Balumama Maharaj, (born Ballappa, 3 October 1892 – 4 September 1966) was an Indian guru, mystic, and a Yogi.

Life and miracles

Early life

Balumama was born on 3 October 1892 in a village called Akkol in Chikkodi

taluk A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

Belgaum Belgaum (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Bēḷagāma''; also Belgaon and officially known as Belagavi) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka located in its northern part along the Western Ghats. It is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous ...

district in

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

in a Hindu

Kuruba Kuruba is a Hindu caste native to the Indian state of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They are the third-largest caste group in Karnataka. Traditionally, they were agriculturalists and cattle farmers. The origins of kuruba i ...

(

Shepherd A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...

) family. His father was a shepherd named Mayappa and his mother's name was Sundara. He spent his childhood with his parents but was always lost in

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique – such as mindfulness, or focusing the mind on a particular object, thought, or activity – to train attention and awareness, and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally cal ...

. He later went on to live with his cousin and was married to her daughter against his will. The marriage did not last long. He was given about 15 sheep by his in-laws which he started to tend.

Temple

Balumama attained

samadhi ''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...

at the age of 73 in 1966 in a village called Adamapur in

Kolhapur Kolhapur () is a city on the banks of the Panchganga River in the southern part of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the administrative headquarter of the Kolhapur district. In, around 2 C.E. Kolapur's name was 'Kuntal'. Kolhapur is kn ...

district of Maharashtra. A temple was built in his memory in Adamapur which lies between

Nipani Nipani is a third largest city, taluk in the Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka, India. It is an important agricultural and commercial trade centre in the district. Nipani and its surrounding villages are known for growing high-quali ...

in Karnataka and

Radhanagari Radhanagari is a town and the headquarters of Radhanagari tehsil in the Radhanagari subdivision of Kolhapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is located on the banks of the Bhogawati River, near the Radhanagari Dam and the Rad ...

in Maharashtra. The Temple is managed by ''Shri Balumama Sansthana''. The small flock have now grown to 40,000 sheep, which are looked after by his devotees and still considered sacred.

Books

* 'Shri Sant Sadguru Devavtari Balumama Charitra Granth' By Mr. C. S. Kulkarni (Marathi) * 'Bhav-Bhakticha Bhandara' By Mr. S. Killedar (Marathi) * 'Shri Balumama Vijaygranth' By Dr. Shrikrishna D. Deshmukh (Marathi) * 'Shri Sant Sadguru Balumama Arati Sangraha' By Mr. B. B. Aidmale (Marathi) * 'Sri Sant Sadguru Balumama Namanstotra' By Madhav Joshi (Marathi) * 'Sri Sant Balumama Stavan' By Mr. C. G. Patil (Marathi)

Movies and TV show

* 'Sant Balumama (VCD Marathi)' by Fountain, directed by Rajesh Limkar, produced by Shailesh Limkar. * 'Sant Balumama (संत बाळू मामा) Full Movie' Bhakti Movie (Hindi Devotional Movie, Indian Movie, Hindi Movie), written and directed by Raju Fulkar. * Balumama Chya Navan Chang Bhala by

Colors Marathi Colors Marathi (previously known as ETV Marathi) is an Indian general entertainment channel that primarily broadcasts Marathi entertainment based in Maharashtra. It is owned by Viacom18. History The channel was rebranded under the Viacom18 C ...

References

{{Authority control 1892 births 1967 deaths Marathi people Kannada people Herding castes Indian Hindu yogis 20th-century Hindu religious leaders People considered avatars by their followers Spiritual teachers 20th-century Indian philosophers