Sivagiri Pilgrimage Maha Sammelan begins today

SIVAGIRI: Sivagiri Pilgrimage Maha Sammelan, which was the gift given to the world by Sree Narayana Gurudeva to achieve success in life through knowledge, will start today. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the pilgrimage meeting at 10 am. Swami Satchidananda, President of Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust, will preside. General Secretary Swami Subhangananda will deliver the welcome speech and ex-president Swami Vishudhananda and treasurer Swami Saradananda will deliver the benediction speech.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will inaugurate the pilgrim gathering at 10 a.m. after the pilgrimage procession at 5 a.m. tomorrow. Pilgrimage committee secretary Swami Rithambarananda will deliver the welcome speech and Swami Sookshmananda and Swami Subhangananda will deliver the benediction speech.

The main characteristic is that the 91st Sivagiri Pilgrimage is being held in the centenary year of Gurudev's 1924 interfaith conference at Aluva Advaita Ashram, the Vaikom Satyagraha and the death of Mahakavi Kumaran Asan.

Sivagiri High School is also taking part in the centenary celebrations. The official pada yatras which started from Aluva Advaita Ashram commemorating the interfaith conference, from Vaikom TK Madhavan Square commemorating Vaikom Satyagraha, from Pathanamthitta district commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahakavi Kumaran Asan will reach Sivagiri today.

Sree narayaneeyars from different parts of Kerala and other states are coming as a pada yatra on pilgrimage days. Representatives of various Sree Narayana movements from foreign countries will also be part of the pilgrimage.

Nine meetings will be held during the pilgrimage period, including those on the eight topics prescribed by Gurudeva for the purpose of the pilgrimage.

Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan, Karnataka Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa, State Ministers P Rajeev, Mohammad Riaz, Veena George, Saji Cherian, KN Balagopal, ISRO Chairman Dr S Somanath, SNDP Yogam General Secretary Vellapally Natesan, Lulu Group Chairman MA Yousafali, MPs and MLAs among others. Eminent people from different fields will participate in the conference.

The Pilgrim procession will start at five tomorrow morning. Devotees will escort the decorated Gurudeva rickshaw back to the Mahasamadhi peedam via Sivagiri Prantham, ground and railway station.