Union Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate Sivagiri Pilgrimage

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the 90th annual pilgrimage of Sivagiri Mutt on December 30. Union Minister V Muraleedharan will be the chief guest at the conference to be held at Sivagiri on the 30th of this month at 9.30 am. Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust President Swami Sachidananda, Pilgrimage Committee Secretary Swami Vishalananda and Pilgrimage Media Committee Chief Coordinator Vandannoor Santhosh announced that the celebrations of Rabindranath Tagore's visit to Sivagiri and the anniversary of poet Kumaranashan's Chandala Bhikshuki will be held at the same time. The Sivagiri Pilgrimage, which started on the 15th on the occasion of the 90th anniversary, will continue till January 5.

On December 30, the poojas will start early morning with Shanthihavanam at Parnashala, special poojas at Sharadha Mutt and recitation of Guru deva krithis. The pilgrimage will begin with Swani Sachidananda hoisting the flag of dharma at 7:30 am. Following this, Swami Sookshamananda and Swami Subhangananda will deliver the benediction speech at the inaugural session. MLAs Kadakampally Surendran, K Babu, Pravasi Samman winner KG Baburajan, Gokulam Group Chairman Gokulam Gopalan, Kerala Kaumudi Chief Editor Deepu Ravi, Yoganadam News Chairman South Indian R. Vinod will be the special guests. Swami Vishalananda, Swami Sharadananda and others will also participate. Books such as 'Gurudevante Suvarna Rekhakal' written by Swami Sachidananda, and 'Sivagiri Daivadasakam Enna Daivopanishad' by Dr Geetha Suraj will be released at the function.

On December 31st, the pilgrimage procession will start at 4.30 am. Swami Sachidananda will deliver a pilgrimage message after the procession at Mahasamadhi at 8.30 am. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the pilgrimage conference at 10 am. Minister VN Vasavan, SNDP Yogam General Secretary Vellappally Natesan and Lulu Group MD MA Yusuff Ali will be the chief guests. Adoor Prakash MP, AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal MP, Mathrubhumi Managing Editor PV Chandran, Malayalam Manorama Editorial Director Mathews Varghese and Muralya Foundation Chairman K Muraleedharan will be the special guests. Sree Narayana Dharma Sangam Trust Board member Swami Rithambarananda and Pilgrimage Committee Secretary Swami Vishalananda will deliver the benediction speech. Adv V Joy MLA, Former Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala MLA, Varkala Municipal Chairman KM Laji, Ind Royal Group Chairman and Managing Director Ind Royal Sugathan, Pilgrimage Committee Working Chairman PS Baburam, Pilgrimage Committee Chief Coordinator Vandannoor Santhosh, Swami Subhangananda, Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust Treasurer Swami Sharadananda and others will speak.

The Chief Minister will lay the foundation stone of the Sivagiri High School multi-storied building on the occasion. Sivagiri Pilgrimage Committee Chairman KG Baburajan, who received the President's Pravasi Samman, will be felicitated.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will inaugurate the closing session of the 90th-anniversary celebration of the pilgrimage at 10 am on January 1. Minister P Rajeeve will preside over the function. Minister AK Saseendran and former Governor Kummanam Rajasekharan will be the chief guests. Poet Prabha Varma and Soorya Krishnamurthy will be the special guests. KPCC vice president VT Balram, KU Jenish Kumar MLA, AVA Group of Companies Managing Director AV Anoop, Deputy Commissioner of Police V. Ajith, Swami Guruprakasham, Swami Shivanarayana Theertha and others will speak.

Minister K. Radhakrishnan will inaugurate the closing ceremony of the pilgrimage at 4.30 pm. Minister Antony Raju will preside over the function. CPM State Secretary MV Govindan will be the chief guest. Swami Sharadananda, Treasurer of Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust, will deliver the benediction speech. MK Raghavan MP, AA Rahim MP, Pramod Narayan MLA, U Prathibha MLA, BJP State Vice President Sobha Surendran, SNDP Yogam Devaswom Secretary Arayakandi Santhosh, Sivagiri SNDP Union Secretary Aji SRM and Sivagiri Ward Councilor Raji will be the special guests. Swami Subhangananda, Swami Vishalananda and others will speak.