125.  Background: Keshara Bapa was born on 2nd April 1768 in the village of Netra. His birth date corresponds to the 15th day (Poonam) of Chaitra Sud in Vikram Samvat (VSAK) 1824. A book titled “Shri Keshara Parmeshwara Mukhi Sankhlanu Sanskshipt Jeevan Ane Karya” was published on 21st April 1983, which beautifully describes the great works and life events of “Narveer” Keshara Parameshwara⁸¹. The information in this article is based on that book.

Brief articles on his life are occasionally published. A well-written piece can be found on page 82 of the book “History of Kutch Patidars”[4] by Shri Akhil Bharatiya Kutch Kadwa Patidar Samaj.

In these books⁸² you can learn the following;

1)     How the Kadwa Patidars fell into the hands of Imamshah Fakir on their way to Kashi.

2)    King settled the Kadwa Patidars in Kutch with the condition that they remain alienated from the police and justice system.

3)     Details about Keshara Bapa’s birth, his parents and his education, etc.

4)    He helped the people of Kutch during difficult⁸³ times through his physical build, attire, influence, ancestral practices, and home’s prosperity. Learn about the significance of the titles “Narveer” and “Parameshwara” bestowed upon him.

5)    Abandoning Satpanth⁸⁴ religion to convert to Swaminarayan religion⁸⁵ and the start of religious conflicts in the community.

6)    Arguments against the conversion of religion with the mixed community of three-fifths in Vithon village.

7)     His colleague Abji Bhagat was brutally beaten by Satpanthi.

8)     Breaking Swaminarayan’s boy-girl kinship by Satpanthis.

9)   Complaint made to the Maharavshree of Kutch against harassment by Satpanthis.

10)   Maharavshree brokered a compromise, but Satpanthi Raya Nakrani tore up the agreement.

11)   Maharavshree intervened again and gave full support to Keshara Bapa.

12)  The Swaminarayan Temple was constructed successfully despite facing various obstacles that tried to prevent its construction.

13)   Making Rani Saheba his religious sister and himself the king’s uncle.

14)   Despite having their own share⁸⁶ in the shared utensils and rugs, they were not allowed to use them by the Satpanthi and were insulted in vulgar language.

15)  A complaint was made to the king of Kutch. The complaint had a unique rationale behind it, which led to its resolution.

16)  The text describes the end of a long and contented life of someone who lived more than 110 years. It also includes advice given by him to people of his community.

Detailed information on the above-mentioned points, as well as many inspiring events from his life, is available in books and not repeated here.

In this account, we will delve into the struggle and sacrifices that Keshara Bapa made in the interest of his community. We will explore Keshara Bapa’s valiant fight against the “Black” resolution⁸⁷ passed by the community of Samvat 1832 (dated 18 Jan 1776) and how he ultimately emerged victorious.

126.  The propagandists of Satpanth were advancing unopposed: Keshara Bapa was merely 8 years old during the events of Samvat 1832. Consequently, it’s understandable that he didn’t participate in the discussions leading to the resolution of Samvat 1832 (refer to points (‎111). This resolution was adopted and its implementation began progressively. The proponents of Satpanth were advancing without opposition, intent on eroding Hindu ideology. It’s important to bear this in mind to fully grasp the gravity of the subsequent developments.

127.  Acceptance of Swaminarayan Sect: On Vikram Samvat (VSAK) 1861, Phagan Vad 11, Dinak 26 Mar 1805, Keshara Bapa and his four companions came into contact with the Swaminarayan monks at the house of Shivjibhai Suthar, who was a neighbor of Parameshwara. They learned about the true Sanātana Dharma through these monks, which had a positive impact on them. As a result, they completely renounced Satpanth Dharma and embraced a new religion, the Swaminarayan sect of pure Sanatana religion [96:Page 24 and 25]. Subsequently, religious conflicts emerged within the community [96:Page 98].

Some years later on Vikram Samvat (VSAK) 1865 Fagan Sud 13 i.e. 28 Feb 1809 at Ahmedabad he visited Shriji Maharaj and again tied the kanthi on his hand [96:Page 35].

