Brahmanand Maharaj

Brahmananda Maharaj
Born	Anantha Shastry Gadgoli February 1859 Jalihal, Dist. Bagalakote (Karnataka)
Died	October 1919 Navbag, Dist. Belgaum (Karnataka)
Titles/honours	Brahmanand
Founder of	Sri Ram Mandir Dist. Gadag, Sri Lakshmi Venkatesha Temple Dist. Gadag
Guru	Brahmachaitanya Maharaj Gondavale
Philosophy	Advaita
Literary works	Abhang

Brahmanand, sometimes referred to with the addition of the honorific "Maharaj", was a disciple of Brahma Chaitanya a spiritual teacher who promoted the significance of Rama during the Bhakti movement of late 19th-century India. He was born on Magha shuddha Dashami day in Jalihal village in Karnataka. He was an erudite scholar in classical Indian philosophy. His studies and circumstances made him dispassionate towards mundane life and aware of futility of bookish knowledge. Hence he left home and did austerities at Sri Lakshmi Venkatesha Temple of Venkatapur. He was instructed by the lord to go to the north India, in search of Guru. Later he found Brahmachaitanya Maharaj and he did penance under the guidance of his guru at Sarpeshwar Mandir, and attained bliss. He was responsible for the spread of bhakthi movement in Karnataka, by conducting Nama japa and temple consecrations. He died on the Mahalaya amavasya day of 1919 at Navbag, near Kagwad of Belgaum Dist, in the border between Karnataka and Maharashtra.

References

• Belsare, K. V. The Saint of Gondawale.