Sri Sri Raghaveshwara Bharathi (originally, Harish Sharma), is an Indian religious guru and the present mathadhis (Guru) of Shri Ramachandrapura Mutt,
Hosanagara
Hosanagara is a panchayat town in Shimoga district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is nested in western ghats of India. The World Cattle Conference with main emphasis on cow was held in month of April 2007 in Hosanagar. The different use ...
in
Shimoga district
Shimoga district, officially known as Shivamogga district, is a district in the Karnataka state of India. A major part of Shimoga district lies in the Malnad region or the Sahyadri. Shimoga city is its administrative centre. Jog Falls view po ...
in the Indian state of
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 ...
. He is the 36th mathadhis of Shri
Ramachandrapura Math
Ramachandrapura Math (monastery) is a Hindu monastery located in Hosanagara taluk of Shimoga, Karnataka. The ''Matha'' is followed mainly by the Havyaka Brahmins in Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Shimoga districts of Karnataka and Kas ...
,. He took
sannyasa
''Sannyasa'' (Sanskrit: संन्यास; IAST: ), sometimes spelled Sanyasa (सन्न्यास) or Sanyasi (for the person), is life of renunciation and the fourth stage within the Hindu system of four life stages known as '' As ...
from Jagadguru Sri Ragavendra Bharati Mahaswamiji the previous mathadhis, in April 1994. He is a follower of
Advaita Vedanta
''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hinduism, Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the Āstika and nāstika, orthodox Hindu school Ved ...
.
Birth and childhood
Sri Bharathi in his early days before taking initiation was known by the name Hareesha Sharma. He was born in the village called Chaduravalli in
Sagara, Karnataka
Sagara is a city located in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is also a sub divisional and a taluk headquarters. Located in the Sahyadri Mountain range on the banks of river Varada, it is known for its proximity to Jog Falls and to the historic ...
.
Education
He studied
Vedantha,
Yoga
Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...
,
Astrology
Astrology is a range of Divination, divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of Celestial o ...
and
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
in
Gokarna Gokarna may refer to:
Places
* Gokarna, Karnataka, a town in Karnataka, India
* Gokarna, West Bengal, a village in West Bengal, India
* Gokarnamatam, a village in Andhra Pradesh, India
* Trincomalee, a city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka also known ...
and later in
Mysore
Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...
.
Sannyasa and after
On 28 April 1999, Sri Bharati was made pontiff following the sadgati of Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Sri Raghavendra Bharathi mahaswamiji
Rape allegations
Raghaveshwara Bharathi swamy of the Ramachandrapura Math is accused of raping two people, including a minor. One woman, now in her 50s, had accused the seer of raping her 168 times between 2011 and 2014. The other rape case against Raghaveshwara is by a woman who alleged that he raped her when she was 15 years old. He has been acquitted from all the charges which has been upheld by the Karnataka high court and has been proven innocent.
Religious thought and social responsibility
He stresses the need to protect
Vedic culture
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...
, and its activities along with other social activities.
One of the plans instituted by him in the Mutts is ''Musti Bikshe Yojana'' wherein each devotee keeps a fist full of rice daily as gift to the Mutt, and collectively later feeds the needy and hunger, as old age orphans, hostels for homeless or at the time of natural calamity, etc.
He frequently conducts
Rama
Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...
Katha (Story of Rama) for the general public — a blend of discourse, dance, music and drawing — all that depict various incidents of
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...
at various places.
Eye hospital
He established the Bharathiya Nethra Chikitshalya in Mujangavu,
Kumbla
Kumbla is a small town in Kasaragod district of Kerala state in India. It is located 12 km north of Kasaragod town.
History
The original name "Kanvapura" was derived from the name of Maharshi Kanva. Since then the name has morphed into ...
in
Kasaragod
Kasaragod () is a municipal town and administrative headquarters of Kasaragod district in the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1966, Kasaragod was the first municipal town in the district. It is the northernmost district of Kerala and ...
dist, to cater the need of rural eye patients, criss-crossing the boundaries of religion in social service.
Preventing Mining at Ambaragudda
Bharathi led a protest march by environmentalists against mining in and around
Kodachadri
Kodachadri ( kn, ಕೊಡಚಾದ್ರಿ) is a mountain peak with dense forests (elevation - 1,343 metres above sea level) in the Western Ghats in South India (Shivamogga District, Karnataka), 78 km from Shimoga. It is declared as nat ...
. For opposing mining activities, he has to face the ire of mining agencies.
Under his Project ''Vanajeevana Yajna'', thousands traditional and medicinal plants have been planted. Citizens are encouraged to plant at least five saplings every year under the project.
At 2003, Manganese mining activities started at
Ambaragudda
Ambaragudda is a hill, covering located in Western Ghats village named "Marati" near Kodachadri in Sagara taluk, in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is covered with rainforests. Mining operations have drawn protests. The Karnataka government d ...
