About

FOUNDER & PATRON

Sri. R. Ramachandran Nair, IAS

Home Address: ‘Maidan Villa’, Hindu Mission Road,

Behind Govt. Secretariat,

Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala,

India-695001

Phone   : +91 471- 2330687, 2336774 (fax)

Mobile  : +91 94974 54574, 81380 50991

Email     : rrnias@yahoo.com

·         Former Chief Secretary to Govt. of Kerala (1961 batch IAS officer).

·         First Vice-Chancellor of Sree Sankaracharya University, Kalady.

·         Known Writer with the pen name ‘Thulaseevanam’.

·         Author of more than 600 Karnatic Classical Music Compositions.

·         Author of Four Kathakali plays (Aattakkathas).

·         Author of several books in Sanskrit & Malayalam including ‘Mukthakamala’, ‘Sahithya Jalakam’, ‘Vihaga Veekshanam’, ‘Ambapranamam’ & ‘Shree Vidyadhiraja Suprabhatham’.

·         Started the Vidyadhiraja movement in 1971 thereby leading to a great revival of interest all over Kerala in the life, work and legacy of Shree Vidyadhiraja Chattampi Swamikal

·         Founder & President of Shree Vidyadhiraja Sabha (Est. 1972), Regd. Charitable Trust

·         Founder & Patron of Shree Vidyadhiraja Vidya Samajam (Est. 1975), Regd. Charitable Society

·         Founder & President, Vallathol Sahithya Samithi

·         Founder, Thulaseevana Sangeetha Parishat

·         Founder, Ettumanoorappan College (Arts & Science College affiliated to MG University), Ettumanoor, Kottayam Dt.

·         Founder, Shree Vidyadhiraja College of Arts & Science (affiliated to Kerala University), Karunagapally, Kollam Dt.

·         Founder, Shree Vidyadhiraja Pharmacy College, Nemom, Thiruvananthapuram.

·         Founder of 16 Shree Vidyadhiraja high Schools & higher Secondary schools in Kerala & Tamilnadu

PATRON SAINT

Shree Vidyadhiraja

Parama Bhattaraka Theerthapada

Chattampi Swamikal

(1853–1924)

Sree Vidyadhiraja Parama Bhattaraka Theerthapada Chattampi Swamikal (1853–1924) was a Hindu sage and social reformer. Swamikal along with his primary shishya Narayana Guru, strived to reform the heavily ritualistic and caste-ridden Hindu society of the late 19th century Kerala.

Chattampi Swamikal denounced the orthodox interpretation of Hindu texts citing sources from the Vedas. Swamikal also worked for the emancipation of women and encouraged them to come to the forefront of society. He said that the enslavement of women was a manifestation of male arrogance. Swamikal promoted vegetarianism and professed non-violence (Ahimsa). He authored several books on Religion, Spirituality and the history of language.

Chattampi Swamikal was known by different names throughout his intellectually and spiritually enriched life. The swami’s original name was Ayyappan, although he was called Kunjan Pillai and later Shanmukhadasan.

Early life

The Swami’s father was Vasudeva Sharma, a Nampoothiri, from Mavelikkara and mother Nangamma Pillai, a lady from Kollur, a suburban village of Trivandrum in southern Travancore. In childhood his name was Ayyappanpillai/ Kunjanpillai.

He joined the traditional school conducted by Pettayil Raman Pillai Asan, a renowned scholar and writer. It was there that he earned the name Chattampi on account of his assignment as the monitor of the class. The young Kunjan Pillai was introduced into the science of yoga by the guru Thykattu Ayyavu whom he met at the Gurukulam. Kunjan Pillai was also called Shanmukhadasan due to his deep devotion of Lord Subramanya.

It is said that in his youth Kunjan Pillai took to manual labour as a brick worker and later worked as a document writer in Neyyattinkara town, near Thiruvananthapuram.

After becoming a saint, Swamikal got the darshan of Chettikulangara Devi, when he was at Mavelikkara.

Guru of Sree Narayana Guru

It was in 1882 at the Aniyoor Temple near Vamanapuram that Chattampi Swami first met the young Nanu Asan. By then Kunjan Pillai was well versed in yoga and spiritual matters and their meeting proved to be the start of a profound and cherished relationship, although the two were of different temperaments. In those days Nanu Asan was a soft-spoken introvert while Kunjan Pillai an outspoken extrovert. Swamikal took Nanu Asan, who was in search of a mentor, as his disciple.