128.  Despite the threats, people joined in: The households of Keshara Bapa and his friends faced considerable difficulties during this transition. Initially, for several months, even their own families did not accept the Swaminarayan faith. However, over time, the influence of Swaminarayan on them began to have a positive impact. Support and cooperation from neighboring villages like Netra, Ghadani, and Angia started to flow in [96:Page 26].

The public support garnered by Keshara Bapa and his friends did not sit well with the orthodox Satpanth followers. They approached Shivji Suthar and issued a threat, warning him not to visit the Swaminarayan’s house. They made it clear that if he did not comply, his life in the village would become increasingly difficult, and he would have to adhere to the Satpanth followers’ dictates to continue living in the village. Faced with this threat, Shivji Suthar chose to stop visiting Swaminarayan’s house. To avoid further conflict, the Swaminarayan monks shifted their Satsang gatherings to Nagviri village, which was adjacent to Netra village. However, Keshara Bapa and his friends did not abandon Sanatan Dharma; instead, they began attending Satsang gatherings in Nagviri village [96:Page 27].

news that Keshara Bapa and his colleagues had completely abandoned the old mythical⁸⁸ religion and embraced the pure Sanatan Dharma spread⁸⁹ came as a shock to the religious leaders of the old⁹⁰ religion. However, they were unable to take any action against them. Instead, they notified the brothers of Satpanth that “You should not get trapped in the new⁹¹ religion accepted by some Keshara Mukhi.” They also recommended great vigilance against the new religion [96:Page 28].

The number of Keshara Bapa’s companions gradually increased, strengthening the organization. [96:Page 28].

129.  Open Challenge: On Vikram Samvat (VSA) 1872 Bhadrava Vad 7 i.e. 25 Sep 1815, in Netra village, Keshara Bapa stood against the khana⁹² of the old false religion and challenged it by declaring that “Our old religion is a fabled and heretical religion. We should never believe in such a religion.” By saying this, he started the process of destroying the evils of the old religion.

On Vikram Samvat (VSA) 1872, on Bhadrava Vad 7, which corresponds to September 25, 1815, in Netra village, Keshara Bapa took a stand against the Khana⁹³ that followed false and heretical practices of the old religion and openly challenged it. He declared “Our old religion is a fabled and heretical religion, and we should never believe in such a religion.” With this proclamation, he initiated the process of eradicating the negative aspects of the old religion [96:Page 27].

His words, which exposed the heresies and corruptions of the old religion, shook the sturdy foundations of the Kadwa Patidar community’s old religion in Kutch. The brothers of the old religion trembled with worry. Although there used to be a war of words between Keshara Bapa and the old religionists, the brute force of those people did not work against the strong truth of Keshara Mukhi. [96:Page 46].

130.  The whole community was assembled to inflict severe punishment: Now the old religionists changed their tactic. They gathered the three Panchada⁹⁴ community leaders in an effort to enforce strict punishment on Keshara Bapa and his colleagues.

On Vikram Samvat (VSA) 1872, on Chaitra Sud 7, which falls on April 19, 1816, the leaders of the community Gedheras called for a gathering of the entire community at the religious gathering place in Vithon village. Keshara Bapa and his companions were specifically summoned to this event. On one side stood the entire community, and on the other side were only the five friends who had renounced Satpanth and embraced the Swaminarayan sect. This situation must have placed immense pressure on these individuals, and one can only imagine the thoughts and emotions running through their minds at that moment [96:Page 27].

The detailed discussions that took place in this meeting are not provided here. Those interested in learning more about these discussions are encouraged to read Keshara Bapa’s book about his life, which can be found on [ pages 46 to 54 of the reference [96].

However, the main points discussed in this meeting and the questions put forward along with their answers are summarized below.

All the leaders in the meeting made the following statements;

1)     Keshara Bapa has violated the community(Khas Samvat 1832) resolution.

