Sarangpur Hanuman Mandir

Hanumanji temple, Sarangpur is a Hindu temple located in Sarangpur, Gujarat and comes under the Vadtal Gadi of the Swaminarayan Sampraday. It is one of two Swaminarayan Temples which does not have the Murtis of either Swaminarayan or Krishna as the primary deity of worship, the other temple located in Kamiyala. It is dedicated to Hanuman in the form of Kashtabhanjan (crusher of sorrows).

History and description

This temple is among the more prominent ones in the original Swaminarayan Sampraday. The idol of Hanuman was installed by Gopalanand Swami. According to author Raymond Williams, it is reported that when Gopalanand Swami installed the idol of Hanuman, he touched it with a rod and the idol came alive and moved. This story has become a charter for the healing ritual performed at this temple. The idol of Hanuman here is a stout figure with a handlebar moustache, crushing a female demon under his foot and baring his teeth, standing among sculpted foliage full of fruit bearing monkey attendants. In 1899, Kothari Gordhandas of Vadtal appointed Gopalanand Swami to manage the affairs of the temple; during his tenure, Shastri Yagnapurushdas renovated the site, built the adjacent bungalow, and acquired more land for the complex to bring it to its current state. Yagnapurushdas then broke away in 1907 and created BAPS. Govardhandas then appointed a new mahant of the temple of Sarangpur. Since, then the Vadtal Gadi has constructed additional improvements and buildings to the temple. Hariprakash Swami is an incumbent trustee.

On 6 April 2023, then Indian home minister Amit Shah unveiled 54-feet tall statue made out of metals which weighs 30,000 kg. The statue, visible from 7 km away, was crafted at the cost of ₹11 crore (₹110 millions).

Rituals

The image of this temple is said to be so powerful that a mere look at it will drive the evil spirits out of the people affected by them. Saturday is the designated day for a special ritual for those affected by mental illnesses and other disorders. They are brought to the temple to be touched by the rod used by Gopalanand Swami during the installation ceremony of the image. This rod has now been covered in gold. The temple administration has hired a brahmin householder to act as a priest at the temple and conduct this ritual. After this, the person affected is instructed to circumambulate the shrine and repeat this after doing darshan a number of times. Some people take a special vow to do this a certain number of times or to chant the Swaminarayan Mahamantra while doing this.