The Swaminarayan Sampraday, a Vaishnava sect of Gujarat, was founded in the early 19th century by:

The Swaminarayan Sampraday was founded in Gujarat in the early 19th century by Sahajanand Swami, who came to be worshipped by his followers as Bhagwan Swaminarayan.

About Swaminarayan:

• He was born on 3 April 1781 at Chhapaiya, near Ayodhya, in present-day Uttar Pradesh; his childhood name was Ghanshyam Pande.
• At the age of 11, he left home and travelled across India as a young ascetic (named Nilkanth Varni) for seven years.
• In 1800, he reached Gujarat, where he became a disciple of Swami Ramanand at Loj, and was initiated as Sahajanand Swami.
• In 1802, he became the head of Ramanand's sect, which came to be called the Swaminarayan Sampraday.

His teachings:

• He preached devotion (bhakti) to God (Narayana/Krishna), along with a strict moral life.
• He emphasised dharma (righteous conduct), jnana (knowledge), vairagya (detachment) and bhakti (devotion).
• He opposed animal sacrifice, alcohol, meat-eating, theft, adultery and violence.

His social reforms:

• He worked against female infanticide and sati, and for the education of women.
• He opened his sect to people of lower castes.
• He worked for famine relief and the welfare of the poor.
• His followers built temples, and he wrote the "Shikshapatri" (1826), a book of moral precepts for his followers.

His meeting with the British:

He met the Governor of Bombay, Sir John Malcolm, at Rajkot in 1830, who was impressed by his work in bringing law and order to the region.

His death:

He died on 1 June 1830 at Gadhada, Gujarat.

The sect today:

The Swaminarayan movement has millions of followers in India and abroad, and has built many large temples, such as the Akshardham temples in Gandhinagar and Delhi.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Vallabhacharya founded the Pushtimarg; Dayananda founded a reform society; Narsinh Mehta was a medieval poet-saint of Gujarat.