Sivagiri Mutt


Sivagiri Mutt





The hilly andquaint reaches of Varkala are home to one among the holiest sites inall of God's Own Country, the Sivagiri Mutt. Here lies theheadquarters of the SreeNarayana Dharma Sangham, an organisationbuilt by Sree Narayana Guru's disciples and followers, honouring oneamong the world's finest social reformers and crusader for justice.Spread over 200 acres, its location on an elevated plateau, alongwith the very structure and functioning of the place, has providedspiritual succour to thousands of people over the years.Itis said that SreeNarayana Guru himself fell in love with the overallambience at Varkala and decided to build a hermitage atop the SivagriHill. This is where the pilgrim centre we see today lies, and it alsohas the Samadhi of the Guru. The Guru set up an elementary schoolhere, inviting people across caste lines. He built a new temple atthe site and dedicated it to the Goddess of Knowledge, Saraswathi.Thus, the Saradha (Saraswathi) Temple here came into being in1912.The temple's now famous octagonal shape was plannedby the Guru as well. Temple ceremonies on site are different thanmost others across the State, as instead of making offerings,devotees are encouraged to pray in their own way, be it therecitations of hymns or sacred chants. Apart from consecrating asymbolic idol and shunning all tantric rituals, the Guru ensured thevibe and spirit of the place would always stay spiritual. Majoroccasions at the premises include the Birthday and Samadhi Day of theGuru which fall in August / September and the Sivagiri Pilgrimagewhich is observed on December 30-January 1. These days thousands ofpilgrims in yellow attire from different parts of Kerala gather atthe Samadhi of the Guru, who propagated his concept, "One Caste,One Religion and One God".

Where to Stay



Location: Attingal, Kerala, India

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