Artefacts
Being the epitome of vairagya, Swami Tapovanam followed sannyasa dharma very rigorously. As a result, he had very few possessions.To view artefacts, scroll or swipe horizontally
Kamandalu
A kamandalu is a special kind of water pot carried by sannyasis. It is generally made of wood or dried gourd. Swami Tapovanam had two kamandalus. One of them is plain, made of gourd, while the other is very ornate, made of dried gourd, with the base, lid, handle and spout made of wood. The handle has beautiful inlay work and the spout is shaped like a gomukha. We are indeed fortunate that this precious item is now carefully preserved in the Chinmaya Archives.
Trunk
An old and battered trunk, which was perhaps used to keep the mattress and blanket when not in use in the summer months, was one of the few possessions of Swami Tapovan Maharaj.
Trunk
An old and battered trunk, which was perhaps used to keep the mattress and blanket when not in use in the summer months, was one of the few possessions of Swami Tapovan Maharaj.
Gerua Stones
These stones of earth-coloured gerua, are used by sannyasis to dye their clothes. Even Swami Chinmayananda used to dye his clothes in this way in the early years. Devotees would bring offerings of white cloth and these would be dyed by soaking them in the water coloured by the gerua blocks.
Mat
Swami Tapovan Maharaj spent a major part of his life seated on a mat on the verandah of his small kutia in Uttarakasi. Great scholars and spiritual masters visited him and so did simple village folk and shepherds and occasional devotees. He gave darshan to all – seated on that mat.
Mattress
The extremely cold climate on the mountains necessitated the use of a thin mattress, especially in winters. It would be rolled up before dawn, before Swami Tapovan Maharaj went for his daily dip in the Bhageerathi. He has mentioned the use of a blanket in his writings, but the item is not with the archives.
