About Sadgurudham Barumaal in Dharampur, Valsad

ABOUT

Shri Swami Akhandanand Memorial Charitable Trust is situated at Sadgurudham, Barumaal, tal. Dharampur, Dist. Valsad, Gujarat, India. This trust was established by Shri Swami Vidyanandji Saraswatiji Maharaj in the year 1989 with an aim to uplift the adivasis and economically as well as socially poor people of the surrounding areas. The trust also actively provides support in the areas of Education, Health, Food, Sanitation and Religious activities.


SHREE BHAVBHAVESHWAR TEMPLE

The only magnificent SHIVLINGA in the world – Shree Bhavbhaveshwar is an 11 faced shivlinga made of ASHTADHATU (Eight metals which are gold, platinum, silver, lead, zinc, copper, bronze and mercury). This Shivlinga is 5ft in height and weighs 6.5 tons (approx).

This temple has been named as the “TRAYODASH JYOTIRLINGA” (13th jyotirlinga) by the Great saints and Shankracharya in the year 2005.

Along with Lord Shree Bhavbhaveshwar, temples of many other gods and goddesses are placed. Goddess Pitambara resides along with Shree Bhavbhaveshwar in the temple. Pitambara Mata is a siddh peeth in Guna near Gwalior.

Maharajji (Swami Shri Vidyanandji Saraswatiji Maharaj) felt that most of the tribals would never be able to visit the pilgrims of the Hindu culture and hence he replicated most of the pilgrimages like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Vaishanodevi, Bhairavnath, Jwala Devi, Jaganath Puri, Navdurga, Navgraha, 13 jyotirlingas and Shanidev at Sadgurudham.

He always quotes "Sab Dhamon Ka Ek Dham – SHREE SADGURUDHAM"



ACTIVITIES

The Trust is actively involved and supportive in the upliftment of adivasis in the region by providing aid in the areas of education, health, food and sanitation. The Trust has also been successful in inculcating values among the tribals. The following activities are carried by the Trust.



I.EDUCATION
Swami Shri Vidyanandji Saraswati while visiting the villages for preaching noticed that the Advasis were superstitious, ignorant and poverty prevailed among them. Swamji felt the only way to remove ignorance, and to make the tribals self sufficient was education. The region did not have any educational institutions providing free education and the kids had to travel far off to the city for better education. Thus, the Ashram has started various educational activities inside the sadgurudahm along with Hostel facilities for Adivasi kids

1.The trust runs and manages Shri Akhandvidya Aranyak Gurukul Madhyamik School and Hostel for Girls from std. 8th to 12th which provides education to 325 girls. The trust provides the students all the required study material i.e. Books, Pencil, Pens, etc along with a pair of Uniform and Causal wear free of cost.

2.Asharamshala and Uttarbuniyadi Ashramshala are also run by the Trust. These Asramshalas provide education to 395 students. These students are also provided with all the study material along with a pair of Uniform and Causal wear.

3.Degree college has been commenced for the higher education of the tribals of this region from the academic year 2013-14

4.The Trust organizes Annual Medical Check up for the girls studying in the institution, along with their dental check up and free treatment. Special examination for sequelson anemia (a very prominent disease among the tribals) is also carried out.



II.HEALTH

The trust conducts various medical activities at the Ashram and nearby villages at regular intervals. In certain cases, Trust also provides medical aid to the locals.


1.The Trust has set up a Free Medical Dispensary in the ashram itself, with a team consisting of a doctor and a nurse to provide basic and First Aid treatment to all.

2.The Trust runs a Free Mobile Medical Dispensary. This mobile van goes to 3 different nearby villages and examines almost 200 patients daily. Medicines are also provided free of cost to the needy patients. This activity has benefited more than 30,000 tribals.

3. The patients who require hospitalization are admitted and treated at Kasturba Hospital, Valsad; where all their medical expenses are borne by the Trust. Trust also provides aid by supporting the tribals for expensive treatments like cancer or any other major ailment.

4.The Trust organizes Medical Camp from time to time which also takes care of dental check up and free treatment of the locals. Special examination for sequelson anemia is also carried out.

5.An eye camp is organized by the Trust annually. The camp is headed by Dr. Shyam Agrawal, a renowned eye specialist from Malad, Mumbai. Along with his team he examines more than 1500 patients during this camp. The trust provides spectacles to the needy and also conducts cataract operations for the old age people free of cost.

III. SOCIAL

The Trust carries out many social activities for the benefit of the people and creates social awareness among the tribals.


