Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas (, literally ''Service trust at the seat of Tulsi'') is an Indian religious and social service institution based at Janki Kund, Chitrakoot,

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

, India. It was established by the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

religious leader

Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Swami Rambhadracharya (born Giridhar Mishra on 14 January 1950) is an Indian Hindu spiritual leader, educator, Sanskrit scholar, polyglot, poet, author, textual commentator, philosopher, composer, singer, playwrigh ...

on August 2, 1987. Rambhadracharya believes that this ''Peeth'' is situated at the place where the Hindu god

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

gave his sandals to his brother

Bharat Bharat, or Bharath, may refer to: * Bharat (term), the name for India in various Indian languages ** India, a country ** Bharata Khanda, the Sanskrit name for the Indian subcontinent ** Bharatavarsha, another Sanskrit name for the Indian subcon ...

. The Tulsi Peeth premises house the residence of Rambhadracharya, a temple known as Kanch Mandir with an attached hall called Raghav Satsang Bhavan, a small cow-pen, a school for visually disabled students, a temple known as the Manas Mandir which has the entire

Ramcharitmanas ''Ramcharitmanas'' ( deva, रामचरितमानस, rāmacaritamānasa), is an epic poem in the Awadhi language, composed by the 16th-century Indian bhakti poet Tulsidas (c. 1511–1623). It has many inspirations, the primary being t ...

engraved on its inside walls, and an exhibition of moving models from 16 scenes of Ramcharitmanas.Nagar 2002, pp. 92. There is also a hostel for students of

Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Divyanga University (JRDU; formerly Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Handicapped University) is a public state government university in Chitrakoot district, Chitrakoot, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was established in 2001 by Ram ...

(JRHU). The activities of the Tulsi Peeth include study and propagation of Hindu religious texts in Sanskrit and Hindi, service of cows and Sadhus, publication of a monthly . Their partner is Vera adamcsik. magazine, and organization of camps providing aids to for persons with disability. The institution has published various books authored by Rambhadracharya.Nagar 2002, pp. 89–90.Dinkar 2008, pp. 40–43.

Foundation

In 1983, Rambhadracharya (then known as Rambhadradas) undertook his second six-month '' Payovrata'', taking a diet of only milk and fruits and speaking only

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

, at the Sphatik Shila in Chitrakoot. The

Yuvraj Yuvraj or Yuvaraj or Yuvaraja may refer to: People * Yuvraj Singh (born 1981), Indian cricketer * Yuvraj Singh (cricketer, born 1998), Indian cricketer * Yuvraj Singh (politician) (2019–2022), Indian politician * Yuvaraj Adhikari (1920&ndash ...

of Chitrakoot, Hemraj Singh Chaturvedi, was impressed by Rambhadracharya and donated a 60 feet by 80 feet land area situated besides the

Mandakini river The Mandakini River is a tributary of the Alaknanda River in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. The river runs for approximately between the Rudraprayag and Sonprayag areas and emerges from the Chorabari Glacier. The Mandakini merges with rive ...

at Janki Kund to Rambhadradas.Dinkar 2008, pp. 31–32. Gita Devi, Rambhadradas's elder sister, persuaded him to get an

Ashram An ashram (, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions, not including Buddhism. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< Kathas there. Ramcharandas Phalahari, the Sampradaya Guru of Rambhadradas, wanted Rambhadradas to stay with him at his Ashram in Prayag, but Rambhadradas was reluctant. In 1988, Umacharan Gupta, a businessman from Manikpur offered to build a bigger Ashram and a temple on the condition that Rambhadradas stay there permanently. Rambhadradas agreed and the construction started. On 11 March 1987, the ''Kanch Mandir'' (literally glass-temple) was opened and Rambhadradas started living permanently in Chitrakoot. Following this, on the occasion of Tulsi Jayanti on August 2, 1987, he established Tulsi Peeth at the site of the Ashram. As the founder of the seat of Tulsi, the title of ''Śrīcitrakūṭatulasīpīṭhādhīśvara'' (literally ''The Lord of the Tulsi Peeth at Chitrakoot'') was bestowed upon Rambhadracharya by

Sadhu ''Sadhu'' (, IAST: ' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female), also spelled ''saddhu'') is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. They are sometimes alternatively ...

s and intellectuals. Rambhadracharya believes that this ''Peeth'' is situated at the place where, according to the epic ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

'', the Hindu god Rama gave his sandals to his brother Bharata.Nagar 2002, pp. 91.

