Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam
Encyclopedia
The Rajarajeswari Peetam in Rush
, New York
is a Hindu temple
that practices the teachings of SriVidya
. Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswathi (or Aiya, as they call him) is the peetathipathy of the temple along with Gnanamba (or Amma,) his wife. Aiya is a disciple
of Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi who is the Peetathipathy of the Devipuram
temple. The temple was originally founded in Zambia
, then later moved to the Aiya's home in Rush in New York state before the current, purpose-built temple was constructed.
The temple and its community have been the subject of an in-depth study by Corrine Dempsey.
Lineage starts off with Dakshinamurthy (a teacher form of Shiva) who gave the knowledge Balatripurasundari, who gave it Dattatreya, and the lineage continued down until it eventually branched out to Srilasri Swaprakasananda Theertha Avadhootha, who gave it to Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi, who on Friday, Oct. 5, 1979 gave initiation to Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswathi (Aiya).
of the Mother had been continuing in his father's family for more than six generations, but was abruptly halted in 1918 after the sudden demise of Sri Wijayaharan's paternal aunt. Sri Haran learnt of the tradition
at the age of ten, from his father.
The young Haran wanted to revive the rich tradition of Devi
worship in his family. The Devi's Blessings were with him the moment the desire to worship the Mother took form in his young heart.
After having graduated from the famous Jaffna
College, Sri Haran received Shadakshara mantra dhiksha from the late Srilasri Sivasachithananda Mathaji, a paramahamsa sanyasini, the disciple of Srilasri Sivananda Saraswathi. He imbibed knowledge of the ritualistic practices under the tutelage of Sri Mataji and her disciple Srimati Selvanayaki Kalyanasundaram at the Sivananda Tapovanam in Thirukoneswaram.
Aiya emigrated to Zambia
to work as an architect for the Government in Lusaka
. In this small town, he met a few South Indian families and was touched by the true devotion for the divine that he found in them. The families assembled regularly for Satya Sai bhajans and Friday bhajans and the Haran family decided to commence regular Puja with the ever growing circle of Devotees and so, in 1976, regular chanting of the Lalita Sahasranama
was started.
It was in Lusaka
that Aiya met his present Guru
, Srilasri Amritananda Saraswathi (Dr.N.P.Sastry) from Andhra Pradesh
. He was overwhelmed by the compassionate eyes and depth of feeling he felt when he was first introduced to Sri Amritananda. He noticed Sri Amritananda performing the dashamudras during the recitation of the Lalita Sahasranama and decided to ask him for initiation
into Sri Vidya. Sri Wijayaharan was showered with the grace and the priceless mantra
on the Poornima day, Friday, Oct. 5, 1979. Sri Amritananda performed an 8 hour Navavarana puja at Aiya's house and initiated Aiya and his wife Srimati Sakuntala with the mantras. Aiya was then taught the intricacies of performing the various aspects of the mahayagna called the Navavarana puja.
Aiya moved to the United States
in 1980. Named the "Kanchi Peetam" initially, the Peetam now known as the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam was established in his own house. Worship of the Devi has been continuing at the Peetam and waves of devotees started to flock to Here. In the early part of 1981, during the morning puja, Aiya experienced Poornabhishekam by the Devi Herself and was given the dhiksha name of Sri Chaitanyananda. His wife Srimati Sakuntala was named Gnanamba. In that same year, during the Navaratri celebrations on the seventh evening, the Devi left an impression of a conch in Sri Chaitanyananda's right palm. And in 1984, Sri Chaitanyananda received the call to compile a comprehensive text on the intricacies of the Navavarana puja. Having tirelessly worked on this book for an entire year, the first edition was offered to Her lotus feet during the Sharada Navaratri.
in 1971. Amma was initiated into Sri Vidya by Guruji on October 5, 1979. She received Purna Diksha along with Aiya and was named Gnanamba by the Devi. In her ancestry is one of the greatest Tamil
luminaries - "Sadhavadhani" Kadhirvel Pillai, a person who could concentrate on one hundred different things at the same instant. He is well known for his literary works, especially his commentary on Tiruvacakam, which has no equal to date. Amma plays the supporting role of a upasaka to the hilt and she teaches by example.
