Dada Khachar (1800–1852) was a devotee of
Swaminarayan and the ''Darbar Shri'' of
Gadhada
Gadhada is a town and a municipality in Botad District in the state of Gujarat, India. Gadhada is situated at bank of River Ghela. Swaminarayan lived here for more than 25 years.
Geography
Gadhada is located at . It has an average elevati ...
.
His father was Ebhel Khachar and mother Somadevi and was named ''Uttamsinh'' on birth. He came to be known as Dada Khachar and had four sisters, Jaya,(jivuba) Lalita,(laduba) Panchali and Nanu. The entire family were followers of Swaminarayan.
It was because insistence of Dada Khachar and his sisters, that Swaminarayan made Dada Khachar's
Darbar in
Gadhada
Gadhada is a town and a municipality in Botad District in the state of Gujarat, India. Gadhada is situated at bank of River Ghela. Swaminarayan lived here for more than 25 years.
Geography
Gadhada is located at . It has an average elevati ...
his home for over 27 years.
Dada Khachar and his sisters requested Swaminarayan, to build a temple in Gadhada. They offered their own place of residence for the purpose. A massive temple,
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Gadhada
Swaminarayan Mandir, Gadhada (Devnagari: श्री स्वामिनारायण मन्दिर, गढडा), also known as Gopinathji Dev mandir, is a Hindu temple in Gadhada, Gujarat, India. This Swaminarayan Sampradaya temple ...
, was constructed in the courtyard of Dada's darbar, and became a place of pilgrimage for followers of Swaminarayan. Swaminarayan himself brought stones on his head from
River Ghela The River Ghela, is a river that runs through the town of Gadhada in the Indian state of Gujarat.Ghelo river originates from Jasdan hills (Around Fulzar village, Jasdan Taluka) & meets in Arabian sea. Its length is 118 km. & 622 km2. catch ...
for the foundation of the temple. The
idol
Idol or Idols may refer to:
Religion and philosophy
* Cult image, a neutral term for a man-made object that is worshipped or venerated for the deity, spirit or demon that it embodies or represents
* Murti, a point of focus for devotion or medit ...
of
Gopinath was installed in the central shrine of the temple.
When Swaminarayan departed for His abode; Akshardham, Dada Khachar rushed to jump on the funeral pyre, but was held back by
Gopalanand Swami
Gopalanand Swami (1781–1852) was a paramhansa of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya who was ordained by Swaminarayan. He worked and guided many followers to spread the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. The Swaminarayan Sampradaya believes that Gopalana ...
who told Dada Khachar to go to the mango tree in Laxmiwadi where the Swaminarayan frequently held assemblies.
References
External links
Hari Bhakt Dada Khachar
{{Swaminarayan Sampraday
Swaminarayan Sampradaya