New Delhi, 6 April 2025: The festival of Ram Navami was celebrated with great fervour across the country on Sunday. Crowds of devotees thronged the temples since morning, where special prayers and religious events made the celebrations memorable.

Meanwhile, along with Ram Navami, the birth anniversary of Lord Swaminarayan was also celebrated with great fervour at Akshardham Temple in Delhi. This coincidence brought double happiness to the devotees, who filled the temple premises with faith and enthusiasm.

Swaminarayan Jayanti: Celebration of the rebirth of Sanatan Dharma

The birth anniversary of Lord Swaminarayan, the founder of the Swaminarayan sect, was celebrated on the auspicious day of Chaitra Shukla Navami. Akshardham Temple shared a video on social media platform X on this occasion and wrote, “Today, on Chaitra Sud 9, we are celebrating the divine birth anniversary of Lord Swaminarayan. He revived Sanatan Dharma and showed the path of salvation to millions of seekers by establishing the Swaminarayan sect. Jai Swaminarayan Bhagwan!”

Swaminarayan was born in Chhapaiya village of Uttar Pradesh. Known as Ghanshyam in childhood, this saint later came to be known as Sahajanand Swami. It is believed that he was an incarnation of Shri Hari Vishnu. Stories of his supernatural powers and miracles are still popular among devotees. A priest of the temple said, “Swaminarayan not only strengthened the religion, but also took important steps for social reform. His birth anniversary is a source of inspiration for us.”

The splendor of Ram Navami: Akshardham immersed in devotion

On the occasion of Ram Navami, special worship of Lord Shri Ram was performed in Akshardham Temple. The echo of bhajans and floral decorations in the temple premises made the atmosphere more devotional. The temple administration posted on Instagram, “On this auspicious day of Chaitra Sud 9, we are celebrating the birth of Lord Shri Ram. He is a symbol of religion, perseverance and selfless love, which inspires millions of people. Jai Shri Ram!”

Devotees reached the temple for darshan since morning. Radhika Sharma, a devotee from Delhi, said, “Ram Navami and Swaminarayan Jayanti falling together is very special for us. The atmosphere here is so peaceful and sacred that the mind gets relaxed.” The temple further added in its post, “May the qualities of Lord Ram lead us towards righteousness and inner strength. His teachings inspire us to become better human beings.”

Unique confluence of double celebration

The union of these two festivals was presenting a unique scene in Akshardham temple. While on one hand bhajans and kirtans were being performed in the devotion of Lord Ram on Ram Navami, on the other hand discourses were organized on his life and teachings on Swaminarayan Jayanti. The spokesperson of the temple said, “This coincidence is a matter of good fortune for us. Both the incarnations played an important role in strengthening Sanatan Dharma. Today is a day full of spiritual energy for the devotees.”

Crowd of devotees and arrangements

Long queues of devotees were seen since morning at Akshardham Temple in Delhi. The temple administration had made additional arrangements for security and arrangements. A volunteer said, “We have made separate counters to handle the crowd so that no one faces any problem. Like every year, this time too the enthusiasm of the devotees is worth seeing.”

Akshardham became a symbol of faith

This coincidence of Ramnavami and Swaminarayan Jayanti made Akshardham Temple a center of faith. Religious historian Professor Ajay Mehta says, “Both these festivals reflect the power of Sanatan Dharma, which has become stronger with time. Temples like Akshardham play an important role in keeping this tradition alive.”

These events that went on throughout the day not only brought the devotees together, but also highlighted the values ​​of Sanatan Dharma in a new way. This celebration continued till late night at Akshardham, in which a unique combination of devotion, music and love was seen.