2)     They demanded for Keshara Bapa and his group to face punishment. They insisted that if they did not wish to be punished then their entire Sanatana community should fall at the feet of the Satpanth community and apologize. They should confess their mistake and submit a “Mucharako“⁹⁵.

3)     Similarly Swaminarayan should abandon their religion and accept the old (Satpanth) religion.

4)     They were threatened with punishment, including outcasting and severing ties with their heirs, if they didn’t comply.

Keshara Bapa and his companions displayed immense courage as they navigated through a harsh environment that could have easily broken the will of even the strongest individuals. With patience and confidence, they accurately answered all the questions posed by the community leaders. The original text was devoid of any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors.

In their replies, they argued that;

5)     There is no religious or legal basis for punishing future generations for the social or political crimes of their ancestors.

6)     As long as we and our elders believed in the old fabled religion, we fully respected that resolution.

7)     But now since we have renounced that religion, we do not accept that resolution in the matter of religion.

The argument after this was very good. A Satpanth community leader asked him the following;

8)     This entire community questioned if you consulted society leaders before leaving our forefathers’ religion.

Note: This question was very important for Keshara Bapa, as he himself was a leader of the community, and hence his responsibility as a leader was greater.

Then, Keshara Bapa gave a very precise answer that;

9)     Did our elders consult with the Sanatan Dharma-following society before adopting the present-day fictional religion, after abandoning the original Vedic Sanatan Dharma?

10)   They had to leave Gujarat, similar to Nandanvan, and migrate to the barren, hilly, and dry land of Kutch to embrace the Satpanth religion.

11)   Our ancestors did not hold the Vedic religion and community in high regard. They disrespected the society and Sanatan Dharma. Therefore, we do not believe in the old religion.

131.  Failure of Communal Commission: During the meeting, the community leaders abused their power,used forceful oppression and seemed to have already decided to punish Sanatani severely, without understanding the truth.

Then Keshara Bapa mentioned that you have become a ruler and are imposing Aurangzebi Johukami and Mughal Shahi rule on the Hindu society. You are perpetrating Naryo Sitam.

Keshara Bapa, during this meeting, warned the Gedheras and the orthodox followers of Satpanth that if they continued to oppress their fellow community members in the name of religion, he would report their actions to Maharao (the ruler or leader of the region). He made it clear that they should be prepared to face the consequences of their actions.

Upon hearing Keshara Bapa’s fearless responses, the leaders of the community felt apprehensive. They verbally resolved that “for a resolution to disclose the matter, we shall inform our present chaplain, and all of us should do as he says.”

132.  Decision of the Chaplains: The chaplains considered the verbal resolution proposed by the community leaders.

133.  Strong Spread of Sanātana Dharma: Due to the failure of the community panch and religious leaders, Keshara Bapa and his colleagues spread the Swaminarayan Sampradaya vigorously. However, the conservative leaders of the Satpanth did not approve.

134.  Abiji Bhagat brutally beaten: When Keshara Bapa learned about the brutal beating of his colleague Mr. Abiji Karsan Bhagat by some Satpanthis in Angia village, [96:Page 54] he was furious. He called upon the old religious leaders of Angia village and expressed his anger, saying: 

“I will not tolerate these oppressions carried out by you. I will leave here tomorrow morning for Bhuj and complain against your oppression.” [96:Page 57]

As a result, the leaders of Angia quickly capitulated and offered their apologies. They responded with the following:

“We all give a written statement that from today no brother or sister following the Swaminarayan religion will be directly or indirectly harassed by any brothers following the old religion and no one’s life or property will be harmed.” [96:Page 58]

Following this, he also visited Ghadani village, where the leaders had already chosen not to engage in a conflict and provided a verbal statement as follows:

“We will not create any kind of quarrels in our village about religion, right or wrong. We and all those of the Swaminarayan religion will live together and work in harmony.” [96:Page 59]

135.  Occasions of breaking kinship: Keshara Bapa’s companions faced numerous obstacles as they pursued their goals, and the Satpanth followers, who were fellow community members, started to strongly oppose Keshara Bapa. Keshara Bapa had a challenging task of maintaining kinship-santras⁹⁶ [96:Page 61]. However, interference from outside parties caused a significant disruption and led to the severing of several kinships. Despite having the support of the king of Kutch, Keshara Bapa was often unable to prevent these disruptions from taking place.

