Siddhaganga Mutt

The Rajasankara family has a beautiful shrine room which follows Gurudeva's ideals: a central room decorated better than any other in the home, kept pure and immaculately clean. They asked Yoginathaswami to hold the morning atmarta puja, which he did for two days. There were leisurely moments each day for the swamis to "talk story" with the family and share informally, interspersed with Kanmani's world-class cuisine.

The first afternoon five Master Course students came to the home to meet for two hours with the swamis to talk about the spiritual path. Lots of good questions came, questions about commitment, about affirmations, about meditation. I showed the 15-minute Keynote that will be presented on November 21st at the World Hindu Congress in New Delhi, a rehearsal that proved useful as several little errors were discovered.

On November 8th we drove to the Siddhaganga Mutt, a 1,200-year-old monastery that today is a strong educational institution, with over 10,000 students, several colleges and technical schools.

This is the home of our 2013 Hindu of the Year, and we have come to personally hand the Renaissance Award to Siddhaganga Swami. It's a great privilege, especially since swami is 107 years old (108 in April we are told). Swami is seated in a small office right off the road, bent with age but alert and radiant.

We offer a large tray containing 18 kinds of flowers that Jayendrapuri Swami has sent with us, and give Swami the plaque and a copy of the magazine. To our amazement he opens it and begins to read the articles, without glasses!

We tour the complex and meet the successor. See details in the photo captions.

yoginathaswami does abhishekam to the lingam

Master Course students discuss the spiritual path

The family joined

Jiva makes a point

Group photo is mandatory. Some have studied Gurudeva\

s books for years.'

Classrooms

Kailash Ashram has brought 18 kinds of flowers for Swami\

s Sivapuja'

So much life and experience in that gaze.

The award is offered with a few worlds of his accomplishments.

Choodie Sivaram, our Bangalore journalist, has made all of the arrangements and wrote Swami\

s story in the magazine.'

Swami receives the latest issue.

He is a voracious reader, we are told, and speaks mostly in English.

Siddhagangaswami receives his visitors.

A shawl for Yoginathaswami

And for Choodie

And Jiva

Swami taught in the school until age 95

Even today he attends every 6pm assembly for the students and gives them a talk

We are taken through the museum of the Mutt\

s history'

This is a photo of Swami as a young monk doing Siva puja

Another early photo captures our eye.

In the library we find Hinduism Today displayed.

They seem to love the magazine

Yoginathaswami has discovered things about India that he wants Choodie to write about

The managers have all been here since childhood and are like brothers.

Off to their teaching center and theological seminary

Monkey are abundant here, and one steals a piece of cake a birthday celebrant handed me at just the wrong time

Inside the rock temple we attend puja

The story: a Lingayat yogi was meditating in a cave, and got hungry. A cow found an opening above him and offered milk to sustain him.

Another shrine holds the spring water

Where the Swami and monks stay

Swami\

s austere puja room'

Yin and Yang have found a place to nap in the shade

Finally, we are taken to the Swami\

s young successor.'

Great responsibilities rest on these shoulders

We conclude the visit and return to the worksite for the night. Jai Gurudeva.

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