NEW DELHI: The evolution of a modern sect of Hinduism, the Swaminarayan Hinduism, its history, theology and the arts has been explored in a new multidisciplinary book.
Titled "Swaminarayan Hinduism: Tradition, Adaptation, and Identity," (OUP) and edited by Raymond Brady Williams, a professor at Wabash College, US and Yogi Trivedi an adjunct professor at the Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University, the book seeks to offer a better understanding of the tradition's growth, beliefs and practice.
Art historian Kapila Vatsyayan who is also the chairperson of Asia Project at the India International Centre released the book here last evening with Acharya Shrivatsa Goswami, an eminent scholar and Vaishnava philosopher.
Swaminarayan Hinduism, which witnessed its inception in 19th century Gujarat, is a contemporary spiritual tradition, in which followers worship Swaminarayan as a form of Vishnu.
The popularity of the faith has mushroomed over the last 40 years with the proliferation of worshippers across the globe in large numbers.
"Swaminarayan sampraday began as a very vibrant religious community albeit with fewer satsanghis and not a very big presence beyond Gujarat. Today, it has it has spread to virtually all the areas where Indian migrants have gone," Williams said.
The 500-page-long book provides novel information about the sect's history, theology as well as its transnational development, with contributions from a diverse group of over 30 scholars from varied academic disciplines, geographical regions and cultures.
"It has led to an increase in the interest in this group among academics. This book was generated out of a conference held at Akshardham in 2013. We invited 30 of those scholars to write chapters for this book," Williams said.
It also brings forth the latest academic research on the sect, based on aspects like arts, architecture, sociology, and migration studies, while analysing the philosophy, conduct, and principles that guide Swaminarayan Hindus.
"It started as a sampraday at a time of a massive social, economical, political and religious change and now at a time of an immense cultural, political, religious change globally it has the same kind of vitality of those early days," Williams said.
According to him, the exclusivity of the book lies in the fact that it gives the readers a bird's eye view of the spiritual tradition with comments and essays by both insiders and outsiders.
"In this book we have both insiders and outsiders - people who are loyal satsanghis and also scholars who are Christians.
We bring together voices from all over and urge these voices in bringing together in one conversation.
This book is an invitation to you to join the conversation," he said.
Trivedi, who has contributed largely to the poetry section in the book said, "They(contributors) are not speaking at each other but with each other enriching the conversation about the Swaminarayan Sampraday."
The themes that trace through the analyses are tradition and adaptation in the historical and social process of creating a complex new religious identity in response to social, economic and political changes.
The book contains current academic research from several disciplines including history, theology, the arts, architecture, sociology, and migration studies to analyse how the stories, texts, and arts shape and reveal the thought, devotion, conduct, and socio-religious community that guide
Swaminarayan Hindus through major transitions across time and space in several contexts.
Swaminarayan is a rapidly expanding transnational Hindu movement with followers and institutions throughout India and abroad, especially in the United States, Britain, East Africa and Australasia.