Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha

Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS; IAST: Bocāsaṇvāsī Akṣara Puruṣottama Svāminārāyaṇa Saṇsthā) is a Hindu denomination within the Swaminarayan Sampradaya. It was formed in 1905 by Shastri Yagnapurushdas (Shastriji Maharaj) following his conviction that Swaminarayan remained present on earth through a lineage of gurus starting with Gunatitanand Swami. As of August 2016, Mahant Swami Maharaj is the 6th guru and president of BAPS.

The philosophy of BAPS is centred on the doctrine of Akshar-Purushottam Upasana, in which followers worship Swaminarayan as God, or Purushottam, and his choicest devotee, Gunatitanand Swami, as Akshar. As of 2024, BAPS has 44 shikharbaddha mandirs and more than 1,300 mandirs worldwide that facilitate practice of this doctrine by allowing followers to offer devotion to the murtis of Swaminarayan, Gunatitanand Swami, and their successors. BAPS mandirs feature also activities to foster culture and youth development. Many devotees view the mandir as a place for transmission of Hindu values and their incorporation into daily routines, family life, and careers.

Quotes

• The most serious allegation claimed that BAPS had demanded the removal of all female employees along the entire route of the visit. This narrative circulated widely and appeared in headlines and video captions. Yet an investigation ordered by the City of Paris did not confirm that accusation. The report found no request from BAPS to exclude women from the route of its delegation. The Hindu organization was thus exonerated of the exclusion requirement attributed to it.
  I followed the story closely because I already knew BAPS well. The movement has more than one million members and belongs to the wider Swaminarayan Hindu devotional tradition, which has more than twenty million followers worldwide. I have visited BAPS temples in India, the United Kingdom, and the United States, often together with my wife, and we were always received with courtesy and sympathy. The rules at issue concern male ascetics who have taken vows of brahmacharya. They avoid physical contact and close interaction with women, including handshakes, which differs from avoiding public settings where women are present. The idea that the delegation insisted that all female personnel be removed from the Eiffel Tower seemed inconsistent with what I had observed over the years.
  • Massimo Introvigne, "BAPS, Women, and the Eiffel Tower: A False “Cult” Scandal", Bitter Winter (October 7, 2026)

• The BAPS case should serve as a cautionary tale for policymakers, journalists, and activists. Trafficking laws are essential tools for protecting vulnerable populations, but when wielded indiscriminately, they can become instruments of cultural and religious repression. Minority religions, already stigmatized by labels like “cult,” are especially at risk.
  In the end, the dismissal of the trafficking charges against BAPS is a victory for common sense applied to religion. It is a reaffirmation of the principle that religious liberty includes the right to define one’s own spiritual path, even when that path involves sacrifice, discipline, and communal labor.
  • Marco Respinti, "Trafficking Case Against Hindu Group Dismissed: Victory for Religious Liberty", Bitter Winter (November 4, 2025)

External links

• Media related to Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha on Wikimedia Commons
• Encyclopedic article on Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha on Wikipedia