Tulsi Peeth
| Founder | Jagadguru Rambhadracharya |
|---|---|
| Established | 1987 |
| Location | Aamodavana, Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh , |
Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas (Template:Lang-hi, literally Service trust at the seat of Tulsi) is a religious and social service institution based in Chitrakoot. It was established by the Hindu religious leader Jagadguru Rambhadracharya on August 2, 1987.[1][2] Rambhadracharya believes that this Peeth is situated at the place where, according to Ramayana, Ram gave his sandals to his brother Bharat.[3] It is named after renowned poet-saint Tulsidas.
There is a Raghav Satsang Bhavan temple devoted to Rama and his consort Sita, which is known as Kanch Mandir ("glass temple") because all the statues are made of glass.[2][4] The institute has also published various books penned by Rambhadracharya.[5][6] There is also a hostel for students of Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University.[1] The institute is reponsible for the maintenance of Tulasi School for Blind.[4]
There is a main temple with image of Ram, Sita and Laxman,[3] and to the south of it is a temple devoted to Hanuman.[3] There are pictures of Rambhadracharya, Tulsidas and Valmiki in the temple.[4] Outside the main temple, there is a hug hall with depictions of Ramayana on the walls.[3]
Foundation
In 1983, Rambhadracharya (then known as Rambhadradas) undertook his second six-month Payovrata, taking a diet of only milk and fruits and speaking only Sanskrit, at the Sphatik Shila in Chitrakoot. The Yuvraj of Chitrakoot, Hemraj Singh Chaturvedi, was impressed by Rambhadracharya and donated a 60 feet by 80 feet land area situated besides the Mandakini river at Janki Kund to Rambhadradas. Gita Devi, Rambhadradas's elder sister, persuaded him to get an Ashram built on this plot. Rambhadradas got four rooms constructed there and started visiting the place frequently. He undertook a nine-month Payovrata at this newly built Ashram in 1986. He also started performing his Kathas. Ramcharandas Phalahari, the Sampradaya Guru of Rambhadradas, wanted Rambhadradas to stay with him at his Ashram in Prayag, but Rambhadradas was reluctant. In 1988, Umacharan Gupta, a businessman from Manikpur offered to build a bigger Ashram and a temple on the condition that Rambhadradas stay there permanently. Rambhadradas agreed and the construction started. On 11 March 1987, the Kanch Mandir (literally glass-temple) was opened and Rambhadrasas started living permanently in Chitrakoot. Following this, on the occasion of Tulsi Jayanti on August 2 1987, he established the Tulsi Peeth.[7] As the founder of the seat, the title of Śrīcitrakūṭatulasīpīṭhādhīśvara (literally, the Lord of the Tulsi Peeth at Chitrakoot) was bestowed upon Rambhadracharya by Sadhus and intellectuals.
Institutions at Tulsi Peeth
The Tulsi Peeth today runs the following institutions on its premises–
- The Raghav Satsang Bhavan, popularly known as Kanch Mandir (Hindi: काँच मन्दिर) is a temple with three peaks, along with an attached hall, built in 1987. There presiding deities of the temple are Rama, Sita and Lakshmana,[3]. To the south of the main temple is a small temple devoted to Hanuman.[3] There are idols of Ramanandacharya, Valmiki and Tulsidas in the temple.[4] All the windows and doors of the temple are made in glass. On the walls of the attached hall, the scenes from Ramcharitmanas are displayed in glass paintings, along with twenty-four incarnations of Vishnu as per the Bhagavata Purana.[3]
- The Tulsi School for the Blind (Hindi: तुलसी प्रज्ञाचक्षु विद्यालय) is a school for visually disabled students, established by Rambhadracharya on 23 August 1996.[2][8] The students are provided with free education, boarding, lodging, clothes adn food. Apart from school education, they are given vocational training.[4]
- The Sitaram Gaushala (Hindi: सीताराम गौशाला) is a small cow-pen where some cows are reared and cared for.[4]
- The Manas Mandir (Hindi: मानस मन्दिर) is a temple with the entire Ramcharitmanas, as per the Tulsi Peeth edition, engraved on its walls. Kathas are regularly held at the Manas Mandir.
- The Manas Bhavan (Hindi: मानस भवन) is an exhibition of 16 scenes from the Ramcharitmanas, established in 2011.[9] It was opened to the public on January 9, 2011 by Rambhadracharya. Hamsadevanand, the Ramanandacharya from Uttarakhand said at the inauguration that the Manas Bhavan will attract tourists and will leave a permanent impression on Chitrakoot.[9] The idols in the exhibits are set into motion by electricity. Out of the 16 exhibits, six are from Bal Kand, three each from Ayodhya Kand and Aranya Kand.[9]
Activities
Tulsi Peeth is engaged in the following social, cultural and spiritual activities–[4]
- Study and propagation of Ramcharitmanas, and other works of Tulsidas.
