Rs 30-cr museum for Swaminarayan

Monday, August 31, 2009, 1:24:04 PM
5,000 items that Bhagwan Swaminarayan used will be displayed

DILIP PATEL


The Kalupur Swaminarayan sect is in the process of building one of Ahmedabads biggest museums , which will house around 5,000 articles used by Lord Swaminarayan , who lived 225 years ago.
Shree Swaminarayan Museum complex , opposite Terf School, near AEC zonal office in Naranpura, is coming up on 31,000 square yards of land. While the museum will be built on 30,000 square feet, the office and guest house will take up 35,000 square feet.
Total built-up area of the ground plus one floor museum will 1.75 lakh square feet. The museum will be built at a cost of Rs 30 crore. At its present market value the land cost is Rs 75 crore.
Taking into consideration the environment , electricity generated by solar energy and by windmills set up outside Ahmedabad will be used to run the fully air-conditioned museum.
To maintain a green cover, 300 trees will be planted around the museum before the building comes up. An underground reservoir to store rain water is also being planned.
The museum, which is expected to be functional by 2011, will use minimum windows, which will be doubly glazed and insulated keeping in mind the city temperature. Three fountains inside the museum and one at the entrance will be an added attraction.
Acharya Tejendraprasadji Maharaj, the sixth descendant of Lord Swaminarayan , who heads the Kalupur sect now, said, All together 5,000 articles used by Lord Swaminarayan will be displayed at the museum. These will include his flute, his paduka [wooden slippers], his footprints on a cloth, his mala, silver horse shoes, silver toothpicks , ivory slippers, arm bands, original chain of swing, sword and spear.
There will be 11 halls in total, including the central hall with two outer walls and an insulated ceiling to keep heat away. The central hall will provide for meditation to visitors
A preservation hall, built on 5,000 sq feet area, will house experts who will help in preserving Lord Swaminarayans manuscript, besides metal and wooden items used by him. It will also have a workshop, where replicas of the items can be had.
There will also be a library with rare books and anybody wanting to pursue a PhD will be provided with all the resources.
A special audio visual system will help visitors see and hear the Swaminarayan sects history. A mini theatre will show film on the life and times of Lord Swaminarayan.

Where

Naranpura

Total area

30,000 sq yard

Built-up area

1.75L sq feet

Articles

5,000

Opening

2011