Sri Chaitanyananda and Gnanamba have opened their hearts, home and the Peetam to all devotees who hail from every part of the world. Aiya's love for Tamil
literature, Carnatic music
and vedic incantations flows out through the unique style of worship that he has developed. The Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam has mothered more than 100 affiliated Peetams all over the world.
Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi (Dr.N. Prahalada Sastry) was born in Visakhapatnam
, the first child of Sri Narasimha Rao and Srimati Lakshminarasamma. Guruji, as he is fondly referred to, started his spiritual quest at a very young age. Blessed with divine experiences early in his childhood,his young mind was teeming with questions, searching for the truth. The stage was set for his spiritual
inclination that was to intensify later in life.
In the course of time, his interest turned to science. He graduated from the Andhra University
with a masters in Nuclear physics and received his doctorate from the University of Bombay, while working at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Guruji spent 23 years at TIFR, involved in research. In the final years there, he was working on a defense project for the air defense. But his spiritually inclined conscience was not comfortable with the destructive nature of his research.
In the meantime, in 1977, Guruji visited the Balaji temple in Hydrabad. He went in and prostrated before the Lord. He felt an extreme thrill pass through his body; and Guruji had his first intitiation from Balaji, that is Balatripurasundari. This proved to be the turning point in his life. After deep thought, he decided to look into the spiritual aspects a little deeper and devote time to work for the upliftment of society. He received SriVidya Poorna Dhiksha from Sri Swaprakashananda Natha Thirtha Avadhutha of Anakapalli. And he was showered with the Grace of Devi Saraswathi and given the dhiksha name of Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi.
Involved in defense research at TIFR, his mind was in search of the truth within himself. It was at this juncture that he was offered a position of Professor of Physics at the University of Zambia
in Zambia. Realising that this was an opportunity to take a fresh look at one's self, he accepted a two year contract to work in Zambia. It was there that Guruji met his "spiritual son", Sri Wijayaharan and accepted him as his disciple, in SriVidya upasana.
Guruji returned to India
in 1981. He resigned from TIFR and settled down in Vishakapatnam, into SriVidya upasana and worship of the Devi
. He slowly started working on means to help improve the standard of living of his fellow men.
In 1983, during Devi
yagna, Guruji was approached by the brothers of the Putrevu family, with a request to build a temple for the divine Mother. In addition to the 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) of land that they had donated, Guruji bought the adjoining 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) and it was registered as land for the Devi temple. Having acquired the land, Guruji was looking for divine guidance, a sign of approval to commence construction of the temple.
In the vicinity of the donated land, there was a small hillock where Guruji would often spend time in meditation
. On the slopes of the hillock, he noticed a formation very similar to that of the Kamakhya Peetam in Assam. One day, while in meditation he experienced himself lying on the Peetam, while four others were performing a homam with the flames emanating from his body. And during purnahuthi, he felt a heavy object being placed on his heart. Awakening from his meditative state, Guruji was prompted to dig that site. Unearthed from that very spot, he found a Sri Chakra MahaMeru made of panchauloha. It was later discovered that a huge yagna had been performed in that area more than 250 years ago.
Guruji had visions of the Devi as a sixteen year old girl. With Her Blessing's, he built the Kamakhya Peetam on the hillock and a Siva temple on the peak, in 1984. Construction of the Sri Meru Nilaya in Devipuram
was started in 1985. Built covering an area of 108 square feet (10 m²), the temple has 3 levels and stands 54 feet (16.5 m) tall. The temple has the idols
of all the Devis described in the Devi Khadgamala Stotra. The temple construction was completed in 1994 and the kumbhabhishekam celebrated with great pomp and piety. This temple is unique in allowing the devotees to perform puja to the Devi
themselves, without distinction of caste or creed.
. Hailing from the Dattatreya
lineage, Sri Swaprakasananda had not received any formal education, yet with the Mother's Blessings, has vast knowledge of the Vedas and Sastras and is well versed in Sanskrit.
