Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam facts for kids

The Rajarajeswari Peetam is a Hindu temple in Rush, New York. It follows the teachings of SriVidya, a special way of worshipping the Divine Mother. The main spiritual leader, called the peetathipathy, is Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswathi. People lovingly call him Aiya. His wife, Gnanamba, who they call Amma, also helps lead the temple.

Aiya learned from Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi, who leads the Devipuram temple. The Rajarajeswari Peetam first started in Zambia. It then moved to Aiya's home in Rush, New York, before the current temple building was built.

Who Are the Gurus?

A Guru is a spiritual teacher. The teachings of SriVidya have been passed down through many Gurus over a long time.

The Guru Lineage

The spiritual family tree, or lineage, starts with Dakshinamurthy. This is a teacher form of the god Shiva. He shared his knowledge with Balatripurasundari. She then taught Dattatreya, and the teachings continued through many others.

Eventually, this knowledge reached Srilasri Swaprakasananda Theertha Avadhootha. He then taught Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi. On October 5, 1979, Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi initiated Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswathi, who is known as Aiya.

Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswathi (Aiya)

Sri Wijayaharan, known as Aiya, was born into a family that had worshipped the Divine Mother for many generations. He was the ninth child of his parents. When he was ten, he learned about his family's tradition of Devi Worship. He wanted to bring this tradition back to his family.

After college, Aiya received his first spiritual initiation. He learned about special rituals and practices. Later, Aiya moved to Zambia to work as an architect. There, he met other families who were also very devoted to their faith. They started holding regular prayer meetings, called Puja, and chanting sacred names together.

In Zambia, Aiya met his own Guru, Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi. Aiya felt a strong connection to him. He asked to be initiated into Sri Vidya. On October 5, 1979, Aiya and his wife, Srimati Sakuntala, received special mantras and teachings. They learned how to perform a complex ritual called the Navavarana puja.

Aiya moved to the United States in 1980. He started the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam in his own home. Many people came to worship there. In 1981, Aiya had a special spiritual experience. He was given the spiritual name Sri Chaitanyananda. His wife was named Gnanamba. That same year, during a festival, the Divine Mother left a special mark on Aiya's hand. In 1984, Aiya wrote a detailed book about the Navavarana puja.

Sri Gnanamba (Amma)

Amma is the eldest of nine children. She was born in a village called Thambachettyponpeedro. She received her first spiritual initiation in 1963. In 1970, she married Aiya in Sri Lanka. She then moved with him to Zambia in 1971.

Amma was initiated into Sri Vidya by Guruji on October 5, 1979, along with Aiya. She also received the name Gnanamba from the Divine Mother. Amma comes from a family with a famous Tamil scholar. He was known for being able to focus on many different things at once. Amma is a strong supporter of Aiya's spiritual work and teaches by her own example.

Aiya and Amma welcome all devotees to their home and the Peetam. Aiya loves Tamil literature, Carnatic music, and ancient chants. This love shows in the unique way they worship. The Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam has inspired over 100 other temples and centers around the world.

Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi (Guruji)

Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi, also known as Dr. N. Prahalada Sastry, was born in Visakhapatnam. People call him Guruji. He began his spiritual journey when he was very young. He had divine experiences as a child and always searched for truth.

Later, Guruji became interested in science. He studied Nuclear Physics and earned his doctorate. He worked for 23 years at a research institute. In his last years there, he worked on a defense project. However, he felt that this work was too destructive.

In 1977, Guruji visited a temple in Hyderabad. He felt a powerful spiritual energy there. This was his first initiation from Balaji, who is also Balatripurasundari. This moment changed his life. He decided to focus more on spiritual matters and help society. He received his full SriVidya initiation from Sri Swaprakashananda Natha Thirtha Avadhutha. He was then given the spiritual name Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi.

Guruji was offered a job as a Physics Professor at the University of Zambia. He saw this as a chance to explore his spiritual path further. He accepted the job. In Zambia, Guruji met Sri Wijayaharan, who became his spiritual student.

Guruji returned to India in 1981. He left his research job and settled in Visakhapatnam. He focused on SriVidya worship and helping others. In 1983, some people asked Guruji to build a temple for the Divine Mother. They donated land for it. Guruji bought more land, making it a total of 13 acres for the temple.

Near the land, there was a small hill where Guruji often meditated. He noticed a rock formation that looked like a famous temple in Assam. One day, during meditation, he had a vision. He felt a heavy object placed on his heart. When he woke up, he felt a strong urge to dig at that spot. He found a special metal Sri Chakra MahaMeru buried there. It was later discovered that a huge spiritual ceremony had taken place there over 250 years ago.

Guruji had visions of the Divine Mother as a sixteen-year-old girl. With her blessings, he built the Kamakhya Peetam on the hill and a Siva temple on the top in 1984. Construction of the Sri Meru Nilaya temple in Devipuram began in 1985. This temple is 54 feet tall and has three levels. It has statues of all the goddesses mentioned in a sacred text. The temple was finished in 1994. This temple is special because it allows all devotees to perform puja to the Divine Mother themselves, no matter their background.

Srilasri Swaprakasananda Theertha Avadhootha (Gurugaru)

Swami Srilasri Swaprakasananda Theertha Avadhootha was born in 1915 in a small village in Andhra Pradesh. His students lovingly called him Gurugaru. Even though he did not have much formal schooling, he had a vast knowledge of ancient scriptures and was skilled in Sanskrit. This was due to the Divine Mother's blessings.

In his twenties, Gurugaru met many great spiritual teachers in India. He received his first initiation from a disciple of a Tibetan guru. He learned about SriVidya worship from another teacher. When he was 32, Gurugaru received initiations into powerful spiritual practices. He received his full initiation from Sri Gnanananda Saraswathi.

He traveled all over India to deepen his spiritual knowledge. By the time he was 40, he had mastered many ancient spiritual practices. At 43, he had learned millions of sacred chants from many teachers and centers. He spent several years in Varanasi thinking deeply about the source of these chants.

By 1980, when he was 65, Gurugaru felt a strong desire to leave the material world and become a sanyasi, a renunciate. He traveled to a sacred place to receive this initiation. Years later, with his Guru's blessings, Gurugaru took up the Avadhootha Ashram, a very advanced spiritual path. Gurugaru passed away on Gurupoornima day in 2002.

Images for kids

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  This is Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi

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  This is the Devipuram Temple

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  This is Aiya and Amma doing Puja

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  These are the main deities in the temple

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  This the Nandi at the Temple

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  This is the Ardinareswara at the temple

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  This is the Bhairava at the temple

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  This is the Nataraja and Sivakami along with 4 saints under them at the temple

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  This is the Devi that goes out, during festivals

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  This is the Dattatreya at the temple

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  This is the Vishnu Durga at the temple

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  These are the Navagrahas at the temple

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  This is the Shanmuga at the temple

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  This is the Kamadenu at the temple, she is the Vahana of the devi

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  This is the Kurukulla Devi at the temple

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  This is the Shiva at Kasi, in the temple

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  This is the Devi being taken outside, during a festival

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  These are the saints in the temple

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  This is the Srichakra at the temple