Gurudeva-Gandhiji meeting centenary; Vanajakshi Mandiram bearing history of that moment

SIVAGIRI: The Vanajakshi Mandiram near Sivagiri is reaching the centenary day of the great meeting of Sree Narayana Gurudeva and Mahatma Gandhi. The meeting took place on March 12, 1925 (1100 Kumbha 28). This place was also known as Gandhi Ashram. Gurudeva and Gandhiji sat on the Khadi rug spread in the hall of the Mandiram.

The Vanajakshi Mandiram, which is under the care of the Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust, was renovated by the State Archaeological Department at a cost of Rs. 50 lakhs. The Mandiram was built by MK Govindadas, the patriarch of the Alummoottil family in Muttom, Haripad, in the name of his daughter. It was on the instructions of the Guru that his ward, Meeran Pillai of Puthuvalvila house in Cherukunnam, sold 30 cents of land to Govindadas. This is where Govindadas and his family lived after building a house. When his daughter died at the age of 15, Govindadas gave Vanajakshi Mandiram to Guru as a gift. Govindadas had also built a Vanajakshi Mandiram on the north side of the Sarada Mutt in Sivagiri as a memorial to his daughter. This is where the body of the Guru was kept for public homage.

The first government Ayurveda hospital in Varkala was also functioning here. AK Gopalan, the first Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, stayed at Vanajakshi Mandiram with his family for treatment and rest. Accommodation for devotees coming from Thalassery for the Sivagiri pilgrimage was also provided here. There is the press of Sivagiri magazine adjacent to Vanajakshi Mandiram.

Will preserve it as a museum: Swami Sachidananda

Swami Sachidananda, President of the Sivagiri Mutt, said that the Sivagiri Math has taken steps to preserve Vanajakshi Mandiram as a historical monument. Swami said that preparations are underway to record the moments of the visit and display them in the hall where the meeting was held and to prepare Vanajakshi Mandiram as a museum.