The Madurai KAILASA’s Shyamalapeetha Sarvajnapeetham celebrated Nithyananda Pournami Brahmotsavam, the anniversary of the Avatar’s first Nirvikalpa Samadhi, Enlightenment experience, aged 12, as well as the 34th anniversary of His very Avatarhood, a responsibility passed down to Him by His Gurus in 1994 through a ceremonious Yoga Pattabhishekam ritual.
The grand festival celebrations included the 3-day Tirujnanasambandar Guru Puja ritual, an unbroken festive practice celebrating Tirujnanasambandar, an incarnation or Paramashiva Himself, and a prominent member in the lineage of Pontiffs in Madurai Shyamala Peetha Sarvajnapeetha itself. Tirujnanasambandar was one of the 63 Nayanmars who lived with an unquenchable devotion for Paramashiva and His devotees, and the reviver of Paramashiva Bhakti, the practice of personal devotion and emotional connection to the Ultimate Divine Superconsciousness.
The auspicious final day of the Tirujnanasambandar Guru Puja, coinciding with the Nithyananda Pournami, was capped off by a great offering of Annadhan (food donations) to the large crowd in attendance, with 11 different dishes and a total of 4,500 meals being served!