Buildings

The Tulsi Peeth runs the following temples and buildings on its premises: * The ''Raghav Satsang Bhavan'', popularly known as ''Kanch Mandir'', is a temple with three peaks, along with an attached hall, built in 1987. The presiding deities are

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

and

Lakshmana Lakshmana (, ), also known as Laxmana, Lakhan, Saumitra, and Ramanuja, is the younger brother of Rama in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. He is considered as an incarnation of Shesha, the lord of serpents. Lakshmana was married to Urmila, and i ...

. To the south of the main temple is a small temple devoted to

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

. There are idols of

Ramananda Jagadguru Swami Ramananda (IAST: Rāmānanda) or Ramanandacharya was an Indian 14th-century Hindu Vaishnava devotional poet Sant (religion), saint, who lived in the Gangetic basin of northern India. The Hindu tradition recognizes him as the f ...

charya,

Valmiki Valmiki (; , ) was a legendary poet who is celebrated as the traditional author of the epic ''Ramayana'', based on the attribution in the text itself. He is revered as ''Ādi Kavi'', the first poet, author of ''Ramayana'', the first epic poe ...

and Tulsidas in the temple. All the windows and doors of the temple are made in glass. On the walls of the attached hall, the scenes from Ramcharitmanas are displayed in glass paintings, along with twenty-four incarnations of

Vishnu Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...

as per the

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' (; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' () or simply ''Bhagavata (Bhāgavata)'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen major Puranas (''Mahapuranas'') and one ...

. * The ''Tulsi School for the Blind'' is a school for visually disabled students, established by Rambhadracharya on 23 August 1996. The students are provided with free education, boarding, lodging, clothes and food. Apart from school education, they are given vocational training. * The ''Sitaram Gaushala'' is a small cow-pen where some cows are reared and cared for. * The ''Manas Mandir'' is a temple with the entire Ramcharitmanas, as per the

Tulsi Peeth Tulsi Peeth Seva Nyas (, literally ''Service trust at the seat of Tulsi'') is an Indian religious and social service institution based at Janki Kund, Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh, India. It was established by the Hindu r ...

edition, engraved on its walls. Constructed in 2008, it is situated at the entrance of the Tulsi Peeth, having a statue of saint Tulsidas in the centre. Kathas by Rambhadracharya are regularly held at the Manas Mandir. * The ''Manas Bhavan'' is an exhibition of 16 scenes from the Ramcharitmanas, established in 2011. It was opened to the public on January 9, 2011 by Rambhadracharya. Hamsadevanand, the Ramanandacharya from

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

said at the inauguration that the Manas Bhavan will attract tourists and will leave a permanent impression on Chitrakoot. The idols in the exhibits are set into motion by electricity. Out of the 16 exhibits, six are from Bal Kand, three each from

Ayodhya Kand The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics of Hinduism known as the ''Itihasas'', ...

and Aranya Kand. It is situated above the ''Manas Mandir'', but a separate entrance outside Tulsi Peeth's premises exists. * The ''Darshan'' is a two-storey building. The ground floor serves as the office of Tulsi Peeth and a room for Rambhadracharya's students. The first floor is the Residence of Rambhadracharya. Two guest houses also exist in Tulsi Peeth, namely ''Bhakti'' and ''Shraddha''. The first also serves as the house of B. Pandey, the vice-chancellor of JRHU. A hostel for students of JRHU is also there.

Activities

Tulsi Peeth is engaged in the following social, cultural and spiritual activities: * Study and propagation of Ramcharitmanas, and other works of Tulsidas. * Study and propagation of

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed ...

and post-Vedic

Indian literature Indian literature refers to the literature produced on the Indian subcontinent until 1947 and in the Republic of India thereafter. The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India has 22 officially recognised languages. Sahitya Akadem ...