Later Chattampi Swamikal and Nanu Asan travelled together to many places in quest of truth and spiritual knowledge. It was with Chattampi Swamikal that Narayana Guru made his first trip to Aruvippuram, which was chosen as Narayana Guru’s abode for meditation and spiritual activities. Chattampi Swamikal, however, did not stay there for long, although the two maintained their contacts, respect and regard for each other.

Chattampi Swamikal has got many disciples. Grihastha disciples like Bodheswaran, Perunnelli Krishnan Vaidyan, Velutheri Kesavan Vaidyan etc. as well as Sanyasi disciples like Narayana Guru, Neelakanta Theerthapada and Theerthapada Parmahamsa, who played very important role in renaissance and reformation in Kerala.

Maha Samadhi

Toward the end of his life, Swamikal settled down at Panmana, a village in Kollam district. Swamikal attained Maha Samadhi on May 5, 1924. His mortal remains were enshrined at his Samadhistanam at Panmana. This site is today called Panmana Ashramam, which is a centre for social service and spiritual practices.

Teachings of Chattampi Swamikal

·         Avoid boastful thoughts about your physical achievements and material accumulations. Contemplate over the ultimate reality of existence. That alone will give meaning to life.

·         The whole universe is the manifestation of the one. The apparent differences between different objects are only an illusion. An understanding of this truth will lead to liberation and salvation

·         This universe is the manifestation of but one mind. Alienation between one mind and another mind is unnatural. The mind of man is in no way different from the mind of any other creature.

·         Enslavement of woman is a manifestation of male arrogance. It is against all canons of justice and ethics. It is criminal, immoral.

Works of Chattampi Swamikal

Swami led a wandering life and left what he wrote with those who were with him at the time of writing. There were no later attempts to collect and conserve them which led to their gradual loss. A few works that got unearthed and published eight decades after his death and inspiring serious discussion show the value and the extent of the loss that occurred to Kerala society which was at one time unmindful of preserving his works. Recently Centre for South Indian Studies has initiated Chattampi Swami Digital Archive (CSDA) project as an attempt to collect and collate documents related to Swami that still exist.

Major works of Swami available in print are:

Advaita Chinta Paddhati

Keralathile Desa Namangal

Kristumata Nirupanam

Jivakarunya Nirupanam

Devarcha Paddhatiyude Upodghatam

Devi Manasa Puja Stotra Vyakhyanam

Nijananda Vilasam

Pranavavum Sankhya Darsanavum

Prapanchathil Stri Purushanmarkkulla Sthanam

Pracheena Malayalam

Pracheena Malayalam – Part II ( A hundred year old manuscript discovered recently)

Bhasha Padma Puranam

Malayalathile Chila Sthala Namangal

Vedadhikara Nirupanam

Chila Kavita Sakalangal

Chila Kathukal

Chila Sambhashanangal

Srichakra puja

SECRETARY & MANAGER

Dr. R. Ajay Kumar MD, DM, FIC, FACC, FESC

Home Address: ‘Himadri’, GNRA-49G, TC 20/56-31, CIT Road,

Melarannur, Karamana PO, Thiruvananthapuram,

Kerala, India – 695002.

Phone numbers: +91- 471- 2343495, 2330687, 2336774 (fax).

Mobile: +91- 94465 65626, +971-507350651.

Email: drajaykumarr@gmail.com, drajaykumar@hotmail.com, drakrnair@gmail.com

·         Honorary Secretary of the Registered Charitable Society “Shree Vidyadhiraja Vidya Samajam” (Est. 1975) from 2009 & Registered Charitable Trust “Shree Vidyadhiraja Sabha” (Est. 1972) from 2011, under which several Schools & Colleges are being run throughout the length & breadth of Kerala State & Kanyakumari Dt. of Tamilnadu State, in the name of the renowned Saint, Philosopher, Social Reformer & Guru – Shree Parama Bhattaraka Vidyadhiraja Theerthapada Chattampi Swamikal.

