Kamrup Math
Preeti Balachandran

On 10th May 2024 I met the Peethadhyaksha of the Sri Kamrup Math, Swami Sri Baneshwarananda Teertha at Varanasi and subsequently spoke to him in November, 2024. The following account is based on my meeting with Swami Sri Baneshwaranand ji in person at the Math and later conversations. My meeting with Swamiji was to understand and know the life of Swami Keshavanand ji whilst he was at the Kamrup Math and his years at Banaras. The facts regarding the history of Kamrup Math also find validation in Guru Granth Purana Vol. IV composed/compiled by Sri Swami Rameshwar Ashram, Jallandhar.

​​​

History of the Kamrup Math

​

About 500 years ago during the reign of Raja Chandrakantasingh Mawal in Assam (Kamrup Dist.) lived two Brahmin brothers, Sarvananda and Sadananda in a small town called Mihir. The elder, Sarvananda was the Raj Purohit/advisor to the king and a siddha Tantra Sadhaka whilst the younger was not too educated and of simple nature. As the legend goes, Sarvananda was once summoned by the king to tell him when was the following Amavasya tithi. As Sarvananda was travelling, the king’s emissaries took his brother Sadananda to the court instead assuming he had the same learning and skills as his brother. Young Sadananda who was then 14 years of age gave a date to the king which was of Poornima tithi. When the courtiers and other learned of this “mistake” he was derided and made an object of mockery. On his brother’s return much was made of Sadananda’s lack of knowledge at which point his brother simply said that their father always said that whatever the young Sadananda spoke would always be siddha-true and correct. However, to shield his brother, Sadananda was sent off to the surrounding forests to collect Taalpatta, where out of sheer fright he once killed a snake. At this time, he was approached by a wandering Sanyasi named Phukkan, who pointed out the error of praanhatya to him and took him into his Math, the Mihir Kali Baari Math and initiated him into Tantra Sadhana/Shava Sadhana recognizing in him qualities of absolute truth, absolute honesty and pure antecedents required for this path. In the interim when the Amavasya tithi was due to occur, the moon face was in Poornima mode. Recognizing this miraculous event the king sent for Sadananda, who by then was on the path of his own Sadhana. Sadananda then took off from Mihir, Kamrup and established himself at Dwarka at the Sharada Sumeru Math established by Adi Guru Shankaracharya ji. During his time at Dwarka he was ordained as a Sanyasi and was given the title of Mahadevananda Teertha.

Mahadevananda Teertha then travelled to Banaras and along with his disciples meditated on the banks of the Ganges River. The of Raja of Kamrup who had been searching for him followed him to Banaras. And on the request of Swami Mahadevananda Teertha purchased a parcel of land at Dasheshmedh Ghat from the Raja of Banaras and set up the hermitage which was then referred to as the Kamrup Math.

This land on which the Math was established had a previously existing Swayambhu Shiva Linga-Purneshwar Mahadev who was worshipped at the time of the time when the ten Ashvamedha Yagnas were performed by Lord Brahmaji. The Kamrup Math is constructed at the site of the actual Das-Ashvamedha yagnas.

 When Swami Mahadevananda ji travelled from Dwaraka to Banaras he carried with him from the Sharda Math Dwarka twenty-five Saligrama Shilas and performed the sthapana of the Narsingh Shila at the Kamrup Math, where they are worshipped till date as per Shastric Parampara.

​

Swami Keshavanand ji and Kamrup Math

​

Till date there have been 17 Mahants of the Kamrup Math. Swami Sri Keshavanand ji was given his Sanyas Deeksha in the Dashnami Parampara by Swami Ramananda Teertha -who was of the 5th. generation in this lineage at the Kamrup Math.

At that time, Swami Prabudhananda Teertha was the Mahant of the Kamrup Math. Swami Nityanand ji Maharaj (who succeeded Swami Satyanand ji at the Keshav Ashram, Vrindavan)  was also a disciple of Swami Ramanand ji, and a Guru Bhai of Swami Keshavanand ji. Swami Keshavanand ji was also entrusted with the responsibility of running the Kamrup Math by Swami Prabudhananda Teertha ji.

During his time at the Kamrup Math Swami Keshavanand ji was drawn to his Kriya Guru, Sri Shyama Charan Lahiri ji at Banaras. It was on the advice of Lahiri Mahashaya ji that Swami Keshavanand ji went to the Himalayas to perform his austere sadhanas, and on his return, continued his sadhana at Haridwar. Post this period of his Tapasya, Swami ji went to Vrindavan and in 1921 consecrated the temple to Ma Katyayani at the Shakti Peeth which was divinely revealed to him. When Swami Keshavanand ji left the Kamrup Math to pursue his sadhana, he took with him the Narsingh Shila from the Kamrup Math with his Guru’s permission. This Narsingh Shila was later established in 1921 at the Ma Katyayani Temple at Vrindavan.

The Kamrup Matha sampradaya followed the Kamakshya Kaulika Tantra or the Karthbeeja Tantra tradition at the time of Swami Keshavanand ji’s initiation and stay in Banaras.

Though he hailed from Bengal, Swami Keshavanand ji came to the Kamrup Math having travelled from Orissa and was promptly christened “Oriya Baba”.

 

Another point of interest related by Swami Baneshwaranand ji was that 141’st Shankaracharya of Govardhan Math, Puri lineage was Swami Madhusudan Teertha (1898-1926), (the Param Guru of Swami Niranjan Dev Teertha). Swami Madhusudan Teertha was also a direct disciple of Swami Prabudhananda Teertha of the Kamrupa Matha.

 

And following this was his revelation that  Swami Ramananda Ashram was anointed the  Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, following in the tradition of Swami Ramakrishna Teertha in the 18th. Century. Swami Ramananda Ashram was a disciple of Swami Keshavanand ji Maharaj.