: स्वामीनारायण, IAST

IAST

The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...

: ) (3 April 1781 – 1 June 1830), also known as Sahajanand Swami, is the central figure in a modern sect of Hinduism

Hinduism

Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...

 known as the Swaminarayan Faith, a form of Vaishnavism

Vaishnavism

Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....

. Within the faith, Swaminarayan is equated with the Supreme Being, Purushottama

Purushottama

Purushottama means "Supreme Purusha", "Supreme Being". Purushottama is also one of the names of the Vishnu. According to the Bhagavad Geeta, Purushottam is explained as above and beyond kshar and akshar purushas or as an omni-potent cosmic being...

, or is venerated as an incarnation of Narayana from the Nara-Narayana

Nara-Narayana

Nara-Narayana is a Hindu deity pair. Nara-Narayana is the twin-brother incarnation of the preserver-god Vishnu on earth, working for the preservation of dharma or righteousness...

 deity pair.

Swaminarayan was born Ghanshyam Pande in Chhapaiya

Chhapaiya

Chhapaiya is a village in Gonda District in the state of Uttar Pradesh about 50 km from district headquarter Gonda and 40 kilometers from the major city of Ayodhya.-Geography:Chhapaiya is located at .-Points of interest:...

, Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 in 1781.