A memorial to Govindananda Bharati has come up at Akkikkavu, near Kunnamkulam in Thrissur district.
It is the birthplace of the traveller-hermit, who is also known as Shivpuri Baba. Baba is credited with teaching the world swadharma , the ancient system of living.
Book released
“This is the 50 year of his maha-samadhi,” says S. Rajendu, author of the book Swadharmam adhava Samyakjeevitham , the life and messages of Govindananda Bharati.
“On his 187 birth anniversary on September 13, at 10 a.m. this souvenir was dedicated to humanity. We are thankful to O.P.V. Nampoothirippad, the elder member of Baba’s family who gave the land to build the memorial,” Rajendu said.
Baba’s birthplace
This monument is constructed on the foundation of the demolished house where Shivpuri Baba was born.
Born in A.D. 1826, as Jayanthan, Shivpuri Baba left his home Oruvannoor Pazhoor at the age of 24 with his grandfather Achyuthan and attained “ Iswarasakshatkaram” in a cave at Amarantaka forest in Madhya Pradesh.
After the death of his grandfather, he reached Sringeri Math and became a saint in Sankaracarya stream, named Govindananda Bharathi, Rajendu, who has chronicled his life, said on Thursday.
Shivpuri Baba travelled in India and met Balagangadhara Tilak and Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
He went to Baroda and conversed with Maharshi Arabindo.
Govindananda started his world tour on foot from Baroda, reached Afghanistan, Iran, Mecca and Turkey.
He stayed in Istanbul for five years and studied Turkish language from the university.
Life and teachings
In Long Pilgrimage , life and teachings of Shivpuri Baba written by J.G .Bennett with Takur Lal Manandhar published by Hodder & Stoughton from Great Britain in 1965, considered as the classic in pious literature, the authors narrated: he reached Europe, travelled through several countries and met many great personalities like Queen Victoria, Albert Einstein, George Bernard Shaw and Madam Curie.
Foreign tours
He crossed the Atlantic and reached North America. He travelled towards south, visited Mexico, Bolivia and Peru.
From Santiago he voyaged to New Zealand, Australia, Japan and China.
He walked towards the Tibetan side of Himalayas and finally reached Kathmandu after his 40-year-long pilgrimage and round world travel like Magellan.
He died at the age of 136 in Dhruvasthali, Kathmandu in January1963.
Special function
At the function organised to mark his 187 birth anniversary, there would be talks on Baba Pakaravoor Chithran Nampoothirippad, Vaidyamadham Narayanan Nampoothiri, Matampu Kunhukkuttan, E.P. Bhaskara Guptan, Prof. Narasimhan Chemmangad, Kanippayyoor Krishnan Nampoothirippad besides S. Rajendu who have been studying the life of Shivpuri Baba.