Sri Gurugaru came in contact with some of India's finest spiritual gurus during his twentieth year. He received Dhiksha from Sri Poornananda Yogi, a disciple of the Tibetan
guru
, Maru Maharishi. He was introduced to SriVidya upasana by Sri Kesari Kameswara Rao of the Madhvacharya sampradaya. In his 32nd year, Sri Gurugaru received Dhiksha in the mahavidyas of Sri Rajarajeswari, Vanadurga and Saptasathi Chandi. He attained Poorna dhiksha from Sri Gnanananda Saraswathi of Anakapalli.
He travelled the length and breadth of India
to enhance his spiritual knowledge. By the time he was 40 years old, he had mastered the 64 tantras
, from Orissa and Rajamandri. At 43, he had learnt 70 million mantras from the teachings of 18 peetams and many gurus. He spent a few years in Kasi contemplating and analysing the source of the mantras he had learnt. He was greatly aided by Sri Dakshinamurthi Paramahamsa of Lalithanagar, Vishakapatnam.
In addition to the siddhis he had already received, he became a vedic
scholar at the age of 58 with the grace of Chintamani Mahavidyeswari.
By 1980, in his 65th year, Sri Gurugaru felt the urge to renounce the material world and take up sanyasi. To this end, he travelled to the Sri Bhadrakali Mahapeetam at Haridhwar's Saptarishi sarovar. Sanyasa dhiksha was showered on him by Srilasri Kalyanananda Bharathi theertha Maharaj. Years later, with his Guru's blessings, Sri Gurugaru took up the Avadhootha Ashram
.
Sri Gurugaru attained Maha Samathy on Gurupoornima day year 2003.
Rush, New York
Rush is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. The population was 3,478 at the 2010 census.The Town of Rush is a suburb of Rochester located in the southwest part of the county.-Geography:...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
is a Hindu temple
Hindu temple
A Mandir, Devalayam, Devasthanam, or a Hindu temple is a place of worship for followers of Hinduism...
that practices the teachings of SriVidya
Shri Vidya
' is the name of a Hindu religious system devoted to the goddess Lalitā Tripurasundarī, Bhuvaneshvari or simply . According to British scholar Gavin Flood she is a tantric form of the goddess , consort of Vishnu...
. Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswathi (or Aiya, as they call him) is the peetathipathy of the temple along with Gnanamba (or Amma,) his wife. Aiya is a disciple
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a system of training a new generation of practitioners of a skill. Apprentices or protégés build their careers from apprenticeships...
of Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi who is the Peetathipathy of the Devipuram
Devipuram
Devipuram is a Hindu temple complex located near Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. Belonging primarily to the Shakta school of Hinduism, it is dedicated to the goddess Sahasrakshi , and her consort Kameshwara .-Overview:Devipuram's primary focus is the Sahasrakshi Meru...
temple. The temple was originally founded in Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, then later moved to the Aiya's home in Rush in New York state before the current, purpose-built temple was constructed.
The temple and its community have been the subject of an in-depth study by Corrine Dempsey.
Guru Lineage
The GuruGuru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
Lineage starts off with Dakshinamurthy (a teacher form of Shiva) who gave the knowledge Balatripurasundari, who gave it Dattatreya, and the lineage continued down until it eventually branched out to Srilasri Swaprakasananda Theertha Avadhootha, who gave it to Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi, who on Friday, Oct. 5, 1979 gave initiation to Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswathi (Aiya).
Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswathi (Aiya)
The ninth and last child of Sri. Sinnayya Pillai Navaratnam and Smt. Kamalambal, Sri Wijayaharan (Aiya) was born into a family of Devi upasakas. WorshipWorship
Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. The word is derived from the Old English worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship — to give, at its simplest, worth to something, for example, Christian worship.Evelyn Underhill defines worship thus: "The absolute...
of the Mother had been continuing in his father's family for more than six generations, but was abruptly halted in 1918 after the sudden demise of Sri Wijayaharan's paternal aunt. Sri Haran learnt of the tradition
Tradition
A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...
at the age of ten, from his father.
