Home › Kheda Festivals › Santram Mela
FAIR · SANTRAM MAHARAJ · NADIADSantram Mela
The Santram Mandir in Nadiad is the beating heart of a devoted following — its annual fair and daily free kitchen draw crowds to honour the saint Santram Maharaj.
The saint's seat at Nadiad
The Santram Mandir in Nadiad is one of the most beloved temples of central Gujarat, dedicated to Santram Maharaj, a revered saint whose lineage of gurus continues to guide the following. Renowned for its constant charitable work — including a free community kitchen — the temple hosts a great annual fair when devotees gather in strength to honour the saint with processions, music and worship.
A lineage of saints
Santram Maharaj settled at Nadiad in the early nineteenth century and drew a following through teaching that placed service above ritual observance.
The temple was established around his seat in the centre of Nadiad, and the succession of gurus after him has continued to lead the sampraday from there.
Charitable work became the tradition's defining activity — the free kitchen, along with schools, hospitals and relief work across the Charotar region.
The annual mela grew into one of central Gujarat's largest religious gatherings, bringing devotees to Nadiad from across the district and beyond.
Why come
Santram Mandir
The temple sits at the centre of Nadiad and functions as the town's principal landmark and gathering place.
Free kitchen
The annakshetra — the free kitchen — serves anyone who comes, every day of the year, regardless of caste, faith or means.
Annual mela
The mela fills the streets around the temple with processions, stalls and continuous kirtan over its days.
Bhajan
Bhajan and kirtan run through the day in the main hall, and the singing is the tradition's most audible feature.
Saint's seat
An unbroken line of gurus has led the sampraday since Santram Maharaj, and the current guru remains the focus of the community.
Processions
During the mela the temple and its approaches are decorated end to end, and the town effectively stops for it.
What to see
THE TEMPLESantram Mandir
The main temple and the samadhi of Santram Maharaj, the seat of the tradition and the destination for most who come.
THE FAIRSantram Mela
Mela days, when the crowds are at their largest and the processions move through the surrounding streets.
How it unfolds
Reach the mandir
Find the temple in central Nadiad — it is the town's main landmark and everyone can point you to it.
Take darshan
Take darshan at the samadhi of Santram Maharaj, the focus of the temple and of the sampraday's devotion.
Share the meal
See the free kitchen in operation. It is the clearest expression of what this tradition actually teaches, and it runs every day.
Join the mela
Visit during the annual mela if you can, when processions, stalls and kirtan take over the streets around the temple.
Hear the bhajans
Sit for the bhajan and kirtan in the main hall — the singing is continuous and anyone may join.
Feel the seva
Eat at the annakshetra. Taking a meal there is normal and welcomed, and it is part of understanding the place.
Faith rooted in service
What sets the Santram tradition apart is its emphasis on seva — selfless service. The temple’s free kitchen feeds all comers, and its charitable works reach across the region. The annual mela is thus more than a celebration: it is a coming-together of a community that expresses its devotion through giving, in the name of a saint whose humility it seeks to honour.
For everything else the district holds, see our Kheda travel guide.
Timing
The great gathering.
Open for darshan.
Special days.
⏰ The temple is open daily for darshan and its kitchen; the annual Santram mela is the peak occasion.
Getting there
By Air
Ahmedabad / Vadodara.
By Rail
Nadiad Junction.
By Road
Central Nadiad.
More in Kheda
SHARAD POONAM
Dakor Mela
Lakhs of pilgrims walk to Dakor on full-moon nights. Explore →
FESTIVAL
Vadtal Utsav
Vadtal is one of Swaminarayan tradition’s holiest seats — a lotus-shaped temple where festivals like Annakut and Patotsav fill the courtyards with colour, song and towering food offerings. Explore →
LITERARY
Nadiad Writers
Nadiad earned the name “city of the learned” — birthplace of Govardhanram Tripathi, author of the great Gujarati novel Saraswatichandra, and a cradle of the language’s modern literature. Explore →
HISTORY
Kheda Satyagraha
In 1918, the peasants of Kheda refused to pay a crushing tax after their crops failed — a Gandhi-led satyagraha that forged Sardar Patel as a leader and helped shape India’s freedom struggle. Explore →
What to eat
SEVAKitchen Meal
The free bhojan.
THALIGujarati Thali
Simple and pure.
FARSANFarsan
Savoury snacks.
CHAASChaas
Spiced buttermilk.
Santram Mela FAQ
What is the Santram Mandir?
A revered temple in Nadiad dedicated to the saint Santram Maharaj, central to a large devotional following.
Who was Santram Maharaj?
A revered saint whose lineage of gurus continues to lead the tradition from Nadiad.
What is the temple known for?
Its charitable work, especially a free community kitchen that feeds all visitors.
When is the mela?
The temple holds a great annual fair; it is also busy on Hindu festival days.
Where is it?
In the heart of Nadiad, in Kheda district, about 55 km from Ahmedabad.
Can anyone eat at the kitchen?
Yes — the free kitchen is a hallmark of the temple's ethos of service.
Across Gujarat
Mani Mandir
An ornate palace-temple of carved stone
3Jessore Sloth Bears
Track the elusive bear in the border hills
TOWNGodhra
The district’s bustling headquarters
Khambhat Port
Khambhat Port sits at the head of the gulf that shares its name, and for centuries…
HARBOUROkha Madhi
A quiet fishing harbour and ferry point
Idar Jain Derasar
Hilltop Jain shrines above the town
WHERE TO STAY
Find your stay in Gujarat
Compare live prices across the big booking sites and reserve in a few taps. Booking happens securely on the partner's site — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Book directly on our partner sites — tap a provider to see live Gujarat hotels & prices:
SHOP THE REGION
Bring home Gujarat — & travel essentials
Hand-picked crafts and trip gear, available on Amazon.
Published 24 June 2026 · Updated 3 July 2026