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Vasant Panchmi Parva - Day 5
Haribhai Amin of Virsad, came to meet Swamishri in Sarangpur. Haribhai had met with the king of Gondal to acquire the piece of land on which Akshar Deri stood. The king decided to sell the land only if certain conditions were met. He stated, “The Akshar Deri must remain intact on this land, the mandir that is built over the land should be finished in three years, and at least one million rupees must be spent on the project.
Haribhai was confident that Shastriji Maharaj was capable of such a feat.
A few days later, Haribhai requested Swamishri to accompany him to finalize the documents for the purchase of the land in Gondal. The funds had already been collected. After finalizing the transaction, Haribhai handed the possession of the land to Swamishri. News that the Akshar Deri had been acquired reached the devotees. Everyone was overjoyed.
Swamishri decided to have the groundbreaking ceremony for the mandir on 18 January 1932 (Posh sud 10, Samvat 1988). The king of Gondal, overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the devotees on this occasion, caught a glimpse of Swamishri’s glory.
The king of Gondal had insisted that Swamishri complete the mandir in three years. However, Swamishri’s faithful sadhus and devotees worked day and night to finish the mandir in under two-and-a-half years. The murti-pratishtha was to be held on the auspicious day of 24 May 1934 (Vaishakh sud 10, Samvat 1990).
To the delight of the devotees, Swamishri appointed Yogi Swami (Yogiji Maharaj) as the mahant of the mandir. It was only fitting that the mahant of such a divine mandir himself be so divine.
The story of Gondal Mandir again shows us that Shastriji Maharaj achieved the impossible. To spend at least one million rupees on the mandir at this time was not feasible for our sanstha, yet devotees were drawn to Shastriji Maharaj. They sacrificed and worked hard at the request of Shastriji Maharaj.
It is due to these efforts that we can now experience and enjoy the divine aura of the Akshar Deri, the exact spot at which Gunatitanand Swami left his mortal body and returned to Akshardham. All of our gurus have said that one who prays at this Akshar Deri will have all their good intended wishes come true.