The young Haran wanted to revive the rich tradition of Devi
Devi
Devī is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism, its related masculine term is deva. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents...
worship in his family. The Devi's Blessings were with him the moment the desire to worship the Mother took form in his young heart.
After having graduated from the famous Jaffna
Jaffna
Jaffna is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna district located on a peninsula of the same name. Jaffna is approximately six miles away from Kandarodai which served as a famous emporium in the Jaffna peninsula from classical...
College, Sri Haran received Shadakshara mantra dhiksha from the late Srilasri Sivasachithananda Mathaji, a paramahamsa sanyasini, the disciple of Srilasri Sivananda Saraswathi. He imbibed knowledge of the ritualistic practices under the tutelage of Sri Mataji and her disciple Srimati Selvanayaki Kalyanasundaram at the Sivananda Tapovanam in Thirukoneswaram.
Aiya emigrated to Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
to work as an architect for the Government in Lusaka
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
. In this small town, he met a few South Indian families and was touched by the true devotion for the divine that he found in them. The families assembled regularly for Satya Sai bhajans and Friday bhajans and the Haran family decided to commence regular Puja with the ever growing circle of Devotees and so, in 1976, regular chanting of the Lalita Sahasranama
Lalita sahasranama
Lalita sahasranama is a sacred Hindu text dated to the 12th century A.D. for the worshippers of the Goddess Lalita Devi, i.e. the Divine Mother, in the form of her and the male gods' feminine power, Shakti. Lalita is the Goddess of bliss, an epithet for Parvati. Etymologically, "Lalita" means "She...
was started.
It was in Lusaka
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
that Aiya met his present Guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
, Srilasri Amritananda Saraswathi (Dr.N.P.Sastry) from Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. He was overwhelmed by the compassionate eyes and depth of feeling he felt when he was first introduced to Sri Amritananda. He noticed Sri Amritananda performing the dashamudras during the recitation of the Lalita Sahasranama and decided to ask him for initiation
Initiation
Initiation is a rite of passage ceremony marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components...
into Sri Vidya. Sri Wijayaharan was showered with the grace and the priceless mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
on the Poornima day, Friday, Oct. 5, 1979. Sri Amritananda performed an 8 hour Navavarana puja at Aiya's house and initiated Aiya and his wife Srimati Sakuntala with the mantras. Aiya was then taught the intricacies of performing the various aspects of the mahayagna called the Navavarana puja.
Aiya moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1980. Named the "Kanchi Peetam" initially, the Peetam now known as the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam was established in his own house. Worship of the Devi has been continuing at the Peetam and waves of devotees started to flock to Here. In the early part of 1981, during the morning puja, Aiya experienced Poornabhishekam by the Devi Herself and was given the dhiksha name of Sri Chaitanyananda. His wife Srimati Sakuntala was named Gnanamba. In that same year, during the Navaratri celebrations on the seventh evening, the Devi left an impression of a conch in Sri Chaitanyananda's right palm. And in 1984, Sri Chaitanyananda received the call to compile a comprehensive text on the intricacies of the Navavarana puja. Having tirelessly worked on this book for an entire year, the first edition was offered to Her lotus feet during the Sharada Navaratri.
Sri Gnanamba (Amma)
Amma is the eldest daughter of Sattanathar Kumarasamy and Rajammah. Born in a village Thambachettyponpeedro in Eezham, she is the eldest of nine children. She was initiated into the Shiva Panchaksharam by Shiva Sachidananda Mataji in 1963 when she was studying in Ramanathan college in Chunnakam. She married Aiya in 1970 at Kadhirgamam in Ceylon and accompanied Aiya to ZambiaZambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
in 1971. Amma was initiated into Sri Vidya by Guruji on October 5, 1979. She received Purna Diksha along with Aiya and was named Gnanamba by the Devi. In her ancestry is one of the greatest Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
luminaries - "Sadhavadhani" Kadhirvel Pillai, a person who could concentrate on one hundred different things at the same instant. He is well known for his literary works, especially his commentary on Tiruvacakam, which has no equal to date. Amma plays the supporting role of a upasaka to the hilt and she teaches by example.
