Swami Chidhbavananda was born as the seventh son of P.K. Periyanna Gounder and Nanjammal at Senguttaipalayam near Pollachi (Coimbatore District). He was known as ' Chinnu ' and was a student of Stanes School at Coimbatore. Chinnu went on to do his higher education at Chennai. It was in Chennai that he acquired the friendship of T.S.Avinashilingam Chettiar. Both the youngsters used to visit the Sri Ramakrishna Mutt in the capital of the Presidency. The contact with the Mutt and the philosophy of Swami Vivekananda through a book had a profound impact on him. Chinnu was to go abroad and this book changed his destiny for good. Finally he went to the Belur Mutt in order to become a novice. Swami Shivananda (1854 - 1934), the direct disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa became his Guru and Chinnu became ' Triyambaka Chaitanya '. He was initiated as Swami Chidhbavananda in 1926 and was associated with the Ramakrishna Ashram in Ooty between 1926 and 1940.
Swami Chidhbavananda was born as the seventh son of P.K. Periyanna Gounder and Nanjammal at Senguttaipalayam near Pollachi (Coimbatore District). He was known as ' Chinnu ' and was a student of Stanes School at Coimbatore. Chinnu went on to do his higher education at Chennai. It was in Chennai that he acquired the friendship of T.S.Avinashilingam Chettiar. Both the youngsters used to visit the Sri Ramakrishna Mutt in the capital of the Presidency. The contact with the Mutt and the philosophy of Swami Vivekananda through a book had a profound impact on him. Chinnu was to go abroad and this book changed his destiny for good. Finally he went to the Belur Mutt in order to become a novice. Swami Shivananda (1854 - 1934), the direct disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa became his Guru and Chinnu became ' Triyambaka Chaitanya '. He was initiated as Swami Chidhbavananda in 1926 and was associated with the Ramakrishna Ashram in Ooty between 1926 and 1940.
The good Swamiji happens to be the uncle of the Father of the Green Revolution C.Subramaniam and he was the spiritual guru for the industrialist couple G.R.Govindarajulu and Chandrakanthi.
Swami Vivekananda had considered the neglect of the masses as the major cause for the downfall of India and ignorance, the main cause of misery among people. The Swami wanted the monks of the Order of Ramakrishna to take the noble ideas to the doorstep of each and every Indian. Swami Chidhbavananda traversed throughout Nilgiris in order to realize the vision of Swami Vivekananda. He taught Vedanta to the Badagas of the region. Their childlike Simplicity endeared them to the Swamiji. Later, many among the hill people admitted their kids in the educational institutions run by Swami Chidhbavananda. Swamiji had also been the editor of ' Ramakrishna Vijayam ' for five years.
Swami Chidhbavananda founded the Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam at Thiruparaithurai near Trichy by the year 1942. He had participated in the consecration of the Darukavaneswarar Temple in the same region. The occasion had given him the link to the people who were responsible for the activity and they were - Ramanathan Chettiar and Kanadukathan Arunachalam Chettiar. Several institutions came up as a result of his efforts and they include the Sharadha College in Salem. Chithirai Chavadi in Coimbatore is blessed with an ashram founded by this great soul. The good Swamiji has delivered several thousand lectures and has authored over 100 books during his sojourn. His travels to the Himalayas and particularly to Kailash Manasarovar have been documented by him. He had spoken about the Kailash Manasarovar visit to the people of the Nilgiris using lantern slides.
The great Swamiji had met several spiritual leaders over decades. His meetings with Narayana Guru and Mahatma Gandhi are well recorded. The Himalayan journeys of Swamiji are noteworthy. He had visited Kailash Manasarovar in the summer of 1937 along with Swami Vipulananda (1892 - 1947) and Swami Rudrananda (1901 - 1985). Swami Vipulananda is a Srilankan Tamil and was known as Mayilvahanan. He was an educationist, scholar, musicologist and social reformer. Swami Rudrananda was Muthukrishnan of Kanchipuram and he is remembered for his services to the Indian community in Fiji.
Swami Chidhbavanda was astounded by the pristine beauty of Mount Kailash and has documented his visit through 15 essays that were serialized in Ramakrishna Vijayam. This was done by him after completing his arduous journey which was considered to be spiritually elevating. The summed up experiences were later made into a book in 1939 - Thirukailayangiri Yatra. In 1954, the book was approved by the text book committee for use in educational institutions.
The Swamiji had visited the Advaita Ashram in Mayavati during his visit. It is a branch of the Ramakrishna Mutt and is located at Almora on the hills. The ashram was set under thickly wooded jungles in 1899 at the behest of Swami Vivekananda by James Henry Sevier and Charlotte Elizabeth Sevier. Swami Chidhbavananda was enchanted by this location and stayed there for about a month and Swami Vireshwarananda the President had presented him with a meditation shawl. Both the Swamijis had a deep regard for each other. Swami Chidhbavananda's encounter with a tiger at this lovely place is well known.
Swami Chidhbavananda performed major pilgrimages and according to him, these pilgrimages which are prescribed by scriptures strengthen the resolve to reach God. The Swamiji compares pilgrimages to the evolution of the human beings. He states that they move towards the Lord Almighty through the perilous journey consisting of several births and deaths. The pilgrimage gets completed when man realizes the Atman stated he. Swamiji had already undertaken a pilgrimage to Kedarnath and Badrinath in the company of Swami Sambudhananda in 1934. Later on in 1964, he undertook a pilgrimage to Amarnath with S.K.S. Rajamani of Tuticorin, Ratna Nadar of Tirunelveli and Raja Sankaralinga Nadar of Kollam had teamed up with them.