(Kodachadri, Karnataka), situated at western ghats (India). Mine owners promised to build hospitals, roads for locals and got an approval for mining of 18 acres. But, they unearthed hundreds of acres of land unofficially. Sri Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swamiji of Ramachandrapura Mutt came to know about this matter and decided to fight against mining at
Ambaragudda
Ambaragudda is a hill, covering located in Western Ghats village named "Marati" near Kodachadri in Sagara taluk, in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is covered with rainforests. Mining operations have drawn protests. The Karnataka government d ...
. He personally visited the place, looked at the casualty and created a stage called ''Kodachadri Sanjeevini'' to fight against mining. He brought locals, Forest officials, local MLAs into this stage and protested all over the place. As a result of this movement, forest department forfeit mining machines, equipments and stopped mining activities at Ambaragudda. Officials from Ministry of Environment visited the place and agreed upon casualty done to the environment. State High Court ordered to stop mining activities and encouraged to protect environment. On 16.05.2005, locals and devotees of mutt planted new plants at Ambaragudda. Swamiji had a life threat in this case and Karnataka State Government had appointed a gun man for his security. Today this place is announced as Natural Heritage Site by Biodiversity Board.
Preservation of indigenous cows
Bharathi has campaigned for the preservation of indigenous cow breeds through a programme called "Kamadugha". On 22 April 2007, he led a nine-day Vishwa Go-Sammelan (World Cow Conference).
Projects are on to start 108
goshala
Gaushalas or Goshalas ( hi, गौशाला, gauśālā) are protective shelters for stray cow in India. Stray cows are unproductive. Government grants and donations are the primary source of income of the cow shelters in India. Since 2014, when ...
s, of which few are already started in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu. This work is highly noted, as so far no institutions in India, govt or NGO's, had started the work. The Mutt has many breeds in its collection. Work is being done to preserve the same for the future. Some rare breeds as Amrithmahal, Vechur, which count less than 100 in numbers, are protected here. He has been working stressing the need to promote products other than milk products, as Go-ark, medicines from cow, Doopa, etc.
He also led and inspired the 108-day-long (30 September 2009 – 17 January 2010 ) 'Vishwa Mangala Gou Grama Yathra’ with the support of various saints and Hindu organizations. The yathra covered the whole of India to highlight the importance of preservation and protection of cow with demands such as to declare cow as the national animal of India and to formulate laws to preserve various breeds of Indian cows. It ended with the one of the biggest mass signature campaign signed by over 83 million people across India calling for the end of cruelty to cow and to declare cow a national animal which is then submitted to
President of India
The president of India ( IAST: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, as well as the commander-in-chief of the Indian Armed Forces. Droupadi Murmu ...
on 31 January 2010. An 18-member delegation which visited the President of India was led by Bharathi including yoga Guru Baba
Ramdev
Ramdev (born Ram Kisan Yadav in 1965), also referred to by his followers with the honorifics Baba or Swami, is an Indian yoga guru, businessman and brand ambassador for Patanjali Ayurved. Ramdev is primarily known for being a proponent of yog ...
,
Pejavara
Pejavara is a village located in the Mangalore taluk of Dakshina Kannada, formerly known as South Canara or South Kanara, district of Karnataka, India. It houses one of the eight ashta mathas established by Madhvacharya, the great Tattvavāda ...
Vishvesha Tirtha
Sri Vishwesha Tirtharu, officially known as kn, ಶ್ರೀ ಶ್ರೀ ೧೦೮ ಶ್ರೀ ವಿಶ್ವೇಶತೀರ್ಥ ಶ್ರೀಪಾದಂಗಳವರು (27 April 1931 – 29 December 2019), was an Indian Hindu guru, sai ...
, many other senior saints and
Shankaracharya
Shankaracharya ( sa, शङ्कराचार्य, , "Adi Shankara, Shankara-''acharya''") is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi ...
s, religious leaders from Islam and Christianity, cow scientists, experts, organic farmers and leaders belonging to various organisations of the country.
Vishwa Mangala Gou Grama Yatra
Vishwa Mangala Gou Grama Yatra is an initiative organized covering many states which resulted in collection of over eight crores signatures over a petition seeking complete ban on cow slaughter. The petition was later submitted to Mrs.
Pratibha Patil
Prathibha DeviSingh Patil (born 19 December 1934) is an Indian politician and lawyer who served as the 12th president of India spanning from 2007 to 2012. She is the first woman to become the president of India. A member of the Indian National ...
, the then President of India.
Vishwa Gou Sammelana
The World Cow Conference, which is the first of its kind involving the participation of over 20 lakh devotees of indigenous cow lovers from 11 different countries.
Mangala Gou Yatra
This movement, named after Mangal Pandey, the hero of first freedom struggle of 1857, mainly covered the states of South India and some places in neighboring Maharashtra to create an awakening among the masses on the need to preserve the indigenous cow breeds.