The news reached the king of Kutch that on September 28, 1827 (Vikram Samvat 1884 Aso Sud 9, Dinak), Maharavshree successfully mediated a compromise between two opposing parties. The agreement ensured that neither party would detain, harass, or discriminate against the other based on religious beliefs. The agreement was put in writing and signed by Keshara Bapa on behalf of the Sanatan side and Raya Nakarani on behalf of the Satpanth side. [96:Page 64].

The agreement was effective for some time, but eventually, verbal religious conflicts resumed between the two parties.

On September 7, 1830, in the VSA 1887 Bhadrava Vad 5, a meeting was held in Vithon village where the community gathered. During the meeting, Keshara Bapa raised a complaint against the Satpanth community, stating that despite the agreement made by the king regarding kinship, the Gedheras of Netra village were harassing them. Raya Nakrani, who had signed the agreement, was present at the meeting and started threatening Keshara Bapa. In a fit of rage, Raya Nakrani tore up the contract paper. [96: Page 67]

When the King of Kutch learned of the incident, he summoned the community leaders to the Matano Madd temple during Navratri. There, Raya Nakrani acknowledged his mistake and was forgiven by the Maharavshree of Kutch.

136.  Obstacles in the construction of the first Sanatani temple: Keshara Bapa made the decision to build the first temple of the community, the Swaminarayan temple, in Netra village. For this purpose, he selected a location opposite the Old Dharma Sthanaka, which was known as Satpanth’s Khana or Jagyun.

During the construction of the temple, one of the parties requested that half of the shared property be used to cover the costs. This request resulted in disputes and threats from the old religionists, who even initiated fights. Instead of listening to Keshara Mukhi’s advice, they resorted to physical violence immediately. Keshara Mukhi convinced his colleagues to remain patient in order to settle the dispute amicably.

Despite facing obstacles, Keshara Bapa remained determined to build the temple. Gradually, he and his team began gathering the necessary materials and digging the foundation. However, their progress was hindered when opponents of the new temple would secretly fill in the foundation at night. Despite this setback, Keshara Bapa chose not to retaliate but instead sought the help of Maharaja Bhuja’s court to resolve the issue.

Upon receiving the news, the king immediately ordered the police to assist Keshara Bapa in the construction of the temple, ensuring the necessary security measures were in place. Moreover, the king provided support for the procurement of windows, doors, and other goods required for the temple. Keshara Bapa demonstrated his cleverness by seeking the blessings of Santoshi Raya Nakrani and getting the temple sealed by her hand. This was a thoughtful gesture by Keshara Bapa.[96:Page 73 to 77].

On May 13, 1853, the murthi ceremony was completed on Vikram Samvat (VSAK) 1909 Vaishakh Sud 5. The king of Bhuj, neighboring feudal lords, high officials of the administration, police officers, acharyas, sadhu saints, and others were invited to the ceremony [96: Page 78 to 83]. Prior to this event, no Hindu temple had been built for their community.

137.  Problems of Harassment Continued: Even after the construction of the temple, there were continued instances of harassment towards Sanātana dharma. For example, in 1859, Swaminarayan Sadhus were subjected to having bones, meat, and other unholy things thrown at them. [96:Page 86].

During the Tej year, in 1859, Acharya Ayodhya Prasad put Keshara Bapa and his companions to a test in order to gauge their loyalty towards Sanātana Dharma. He made an offer to arrange a marriage alliance with the Leua Patidars of Bhuj Pargana as a solution to their harassment by the Old Religion. However, Keshara Bapa and his colleagues rejected the offer, stating that their community was like a mother to them and they would never abandon it, neither now nor in the future. [96:Page 90 to 92].

