124th Birth Anniversary of Poojya Maha Periyava on 20th May 2017

Swaminathan, as the pontiff Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi was known in childhood, was born on May 20, 1894 in Villuppuram town and at the very young age of 13, he became the 68th pontiff of Kanchi Mutt on February 13, 1907 following the unexpected demise of the 67th pontiff at the age of 18. He was intensively educated by the Mutt’s pundits in both religious and secular knowledge. He could converse in English, French, Swedish and a dozen Indian languages. 

During his tenure, he travelled by foot almost all places in India spreading the message of Vedic culture – the backbone of Hinduism. Periyava once expressed to his devotees that ‘it is my ardent wish that every locality, every street should have a center for teaching the Vedas and the boys, from their eighth year onwards, must be put through the discipline of recitation for an hour a day for ten years. Preserving the pristine tradition of the exalted Vedic chants enshrined in the lineage dedicated to the Vedas, for the sake of the well-being of not only Hindus of all castes and denominations, not only Indians of all faiths, but for the sake of all mankind in the world over.’ 

His Holiness, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi, the Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in South India, passed away in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, on Saturday, January 8th, 1994, on his 99th year - just four months before he was due to complete his centenary. The end of the 68th pontiff of the Kanchi Mutt came suddenly at 2:58 pm as he was relaxing in his room within the mutt.

His mortal remains were buried in the Kanchi Mutt premises itself and this was the first time a pontiff’s body was buried inside the mutt. The saint was lowered with the chair in which his body was kept into a specially woven bamboo basket and ensconced in a ten-foot pit filled with salt, sandal powder, flowers and medicinal herbs. The exalted danda [staff], which the sage so gloriously held aloft for the best part of a century, was snapped into three pieces; one was placed on the head and two alongside the sacred frame. 

Befitting memorial for Maha Periyava was constructed at Orikkai – about 5 kms from Kanchipuram on the Uthiramerur Road and it was christened as the Satabdhi Manimantapam wherein Maha Periya’s Sacred Padukas are kept apart from a granite statue of the holy saint.

The Satabdhi Manimantapam is an all-granite marvel in sculpture, incorporating the best of Chola, Nayaka and Pallava traditions. It has four main hallways called the Maha Mantapam, Praja Mantapam, Prakara Mantapam and Paduka Mantapam and they are supported by 101 magnificently carved pillars. The outer walls of the inner prakara and the inner walls of the outer prakara  depict the life and work of our venerable Maha Periyava. Many important events in the life of the Sage of Kanchi are thus depicted, providing a lively presentation of the multifaceted personality of His Holiness and also chronicling His manifold activities and achievements almost non-stop, for 87 years in the cause of Sanatana Dharma and world peace.

His foreign devotees had planned to construct a suitable memorable memorial for Periyava in Flemington, New Jersey – a 10 acres property approved for House of Worship.

His Holiness Mahaperiyava was embodiment of simplicity, highly intellectual, most benevolent and above all ever ready to bless all devotees in order to redress their grievances. His blissful and ever godly eyes had made powerful impacts on many devotees whose miseries had evaporated just like ice melting under the sun light.  

Hara Hara Sankara! Jaya Jaya Sankara!