Flood Relief
Social help like flood relief is another key contribution of the Matha.
Sri RamchandrapuraMatha’s Bharatiya Gou Parivara team had completed a task of collecting and distributing about 25 loads of fodder, necessary items worth approximately four lakhs, one ton of rice, 18 tonnes of animal fodder, to the flood affected regions all over Karnataka.
Kamadugha’s mission is to achieve this vision through four themes: Protection, Conservation , Awareness, Research
Kamadugha is a holistic mission of
Sri RamachandrapuraMatha to popularise the benefits of protecting and conserving Desi cow (Bos Indicus) to mankind through historical evidence and research based outcomes.
Gouswarga
The Gouswarga started on 27 May 2018 under the management of Kamadugha Trust®,
Sri Ramachandrapura Matha is an initiative for protection and flourishing of indigenous cows in their natural environment. A natural picturesque beauty, lying amidst the green peaks of Sahyadri mountains, this place is situated in Bhankuli near Siddapura town of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka. This goushala has 15 different breeds, and about a thousand cattle rearing capacity. About 2.5 acres of pasture is available for grazing freely. Green grass is grown in nearby areas in around 45 acres of land. Cows are not in confinement here; they roam freely in spacious, serene enclosure. Shine or shelter as per their choice.
Vishnugupta VishwaVidyapeetham (VVV)
VVV is an initiative by SriSri RaghaveshwaraBharati MahaSwamiji, aiming to preserve and promote the glorious traditions of Bharata for the future generations. Here a blend of modern education and traditional education will be taught to students, seeking to imbibe in them knowledge of Indian traditional arts and languages, and the practices of Sanatana Dharma.The main motivation behind the establishment of Vishnugupta Vishwa Vidyapeetham is reclaiming the lost Takshashila in our country. Hence, VVV is named after Chanakya, the greatest guru of Takshashila
Honors
He declined the offer of an honorary doctorate from
Gulbarga University
GUlbarga University is a public university located in Kalaburagi, Karnataka, India. The university is recognized by University Grants Commission (India), University Grants Commission and accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Counci ...
in 2013.
Notable disciples
*
Suresh Oberoi
Suresh Oberoi (born 17 December 1946) is an Indian actor and politician who appeared in Hindi films. He is a recipient of the 1987 National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. He started his career in radio shows, modelling and later moving ...
, and Vivek Oberoi
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
actor
*
Arvind Bhat
Arvind Bhat (born 7 June 1979) is a male badminton player from Bangalore, India.
Career
Arvind started his career in Youth centre at the age of 11 in 1991. He proved his mettle at a young age by winning many age group level events at the state ...
,PV Sindhu International
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players pe ...
players
*
Rama Jois, Former Chief Justice of the
Punjab and Haryana High Court
Punjab and Haryana High Court is the common High Court for the Indian states of Punjab and Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh based in Chandigarh, India. Sanctioned strength of Judges of this High Court is 85 consisting of 64 Per ...
, Former Governor of
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...
and
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
*
Radhe Shyam Agarwal
Radhe Shyam Agarwal (also known as R S Agarwal) is an Indian entrepreneur, co-founder and executive chairman of Emami, a global group of company engaged in the business of FMCG, paper, real estate, edible oils, health care and cement. Radhe is ...
, - Indian Entrepreneur, Founder of Emami Industries,
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
*
Anant Kumar Hegde
Anantkumar Hegde (born 20 May 1968) is an Indian politician, the former Union Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and the incumbent Member of Parliament for Uttara Kannada constituency. Hegde, a member of the Bharati ...
, Former Union Minister and current MP (Lok Sabha) of
Uttara Kannada
Uttara Kannada is a district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Uttara Kannada District is a major coastal district of Karnataka, and currently holding the title of the largest district in Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Bela ...
*
Nalin Kumar Kateel
, residence =
, death_date =
, death_place =
, office2 = Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha
, constituency2 = Dakshina Kannada
, term_start2 = 16 May 2009
, predecessor2 = ''Co ...
, BJP Karnataka state President
*
Tejasvi Surya
Lakya Suryanarayana Tejasvi Surya (; born 16 November 1990) is an Indian politician, RSS swayamsevak and lawyer serving as the Member of Parliament in the 17th Lok Sabha from the Bharatiya Janata Party, representing the Bangalore South const ...
MP Bengaluru South and National President of
Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha
The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) (translation: Indian People's Youth Front) is the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), one of the two major political parties in India. It was founded in 1978, and its first national president w ...
References
External links
Official Website of Sri Sri Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swamiji“Declare Cow and its progeny National Animal” –Sri Sri Raghaveshwara Bharathi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bharathi, Raghaveshwara
Advaitin philosophers
Hindu philosophers and theologians
People from Shimoga district
Living people
Hindu activists
Shankaracharyas
Activists from Karnataka
Indian Hindu monks
Year of birth missing (living people)