Bhagwan Swaminarayan 1781 – 1830 CE
Bhagwan Swaminarayan was born on 3rd April 1781 CE in a little known village called Chhapaiya near Ayodya (birth place of Rama Bhagwan) and was named Ghanshyam. At the tender age of 11 years he left home and travelled the length and breadth of India. On the way he exposed false sadhus, preached about true religion, how to be virtuous and taught the qualities of a true sadhu. He walked barefoot for some 8 years and 7000 miles sanctifying the land of India wearing a simple gourd and carrying a shaligram. He walked from the Himalaya down the east to the southern most point of India then up to Loj in Gujarat. There he stay at Ramanad Swami’s ashram. Because of this epic journey and austerity Ghanshyam had been named Nilkanth Varni. Ramanand Swami was Uddhavji incarnate and proclaimed the arrival of the supreme God . Nilkanth, at the mere age of 21 was made spiritual heir by Ramanand Swami.
Bhagwan Swaminarayan Nilkanth commenced His mission of setting up an ekantik religion based on dharma, bhakti, vairagya and gnan. He introduced the Swaminarayan mahamantra and became known as Bhagwan Swaminarayan. He built mandirs, wrote scriptures and put into place sadhus of the highest order known as paramhansa. He introduced many social reforms such as stopping the practice of sati and infanticide of females, stopping the use of animals in yagnas as well as bringing law and order to what was otherwise a lawless country simply by his spiritual power, personality and presence.
Bhagwan Swaminarayan explained that unlike His previous manifestations this time He had appeared not to kill demons but to destroy the demons of the mind. To that end He brought along with Him His eternal abode Mul Aksharbrahm and emphasised the importance of attaining equivalence with that brahm in order to become one with parbrahm (Vach Loya 12).
He promised that after he returns to Akshardham he would always remain on earth in a physical form through his Gunatit Saints. Click on this link for more detailed history of Bhagwan Swaminarayan