Sri Chaitanyananda and Gnanamba have opened their hearts, home and the Peetam to all devotees who hail from every part of the world. Aiya's love for Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
literature, Carnatic music
Carnatic music
Carnatic music is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of the Indian subcontinent, with its area roughly confined to four modern states of India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu...
and vedic incantations flows out through the unique style of worship that he has developed. The Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam has mothered more than 100 affiliated Peetams all over the world.
Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi (Guruji)
Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam is a major sea port on the south east coast of India. With a population of approximately 1.7 million, it is the second largest city in the state of Andhra Pradesh and the third largest city on the east coast of India after Kolkata and Chennai. According to the history, the city was...
, the first child of Sri Narasimha Rao and Srimati Lakshminarasamma. Guruji, as he is fondly referred to, started his spiritual quest at a very young age. Blessed with divine experiences early in his childhood,his young mind was teeming with questions, searching for the truth. The stage was set for his spiritual
Spirituality
Spirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
inclination that was to intensify later in life.
In the course of time, his interest turned to science. He graduated from the Andhra University
Andhra University
Andhra University or Andhra Viswa Kala Parishad , located in Visakhapatnam, north east coastal Andhra Pradesh, is one of the older premier universities in India with a broad focus...
with a masters in Nuclear physics and received his doctorate from the University of Bombay, while working at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Guruji spent 23 years at TIFR, involved in research. In the final years there, he was working on a defense project for the air defense. But his spiritually inclined conscience was not comfortable with the destructive nature of his research.
In the meantime, in 1977, Guruji visited the Balaji temple in Hydrabad. He went in and prostrated before the Lord. He felt an extreme thrill pass through his body; and Guruji had his first intitiation from Balaji, that is Balatripurasundari. This proved to be the turning point in his life. After deep thought, he decided to look into the spiritual aspects a little deeper and devote time to work for the upliftment of society. He received SriVidya Poorna Dhiksha from Sri Swaprakashananda Natha Thirtha Avadhutha of Anakapalli. And he was showered with the Grace of Devi Saraswathi and given the dhiksha name of Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi.
Involved in defense research at TIFR, his mind was in search of the truth within himself. It was at this juncture that he was offered a position of Professor of Physics at the University of Zambia
University of Zambia
The University of Zambia is Zambia's largest university, founded in 1966. It has a student population of about 10,000.-Academics:The University of Zambia is divided into the following faculties:*School of Agricultural Sciences *School of Engineering...
in Zambia. Realising that this was an opportunity to take a fresh look at one's self, he accepted a two year contract to work in Zambia. It was there that Guruji met his "spiritual son", Sri Wijayaharan and accepted him as his disciple, in SriVidya upasana.
Guruji returned to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1981. He resigned from TIFR and settled down in Vishakapatnam, into SriVidya upasana and worship of the Devi
Devi
Devī is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism, its related masculine term is deva. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents...
. He slowly started working on means to help improve the standard of living of his fellow men.
In 1983, during Devi
Devi
Devī is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism, its related masculine term is deva. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents...
yagna, Guruji was approached by the brothers of the Putrevu family, with a request to build a temple for the divine Mother. In addition to the 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) of land that they had donated, Guruji bought the adjoining 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) and it was registered as land for the Devi temple. Having acquired the land, Guruji was looking for divine guidance, a sign of approval to commence construction of the temple.
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
. On the slopes of the hillock, he noticed a formation very similar to that of the Kamakhya Peetam in Assam. One day, while in meditation he experienced himself lying on the Peetam, while four others were performing a homam with the flames emanating from his body. And during purnahuthi, he felt a heavy object being placed on his heart. Awakening from his meditative state, Guruji was prompted to dig that site. Unearthed from that very spot, he found a Sri Chakra MahaMeru made of panchauloha. It was later discovered that a huge yagna had been performed in that area more than 250 years ago.
