Gujarat Chief Minister Lays Foundation Stone of ₹125 Crore ISKCON Varachha Temple in Surat

Bhupendra Patel performed the foundation rituals and a Narasimha yajna at Kosmada on 25 October, told the gathering to “link devotion with nation-building”, and honoured donors and Bhagavad-gita exam students, as ISKCON Varachha’s president set out the project’s roadmap.

SURAT, India — Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel laid the foundation stone of the ISKCON Varachha temple at Kosmada in Surat on Sunday, 25 October 2026. The temple is being built at an estimated cost of ₹125 crore, and the Chief Minister used the ceremony to call on citizens to connect devotion with social responsibility and nation-building.^[1][2]

The ceremony

According to the ANI report, Patel worshipped the foundation stones and offered oblations at a Narasimha yajna before addressing the gathering.^[1] ISKCON Varachha’s president, Murtiman Dasa (rendered “Murtimandas” in the agency copy), delivered the welcome address, outlined the temple project’s development roadmap and paid tribute to ISKCON’s Founder-Acharya, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.^[1]

The Chief Minister felicitated major donors and community leaders who had contributed to the project, and honoured students who had passed the Srimad Bhagavad-gita examination that the temple says is conducted across Asia.^[1][2]

Gujarat Agriculture Minister Jitubhai Vaghani, Minister of State Prafulbhai Pansheriya, Rajya Sabha MP Govindbhai Dholakia, Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker Purnesh Modi, MLA Pravinbhai Ghoghari and Surat Mayor Mayaben Mawani attended, along with ISKCON office-bearers and devotees.^[1]

“From confusion to understanding”

Patel framed the new temple within Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan of “Virasat Bhi, Vikas Bhi” (heritage alongside development), citing the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya as an example of the revival of India’s religious heritage.^[1] He then devoted much of the speech to the Bhagavad-gita:^[1]

“From the first chapter, Arjuna Vishada Yoga, to the final chapter, Moksha Sanyasa Yoga, the Gita guides people from confusion to understanding, from despair to self-confidence, and from inaction to a sense of duty.”

Bhupendra Patel, Chief Minister of Gujarat, at Kosmada, Surat, 25 October 2026, as reported by ANI^[1]

He added that Sankhya-yoga teaches self-knowledge and a steady intellect, karma-yoga inspires selfless action as spiritual practice, and jnana-karma-sannyasa-yoga shows how knowledge sanctifies action; incorporating these values into daily life, he said, strengthens families and gives the nation an ethical foundation.^[1]

Devotion, Patel said, must not stop at worship and ritual but be channelled into humanitarian service, and society should steer the energy of the young towards nation-building and away from addiction. He said he expected the temple to become a centre for spiritual education, youth empowerment, cultural awareness and humanitarian outreach.^[1][2]

Background

Surat already has an ISKCON temple, Sri Sri Radha Damodar at Jahangirpura, founded in 1978. The Varachha congregation drew national attention in April 2022, when Prime Minister Modi praised its Rama Navami celebrations (see Read Also). The Kosmada project is its own purpose-built temple complex.

Note on sources: this report is based on the ANI agency copy carried by Dailyhunt and The News Mill. ISKCON Varachha’s own announcement, the project’s design and its completion timeline were not available to us at the time of writing.

Read Also:

Sources

1. ANI, “Gujarat CM lays foundation stone for Rs 125 crore ISKCON temple in Surat; calls for linking devotion with nation-building”, Dailyhunt, 25 October 2026. m.dailyhunt.in/news/india/english/ani+english-epaper-anieng/gujarat+cm+lays…
2. TNM Bureau with ANI inputs, “Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel lays foundation for Rs 125 crore ISKCON temple in Surat”, The News Mill, 25 October 2026. thenewsmill.com/2026/10/gujarat-cm-bhupendra-patel-lays-foundation-for-rs-125-crore… (archived copy)