Founders

Paramount Trustee and Paramacharya

Pujya Sri Swami Dayananda Saraswati

Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati is the Paramacharya and Paramount trustee of the Gurukulam. Swamiji, an outstanding traditional teacher of Advaita Vedanta and eminent Sanskrit Scholar, has taught in India and abroad for nearly 50 years.

One of Swamiji’s unique contributions to humanity has been designing and teaching three-year residential Vedanta and Sanskrit courses.

This is the fourth Gurukulam established by Swamiji in addition to the three earlier institutions of learning and culture – one at Rishikesh in the Himalayas, at Anaikatti near Coimbatore, in South India, and in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania in the USA.

Swamiji has personally taught six resident courses, four in India and two in the United States. Each course had about sixty graduates fully committed to the preservation of this wonderful tradition. More than 250 of these graduates are engaged in imparting this sacred knowledge all over the world and have set up numerous centres of learning. Swamiji’s disciples are now teaching in the four Gurukulams established by him, in the true spirit of a live teaching tradition.

Founder

Dr. Shrikant Jichkar (1954 – 2004)

Ex. Member of Parliament (Rajyasabha), M.B.B.S.; M.D.; D.B.M.; M.B.A.; B. Journ; LL.M. (International Law); M.A. (Public Administration); M.A. (Sociology); M.A. (Economics); M.A. (Sanskrit); M.A. (History); M.A. (English Literature); M.A. (Philosophy); M.A. (Political Science); M.A. (Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology), D.Litt. (Sanskrit) Ex. I.P.S.(1978),I.A.S.(1980); Aahitagni – Diksita – Somayaji

This Gurukulam is the brainchild of the visionary, former Minister and Member of Parliament  Late Dr Shrikant Jichkar. Dr Jichkar’s years of association with Pujya Swamiji and significantly, a visit to the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Anaikatti in 1999 gave birth to the conception of this Gurukulam.

Dr Shrikant Jichkar was a man of staggering academic, professional and spiritual achievement. Looking at his achievement one may be pardoned for thinking it to be incredulous. Limca Book of Records listed him as the most qualified person in India. It is indeed sad that the world could not benefit from a man of such calibre due to his untimely demise at the age of 50 on June 2, 2004.