Sages in Sri Lanka
Rare aerial of the Sri Subramuniya Temple in Alaveddy- Inside the lingam is surrounded by the four satgurus in the story
- The story beings with Kadaitswami who lived in a simple kutir, always carrying an umbrella
- Then speaks of his disciple, Chellappaswami
- Chellappaswami’s bronze murti is worshipped daily
- He lived in the temple chariot storage building.
- It is here at Nallur Temple
- Next we move to Yogaswami whose hut was simple then but now is much upgraded
- Inside the satgurus are all honored
- The woman who cared for Yogaswami still looks after his hut.
- This is exactly where he sat to give darshan to visitors
- The story ends with Gurudeva and the temple that now holds his murti.
One of our Hinduism Today advertisers surprised us majorly today, sending a 14-minute video he made during a visit to Sri Lanka. It’s an homage to our parampara of satgurus, a “my encounters with the gurus” story. You can see the 17-minute film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4O9rnd_6DDw
The documentary “The Historic Lineage of Sri Lanka’s Three Grand Sages” follows the sacred thread of the Nandinatha Sampradaya through northern Sri Lanka, showing how three realized Saivite masters sustained the Tamil Hindu tradition amid colonial pressure and social upheaval. His story begins at Neeraviady, before the shrine of Kadaitswami, a South Indian high-court judge who renounced worldly status and came to Jaffna. Through uncompromising spiritual power, fearless defense of Saivism (the Portuguese were working hard to convert all Sri Lankan Hindus) and striking acts that became part of local memory, he awakened devotion and protected a people whose religious inheritance was under attack. The film recalls his transmission of spiritual authority to Chellappaswami in Jaffna’s Grand Bazaar.
At Nallur Kandaswami Temple, the story turns to Chellappaswami, the eccentric sage who concealed supreme realization beneath the appearance of a destitute wanderer, some would say a madman. Living in the Nallur thatched chariot house (his images are of the newly built one, not the woven palm leaves original), he taught through paradox, rebuke, silence and the insistence that the Divine is not distant from the seeker. His life brought forth a disciple whose influence would reach well beyond Jaffna: Siva Yogaswami.
The journey continues to Columbuthurai, where Yogaswami lived and guided devotees for some fifty years. Revered across religious communities, he urged aspirants to know themselves, transcend the pairs of opposites and discover Siva within. His presence and deep Tamil songs renewed confidence in the spiritual heart of Saivism.
The final stop is Alaveddy and the restored Sri Subramuniya Temple and Ashram. There the film recognizes the 1949 initiation of Gurudeva, the famed “slap on the back.” The documentary closes by tracing history through Gurudeva’s worldwide mission and the present guidance of Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami. It seems to us an apt tale as we near January 5, 2027, Gurudeva’s 100th birthday anniversary.
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