According to a definition from the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Statutes, article 2, paragraph 1, "A museum is typically a non-profit making, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purposes of study, education and enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment." This museum is no exception to the description in the definition. Notwithstanding the likelihood that Swaminarayan followers (satsangis) will be mainly interested in the exhibits, it will be open to all.
The Swaminarayan religion is only a 230-year old institution. Thus, projecting the museum for historical purposes will not do justice to the concept. The main goal is to collect the belongings of Swaminarayan and preserve them with the utmost care. When Bhagvan Shree Swaminarayan travelled across the length and breadth of the country, He gave away many belongings such as His mat, clothes, mala, and so on to His followers in the form of prasadi. Since prasadi is inherited down the generations, it tends to lose its importance. Children might not imbibe the devotion their parents had. Due to this loss of faith, these priceless items are feared destroyed, neglected, or sold off. This makes the job of collecting prasadi extremely difficult.
Temples have their own collection, but the items there are not well conserved. People who pass by them have no historical information about these items. Hence, Shree TejendraPrasadji Maharaj felt the dire urgency to bring all this together under one roof and let all devotees have the privilege of browsing through the collections. He wishes to project the exhibits to the common masses and preserve them for further studies. Where else, other than a museum, would such a magnanimous vision come to fruition?!