ORGANIZERS The Gujarat Itihas Parishad, Ahmedabad, India The Maharaja Sayaji Rao University, Baroda, India B.J. Institute of Learning and Research, Ahmedabad, India B.A.P.S. Swaminarayan Research Institute, New Delhi, India

PATRONS Acharya Shri Shrivatsa Goswami, Director, Sri Caitanya Prema Samsthana, Vrindavan, India Prof. Lord Bhikhu Parekh, Professor, Political Philosophy, University of Westminster, U.K. Prof. M. A. Dhaky, Director (Emeritus), American Institute of Indian Studies, New Delhi, India Prof. Makarand Mehta, Professor (Emeritus) of History, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, India Prof. H.K. Satpathy, Vice Chancellor, Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati, India Col. Prof. Swatantra Kumar, Vice Chancellor, Gurukula Kangri Vishwavidayalaya, Haridwar, India Dr. Yogesh Singh, Vice Chancellor, The Maharaja Sayaji Rao University of Baroda, India 2 May 2013 Respected Dr. Frank Kaufman, Namaskar. It is our great privilege to announce that The Gujarat Itihas Parishad, in collaboration with The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, B.J. Institute of Learning and Research, Ahmedabad and B.A.P.S. Swaminarayan Research Institute, New Delhi, is organizing an international conference, “Sahajanand Swami and the Swaminarayan Sampraday: Historical, Social and Cultural Perspectives” in New Delhi, India, on 2-4 August 2013. Please see the attached general call for papers for more information. The conference will consist of eight panels, each supporting one of the following themes:

- Swaminarayan Darshan - Sahajanand Swami in History - Literature and Performance in the Swaminarayan Sampraday - Contribution to 19th Century Bhakti Movements - Traditions of Art & Architecture - The Legacy of Sahajanand Swami - Interfaith Interaction and Pluralism - Transnational Growth of Swaminarayan Hinduism It gives us great pleasure to invite you as a Special Delegate in the panel of “Interfaith Interaction and Pluralism”. Given your considerable background and expertise, we feel you are uniquely positioned to present your research paper in this panel. Yet, you may use your discretion and decide to present your paper in one of the other proposed panels. Panel session will consist of three to four papers between 15 and 20 minutes in length, followed by a ten-minute formal response by the panel chair. The chair’s response would then be followed by a session in which panelists and attending scholars may ask questions to the presenters. We kindly request you to advise us of your availability and interest in presenting a paper by 20 May 2013. We eagerly anticipate hearing back from you. Sincerely, Dr. Jyotindra Dave Dr. Jayesh Mandanaka (Coordinators) On behalf of, Dr. Jagdish Chaudhri, President, Gujarat Itihas Parishad Dr. R. K. Panda, Principal, Sanskrut Mahavidyalay, M.S. University Dr. R. T. Savaliya, Director, B.J. Institute of Learning and Research Dr. J. M. Dave, Director, B.A.P.S. Swaminarayan Research Institute

ORGANIZERS

The Gujarat Itihas Parishad, Ahmedabad, India

The Maharaja Sayaji Rao University, Baroda, India

B.J. Institute of Learning and Research, Ahmedabad, India

B.A.P.S. Swaminarayan Research Institute, New Delhi, India

PATRONS

Acharya Shri Shrivatsa Goswami, Director, Sri Caitanya Prema Samsthana, Vrindavan, India

Prof. Bhikhu Parekh, Professor, Political Philosophy, University of Westminster, U.K.

Prof. M. A. Dhaky, Director (Emeritus), American Institute of Indian Studies, New Delhi, India

Prof. Makarand Mehta, Professor (Emeritus) of History, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad, India

Prof. H.K. Satpathy, Vice Chancellor, Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati, India

Col. Prof. Swatantra Kumar, Vice Chancellor, Gurukula Kangri Vishwavidayalaya, Haridwar, India

Dr. Yogesh Singh, Vice Chancellor, The Maharaja Sayaji Rao University, Baroda, India

CALL FOR PAPERS

Sahajanand Swami, who is also known as Shri Swaminarayan (1781-1830), and the Swaminarayan

Sampraday he founded, emerged in an important moment in the history of Gujarat and India. Arising

at a time that could be characterised by the overlapping trajectories of the pre-colonial, colonial, and

postcolonial, the historical person of Sahajananad Swami and the Swaminarayan Sampraday are

witnesses to political, cultural and social changes against and within which a new religious movement

and devotional community arose. The Sampraday has since become one of the fastest growing Hindu

religious movements in India and in the South Asian diaspora.

The Gujarat Historical Society, in coordination with the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, B. J.

Institute of Learning and Research (Ahmedabad) and B.A.P.S. Swaminarayan Research Institute (New

Delhi), extends a cordial call for papers for a three-day international conference. This

interdisciplinary conference seeks to elucidate the life and work of Sahajanand Swami as well as the

formation and transmission of the Swaminarayan Sampraday from multiple perspectives. Papers

exploring the following themes are welcomed:

Swaminarayan Darshan

How is a unique Darshan (which includes theology and philosophy) in the Swaminarayan Sampraday

encoded in a variety of sources, including Gujarati texts such as the Vachanamrut, Sanskrit

commentaries, and poetry in multiple languages? What is the status of this Darshan vis-à-vis

orthodox system of Vedanta? How do Swaminarayan Darshan works contribute to the field of Hindu

philosophy?

