The Sants and disciples of the Kutch region and beyond, gathered on Saturday 11 February 2023, at the Ved Ratna Acharya Swamishree Maharaj Smruti Van, the memorial park created to eternalise His divine memory. Together, they held the unique celebration of the Swaminarayan Faith, the Shakotsav. 

Around this time of the year, Sants and disciples recall the glorious Shakotsav festival performed by Lord Shree Swaminarayan in the village of Loya in Samvat 1878. This year marks 201 years since that Loya Shakotsav festival was held. On that occasion, Lord Swaminarayan Himself cooked an aubergine curry (Shak). He did this to highlight to everyone the importance of performing humble, selfless services. He used 18 Mahns (1 Mahn (unit of mass) is equivalent to 20 kg) of fresh ghee for just the Vaghar. Into this, He placed cut aubergines, enough to fill 18 large carts. Lord Swaminarayan put in the salt, spices, sugar, chillies etc. and made a delicious curry. He then served the food Himself to the sants and disciples. He had asked Nityanand Swami and the other sants to make sweet ladus, so Nityanand Swami served those. However, the Lord had instilled a divine, delicious taste into the aubergine curry, and consequently, everyone asked for more and more of it, and refused to take any of the ladus. In this manner, a grand Shakotsav festival was held in the village of Loya. 

Gnan Mahodadhi Acharya Swamiji Maharaj had sent eminent Sants from Maninagar to Kutch, to take part in the Shakotsav celebrations. He also made a videocall during whilst the celebrations were taking place, and blessed the gathered disciples. A splendid display of different kinds of ‘Shaks’ – vegetable curries, different kinds of traditional breads, and of course aubergine curries was presented before the Lord on the main stage. Sants narrated the history and significance of this festival, and then disciples sang devotional songs, as everyone took part in a communal, devotional dancing. Prasad of the aubergine curry, and other traditional food items was then distributed to all the disciples.