Srirangam Srimadh Andavan Ashramam has been an institution for more than three centuries in nurturing and furthering Acharya

Ramanuja Ramanuja (Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmanuja; 1017 CE – 1137 CE; ; ), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and a social reformer. He is noted to be one of the most important exponents o ...

's and Swami

Vedanta Desika Vedanta Desikan (1268–1369), also rendered Vedanta Desikar, Swami Vedanta Desikan, and Thoopul Nigamaantha Desikan, was an Indian polymath who wrote philosophical as well as religious and poetical works in several languages, including Sans ...

's doctrine of

Vishishtadvaita Vishishtadvaita ( IAST '; sa, विशिष्टाद्वैत) is one of the most popular schools of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy. Vedanta literally means the in depth meaning ''of the Vedas.'' ''Vishisht Advaita'' (literal ...

. The institution traces its roots to Swami Vedantha Desika through Saakshaath Swami and to Acharya Ramanuja through Kidambi Aachaan and Kurathazwan. The head of the institution is known as "Andavan" or "Andavan Swamigal", a name that is believed to be given by Lord

Ranganatha Ranganatha, also known as Ranganathar, Rangan, Aranganathar, Sri Ranga, and Thenarangathan, is a Hindu deity with his origin in South India, serving as the chief deity of the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam. The deity is a resting form of ...

himself to the first seer. Srirangam Srimadh Andavan Ashramam is among the organizations that follow Sri Vedanta Desika as the torch bearer of Sri Ramanuja's teachings. The others are Sri Parakala Matam,

Ahobila Mutt Sri Ahobila Mutt (also called Sri Ahobila Matam) is a Vadakalai Sri Vaishnava monastery established around 1400 CE at Ahobilam in Andhra Pradesh, India following the Vadakalai tradition of Vedanta Desika. It is attributed to Sri Adivan Satakopa S ...

and Sri Poundarikapuram Andavan Ashramam. The main activities of the institution include conducting sacraments of Samashrayanam and Bharanyasam, Kalakshepams (higher spiritual lessons), Vedic and Western education through Patashalas and secular Colleges, managing and funding various temples and Divya Deshams, spreading Ramanuja siddhantham through its various centers.

Following

Many Vadakalais who belong to the Munitraya sampradaya group are followers of Srimadh Andavan Ashramam. The institution is referred to as just "Ashramam" or "Andavan Ashram" or "Periashramam" by various people.

Centers / Physical Locations

The headquarters of the Ashramam (hermitage) is in Srirangam where most Acharyas of this lineage have spent most of their saintly lives. The institution has centers spread across India and the US. Most centers have temples and/or Patashalas. Some famous cities which contain what is called as "Andavan Ashramam" are Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore (2 centers), Calcutta, Chennai, Brindavan, Badrinath, Hyderabad (2 centers), Aurangabad, and Tirupati. The institution also runs a
Arts and Science college
in

Srirangam Srirangam, is a neighbourhood in the city of Tiruchirappalli in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. A river island, Srirangam is bounded by the Kaveri River on one side and its distributary Kollidam on the other side. Considered as the first amon ...

Worship

The main symbol of worship and the central theme of the institution's philosophical approach is Lord Ranganatha's Padukas (divine sandals). The primordial deity of this Ashramam is Lord Venugopala swamy (Lord

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

The Current Pontiff

The current pontiff is Sri Varaha Mahadesikan (Andavan), a scholar (with traditional doctoral-equivalents) in Nyaya (roughly translates to Absolute Righteousness) and Tarka (Logic) and

Vedhantha. The official website of this Ashramam is http://www.andavan.org . http://www.ramanujamission.org is the official website of the American branch of this institution. Mahadesikan initiated efforts to spread this message of Srivaishnavism and Prapathi margam founded and propagated by Sri Bhagavath Ramanuja and nurtured by Sri Nigamantha Mahadesika several centuries ago and performed samasrayanam and saranagathi to thousands of sishyas. He offered Mangalasasanams to the Divya Dampathis of most of the 108

Divya Desam A Divya Desam or Vaishnava Divya Desam is one of the 108 Vishnu and Lakshmi temples that is mentioned in the works of the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnava tradition. Of the 108 temples, 105 are in India, one is in Nepal, and the las ...

s, imparted Grantha Chathustya Kalakshepams and Anugraha Bhashanams to countless audiences.

External links

* http://www.ramanujamission.org/general1.php?id1=9&id2=0 - Lineage source: Sri Ramanuja Mission's Web Site * http://www.pbase.com/svami/periyaashramam - Pictures of deities * Srimad - A sample story from The Hindu - 13 December 2002 {{Authority control Ashrams Hindu organizations Sri Vaishnavism

Following

Centers / Physical Locations

Worship

The Current Pontiff

See also

External links