"Our enemy has been speaking of Gujarat in recent times and even last week our enemy spoke of Gujarat in the United Nations, so it seems that the plan was on for quite some time," Mr Advani told reporters at the site of the attack.

He was referring to Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf's speech at the UN, where he called for "accountability" for the violence that has rocked Gujarat this year.

But a Pakistani government minister has blamed the Indian Government for failing to build a tolerant society in Gujarat.

Indiscriminate shooting

Eyewitnesses told of the bloodshed inside the temple complex as the men opened fire with assault rifles.

"We were sitting under a tree when they started firing indiscriminately. People started running here and there," said Balwant Shukwant Patel, 25.

One volunteer, his clothes stained with blood, said he had brought out about 20 casualties, although he was not sure how many of them were dead.

Policemen and priests were among the wounded.

Gujarat witnessed widespread religious violence earlier this year when Muslim mobs were accused of setting fire to a train carrying Hindu activists.

More than 1,000 people - mainly Muslims - were killed in the ensuing rioting. Some estimates put the figure as high as 2,000.

The Swaminarayan organisation, part of the Hindu faith, was formally established in 1907. It preaches religious tolerance and practical spirituality.

Around two million people visit the temple in Gandhinagar every year where the complex is spread over 23 acres (10 hectares).