Chinmaya International Foundation

CIF is the dream that Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda saw, a very long time ago and the heavens, as if, rushed to fulfil it. The dream itself was linked to his passionate desire to revive Sanskrit in the land where it had once been a way of life, but which had succumbed to culture dilution. The dream took shape in Kerala, land of vibrant Sanskrit research; in Ernakulam, home of Gurudev; in Veliyanad, a land rich with the culture and history of temple worship; in Melapzhur Mana the maternal and birth home of the greatest advocate of Advaita and Sanskrit, Sri Adi Sankara. These are not coincidences, but incidents that happened to enable a powerful dream.... ... the dream of reviving Sanskrit and restoring it to its people along with the power to build bridges with the rest of the world so that culture gets a chance. Adi Sankara Nilayam, as Melpazhur Mana was renamed, is home of Chinmaya Mission's Sanskrit Research, where old manuscripts are brought for treatment, preservation, decoding or critical editing. Where Sri Sankara's texts are studied, taught, debated, discussed. Where workshops and camps are held by the most venerated scholars of our times. Where books are published to disseminate the rich Sanskrit culture of Advaita and literature. Where Sri Sankara continues to be revered and worshipped as the lamp of knowledge that the entire Chinmaya Mission venerates and guards. This is the holy place where once Sivaguru and Aryamba's dream of parenting a child was fulfilled by the Lord, and the room where Mother Aryamba delivered baby Sankara continues to be the pivot of devotion and worship at Adi Sankara Nilayam to this day, as an akhandjyoti illumines the little room in the Mana, tended to and cared for by CIF. The temples on the property, where Sri Sankara probably once played about and worshipped, stand witness to this lamp and its glow, basking in the daily glory of Sanskrit research. Set in the quietly vibrant village of Veliyanad, Adi Sankara Nilayam's whispers are carried far and wide by the rustling green leaves of the tree lined property of the erstwhile Melpazhur Mana, nestling in its foliage the wondrous of all wonderful dreams that was dreamt in the 50s by Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda. Come, smell the dream.... This has been made possible by the generous support of interested seekers. If you would also like to assist this cause, visit to https://www.chinfo.org/donate