Pondicherry is Punya Bhumi, a land blessed by the Sadhana of Sages, Saints and Yogis for millenia. Two of the greatest Ashtanga Yogis have practised their Sadhana in this holy city : Akanda Paripurna Srila Shri Gnana Desiga Kambliswamigal and Yogamaharishi Dr Swami Gitananda Giri Guru Maharaj. In his day Srila Shri Kambliswamigal, a Digambari Siddha, was termed The King of Ashtanga Yoga over the Whole Earth, we are thus endebted to him for transmitting the pure essences of Ashtanga Yoga through an unbroken line of living teachers. He obtained his Samadhi 126 years ago (from Dec 1999) in the Tamil year Sri Mugha on the Amavasai day of Marghazhi month. Every year without fail there have been grand Guru Pujas performed on this day by the successors to this line of the paramparai. These include Srila Shri Ambalavana Swamigal, Srila Shri Manika Swamigal, Srila Shri Shanmuga Swamigal, Srila Shri Velu Swamigal, Srila Shri Subramaniya Swamigal, Srila Shri Shankaragiri Swamigal, Srila Shri Gitananda Giri Swamigal and at present by Dr Ananda Balayogi Giri.

Yogamaharishi Dr Swami Gitananda Giri Guru Maharaj attained his MahaSamadhi consciously on Wednesday 29th December 1993 at 2.20 am, light rain fell. It was the auspicious moment of Arudhra Darshan, that time of year when the normally fierce Rudra Shiva may be viewed in his most benevolent aspect. After the elaborate rites and rituals befitting his status as the Madathipathy of Sri Kambliswamy Madam, Thattanchavady, Pondicherry, he was placed in his Samadhi, called the Ananda Mandala, at noon on Thursday 30th December 1993 on that very site. As the top of his Samadhi was seaed tight, a light rain again fell. A lingam was specially carved from the stone from the holy mountain of Arunachala at Thiruvannamalai and was installed on his Samadhi for his Moksha Deepam on 11th January 1994 which on that year was also the 120th Arudhana for the great Yoga Siddha Srila Shri Kambliswamigal. Swami Gitananda Giri at Gingee Yogamaharishi Dr Swami Gitananda Giri, a great Bhakta and devotee of his paramparai Guru Srila Shri Kambliswamigal, left is body in the most auspicious year of Sri Mugha. In the Tamil calendar, every 60 years the names of the years repeat themselves and it was 1993 that was the year of Sri Mugha. This was also the name of the year in which Srila Shri Kambliswamigal took Samadhi. Hence this year was an especially auspicious year for all devotees in every sense, thus Yogamaharishi Dr Swami Gitananda Giri Guru Maharaj joined with his Guru at the most perfect and opportune moment. Swamiji entered his body on a full moon day on Guru purnima (Ved Vyasa Purnima). He also left his body on a full moon day of the most auspicious month of the year, Margazhi (Dec-Jan).

Yogamaharishi Dr Swami Gitananda Giri was known all over the world as The Lion of Pondicherry. It was his bold, compelling and charismatic personality that made him such a Lion on the International stage of Yoga. He was considered to ne one of the five leading authorities of the Ancient Science of Ashtanga Yoga, the Eight-Limbed Yoga of Patanjali (Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi) in the Twentieth Century. He is accredited as being one of the pioneers of popularising the Ashtanga Yoga concepts throughout the world. It was his medical and scientific background combined with his thourough traditional training in the Gurukula of his Yoga Master the Mahant of the Brighu order, Srila Sri Kanakananda also known as the Sleepless Saint, that produced a modern mind set grounded in traditional thought and values. Born to an Irish mother and a Sindhi father in Bihar State in 1907, he went to England at the age of 16 where he did his training to become a doctor.

He spent most of his medical profession abroad spending much time in Canada and Europe only returning to India to settle in 1967, he then took Sannyasin at the age of 55. The Yogamaharishi was initiated into the Paramparai of the great Ashtanga Yoga Siddha Sri Kambliswamigal when he was named Madathipathy and Hereditory Trustee of the Sri Kambliswamy site, by Srila Shri Shankaragiri Swamigal in 1975. Thus the best of the Bengali Tradition was combined with the finest South Indian Siddha Yoga in Gitananda Giri Swamigal. It was here at the Sri Kambliswamy site that he founded the Yoga and Cultural Arts programme for the education of children.More than 20,000 children received training in Yoga, Bharat Natyam and Carnatic Music as well as receiving material aid in the form of school books, clothing, tuition, medical supplies and food.

The Yogamaharishi wrote 26/30 books on the subject of Yoga and was editor of the international Yoga Life monthly journal for forty years. He was the Director of 65 institutes of Rishi Culture Yoga in 35 countries, operated by his close disciples. He was President and Patron of scores of Yoga organisations in India and the world, notably the Indian Accademy of Yoga, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi UP. He organised the 1st International Yoga Asana Competition in January 1989 in Pondicherry and also worked extensively for the Olympic Standard Yoga Competitions. He sponsored four International Yoga Conferences in Pondicherry which drew scientists, doctors, engineers and other professional bodies from all over the world. These still continue today with much of the organising done by Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani and his predecesor Dr Ananda Balayogi. The Swami founded The International Centre for Yoga Education and Research (ICYER) by the Bay of Bengal. Kottakuppam, Tamil Nadu in 1988 and Yoganjali Natyalayam (Ananda Ashram City Centre) in downtown Pondicherry in 1993 where Hindu Cultuaral arts of Bharat Natyam, Yoga and Carnatic Music are taught to the community. Programmes for both adults and 100's of children go on here.

Swamiji offered 6 month International Teacher Training Course from 1968 each year in Pondicherry and these were attended by thousands of students from India and all over the world. This uninterrupted course is now in its 36th year and is conducted by Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani, his amazing wife. Due to his precise scientific and medical approach to Yoga, Swamiji was acclaimed by many as The Father of Modern Scientific Yoga. For his efforts in Yoga he was awarded Yogashiromani by the President of India Sri Zail Singh Ji at the World Yoga Conference in 1986 in New Delhi. On top of this, in recognition of his leading status amongst the Yogis of India, he was named as a Member of the Governing Board of the Central Council for Research in Yoga, Ministry of Health, Government of India, New Delhi. He held this post until his Mahasamadhi.

Swami Gitananda is succeeded in his posts and in his mission by his son, Dr Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery. Ananda teaches at ICYER and Yoganjali Natyalayam, he is active with his creative musical endeavours and also holds down the post of a doctor in a neighbouring village. Not to go unmentionned is his mother, Puduvai Yogamani Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani who has had a huge part to play in all of this for the past 35 or so years. She does alot of the running of and teaching at both sites as well as the running of Yoga Life (the monthly magasine) on top of all of her other numerous commitments. This year she was awarded the position of Member of the Governing Board of the Central Council for Research in Yoga, Ministry of Health, Government of India, New Delhi, the very same post that was held by her husband until his Mahasamadhi.

Jaya Guru! Shri Guru! Jaya Guru! Om.