The Silent Saint of Thattanchavady

More than 150 years ago, a highly developed Yogi, a Digambari Sanyassin, who was known by the superlative title Akanda Paraipurna Satchidananda Sri la Sri Kambali Gnana Desika Swaigal, or in short Sri Kambaliswamy, lived in the area today known as Thattanchavady.

Sri Kambli Swami was in Mauna or silence. The great Yogi was praised by his devotees as the “King of Ashtanga Yoga on the whole earth”.

Miracles by Sri-La -Sri Kambli Swami ji

Sri Kambaliswamigal was a great Siddha, and many miracles are attributed to him, including the ability to tele-transport himself and convert straw to gold as well as stay submerged under water for hours.

He was praised in many old, beautiful Tamil hymns as “The King of Ashtanga Yoga over the whole Earth.” He was also hailed as a Kalpa Vriksha, which would grant all boons to his devotees.

Other hymns declared he was worthy of worship by the whole world. People used to wait for his Darshan with great reverence as his very presence brought them solace and prosperity.

The Final Journey

On an auspicious new moon day in the Tamil month of Margazhi in 1873, Sri Kambaliswamigal chose to leave his physical body. In a sacred act known as Jala Samadhi, he entered the waters near his ashram and merged with the infinite.

His devoted disciple, Sri Ambalavana Swamigal, along with a faithful devotee named Subbammal, who cared for him in his last days, honored his wish by building a Samadhi shrine with a Shiva Lingam atop it. Thus began the sacred legacy of the Sri Kambaliswamy Madam.

A New Era of Revival

In the 20th century, the mantle passed to Yogamaharishi Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri, a remarkable yogi who blended ancient spiritual knowledge with modern scientific understanding. Under his guidance, the Madam transformed into a vibrant center of learning.

Children learned yoga, classical dance, and music. Thousands found guidance in his teachings. The once quiet Samadhi site blossomed into a global beacon of yogic wisdom.

After Swami Gitananda’s Maha Samadhi in 1993, the lineage continued through Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, guided by his mother and guru, Ammaji Meenakshi Devi.

Guru Puja  

The Annual Guru Puja for Kambaliswamigal has been conducted every year by the Madathipathis of this illustrious living tradition ever since, without fail, on the new moon in the Tamil month of Marghazi that usually falls between 15th of December and 14th of January.