Sivagiri Pilgrimage and Brahma Vidhyalaya

Sivagiri Pilgrimage and Brahma Vidhyalaya- Relevance for UPSC Exam

• GS Paper 1: Indian History- Indian culture will cover the salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Sivagiri Pilgrimage and Brahma Vidhyalaya in News

• Prime Minister will participate in the inaugural ceremony of year-long joint celebrations of 90th anniversary of Sivagiri Pilgrimage and Golden Jubilee of Brahma Vidhyalaya at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg.
  • The Prime Minister will also launch the logo for year-long joint celebrations.
• Both Sivagiri Pilgrimage and Brahma Vidhyalaya were started with the blessing and guidance of great social reformer Shri Narayana Guru.

Facts about Sivagiri Pilgrimage

• About: Sivagiri Pilgrimage is held every year for three days from December 30 to January 1 at Sivagiri, Thiruvananthapuram.
  • The Sivagiri pilgrimage started with a handful of devotees in 1933 but now has become one of the major events in South India.
• Aim: According to the Shri Narayana Guru, the aim of pilgrimage should be the creation of comprehensive knowledge among the people and the pilgrimage should help in their overall development and prosperity.
• Focus Areas: The Sivagiri pilgrimage focuses on eight subjects viz education, cleanliness, piety, handicrafts, trade and commerce, agriculture, science & technology and organised endeavour.
• Participation: Every year, lakhs of devotees from all over the world irrespective of caste, creed, religion and language visit Sivagiri to participate in the pilgrimage.

Key Points about Brahma Vidhyalaya

• About: The Brahma Vidhyalaya of Sivagiri was set up to realise Shri Narayana Guru’s vision of creating a place to teach the principles of all religions with equanimity and equal respect.
• Brahma Vidhyalaya offers a course of 7-years on Indian Philosophy including the works of Shri Narayan Guru and scriptures of all important religions of the world.

About Sree Narayana Guru

• Birth and Death: Sree Narayana Guru was born on 22nd August 1856 in an Ezhava family in a village near Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
  • Sree Narayana Guru died on 20th September, 1928. This day is observed as Sree Narayana Guru Samadhi in Kerala.
• During this time, people from the Ezhava community were considered Avarna and faced social injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala.
• Narayana Guru was a social reformer. He has been credited with transforming the social fabric of Kerala and changing the beliefs of Keralites in ways unimaginable at that point in time.
• His philosophy always advocated social equality, education for all, and spiritual enlightenment.
  • Sree Narayana Guru became one of the greatest proponents and re-evaluators of Advaita Vedanta, the principle of non-duality put forward by Adi Shankara.

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