Sahajanand Swami in History

What is known of Sahajanand Swami’s life and works is available through texts such as sacred

biographies and colonial accounts. How can we historically uncover his work as a social reformer,

and a spiritual leader worshipped as God by his devotees? How do questions of historicity and

historiography factor into our understanding of Sahajanand Swami’s life?

Literature and Performance in the Swaminarayan Sampraday

The Swaminarayan ashta-kavis are credited with creating and possibly performing thousands of

poems in a variety of languages and across several genres. How has this corpus of texts and their

performative expressions contributed to genres of poetry? What are the types of prose literature

created in the Sampraday? What function does this large corpus of poetry and prose serve in identity

formation and philosophical transmission?

Contribution to 19th Century Bhakti Movements

The idea of the Sampraday is often associated with the bhakti movement and its four-fold or chatur-

sampraday classification. To what extent are the Darshan, liturgy, and performance of nine-fold

bhakti within the Sampraday presented in the forms of continuity within this bhakti tradition, and to

what extent do they represent a break with this tradition? How has the formation of this new bhakti

movement in 19th century Gujarat influenced scholarly understandings of bhakti traditions more

broadly?

Traditions of Art & Architecture

Sahajanand Swami created mandirs and initiated a wave of artistic creation that led to the creation of

temples, other sacred edifices, images, and paintings. What role do these various art forms play in the

translation of Darshan and the production and transmission of cultural memory? How does an

adaptation of traditional art forms figure in the formation of public religious spaces?

The Legacy of Sahajanand Swami

What were the conditions under which the Sampraday grew and transmitted its own social and

cultural identity? How do today’s members of the Sampraday consider themselves as engaging with

the legacy of the teachings and activities initiated by Sahajanand Swami?

Interfaith Interaction and pluralism

The Swaminarayan Sampraday, its religious leaders, and its members have always interacted with

members of other faith traditions. What are the contexts under which this interfaith interaction takes

place? What is the nature and scope of this interaction? How does the Sampraday situate itself in

various religiously plural settings?

Transnational Growth of Swaminarayan Hinduism

Since the moment of its formation, the Sampraday has spread with the migration of the Gujarati

people within the Indian subcontinent and overseas to Africa, Europe, and the Americas. To what

extent has the Sampraday’s identity transformed with its dissemination in various communities? To

what extent have religious practices adapted to local contexts?

Paper proposals of 300-500 words are due by 10 May 2013 to itihaspg@gmail.com. Acceptance

decisions will be sent out by 31 May 2013. Please visit our website www.gujaratitihas.org and

www.swaminarayanstudies.org for further details.

InternationalConference

Overview

Date: 2,3&4August2013

Venue: AARSH,

B.A.P.S.SwaminarayanResearchInstitute,

SwaminarayanAkshardham,NewDelhi‐92,India

Organizers: TheGujaratItihasParishad,Ahmedabad

TheMaharajaSayajiraoUniversity,Baroda

B.J.InstituteofLearningandResearch,Ahmedabad

B.A.P.S.SwaminarayanResearchInstitute,NewDelhi

Theme: ShriSahajanandSwamiandSwaminarayanSampradaya:Historical,SocialandCulturalPerspectives

Panels:

TraditionsofArt&ArchitectureintheSwaminarayanSampradaya

SahajanandSwamiinHistory

TheLegacyofSahajanandSwami

Literature&PerformanceintheSwaminarayanSampraday

TheBhaktiMovement

SwaminarayanDarshan

InterfaithInteractionandPluralism

TransnationalGrowth

InauguralSession:

KeynoteAddress: Dr.KaranSingh

ChiefGuest: Dr.A.P.J.AbdulKalam

InvitedSpecialDelegates:

Scholars–Abroad

AdamHardy‐London,UK

ArvindSharma‐Canada

BrianHutchinson‐Johannesburg,S.Africa

CynthiaPackert‐Middlebury,Vermont,USA

DianaEck‐Harvard,USA

FrancisClooney‐Harvard,USA

FrancoiseMallison‐Paris,France

GavinFlood‐Oxford,UK

HannaKim‐NewYork,USA

JohnCort‐Ohio,USA

JohnHawley‐NewYork,USA

JohnMalcolm‐Sydney,Australia

LordBhikhuParekh‐London,UK

PaddyMusana‐Kampala,Uganda

PeterSchreiner,USA

NachiketChahani‐Washington,USA

PurushottamBilimoria‐Sydney,Australia

RaymondWilliams‐USA

RichardDavis‐USA

RichardFoxYoung‐Princeton,USA

RihoIsaka‐Tokyo,Japan

SamyuktaGupta–Oxford,London

SureshRaval‐Phoenix,USA

Andothers

Scholars–India

BettinaBaumer‐Banaras,India

GCTripathi‐NewDelhi,India

KutumbShastri‐Banaras,India

MMAgarwal‐NewDelhi,India

MakarandMehta‐Ahmedabad,India

RavindraVasavda‐Ahmedabad,India

SPDubey‐Jabalpur,India

ShrivatsaGoswami‐Vrindavan,India

ThomasParmar‐Ahmedabad,India

Andothers

ResearchScholars

AnkurDesai‐Philadelphia,USA

ArunBrahmabhatt‐Boston,USA

KalpeshBhatt‐Boston,USA

ShrutiPatel‐Seattle,USA

SmitGadhia‐NewDelhi,India

TusharShah‐Oxford,UK

YogiTrived‐NewYork,USA

Andothers