Columbus BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir

During the Famine of 1812, Bhagwan Swaminarayan initiated disaster relief operations within the Swaminarayan Sampraday, urging sadhus and devotees to distribute grains to the poor and fodder for animals, to dig wells and to provide support to those on the verge of losing their livelihoods. This tradition of service continues today through the work of Pramukh Swami Maharaj. In the wake of the Morbi Dam Floods in 1979, he dispatched an advance team of volunteers to provide food and basic necessities to the people of Morbi. A few days later, Pramukh Swami Maharaj came to Morbi and plowed through the mud-covered streets to distribute supplies and food grains. BAPS and BAPS Charities have joined hands to rebuild communities and reestablish normalcy in the aftermath of some of the worst natural disasters in recent history: the Gujarat Earthquake, the South Asian Tsunami, the Maharashtra Earthquake, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and numerous droughts in Gujarat. Over the decades, BAPS has worked with BAPS Charities to contribute millions of dollars and even more volunteer man-hours during natural disasters in India and abroad, delivering relief to more than 6 million people worldwide.