Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam is a Hindu Matha located in Kalavai Town in Vellore District of Tamilnadu. The town is historically significant for the Sankara Matham, and houses the Adhistanams (place where the mortal remains of a saint are interred) of the 66th and 67th pontiffs of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam – Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi VII and Sri Mahadevendra Saraswathi V. The 68th Pontiff Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Swamiji was initiated into ascetic order and ordained as the 68th Acharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Math in Kalavai.
Architecture
Legend / Local stories
The incident of how Mahaperiyava took over as the 68th Peetathipathi is an interesting legend. The 67th Peetathipathi was the only son of the widowed and destitute sister of Paramacharya’s mother. There was no one in Kalavai at that time to console her on her son assuming the Sanyasa Asrama. So Paramacharya’s mother with 13 years old Swaminathan (the pre Sanyasa name of Paramacharya) and other children started for Kalavai to console her sister. They travelled by train to Kanchipuram and halted at the Sankara Mutt there. A carriage of the Kalavai Mutt came there to buy articles for the Maha Pooja on the 10th day after the passing away of the 66th Acharya.
A hereditary Maistry of Kalavai Mutt, asked Paramacharya to accompany him alone with a separate cart engaged for the rest of the family to follow them.
During the journey, the Maistry started with a hint that Paramacharya might have to spend the rest of his life in the Mutt itself and then gradually began to clarify that the present Acharya, Paramacharya’s cousin, had fever which developed into delirium and that was why Paramacharya was being separated from the family to be quickly taken to Kalavai. T
he Maistry was commissioned to go to Thindivanam, where Paramacharya was studying, but was able to meet Paramacharya at Kanchipuram itself. Paramacharya was stunned and was repeating “Rama Rama” during the rest of the journey. Paramacharya’s mother later only found that instead of her mission of consoling her sister, she herself was placed in the state of having to be consoled by someone else. It is said that Paramacharya once set foot in the Kalavai mutt, the 67th Peetathipathi also attained Siddhi after 7 days of heading the mutt, as if was just waiting for Paramacharya to arrive.
So, the young Swaminathan had no Guru at the time of initiation and sat in between the Adhistanams of the two Gurus to be ordained as the 68th Peetathipathi. Surprisingly, a Tulsi plant is growing in the stone slab on which Paramacharya sat and took initiation. It is said that Paramacharya appeared in the dream of the Mutt Manager not to remove the plant since he Himself is present there.
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How to Reach:
The Kanchi Mutt is located at about 500 meters from Kalavai Bus Stop, 5 Kms from Kalavai Koot Road Bus Stop, 23 Kms from Arcot, 24 Kms from Ranipet, 25 Kms from Arani, 22 Kms from Cheyyar, 39 Kms from Kanchipuram, 46 Kms from Vellore and 118 Kms from Chennai. Kalavai is well connected to Kanchipuram, Cheyyar, Arani and Arcot by Buses. Nearest Railway Station is located at Ranipet (24 Kms) and Nearest Airport is located at Chennai (100 Kms).
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