Sri Gnanananda Thapovanam meaning, “forest of penance is a place of pilgrimage established by Swami Gnananandagiri. It is located on the northern bank of the river South Pennar (also called Dakshina Pinakini), 3KM away from Tirukoilur, on the Tirukoilur – Tiruvannamalai highway, Tamil Nadu, India.
Tirukoliur is the famous vaishnative pilgrimage center where presiding deities are Ulagalanda Perumal (Thiruvikrama Swami) and Pushpavallithayar.This. It is one among the 108 Divya Deshams for Vaishnavas.
There is also an ancient Shiva temple present in tirukoliur. Here Lord Shiva is called Veerateshwarar who is worshipped in the form of a Swayambhu Lingam. It is believed that hallowed grounds of this temple are the birthplace of “Vaasthu Purusha”. Legend Says that Saint Avvayar herself has worshiped Lord Muruga and Shri Ganapathy of this temple and she reached Kailas directly from here with the help of Lord Ganapathy It is believed that Maharishi Mrigandu undertook penance at this holy place, having cluster of five old mango trees.
Swami Gnananandagiri identified this place for its spiritual potency and established his ashram here. Finally Thapovanam became his regular living place until he attained Mahasamathi in the year 1974.Shrine was constructed over his “Samadhi.We could feel his divine presence even today.
Life Prior To Renunciation
Swami Gnanananda’s Purvashram (life prior to renunciation) is surrounded by mystery. In fact, his age itself is beyond one’s estimate. It is believed that he lived more than 250 to 300 years.
It is believed that that Swami Gnanananda was born long ago at Mangalapuri in the North Kanara district to an orthodox Brahmin couple Sri Venkoba Ganapatigal and Smt. Sakkubai. The child was named as Subramanya. At his young age Subramanya did not show interest in formal education. He was indifferent to external things of life and deeply absorbed in knowing thy self. At the age of 12 Subramanya followed a divine light and reached Pandharpur. There, he had a divine darshan of Lord Panduranga and-Rukmayi. It is in this place boy met his Guru, Swami Sivaratna Giri of Jyotirmutt, one of the four mutts established by saint Adi Sankara.
Sri Sivaratnagiri Swamiji judged his spiritual depth and accepted him as his disciple. Boy was duly educated in “Ashtanga Yoga, Hindu scriptures, upanishadic truths etc. Subramanya was given “Sanyasa” and was named “Sri Gnanananda Giri.”
It is believed that that Swami Gnanananda was born long ago at Mangalapuri in the North Kanara district to an orthodox Brahmin couple Sri Venkoba Ganapatigal and Smt. Sakkubai. The child was named as Subramanya. At his young age Subramanya did not show interest in formal education. He was indifferent to external things of life and deeply absorbed in knowing thy self. At the age of 12 Subramanya followed a divine light and reached Pandharpur. There, he had a divine darshan of Lord Panduranga and-Rukmayi. It is in this place boy met his Guru, Swami Sivaratna Giri of Jyotirmutt, one of the four mutts established by saint Adi Sankara.
Sri Sivaratnagiri Swamiji judged his spiritual depth and accepted him as his disciple. Boy was duly educated in “Ashtanga Yoga, Hindu scriptures, upanishadic truths etc. Subramanya was given “Sanyasa” and was named “Sri Gnanananda Giri.”
As Jagadguru
After Mahasamadhi of his Guru, Swami Gnanananda Giri became the peetathipathi of Jyotir Mutt. Swamiji did not show any interest in Peeta & nominated Swami Ananda Giri, as his successor and started out to the high Himalayas for undertaking intense penance. Swami Gnanananda wandered high into the snow-covered mountains of Kashmir, Nepal and all over the Himalayan range & met several yogis. The sages of Himalayas performed rare kayakalp treatment to him & inserted special herb in to a vein of his fore arm. It is the obsolete method of preserving the body in health and vigor for more than 100 years for performing extreme spiritual penance in harsh climatic conditions at higher altitudes.
After long period of spiritual discipline, meditation and Samadhi, swami Gnanananda traveled extensively on foot, spanning the whole of India, Tibet, Nepal, Burma and Sri Lanka. He stayed in the famous Shri Lankan Shrine of Kathirgamam for 60 years. In Tamilnadu itself sage had stayed for more than a hundred and seventy years in various places – Kalpattu, Kolli Malai hills, Polur etc.
Return To TamilNadu
Finally, Sri gnanananda returned from travel & established ashrams at Attyampatti, Siddhilingamadam, and Dalmiapuram and at Yercaud (Pranavanilam). In 1940 Swamiji shifted to Siddhalinga Madam situated at about six miles from Thirukoilur on the southern bank of the river South Pennar. In 1951 the sage moved to Gnanananda Thapovanam on the northern bank of the river. He called the ashram an Adhyatma Vidyalaya. His teaching was pure Vedantha, the timeless message of the Upanishads.
In his ashram at Thapovanam, Swamiji constructed separate shrines for the deities of GnanaGanesa, GnanaSkanda, GnanaPurisa, GnanaAmbika, GnanaMahalakshmi, GnanaVenugopala, GnanaAnjayeya, GnanaBairava, Durga, Navagraha and Chandikeshwara. Swami gnananandagiri was well versed in all the modes of bhajana sampradaya. According to him the Hari Bhajana was the easiest way to attain `moksha. He had moved closely with spiritual gurus such as Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Aurobindo, Seshadri Swami, Vallalar, Shudhananda Bharati and Ramana Maharshi.
Sri Gnananandagiri attained Mahasamadhi in January 1974. As per his instructions he was laid to rest in a hexagon-shaped Samadhi chamber constructed by him a few years earlier. Even though gnanananda has shed the limitations of the physical body, his presence in Videha Kaivalya has become all prevailing.
