Reviving Ancient Culture
THASMAI GURUDEVA ASHRAM
Gurudevan used to visit Varkala Sivagiri during his mid-thirties.
Karineelakott Sankara Narayanan, the royal physician of that time, would often remember Gurudevan with affection on special occasions — even when a banana ripened at his home. Gurudevan, without ever being told, would somehow arrive at the very moment they thought of him and spend a few days with those who loved him.
From that time onward, they began to treasure and preserve everything connected with him — the sandals Gurudevan used, the house where he stayed, and the natural spring where he bathed — safeguarding them through five generations. It has now been more than three hundred years.
Now it is our turn to preserve them faithfully
Gurudevan used to say: "I would rather receive your one rupee than the gold donation of an unrighteous person." Even the oil you used to lit the lamp should come from the earnings of a righteous person.
Gurudevan sincerely wished to perform countless noble deeds and was willing to wait for ages for disciples firmly rooted in righteousness.
If you follow Panchadarma and Panchashuddhi, you too can become the kind of disciple he envisioned. Those who once shared the dawn by my side have become sages — some living as householders, others as Himalayan monks. Even today, one can still find a handful of yogis at Karineelakott.
THASMAI GURUJI AND VALMIKI ASHRAM
”I watched a video that told the story of how Goddess Sita was abandoned in the forest, and it filled me with deep sorrow.
The video said that “Lord Sri Rama asked Lakshmana to leave Goddess Sita in the forest, and following Lord Rama’s instruction, Lakshmana left her in the forests near Pulpally in Wayanad. Later, Sage Valmiki found Sita wandering there and took her to his ashram.”
Hearing such repeated references to Lord Sri Rama—the very embodiment of dharma and a divine incarnation—abandoning Sita Devi in the forest filled my heart with immense pain and heaviness.
A deep longing arose within me — if only the truth behind this story could be revealed to the world.
Perhaps it was destiny that guided me to Pulpally, and from there, to the sacred Valmiki Ashram, as if the universe itself was showing me the way”
— Thasmai Guruji
The Beginning
On November 25th, 2025, at exactly 11:41 a.m., the land for Thasmai Valmiki Ashram in Pulpalli, Wayanad was registered. What made this moment extraordinary was not just the act itself, but what was unfolding at the very same time elsewhere in the country. At nearly the same hour, PM Narendra Modi was performing the sacred Dhwaja Arohan (flag hoisting) ceremony at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya marking a significant spiritual milestone and the symbolic establishment of dharma. Two events, miles apart, yet aligned within the same moment in time. And as if this alignment wasn’t rare enough, the day carried another anomaly—due to technical issues, land registrations across Kerala had largely come to a halt. Yet, this one went through. A beginning that didn’t just happen, but felt granted.
The Consecration of land
On February 8th at 6:00 a.m., the Bhoomi Pooja for the Thasmai Valmiki Ashram in Ashramkolli was performed—marking a beginning rooted in purification, permission, and dedication. The morning began with the Divine Ganapati Homa and Chendamelam, under the blessings of Sree Narayana Guru, along with Gurusmarana. Led by Sivagiri Sree Narayana International Study Center Melshanthi Sivan Shanthi and Pramod Shanthi, it was followed by a Vadyamela procession from the cave where Valmiki Maharishi is believed to have performed penance for 12,000 years to the ashram site. Offerings were made to Sita Devi, Sri Rama, Lakshmana, and all deities, along with worship of Hanuman, with prayers for all activities to move forward on the path of dharma. Permission was sought from the land as per Vastu, inviting all living beings to be part of the undertaking, with change only when unavoidable. Three trees were planted, followed by the foundation stone laying (Kallidal) at the land purchased by Thasmai Charitable Trust, in the presence of Thasmai Guruji, his disciples, devotees, and local residents united in the intention that the spiritual activities here may benefit the world.
The Beginning of Guru Bhavanam
Even though India has always been the land of sages, where many gurus have appeared and passed away through time, this moment was seen as a reminder—so that what was once lost through neglect or lack of recognition is not repeated again. In Ashramkolli, under the initiative of the Bengaluru-based Thasmai Charitable Trust, the preparations for the new ashram and its related facilities continued, with the first structure of the project, the “Guru Bhavanam,” taking form. As part of this, a 12-hour community Shantihavana was conducted from 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the sacred land purchased by the trust for the construction of the Thasmai Valmiki Ashram at Pulpally, marking the beginning of what was seen as the start of Satya Yuga for the welfare of the world. More than 250 disciples participated in the homam, observing disciplines of fasting and celibacy for at least a week prior to the practice. A special meditation was also held on the 7th and 8th. The installation of the conch shell and the Prana Pratishtha were performed by Dr. Nishanth Thoppi under the leadership of Thasmai Guruji.
