Tir Aikyam: Creating an environmental stewardship framework for a living eco-spiritual centre

Kerrai, Anoup, Shettar, Girija, Patel, Hiral ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7783-5952 and Siyani, Mohan 2026. Tir Aikyam: Creating an environmental stewardship framework for a living eco-spiritual centre. Sharma, Vikas Chand, Varma, Anurag and Duan, Qiuhua Lisa, eds. Sacred Landscapes: Indigenous Spatial Frameworks for Contemporary Practice, Religion and Spatial Studies, Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Stewardship demands a values-driven approach to conceive, design, manage, and use built and natural environments, especially operating within social and planetary boundaries. This chapter tells the story of developing a stewardship framework for the Tir Aikyam community farm, based on Vedāntic ontological and epistemological concepts within the Swaminarayan interpretation of Vedānta, led by the Shree Swaminarayan Temple Cardiff. The framework, carefully and creatively developed by authors (Kerrai, Shettar, and Siyani), synthesizes ecological considerations and the mokṣa-centred teachings of the Swaminarayan Saṃpradāya, rooted in the divine guidance of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and His sacred scriptures, within the context of Wales, UK. Throughout this process, visiting swamis from the Swaminarayan Saṃpradāya offered scriptural insight, reflection, and guidance, ensuring that the framework remained faithful to the spiritual intent and living tradition of the Saṃpradāya. The swamis continue to be an integral part of Tir Aikyam’s development, providing ongoing spiritual guidance and helping align future initiatives with the principles of the Saṃpradāya. In this chapter, we propose a relational approach to stewardship—caring for something that belongs to yourself and others—which emphasizes the shared being within everything. Rooted in the three guiding truths of Tir Aikyam—Aikyam (Oneness), Ananta (Boundlessness), and Tir (Sacred Land)—the framework is expressed through five living values: Aikyabhāva (Unity), Ahiṃsā (Non-harm), Araṇya-sevā (Service to Land and Biodiversity), Abhyās (Learning-in-action), and Ānanda (Inner Joy). Tir Aikyam’s stewardship framework guides current and future generations engaged with the community farm, providing guidance that facilitates the development of appropriate activities and experiences on the land. We will draw upon the authors’ lived experiences of creating the stewardship framework, the documents of Tir Aikyam Shree Swaminarayan Temple Cardiff, the sacred scriptures of Bhagwan Swaminarayan, and spiritual guiding principles used by the Tir Aikyam team to identify harmonious correspondences between ecological values and needs, and spiritual concepts and practices. The descriptive account of the evolution of the Tir Aikyam framework and its application for cohabiting on the farm will offer an empirical understanding of environmental stewardship within a Vedāntic context. Most importantly, the study of Tir Aikyam will offer a pathway for harmonious coexistence between spirituality, culture, and nature across wider contexts.

Item Type:	Book Section
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Architecture
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN:	9783032181275
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	20 February 2026
Last Modified:	20 Feb 2026 12:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/185085

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