Shree Swaminarayan Temple , Kalupur, is historically the most important and religiously the most prominent because of the main deity, Shree Nar Narayan Dev, the first and foremost in the world, was ceremoniously installed by Shree Sahajanand Swami Himself.

The then British officer, Mr. Dunlop was mightily impressed by the divine qualities and genius of Shree Hari. He, along with another British officer, Mr. Edward, sought special permission all the way from England and gifted vast piece of land right in the heart of the city of Ahmedabad .

The plot of land of Pathakwadi near Navapur in Kalupur in the city of Ahmedabad was presented with an order inscribing “as long and the sun and moon shine” on a copper plate. In Vikram Samvat 1875, Shree Hari sent to Ahmedabad the expert of temple construction, Shree Anandanand Muni, accompanied by Govindanand Swami, Ratanji Parshad and others with instructions to build a sturdy and magnificent temple with three domes according the strict principles of the science of architecture there.

Shuddhagnanand and some other saints were sent to Dungarpur in Rajasthan for preparation of the holy idols. The temple designs and drawings were done by the devotee – Shree Naranjibhai of Bhuj. The stones for the temple were brought from the quarries of Himmatnagar and Dharangadra. Ambaram and Kuber of Visnagar were the principle sculptors.

For the installation ceremony at Ahmedabad temple, Shree Hari accompanied by saints, parshads , devotees and others arrived at Jetalpur, and then proceeded to camp at the Kankaria Lake on the sixth day of the dark half month of Jeth in Vikram Samvat 1878. Next day He led a grand procession from Kankaria to Nava Vas via Raipur gate, Manek Chowk and other parts of the city. The citizens had decorated their houses and streets in great grandeur to extend a very warm welcome and had turned out in great numbers on the street to have darshan of Shree Hari.

Shree Hari was impressed to see the temple and blessed the major sculptors and architects and honoured them with turbans, scarves and gold chains. He also graced the saints and devotees by offering garlands.

The installation ceremony commenced on the first day of the bright half of the month of Falgun. Thousands of saints and devotes had turned up from all places, far and wide. The function, conducted most ceremoniously as prescribed in the scriptures and performed by 108 Brahmins chanting Mantras, lasted for three days.

Shriji Maharaj lifted the twin idols of Shree NarNarayan Dev Himself and installed them on the platform of the sanctum sanctorum with Shodashopachar Pooja , the sixteen fold rituals prescribed by the Vedas. As recorded in the literature of the Sampraday, Shriji Maharaj stood in front of the idols for one Muhrat , i. e., 48 minutes, and invested all His powers in the idols. Great light emanated then from His self and merged with the idols. The installed idols then appeared brighter.

Thereafter He moved in the sanctum sanctorum, and installed the couple idols of Radha-Krishna to the east of NarNarayan Dev and those of Dharma – Bhakti in the west, and of Shree Hari Krishna Maharaj Himself. At last He offered coconuts in the sacrificial oblations and the Installation Yagna was concluded.

On this auspicious event the Company Sarkar, the then British authority in India , gave 101 gun salutes as their homage.

On the fifth day Shree Hari organised Choryasi – a grand feast offered to thousands of Brahmins of the city and Daskroi at Kankaria Lake .

Pointing out the significance of Shree Nar Narayan Dev, Shree Sahajanand Swami had observed:

“The NarNarayan Dev, the Lord here, is the Emperor of India and is eternal. Perfect and Supreme Lord Shree Krishna having incarnated in His form on earth, with Dharma Dev and Murti Devi as parents in this world, has been performing penance at the divine Badrikashram for a Kalpa (4,320,000,000 years). Hence devotion to Him is graceful for the people of Bharatkhand ( India ).”

In order to establish the unity of His self and Shree NarNarayan Dev, Shree Hari continued:

“Shree NarNarayan Dev is in fact Our own form. We have incarnated Ourselves on earth in human form for Moksha (salvation) of innumerable Jivas (souls). Let no one see any difference between Shree NarNarayan Dev and Us.”

Facing north, sturdy and steadfast, octagonal and with a huge dome with three pinnacles, the beautiful temple, is a noble and excellent example of the finest art of both, temple and the wood – carved Haveli architecture of Gujarat.