·         Chief of Cardiology Department & Chief Interventional Cardiologist, Sree Mookambika Heart Institute, Sree Mookambika Institute of Medical Sciences (SMIMS) Medical College, Kulasekharam, Kanyakumari District-629161, Tamilnadu from 2011.

·         Senior Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Cosmopolitan Hospitals (P) Ltd, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram-695004 from 2007 onwards and gives clinical training to National Board Post-graduate students in Internal Medicine.

·         Visiting Consultant Cardiologist, Reem Medical & Diagnostic Centre LLC, first floor, Ahalya exchange bld., P.O box: 21764, Rolla Square, Rolla, Sharjah, UAE, Tel: +9716-5620831, www.reemmedical.com.

·         ‘Fellow of American College of Cardiology’ (FACC) – Certified in the Convocation Ceremony held during the 66th Annual Scientific Session of American College of Cardiology held in Washington DC, USA from March 17th to 19th 2017.

·         ‘International Fellow of European Society of Cardiology’ (FESC) – Certified by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in the year 2014.

·         Fellowship in Interventional Cardiology (FIC) obtained from Narayana Hrudayalaya Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Bangalore-99, Karnataka, in 2006.

·         Twelve years of continuous work in the field of INVASIVE CARDIOLOGY from the year 2005 onwards totalling more than 10,000 cardiac catheterization procedures which includes Primary PCI, Elective PCI, Peripheral PTA, Pediatric interventions like ASD, PDA & VSD Device closures, Permanent Pacemaker Implantations (Single & Dual Chamber), CRT, ICD implantation, Balloon Mitral & Pulmonary Valvotomies, IABP and Diagnostic Invasive cardiac procedures like Coronary Angiograms, Right Heart Cath etc on a regular basis.

·         Cardiac In-Patient Care- Working as Chief Cardiologist and Director of Cath-Lab in a Tertiary Care 700 bedded Hospital (from 2011onwards) with 24 hour Cardiac Emergency care, 24×7 Primary PCI, Intensive Coronary Care, Non-Invasive lab with state of the art Echocardiography (both Trans-Thoracic & Trans-Esophageal) & Stress Testing facility, two fully equipped Cardiac OTs with in-house Cardiac surgeons and anesthetists doing around 30-40 Cardiac Surgeries monthly including On & Off pump CABGs, Mitral & Aortic Valve surgeries, minimally invasive CABGs & Valve Replacements, ICR for Complex Congenital Heart Disease etc.

·         Cardiac Out-Patient Care- Takes care of 500-600 Out-Patients directly and 3000-3500 Out-Patients indirectly (through assistant Cardiologists) every month including assessing all the Out-Patient investigations like blood tests, ECGs, Echocardiograms, Stress Testing, Peripheral Doppler.

·         Cardiology Teaching– Involved in the teaching of Cardiology to both Post-Graduate & Under-Graduate students – which includes teaching Clinical Cardiology, Cardiac Physiology, Cardiac Pathology, Cardiac Electro-physiology, Echocardiography, Invasive Cardiology and Heart Failure.

·         Author of several papers in Cardiology in National & International Journals.

·         Talks & Lectures given about varied topics in Cardiology in National & International Forums.

·         Participated in & organized Various Cardiology Conferences & Seminars inside & outside India.

·         International Associate Member of American College of Cardiology (ACC), Member of European Society of Cardiology (ESC), Life member of Cardiological Society of India (CSI), Life member of Association of Physicians of India (API) & Life member of Indian Medical Association (IMA).

·         Read, write and converse freely in English, Malayalam, Hindi and Tamil.

·         Read, write and understand the Indian classical language Sanskrit.

·         On stage performer of the classical dance form of Kerala- Kathakali– having been the prize winner in Kathakali for four consecutive years (1987-1990) in the annual Youth Festivals conducted by the University of Kerala as also in the National South Zone Inter-University Youth Festival held in Madurai, Tamilnadu in 1988. Got trained in Kathakali under the renowned gurus – Padmabhooshan Madavoor Vasudevan Nair & Nelliyodu Vasudevan Nampoothiri.

·         Has performed full-length South-Indian classical music – Karnatic Music– concerts (vocal) in different forums after getting trained under the famous teacher & musician Prof. Mavelikkara Prabhakara Varma.