A Hindu religious organisation has come under fire in Paris, France after female employees at the Eiffel Tower were allegedly asked to move away or make themselves “invisible” during a private visit by its delegation. This prompted staff to strike and force the iconic landmark to close on September 7.

The delegation, comprising around 100 people, was from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, or BAPS, a Hindu religious organisation with roots in Gujarat and a large global following. French authorities are investigating the incident after employees said they were instructed to make themselves “invisible” while the delegation passed through the landmark.

BAPS is a denomination within the Swaminarayan tradition of Hinduism. A Hindu group with several branches in the UK and US it gets millions in donations and grants every year.  

Recently, the massive BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Paris was inaugurated. Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the inauguration through a video message and described the temple as a milestone in India-France cultural relations. He said the teachings and “Indian cultural” message emerging from the temple would benefit people across Europe.

The organisation has apologised for the controversy but said that, to its knowledge, no one was prevented from accessing the Eiffel Tower. It said the visit was organised with the tower’s management because of the size of the delegation and was scheduled at the beginning of normal opening hours to minimise disruption to other visitors.

So, what exactly is BAPS, why do their monks have strict celibacy vows that prevent interaction with women, and what kind of relationship do they share with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi?

The wider Swaminarayan tradition emerged in Gujarat in the late 18th and early 19th centuries around Sahajanand Swami, known as Bhagwan Swaminarayan. BAPS traces its formal establishment to 1907, when Shastriji Maharaj, one of Swaminarayan’s spiritual successors, established a temple in Bochasan, Gujarat. The organisation takes its name from the town and its central theological idea, the Akshar-Purushottam philosophy.

BAPS describes itself as a “socio-spiritual Hindu faith” rooted in the Vedas. According to BAPS, it currently has more than 5,000 centres globally and more than a million followers.

Its most visible presence is perhaps its temples. BAPS has built large, intricately carved Swaminarayan temples in India and in countries including the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Kenya and the UAE.

The organisation’s latest major project is the temple in Bussy-Saint-Georges, near Paris, which BAPS........

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