Kalyandev ji Maharaj (26 June 1876 (claimed) – 14 July 2004), known as Swami Kalyandev, was an

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n-born

ascetic Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their pra ...

who was awarded the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

, the third highest civilian award in India, for his social work in the villages of India.

Biography

Swami Kalyandev was born as Kaluram on the claimed date of 26 June 1876, in the village of Kotana,

Bagpat district Bagpat district, also spelled as Baghpat district, is one of the 75 Districts of Uttar Pradesh, districts of the States and territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, with headquarters at the town of Baghpat. It is within the Nationa ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

and grew up in Mundbhar, Muzaffarnagar. In his youth, he traveled to

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

and

Haridwar Haridwar (; ; formerly Mayapuri) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is s ...

. While in

he heard of

Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda () (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindus, Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. Vivekananda was a major figu ...

's visit to Khetri, and traveled there to meet him. On his return from Khetri, Kalyandev became the disciple of Swami Purnananda of

Muni Ki Reti Muni Ki Reti is a town and a municipal council in Tehri Garhwal district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It lies close to the pilgrimage town of Rishikesh and is known for its ashrams, including the Divine Life Society of Sivananda Saraswat ...

Rishikesh Rishikesh, also spelt as Hrishikesh, is a city near Dehradun in the Indian state Uttarakhand. The northern part of Rishikesh is in the Dehradun district while the southern part is in the Tehri Garhwal district. It is situated on the right bank ...

. Purananda named him Swami Kalyandev. Kalyandev did tapasya in the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...

s for a few years but then decided to help the poor people of his region. Kalyandev established almost three hundred schools and medical facilities for the people of western

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

and elsewhere. He was also noted for his advocacy against untouchability and the caste system. Kalyandev also supported rebuilding of neglected religious and historical sites. He renovated a monument in Shuktal, Muzaffarnagar associated with Shuka. There, he also established the Shukadeva Ashrama and Seva Samiti. He also renovated parts of

Hastinapur Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'' is described as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas; it is also mentioned in ancient Jain ...

, and several pilgrimage sites in

Later life and Death

In 1982 he received the

Padma Sri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January ...

award, and in 2000 he received the

. He was also awarded an honorary D.Litt. by Meerut University. In the late 1980s future Prime Minister

Vishwanath Pratap Singh Vishwanath Pratap Singh (25 June 1931 – 27 November 2008) was an Indian politician who served as the prime minister of India from 1989 to 1990 and the Raja Bahadur of Manda. He was educated at Allahabad University and Fergusson College in ...

came to Shukatal to pray along with his wife and Kalyandev told him to do his first rally near Bhayla. His advice has been credited with repopularizing Singh as a politician. During an interview, Kalyandev said his inspiration came in 1893, when he met Vivekananda in Khetri, who said to him, "If you want to see God, go to the huts of the poor. And if you want to attain God, then serve the poor, the helpless, the downtrodden and the miserable." Kalyandev stated that to attain God through service of the poor is the

mantra A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) belie ...

he received from Swamiji. Swami Kalyandev died in

on 14 July 2004. His age has been disputed due to uncertainty surrounding his birth date.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalyandev, Swami 2004 deaths 20th-century Hindu philosophers and theologians Longevity claims Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in social work Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work People from Baghpat Hindu ascetics 20th-century Indian philosophers Social workers from Uttar Pradesh

Biography

Later life and Death

See also

References