The old community refused to share their utensils, carpets, and rugs with the Sanātani. When the Sanātani made a demand, the chief of the Khana insulted them using obscene language. This matter was reported to the Maharaja, who ordered the judge⁹⁷ of Nakhatrana to seal the property. At first, there was no agreement, but eventually, they decided to give half of the Savach property to Swaminarayan. The Darbarshri of Roha Jagir also provided a clear explanation about the matter.[96:Page 94 to 97].

138.  Akshar Niwas: Keshara Bapa enjoyed a long and fruitful life. He passed away on October 25, 1878, which corresponds to Vikram Samvat (VSAK) 1934 Aso Vad 14 (Kali Chaudas), at the age of 110 years, 6 months, and 14 days according to the VSAK calendar⁹⁸.

139.  Shortcomings and Flaws: It’s a fact that every man and campaign has some shortcomings and flaws. The Sanātana campaign led by Keshara Bapa was no exception, and it also had its own set of shortcomings and flaws. However, it’s important to note that there’s no intention to belittle the efforts of Keshara Bapa and his team. Instead, we aim to learn from their experiences and move forward. So, let’s take a closer look at their campaign and its shortcomings, and use this knowledge to improve our own efforts.

139.1. Keshara Bapa’s campaign was limited to seven surrounding villages, including Netra[27:Page 267]. It did not extend to other villages.

139.2. Only about 1500 people abandoned Satpanthism altogether and accepted the Swaminarayan sect [96:Page Prasthavna and 99].

139.3. After Keshara Parameshwara, Swaminarayan’s preaching in the community almost stopped [95:Page 15 and 16]. The primary reason for this decision was the inflexible stance of the monks at the Bhuj Swaminarayan temple during that period (though it might not be the case today) and the unjust and cruel treatment the community endured because of their association with the Muslim identity.[95].

139.4. Even Swaminarayan’s Sankhyayogis (nuns) were discriminated against for many years [95:Page 5 and 11]. One still occasionally hears confused words from behind the scenes about today’s situation.

139.5. DAnother reason was the discrimination and mistreatment by individuals from other communities who followed the Swaminarayan sect. This included actions like the segregation of Leuva and Kadwa Kanbi kitchens. [95:Page 2].

140.  Epilogue⁹⁹: The campaign by Keshara Bapa (Keshara Mukhi) was significant, much like Mangal Pandey’s 1857 rebellion in India’s freedom struggle, due to its campaign against Satpanth.

Key points for the success of his campaign are;

140.1. Sanātana’s Lamp Reignited: According to the Ideology Destruction Method, the final stage, also known as the “Crisis Stage” (refer to points (120), was successfully overcome by Keshara Bapa. Despite the challenging circumstances, he managed to reignite the flame of Sanātana Dharma. Although this flame may seem small today, Keshara Bapa proved that even a single flame is enough to dispel the darkness of unrighteousness. 

140.2. Success: Keshara Bapa breached the walls of Satpanth of Vidharma, freeing the people of 7 villages of Kutch and converting them to Sanātana religion.

140.3. Succeeding in counter-attack: This is the story of the most challenging phase of his life. What made his life special was that he led the attack on the fort of Satpanth but faced a fierce counter-attack by Satpanth. Despite the atrocities, oppression, torture and harassment inflicted upon him and his colleagues, he was able to save Sanātana Dharma from the storm. It takes a true hero to achieve this feat, and he was rightfully called “Narveer” for his courage and leadership.

140.4. First Temple of Sanātana: Despite facing numerous challenges and hardships, Keshara Bapa was determined to establish the foundation of Sanātana Dharma and strengthen his mission. He succeeded in building the first Hindu temple for the community, which was the Swaminarayan temple.

140.5. Support of law and order: Keshara Bapa’s success was greatly facilitated by the unwavering support of the king of Kutch. The Maharavshree of Kutch consistently stood with Keshara Bapa in pursuit of truth, providing him with the strength and resilience needed to endure the oppressive actions of community oppressors.

141.  Areas of Reforms: How Keshara Bapa’s campaign backfired on Satpanth propagandists’ aim of “destruction of ideology” can be seen in the table below.

|| Jai Swaminarayan ||