- Study and propagation of Vedic and post-Vedic Indian literature, including Puranas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Bhagavata Purana, works on logic and other Sanskrit and Hindi literature.
- Service to cows and Sadhus
- Publication of the monthly magazine Shri Tulsi Peeth Saurabh (Hindi: श्रीतुलसीपीठ सौरभ), printed from Ghaziabad, and works of Rambhadracharya.
- Maintenance of the Tulsi School for the Blind.
- Organization of camps where people with disability are given free crutches, tricycles and artificial limbs. During the camps, free food and lodging is provided to the participants along with those accompanying them.[4]
Publications
Tulsi Peeth has published the following works of Swami Rambhadracharya–[5][6]
- (1987) Śrījānakīkṛpākaṭākṣastotram (श्रीजानकीकृपाकटाक्षस्तोत्रम्) – Sanskrit hymn of praise.
- (1992) Prabhu Kari Kṛpā Pā̐varī Dīnhī (प्रभु करि कृपा पाँवरी दीन्ही) – Hindi discourse.
- (1996) Ājādacandraśekharacaritam (आजादचन्द्रशेखरचरितम्) – Sanskrit minor poem on Chandrashekhar Azad.
- (1996) Śrīrāghavābhyudayam (श्रीराघवाभ्युदयम्) – Single-act Sanskrit play-poem.
- (1997) Śrīrāmabhaktisarvasvam (श्रीरामभक्तिसर्वस्वम्) – Sanskrit poem of one hundred verses.
- (1998) Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam (श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्) on the Prasthānatrayī (प्रस्थानत्रयी) – Sanskrit and Hindi commentaries on the Brahma Sutra, Bhagavad Gita, and eleven Upanishads.
- (2000) Sarayūlaharī (सरयूलहरी) – Sanskrit minor poem on the river Sarayu.
- (2001) Laghuraghuvaram (लघुरघुवरम्) – Sanskrit minor poem on the infant form of Rama.
- (2001) Śrī Sītārāma Vivāha Darśana (श्री सीताराम विवाह दर्शन) – Hindi discourse.
- (2002) Śrīrāghavabhāvadarśanam (श्रीराघवभावदर्शनम्) – Sanskrit minor poem.
- (2005) Tulsi Peeth edition of the Ramcharitmanas – a critical edition of the Ramcharitmanas.
References
Notes
- ^ a b Upadhyay, Rakesh (September 10, 2006). "जगद्गुरु स्वामी रामभद्राचार्य की अनूठी विकलांग सेवा" (in Hindi). Panchjanya. Retrieved November 26, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Correspondent, Chitrakut (5 January 2011). "प्रज्ञाचक्षु की आंख बन गई बुआ जी". Jagran Yahoo (in Hindi). Retrieved 24 June 2011.
{{cite news}}:|last=has generic name (help); Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e f g Nagar 2002, pp. 91.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Nagar 2002, pp. 92.
- ^ a b Nagar 2002, pp. 89–90.
- ^ a b Dinkar 2008, pp. 40–43.
- ^ Dinkar 2008, pp. 31–32.
- ^ Aneja, Mukta (2005). "Shri Ram Bhadracharyaji – A Religious Head With A Vision". In Kaul, J. K.; Abraham, George (eds.). Abilities Redefined – Forty Life Stories Of Courage And Accomplishment (PDF). Delhi, India: All India Confederation of the Blind. pp. 66–68. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ a b c "राम के जीवन दशर्न की झाँकी है मानस भवन" (in Hindi). Amar Ujala. January 10, 2011.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help)
Works cited
- Dinkar, Dr. Vagish (2008). श्रीभार्गवराघवीयम् मीमांसा (in Hindi). Delhi, India: Deshbharti Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-908276-6-9.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|trans_title=ignored (|trans-title=suggested) (help) - Nagar, Shanti Lal (2002). Sharma, Acharya Divakar; Goyal, Siva Kumar; Susila, Surendra Sharma (eds.). The Holy Journey of a Divine Saint: Being the English Rendering of Swarnayatra Abhinandan Granth (First, Hardback ed.). New Delhi, India: B. R. Publishing Corporation. ISBN 81-7646-288-8.