The Swamiji states the Kailash is the crown of the Himalayas. He goes on to state that people who undertook pilgrimages were well looked after by the populace who lived enroute. They were given places to stay and provided simple vegetarian food. The travelers used to spread wisdom and morals during the course of their travels. This helped in the propagation of morals and ethics through the length and breadth of the country. Those were times when facilities were absent and good things spread through these travels and it did good for the country. It had been possible to take good things to people even in the absence of postal and other services. Pilgrimages had been responsible for keeping the people connected and the country integrated. A number of Saints had also written travelogues and guides in the past. Theertha Prabandham of Saint Vadiraja continues to be famous. Several texts and manuscripts were exchanged during such tours. Sanskrit was the connecting language for the learned it had helped knowledge to traverse the length and breadth of the land.
Swamiji and his team moved to Delhi and then to Almora. He talks about the rail journey and the various routes that take people to Kailash. Each route is described and he states the reasons for choosing ' his route ' in the beautiful narration. Those were times with basic facilities and travelers were aided by guides who came along with assistants. Food , clothing, medicines, tents, vessels for cooking etc., were carried along. The journey was tough and took about seven weeks to return to Almora. The cost had been Rs.300 those days. Preparations had to be thorough.
Almora is described well. He goes to speak about Swami Poornananda and his noble qualities. This good Swamiji had learnt English and Swami Chidhbavanda shares a not so well known fact about him. Lord Dufferin the Viceroy of India had gained enormously through his interactions with Swami Poornananda and had wanted to give something in return to him. The noble Saint had refused to accept anything in return. However Lord Dufferin kept insisting and therefore he advised him to do something for the country. This resulted in the founding of the Indian National Congress by A.O.Hume in 1885.
People travelling to Kailash used to stay in Almora for a week in order to accumulate the resources required for the journey. The coolies could carry 60 pounds and the horse could carry 120 pounds. A good metal tipped cane was the greatest assistant for the travelers. The Swamiji has described the journey very well. It used to take seven weeks to return to Almora.He talks about the hot springs, flora, fauna, the deep gorges and the steep inclines. A number of water falls, streams, hot springs are part of the description. The slow journey had helped them to acclimatize themselves with the rising altitudes. He states that the silence of the nights gives one a unique calm and that Mother Nature bathes the mind with sweet motivation. Everything looks to be in a state of Samadhi (calm state). A number of places had been the home to wild animals and the pilgrims had to stay together in order to safeguard themselves.
Swamiji talks about Gowri Ganga and the hanging bridge on the river. He shares details about the technique used by the people for getting wheat ground. A device driven by water helps them with the task and the mountain dwellers meanwhile work in their fields. He talks about the several crests and troughs that one has to cross while travelling. It is amazing to learn that the followers of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa were already popular and had done things which made travel easier. Swamiji shares details about the border village near Tibet. This is the last place for sending and receiving letters says he.
The journey through Tibet and the nature of the people are well described. The entry into the Kailash region is described quite well. He states that none of the temples built by man exist in Kailash, however the Mountain has become the model for the temples that were made by man. Swamiji describes the Manasarovar lake, the circumambulation of Mount Kailash very well. He states that this place is meant for meditation. The connection of Kailash with the Buddhists of Tibet is well described by him. Lake Manasarovar and its pristine waters are attractions for the pilgrims.
The Swamiji states that Kailash looks like a silver hill in the morning. The hill becomes bright. It does not hurt the eyes in spite of looking super bright. He adds that it resembles a heap of lotuses in the evening. The mind is snatched by the beauty says he. He talks about the non commercial aspects of facilitation done those days. Swami Chidhbavananda talks about the physical well being that is part and parcel of life. The preparedness required for travel and the drinking of boiled water until the person is comfortable to drink spring water is emphasized. He states that such pilgrimages help in national integration for it drives away parochial thoughts to a great extent. People travelled, some of them passed away during the course of travel while some travelers stayed back. These travels were cultural exchanges too. Quarrels between the coolies and the settling down of acrimony in a short time is noted by the Swamiji.
Swami Chidhbavananda furthers his communication by stating that the Kailash Yatra (travel) will help people to understand that that Indian culture and tradition extended from Kanyakumari to Central Asia. He talks about the story of Saint Appar of the Bhakti Movement who had lived in the seventh century. The great Saint Thirunavukkarasar (Appar) had wanted to visit Mount Kailash. However it had not been possible physically and he was granted the experience at Thriuvaiyaru at the Ayyarappar (Panchanadeeswarar) Temple. Swami Chidhbavananda is amazed at the description given by Appar and states that it matches the real experience. The word ' Ponnarmeniyan ' (One with a golden hued) quite described the early morning vision of Mount Kailash at a time when the Sun showers its rays on the embodiment of Lord Shiva. The Lord looks golden hues at the time of the Sun bath.
The good Swamiji adds by stating that people yearn for more of the view of Mount Kailash on their way back. The description and the experiences of Swami Chidhbavananda is sure to motivate people to undergo pilgrimages. The Swamiji helps the reader to discover ' the self ' through this book. Trips to Kailash Manasarovar are different today. Packages, costs etc., are adding to the pile of experiences. Those were times when Tibet was on its own and we could see the indigenous culture of the people living in that part of the world.
Today the Government of India has worked on the route to Kailash Manasarovar and this will reduce the time quite a bit. Modern amenities had already reduced the obstacles over the years. The earlier journeys and experiences were fraught with so many issues. Those were real travels for they offered the pilgrim enriching experiences.
Thirukailayangiri Yathirai by Swami Chidhbavananda offers the reader a world of wisdom and it enriches the soul for a mere reading of this travelogue is an experience by itself.