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 chairs 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--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 Swamis 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 Swamis 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 chatursampraday 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 todays 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 Sampradays 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.

International Conference Overview Date: Venue : 2, 3 & 4 August 2013 AARSH, B.A.P.S. Swaminarayan Research Institute, Swaminarayan Akshardham, New Delhi92, India Organizers: The Gujarat Itihas Parishad, Ahmedabad The Maharaja Sayajirao University, Baroda B.J. Institute of Learning and Research, Ahmedabad B.A.P.S. Swaminarayan Research Institute, New Delhi Theme: Panels: Traditions of Art & Architecture in the Swaminarayan Sampradaya Sahajanand Swami in History The Legacy of Sahajanand Swami Literature & Performance in the Swaminarayan Sampraday The Bhakti Movement Swaminarayan Darshan Interfaith Interaction and Pluralism Transnational Growth Shri Sahajanand Swami and Swaminarayan Sampradaya: Historical, Social and Cultural Perspectives

Inaugural Session:

Keynote Address: Dr. Karan Singh Chief Guest: Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

Invited Special Delegates : Scholars Abroad Adam Hardy London, UK Arvind Sharma Canada Brian Hutchinson Johannesburg, S. Africa Cynthia Packert Middlebury, Vermont, USA Diana Eck Harvard, USA Francis Clooney Harvard, USA Francoise Mallison Paris, France Gavin Flood Oxford, UK Hanna Kim New York, USA John Cort Ohio, USA John Hawley New York, USA John Malcolm Sydney, Australia Lord Bhikhu Parekh London, UK Paddy Musana Kampala, Uganda Peter Schreiner, USA Nachiket Chahani Washington , USA Purushottam Bilimoria Sydney, Australia Raymond Williams USA Richard Davis USA Richard Fox Young Princeton, USA Riho Isaka Tokyo, Japan Samyukta Gupta Oxford, London Suresh Raval Phoenix, USA And others Scholars India Research Scholars Ankur Desai Philadelphia, USA Arun Brahmabhatt Boston, USA Kalpesh Bhatt Boston, USA Shruti Patel Seattle, USA Smit Gadhia New Delhi, India Tushar Shah Oxford, UK Yogi Trived New York, USA And others Bettina Baumer Banaras, India G C Tripathi New Delhi, India Kutumb Shastri Banaras, India M M Agarwal New Delhi, India Makarand Mehta Ahmedabad, India Ravindra Vasavda Ahmedabad, India S P Dubey Jabalpur, India Shrivatsa Goswami Vrindavan, India Thomas Parmar Ahmedabad, India And others