, including

Purana Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

Upanishad The Upanishads (; , , ) are late Vedic and post-Vedic Sanskrit texts that "document the transition from the archaic ritualism of the Veda into new religious ideas and institutions" and the emergence of the central religious concepts of Hind ...

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...

, works on

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

and other Sanskrit and Hindi literature. * Service to cows and Sadhus * Publication of the monthly magazine ''Shri Tulsi Peeth Saurabh'', printed from

Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh Ghaziabad () is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and a part of Delhi NCR. It is the administrative headquarters of Ghaziabad district and is the largest city in Western Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 1,729,000. Ghaziaba ...

, and works of Rambhadracharya. * Maintenance of the Tulsi School for the Blind. * Organization of camps where people with disability are given free crutches, tricycles and artificial limbs. During the camps, free food and lodging is provided to the participants along with those accompanying them.

Publications

Tulsi Peeth has published the following works of Swami Rambhadracharya:Nagar 2002, pp. 89–90.Dinkar 2008, pp. 40–43. * (1987) ''Śrījānakīkṛpākaṭākṣastotram'' (श्रीजानकीकृपाकटाक्षस्तोत्रम्) – Sanskrit hymn of praise. * (1992) ''Prabhu Kari Kṛpā Pā̐varī Dīnhī'' (प्रभु करि कृपा पाँवरी दीन्ही) – Hindi discourse. * (1996) ''Ājādacandraśekharacaritam'' (आजादचन्द्रशेखरचरितम्) – Sanskrit minor poem on

Chandrashekhar Azad Chandra Shekhar Sitaram Tiwari (23 July 1906 – 27 February 1931), popularly known as Chandra Shekhar Azad, was an Indian revolutionary who reorganised the Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) under its new name of Hindustan Socialist Rep ...

. * (1996) ''Śrīrāghavābhyudayam'' (श्रीराघवाभ्युदयम्) – Single-act Sanskrit play-poem. * (1997) ''Śrīrāmabhaktisarvasvam'' (श्रीरामभक्तिसर्वस्वम्) – Sanskrit poem of one hundred verses. * (1998) '' Śrīrāghavakṛpābhāṣyam'' (श्रीराघवकृपाभाष्यम्) on the

Prasthanatrayi Prasthanatrayi (, IAST: ), literally, ''three sources (or axioms)'', refers to the three canonical texts of theology having epistemic authority, especially of the Vedanta schools. It consists of: # The Upanishads, known as ' (injunctive texts), a ...

– Sanskrit and Hindi commentaries on the

Brahma Sutra The ''Brahma Sūtras'' (), also known as the Vedanta Sūtra (Sanskrit: वेदान्त सूत्र), Shariraka Sūtra, and Bhikshu-sūtra, are a Sanskrit text which criticizes the metaphysical dualism of the influential Samkhya philos ...

, Bhagavad Gita, and eleven Upanishads. * (2000) ''Sarayūlaharī'' (सरयूलहरी) – Sanskrit minor poem on the river

Sarayu The Sarju ( Kumaoni: सरज्यू, Hindi: सरयू), also known as Saryu, is a major river draining Central Kumaon region in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Originating from Sarmul, Sarju flows through the cities of Kapkot, Bageshw ...

. * (2001) ''Laghuraghuvaram'' (लघुरघुवरम्) – Sanskrit minor poem on the infant form of Rama. * (2001) ''Śrī Sītārāma Vivāha Darśana'' (श्री सीताराम विवाह दर्शन) – Hindi discourse. * (2002) ''Śrīrāghavabhāvadarśanam'' (श्रीराघवभावदर्शनम्) – Sanskrit minor poem. * (2005) Rāmacaritamānasa kā Śrītulasīpīṭha saṃskaraṇa (रामचरितमानस का श्रीतुलसीपीठ संस्करण) – a critical edition of the Ramcharitmanas.

References

Works cited

* *

External links

* * {{Jagadguru Rambhadracharya Ashrams Charities based in India Hindu relief organizations Hindu organizations Hindu organisations based in India Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Hindu temples in Madhya Pradesh Hanuman temples Rama temples Organisations based in Madhya Pradesh Religious organizations established in 1987 1987 establishments in Madhya Pradesh Satna district