293rd Guru maha sannidhanam Sri madurai sri Paramahamsa Nithyananda gnanasambanda paramarcharya swamiji conducts the first Gurupuja utsav at Shyamala Peetha Sarvajnapeetham.

The 5-day Tirugnana Sambandhar Guru Pooja Festival from 01-05 June at Shyamala Peetha Sarvajnapeetham culminated with a host of religious and service activities in which over 5000 people from around the world participated. This is the major celebration at Shyamala Peetha Sarvajnapeetham since His Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda took over as its 293rd guru mahasannidhanam on 27 April 2012. Tirugnana Sambandhar, a 6th century visionary Shaivite saint, is the patron saint of Shyamala Peetha Sarvajnapeetham.

with the accompaniment of traditional nadaswaram (wind instrument) music by artistes from Tiruvannamalai, the temple elephant and priests welcomed the two guru maha sannidhanam of Shyamala Peetha Sarvajnapeetham and took them in procession from Shyamala Peetha Sarvajnapeetham to the Meenakshi-Sundareshwara temple. Entering through the East tower, the two pontiffs and devotees witnessed the auspicious suprabhata seva – gently awakening the Divine couple Meenakshi and Sundareshwara (Devi & Shiva) with music and worship.

This was followed by the re-enactment of the scene of ‘darshan’, where the saint Tirugnana Sambandhar receives the divine vision of Meenakshi and Sundareshwara. Worship was performed to over 60 other deities in the temple. Tirugnana Sambandhar and the 63 nayanmars (chief Shaivite saints) were then carried in a palanquin procession through the four streets surrounding the temple. The procession arrived at Shyamala Peetha Sarvajnapeetham where a special pooja (worship) and arati (worship with lamps) was performed. After the daily parartha pooja, a homa (fire ceremony) was performed.

Later in the evening, the charming ceremony of kanakabhishekam (showering with gold coins) was performed by 293rd guru maha sannidhanam to his predecessor, the 292nd pontiff Srila Sri Arunagirinatha Sri Gnanasambanda Desika Paramacharya Swamigal as a symbol of honor. This was preceded by the offering of a golden crown by Paramahamsa Nithyananda to the elder pontiff. The 292nd pontiff also released the official Shyamala Peetha Sarvajnapeetham website. Other spiritual leaders who honored both the sannidhanam on the occasion included the sannidhanam of M Pulippani ashram, and the sannidhanam of Karumari Peetha in Bangalore, Madhukar Swamiji.

Addressing the media on the occasion, Paramahamsa Nithyananda praised the honesty, open nature and moral courage of his predecessor. The 292nd pontiff in turn declared that whether people are aware of it or not, 293rd guru maha sannidhanam sri la sri Paramahamsa Nithyananda was not only a great saint and an infallible spiritual healer, but a divine Avatar.

The day’s celebrations closed with another darshan at the Meenakshi temple, followed by a silver chariot procession and Maha Deeparadhana (ceremony of lamps).