Swami Lakshmanananda
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Practices
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Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati (born as Shravan Krishna Navami; 1927–2008) was a Hindu monk and a highly revered spiritual leader who lived a life dedicated to tribal welfare. The Swami was a native of Gurujanga village in Talcher and a tribal himself. Over four decades ago, he left his wife and one year old son to become monk, and moved to Kandhamal.[1] In 1968, He established an Ashram at Chakapada in Kandhamal district of Orissa. Since 1970 he had been involved in social services promoting tribal welfare. He was regarded as a Messiah among Hindu tribals of the area[2]
He was assassinated along with four disciples allegedly by Christian Maoist insurgents.[3][4]
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[edit] Work in Orissa and recognitions
Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati decided work in Phulbani (Kandhmal) to serve the backward people mostly tribals and harijans, there and focus them to join into the main stream of the society. In 1969 he started his first ashram at Chakapada. He renovated temples: Birupakshya, Kumareswar and Jogeswar and established a Sanskrit school and a college. Swamijee taught the youth of schedule caste and schedule tribe in Sanskrit and built the youths as disciplined, well civilized, well cultured, well educated, well spirited and as protector of the society. He not only gave philosophical ideas but taught people good cultivation, animal care, horticulture, etc. and made students coming out from the Kalyan Ashram Gurukula able in economic, social and cultural fields. He stood firm in Phulbani district for a long time and struggled hard to preserve and protect the tribal culture and dharma. Besides social and religious development of the tribal people, he tried all most four decades to empower them economically and academically. He established a Gurukul pattern of school and a college to teach Sanskrit in Chakapada a remote place of Kandhamal.[5]
Swamijee was well versed in Vedanta philosophy and Sanskrit grammar and was awarded with the honour as "Vedanta Keshari". Due to his selfless service to humanity he was warded with "Vivekananda Seva Puraskar" from Kolkota. The Sankaracharya of Govardhan Pitha, Puri awarded him with the Upadhi as "Bidharmi Kuchakra Vidaran Maharathi". He thereafter started Satsang at all villages of the district.[5]
He started night school for adult education and insisted to send their children to the school by which the literacy rate amongst tribal and Harijans of that area has increased. He started a Sanskrit School named Kalyan Ashram, Sanskrit vidyalaya at Chakapad in the year 1969 which is now promoted to a Sanskrit college. For the education of the girls, he established 'Sankaracharya Kanyashram' a wholly residential school at Jalespata in Kandhamal, in the year 1988 where 250 girls' students are studying. He also established a school at Banki and ashram at panigola in Angul district. He was a founder member and inspiration of VHP and Kalyana Ashram of Orissa. He accompanied tribals to the govt. officer and police stations when needed.[5]
He also established "Maths on the hill tops in several parts of the district and told the villagers that the trees in the hill belong to math and the village community. If emergency arises one can cut a tree and take wood only after the permission of the village committee. He taught the people to protect cattle from slaughtering and to avoid taking beef. On several occasion he staged demonstrations, dharanas and participated in the hunger strike in several parts of the state. He toured throughout the state for this cause.[5]
His main missions[5]:
1. Making the tribal youth strong, fearless, educated and financially sound.
2. Tribal should be strong in their belief and check conversions and reconvert those who have converted.
3. Protection of cows.
[edit] Attacks
His work for the upliftment of isolated tribal population and opposition to aggressive proselytizing, had run afoul of several evangelical Christian groups as well as maoist terrorists. He was severely injured in an attack by a Christian mob on Christmas Eve, 2007.[6] Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati accused the Congress Member Of Parliament and the chief of the missionary organisation, World Vision, Mr Radhakant Nayak for the attack on him. He also alleged that there is a nexus between Maoist terrorist and missionaries. The swami also said that World Vision was pumping money into India for religious conversion and also during 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, which is hidden from public discourse. He also mentioned activities of Christian missionaries that go against tribal beliefs in an interview.[7][8] An Assam-cadre IPS officer (retired) from Orissa, Ashok Sahu, after visiting the Kandhamal district alleged that an NGO, World Vision, patronised by Congress Rajya Sabha member Radhakanta Nayak, had a role in the attack on Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati on December 24.[9]
Swami's claim that he has been attacked 8 times before 2008 [10] was corroborated in January 2008 by a fact finding commission, chaired by Additional Advocate General of Rajasthan G.S.Gill. The first attack on the Swami occurred on December 26, 1970[11]
[edit] Assassination
He was assassinated along with four disciples at his kanyashram (Girls school) at Tumudibandh, about 100 km from Phulbani, the district headquarters of Kandhmal district on the sacred day of Janmashtami. A group of 30-40 armed men surrounded the Ashram. Four of the assailants carried AK-47s and many others had locally made revolvers. Two of the four government provided security guards had gone home to eat. The assailants tied and gagged the two remaining guards. Within minutes of the reaching the crime scene, the district authorities made a statement saying it was suspected Maoists who killed the Swami. The Maoist leader Panda told the private Oriya channels at an undisclosed destination that the Maoists decided to eliminate Saraswati as he was 'spreading social unrest' in the tribal-dominated district.[12] However, Security experts who specialise in left wing extremism disagree that Maoists or left wing extremists could be behind the assassination of the monk.[13][14]
Hundreds of people had gathered en route to pay their last respects to Lakshmanananda. They ended up civil-unrest, rioting, looting and attack of places of worship mostly churches and Hindu-temples to a lesser extent.[15]
In transcripts made available to PTI on October 5, 2008, a Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda alias Sunil mentioned that there was pressure from Christians and Dalits to eliminate Swami Lakshmanananda, noting that most of the cadre members and supporters in Orissa belonged to Christian community and not tribals unlike in other states where tribals form the biggest support base of Maoists. He also admitted that the Maoists had for the first time intervened in any religious dispute(between Christians and tribal Hindus) by killing Laxamananda Saraswati.[3][4]
[edit] See also
- Murder of Swami Lakshmanananda
- Bharatiya Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram
- Swami Shanti Kali Maharaj of Tripura
- Religious violence in Orissa
- ORISSA in the CROSSFIRE-Kandhamal Burning
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.orissatimes.net/2008/08/swami-laxmanananda-saraswati-man-with.html Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, A Man with a Mission
- ^ was messiah for tribal Hindus in Kandhamal' Press Trust of India - October 7, 2009
- ^ a b Why Swami Laxmanananda was killed
- ^ a b 'Advani, Singhal, Togadia natural targets of Maoists' - Times Of India
- ^ a b c d e Vedanta Kesari Swami Laxmananda Saraswati
- ^ http://www.newstodaynet.com/printer.php?id=3557 Attack on Laxmanananda by Christian mob in Orissa-I V Sundaram | Fri, 28 Dec, 2007
- ^ News Today
- ^ http://www.dailypioneer.com/61677/RSS-wing-blames-Cong-MP-for-triggering-communal-tension-in-Kandhamal.html
- ^ http://www.dailypioneer.com/13972/Ex-IPS-officer-blames-Maoists-churches.html Ex IPS Officer Blames Maoists, Churches
- ^ India Today
- ^ Anti-reconversion lobby killed Laxmananand: NGO The Pioneer - September 6, 2008
- ^ http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/oct/05orissa.htm Panda’s Maoist minions kill Lakshmanananda
- ^ http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/aug/28orissa1.htm Who killed Swami Lakshmanananda? Krishnakumar P, August 28, 2008
- ^ Kandhamal Superintendent of Police S Praveen Kumar told the SC Mohapatra Commission of inquiry
- ^ http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2519/stories/20080926251900400.htm Sangh Parivar’s Orissa Project
