Includes bibliographical references and index.

I. History. Introduction to history / Raymond Brady Williams -- Situating the Swaminarayan tradition in the historiography of modern Hindu reform / Brian A. Hatcher -- Sahajanand Swami's language and communication / Makrand Mehta -- Gujarati socio-religious context of Swaminarayan devotion and doctrine / Françoise Mallison -- Swaminarayan and British contacts in Gujarat in the 1820s / Sadhu Paramtattvadas and Raymond Brady Williams with an Appendix on historical dating by Sadhu Amrutvijaydas -- The Swaminarayan ideology and Kolis in Gujarat / Vibhuti Parikh -- Sahajanand Swami's approach to caste / Sadhu Mangalnidhidas -- II. Theology and literature. Introduction to Theology and literature / Yogi Trivedi -- The Swaminarayan commentarial tradition / Arun Brahmbhatt -- Akshara and its four forms in Swaminarayan's doctrine / Smit Gadhia -- Swaminarayan's Brahmajnana as Aksarabrahma-Parabrahma-Darsanam / Sadhu Bhadreshdas ; translated by Sadhu Aksharananddas -- Multivalent Krishna-bhakti in Premanand's poetry / Yogi Trivedi -- Brahmanand and his innovations in the Barahmasa genre / Dalpat Rajpurohit -- III. The arts and architecture. Introduction to The arts and architecture / Yogi Trivedi -- Early Swaminarayan iconography and its relationship to Vaishnavism / Cynthia Packert -- Swaminarayan temple building: tradition and innovation / Rabindra Vasavada -- The Nagara tradition of temple architecture and 'truth to Shastra' / Adam Hardy -- IV. Transnational networks. Introduction to Transnational networks / Raymond Brady Williams -- Development of Swaminarayan Hinduism in Uganda and the Kampala Temple / Paddy Musana -- Transnational growth of BAPS in East Africa / Sadhu Vivekjivandas with Mahendrabhai Patel and Sadhu Ishwarcharandas -- Terrorism and interfaith relations at Swaminarayan Akshardham in Gandhinagar / Sadhu Brahmaviharidas -- Construction of the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Chino Hills, California: a case study in interfaith bridge-building / Kalpesh Bhatt -- Thinking through Akshardham and the making of the Swaminarayan self / Hanna Kim -- Swaminarayan (BAPS) identity formation in virtual transnationalism / Andrew Kunze.