Guruji had visions of the Devi as a sixteen year old girl. With Her Blessing's, he built the Kamakhya Peetam on the hillock and a Siva temple on the peak, in 1984. Construction of the Sri Meru Nilaya in Devipuram
Devipuram
Devipuram is a Hindu temple complex located near Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. Belonging primarily to the Shakta school of Hinduism, it is dedicated to the goddess Sahasrakshi , and her consort Kameshwara .-Overview:Devipuram's primary focus is the Sahasrakshi Meru...
was started in 1985. Built covering an area of 108 square feet (10 m²), the temple has 3 levels and stands 54 feet (16.5 m) tall. The temple has the idols
Cult image
In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents...
of all the Devis described in the Devi Khadgamala Stotra. The temple construction was completed in 1994 and the kumbhabhishekam celebrated with great pomp and piety. This temple is unique in allowing the devotees to perform puja to the Devi
Devi
Devī is the Sanskrit word for Goddess, used mostly in Hinduism, its related masculine term is deva. Devi is synonymous with Shakti, the female aspect of the divine, as conceptualized by the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. She is the female counterpart without whom the male aspect, which represents...
themselves, without distinction of caste or creed.
Srilasri Swaprakasananda Theertha Avadhootha (Gurugaru)
Fondly known to his disciples as Gurugaru, Swami Srilasri Swaprakasananda theertha avadhootha was born in 1915 in a small village, Vidurbarthi in Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
. Hailing from the Dattatreya
Dattatreya
Dattatreya or Datta is a Hindu deity encompassing the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, collectively known as Trimurti. The name Dattatreya can be divided into two words - "Datta" and "Atreya" referring to the sage Atri, his physical father.Various Hindu sects worship him differently...
lineage, Sri Swaprakasananda had not received any formal education, yet with the Mother's Blessings, has vast knowledge of the Vedas and Sastras and is well versed in Sanskrit.
Sri Gurugaru came in contact with some of India's finest spiritual gurus during his twentieth year. He received Dhiksha from Sri Poornananda Yogi, a disciple of the Tibetan
Tibetan people
The Tibetan people are an ethnic group that is native to Tibet, which is mostly in the People's Republic of China. They number 5.4 million and are the 10th largest ethnic group in the country. Significant Tibetan minorities also live in India, Nepal, and Bhutan...
guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
, Maru Maharishi. He was introduced to SriVidya upasana by Sri Kesari Kameswara Rao of the Madhvacharya sampradaya. In his 32nd year, Sri Gurugaru received Dhiksha in the mahavidyas of Sri Rajarajeswari, Vanadurga and Saptasathi Chandi. He attained Poorna dhiksha from Sri Gnanananda Saraswathi of Anakapalli.
He travelled the length and breadth of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
to enhance his spiritual knowledge. By the time he was 40 years old, he had mastered the 64 tantras
Tantras
Tantras refers to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. Although Buddhist and Hindu Tantra have many similarities from the outside, they do have some clear distinctions. The rest of this article deals with Hindu...
, from Orissa and Rajamandri. At 43, he had learnt 70 million mantras from the teachings of 18 peetams and many gurus. He spent a few years in Kasi contemplating and analysing the source of the mantras he had learnt. He was greatly aided by Sri Dakshinamurthi Paramahamsa of Lalithanagar, Vishakapatnam.
In addition to the siddhis he had already received, he became a vedic
Vedic
Vedic may refer to:* the Vedas, the oldest preserved Indic texts** Vedic Sanskrit, the language of these texts** Vedic period, during which these texts were produced** Vedic pantheon of gods mentioned in Vedas/vedic period...
scholar at the age of 58 with the grace of Chintamani Mahavidyeswari.
By 1980, in his 65th year, Sri Gurugaru felt the urge to renounce the material world and take up sanyasi. To this end, he travelled to the Sri Bhadrakali Mahapeetam at Haridhwar's Saptarishi sarovar. Sanyasa dhiksha was showered on him by Srilasri Kalyanananda Bharathi theertha Maharaj. Years later, with his Guru's blessings, Sri Gurugaru took up the Avadhootha Ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
.
Sri Gurugaru attained Maha Samathy on Gurupoornima day year 2003.