How Swadharma works
Four roles, one booking, and no ambiguity about who is responsible for what. The full operating rules are in the Service Manual; this page is the short version.
A request, end to end
You describe the need
The ceremony, the territory and the date. No account and no payment detail at this stage.
We match
A professional verified for that specific ceremony, in or near your territory, speaking the language you asked for.
You confirm
You see who is assigned, what it costs and who takes the payment — before anything is paid.
The rite is performed
Materials arrive event-ready. The engagement stays on record for the next observance.
The four roles
Devotees
Families and individuals arranging a rite. You book, you are told who is coming, and you can follow arrival on the day.
Service professionals
Purohitas, Archakas, Ṛtviks, Veda Pundits, cooks, decorators, helpers and event coordinators. Free to enrol; verified per ceremony category.
Institutions
Temples, trusts and organisations with their own Swadharma address, their own catalogue and their own bank account for collections.
The platform
Swadharma matches, verifies, coordinates and stands behind delivery. Where a fee is taken, the platform is answerable for the service arriving.
Verification
Verification is per ceremony, not per person. A professional verified for Pārvaṇa Śrāddha is not thereby verified for Upanayana, and their card says so. Two things stand behind the badge:
- A verification call — identity, territory, languages, Veda, Śākhā and Sampradāya, and the categories claimed.
- An empanelment interview with a Swadharma scholar, on the specific rites the professional is asking to be listed for.
A card showing Verification in progress means enrolment is complete and the interview is not. Those professionals can still be assigned, under supervision, and the request will say so.
Who takes your payment
Full detail in the manual →This depends on how you booked, and you are told which route applies before you pay — never after.
| Route | You book through | Payment goes to | Answerable for delivery |
|---|---|---|---|
| Institution | A temple or trust's own Swadharma portal | That institution's own Stripe or Razorpay account | The institution, with Swadharma coordinating |
| Direct engagement | A professional you found in the directory | The professional, on their own terms | The professional; Swadharma verifies and mediates |
| Swadharma desk | A service request on this site | Swadharma Services | Swadharma Services |
Materials are a separate line in every route: pūjā and Homa samagri are sold and invoiced by Dravya — SDVS Global LLC in the United States, SDV Supplies in India — never by Swadharma Services.
How we contact you
Swadharma communicates by email and in the app. We do not send WhatsApp or SMS notifications in India or the United States. Enrolment one-time codes go by email, and your phone number is confirmed on the verification call rather than used as a channel.
The WhatsApp numbers in the footer are staffed lines for reaching a person, particularly for urgent Apara Karma — not an automated channel.
That is the whole shape of it
Start a request and you will see each of these steps in turn.