page_title: Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam
section_title: Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi (Guruji)
hierarchical_section_title: Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam / Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi (Guruji)
caption_attribution_description: English: Dr. N. Prahalada Sastry (Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswati), founder of Devipuram, in 2007. This is Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi.
context_page_description: The Rajarajeswari Peetam in Rush, New York is a Hindu temple that practices the teachings of SriVidya. Sri Chaitanyananda Natha Saraswathi is the peetathipathy of the temple along with Gnanamba his wife. Aiya is a disciple of Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi who is the Peetathipathy of the Devipuram temple. The temple was founded in Zambia, then moved to the Aiya's home in Rush in New York state before the current, purpose-built temple was constructed.
  The temple and its community have been the subject of an in-depth study by Corrine Dempsey.
context_section_description: Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi (Dr.N. Prahalada Sastry) was born in Visakhapatnam, the first child of Sri Narasimha Rao and Srimati Lakshminarasamma. Guruji, as he is referred to, started his spiritual quest at a very young age. Blessed with divine experiences early in his childhood, his young mind was teeming with questions, searching for the truth. The stage was set for his spiritual inclination that was to intensify later in life.
  In the course of time, his interest turned to science. He graduated from the Andhra University with a masters in Nuclear physics and received his doctorate from the University of Bombay, while working at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Guruji spent 23 years at TIFR, involved in research. In the final years there, he was working on a defense project for the air defense. But his spiritually inclined conscience was not comfortable with the destructive nature of his research.
  In the meantime, in 1977, Guruji visited the Balaji temple in Hyderabad. He went in and prostrated before the Lord. He felt an extreme thrill pass through his body; and Guruji had his first initiation from Balaji, that is Balatripurasundari. This proved to be the turning point in his life. After deep thought, he decided to look into the spiritual aspects a little deeper and devote time to work for the upliftment of society. He received SriVidya Poorna Dhiksha from Sri Swaprakashananda Natha Thirtha Avadhutha of Anakapalli. And he was showered with the Grace of Devi Saraswathi and given the dhiksha name of Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi.
  Involved in defense research at TIFR, his mind was in search of the truth within himself. It was at this juncture that he was offered a position of Professor of Physics at the University of Zambia in Zambia. Realising that this was an opportunity to take a fresh look at one's self, he accepted a two-year contract to work in Zambia. It was there that Guruji met his "spiritual son", Sri Wijayaharan and accepted him as his disciple, in SriVidya upasana.
  Guruji returned to India in 1981. He resigned from TIFR and settled down in Visakhapatnam, into SriVidya upasana and worship of the Devi. He slowly started working on means to help improve the standard of living of his fellow men.
  
  In 1983, during Devi yagna, Guruji was approached by the brothers of the Putrevu family, with a request to build a temple for the divine Mother. In addition to the 3 acres (12,000 m²) of land that they had donated, Guruji bought the adjoining 10 acres (40,000 m²) and it was registered as land for the Devi temple. Having acquired the land, Guruji was looking for divine guidance, a sign of approval to commence construction of the temple.
  In the vicinity of the donated land, there was a small hillock where Guruji would often spend time in meditation. On the slopes of the hillock, he noticed a formation very similar to that of the Kamakhya Peetam in Assam. One day, while in meditation he experienced himself lying on the Peetam, while four others were performing a homam with the flames emanating from his body. And during purnahuthi, he felt a heavy object being placed on his heart. Awakening from his meditative state, Guruji was prompted to dig that site. Unearthed from that very spot, he found a Sri Chakra MahaMeru made of panchauloha. It was later discovered that a huge yagna had been performed in that area more than 250 years ago.
  Guruji had visions of the Devi as a sixteen-year-old girl. With her blessings, he built the Kamakhya Peetam on the hillock and a Siva temple on the peak, in 1984. Construction of the Sri Meru Nilaya in Devipuram was started in 1985. Built covering an area of 108 square feet (10.0 m²), the temple has three levels and stands 54 feet (16 m) tall. The temple has the idols of all the Devis described in the Devi Khadgamala stotra. The temple construction was completed in 1994 and the kumbhabhishekam celebrated with great pomp and piety. This temple is unique in allowing the devotees to perform puja to the Devi themselves, without distinction of caste or creed.
caption: Sri Amritananda Natha Saraswathi
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