Sivagiri Mutt – Varkala Kerala
Sivagiri in Varkala of Thiruvananthapuram, inside Kerala
Sree Narayana Guru established Sivagiri Mutt in Varkala, more than 39 km away from Trivandrum. Pilgrimage fo Sivagiri is conducted around 30 December – 1 January every year. Sivagiri mutt is run and managed under headquarters of Narayana Dharma Sangham Trust.The Mutt was established on 1904 at the top of the Sivagiri hill. Here he took samadhi in 1928.
Sree Narayana Guru, a sage & reformer established a temple to propagate the philosophy of – One Caste, One Religion, One God. The temple was developed in 1904. At first an elementary school was established there, then a night school was also founded. People came to Sivagiri to have darshan of Gurudeva. His followers are called Ezhavas. He even installed idols in temples to prove that the authority for performing any religious rite does not exclusively belong to Brahmin. The Sivagiri Mutt at Varkala is a unique place of pilgrimage.
Every year, the birthday or Samadhi day are celebrated in August and September respectively.On this event, processions, seminars, public meetings, cultural shows, community feasts and special rituals are held inside the temple.
Mahasamadhi of Sree Narayana Guru attracts devotees from around the world. Many Seminars and discussions on aspects of modern life ranging from industrialization to women empowerment are held on these days. Architecture is simple, there are halls where people can comfortably rest, take part in religious discourses.