in Ahmedabad]]
[[Category:Religious museums in India]]
[[Category:Biographical museums in India]]
[[Category:Museums established in 2011]]
[[Category:2011 establishments in Gujarat]]

Swaminarayan Museum - Revision history

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