1.The Trust conducts Anti Addiction Movement -“VYASAN MUKTI SHIBIR” especially for alcoholics, at regular intervals as this is the most prominent cause of all their problems.

2.The Trust distributes grains to10 or 15 poor families on every Amavasya (No moon day) of the Hindu calendar. Each family is given 10 kilos of grains which include rice, jowar (sorghum) or wheat and 5kilos of dal. This activity has benefited more than 1000 families from the surrounding areas. This activity is being carried out by the trust since its inception.

3.The Trust offers free tiffin services to the nearby hospitals for the hospitalized patients and their relatives.

4.Every year the Trust distributes 25 bicycles to girl students belonging to the BPL families.

5.The Trust distributes Educational stationery materials like books, pens, pencils, crayons, etc. to the children of the vicinity at the starting of the academic year, to encourage the children to start schooling.

6.The Trust started a Gaushala with only 22 cows initially; today there are more than 85 cows in this Gaushala. The Gaushala is named as Gopal Krishna Gaushala. Medical check-up of the cows is carried out by a veterinary doctor every week.

7.Blood Donation Camps are regularly organized to make the tribals aware of their responsibilities towards the society. This activity has also helped to meet the requirement of blood by the nearby Hospitals and Nursing Homes during the emergencies for the needy patients.

8.The Trust distributes anti venom injections for snake bites in all the nearby areas free of cost. The trust sensed the need of this as many tribals had died of Snake bite due to lack of timely treatment.

9.The Trust has helped the locals of Barumal to build model houses i.e., of bricks and cement, with modern sanitation facilities. The Trust has built 3 such houses since the commencement of this activity in the year 2010.



IV. CULTURAL

Culture along with education and health is a vital wealth of our life. By celebrating different festivals we carry forward our culture to the next generation.

1.The Trust organizes Vasantmahotsav, on Vasantpanchami Day. The function lasts for 3/5 days with different cultural programs like Classical Music, Bhajan Sandhya by renowned artistes, Classical Dance and so on. Special performances are carried out by Ram Leela Mandalies of Gokul and Mathura during this Mahotsav. These functions are held in the open ground of the Ashram for the benefit of locals .

2.Every Year the Trust Honors famous Personalities from various fields for their remarkable achievements with BHAVBHAVESHWAR AWARD.

3.The Trust conducts MASS WEDDINGS (samuh lagna) of the tribals. During these weddings, each couple is given all the basic household items like double bed with bedding, pillows, bed sheet with pillow covers, blanket, a cupboard, stainless steel household utensils with a dinner set consisting of 36pcs., 2 chairs, a table, 2 sets of clothes to the groom and 5 sets of sarees to the bride inclusive of imitation jewelry, and many more things. In the year 2015, the trust conducted 51 such weddings on 1st February, Sunday.

4.Guru Poornima is celebrated every year as a grand function. The disciples come to seek His blessings. Approximately 20,000 to 25,000 tribals come to pay their homage to Guruji. Lunch is offered to all the disciples by the trust on this day without any charges.

5. The trust also organizes MASS UPNAYAN CEREMONY (samuh janeyu).



V. RELIGIOUS

1.MAHASHIVRATRI Utsav is celebrated grandly every year in the Ashram. The activities start 5 days prior to the day of Mahashivratri. During these 5 days the devotees make around 25,000 - 30,000 PARTHIV SHIVLINGAS daily.

2.On the day of MAHASHIVRATRI, abhishek of curd, milk, honey, sugar, pure ghee, sugarcane juice, coconut water and bhang is performed on Lord Shree Bhavbhaveshwar. Abhishek and pooja is performed throughout the night.

3.On Vasantpanchmi, “KUMKUMARCHAN” is done on Lord Shree Bhavbhaveshwar.

4.During the Vasantmahotsav, SANT SAMMELAN is held, in which great saints from all over India come to Barumaal Ashram and preach on a certain pre- decided social topic.

5.In Chaitra Maas, 81 Brahmins chant one lakh Hanuman Chalisas in the first 15 days and is followed by Hanuman yaag on the day of Hanuman Jayanti.

6.In the month of SHRAVAN, “MAHARUDRA ABHISHEK” is performed on Lord Shree Bhavbhaveshwar twice in a day for the full month. After each Abhishek, Lord Bhavbhaveshwar is beautifully decorated with different flowers and original lotuses.

7.GANPATI festival is celebrated on a grand level in the Ashram. The sthapana of Shree Ganeshji’s idol is done in the Asharam for 11 days. Ganpati Atharvashirsh is chanted daily during these days.