Swaminarayan sects branch out as NRGs seek roots.

(From The Times of India)

Byline: Harit Mehta

AHMEDABAD: When Kalupur Swaminarayan sect inaugurated a temple in Leicester in mid-August under the banner of International Swaminarayan Satsang Organisation (ISSO), it was much more than a mere addition to the long list of magnificent mandirs constructed abroad.

Keeping the mammoth diaspora in mind, the largely Gujarati Swaminarayan sects - there are five splinter groups - are rapidly spreading their network across the globe.

Almost all of them have big temples in UK and USA, besides important centres in Africa, where Gujaratis started settling over a century back.

Sect leaders say …