Thiruvananthapuram, Thursday, December 30, 2010: Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan today inaugurated the three-day 78th Sivagiri Theerthadana Mahamaham.

Minister for Dewasom Kadanapally Ramachandran delivered the keynote address.

Metropolitan Mar Thoma Church Philipose Mar Chrysostom will be the chief guest at the centenary celebrations. The Theerthadana Sammelanam will be inaugurated by the former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam who will address the gathering after the procession on Friday. Home and Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan will preside and Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi and SNDP Yogam general secretary Velappalli Natesan will attend.

An exhibition, ‘Sivagiri Vision 2010,’ to be organised with the support of all government departments and staging of cultural programmes are the other highlights. The ‘Narayana Guru Sandesha Ratha Yatra’ will be taken out from Bangalore to Sivagiri and the ‘Dharma Pathaka’ will be brought to Sivagiri from the Nagampadam temple in Kottayam.

Sivagiri is a highly revered pilgrimage center situated in Varkala. Sivagiri Mutt is the place Sree Narayana Guru is said to have attained Samadhi (got salvation) and a tomb is built in memory of this great social reformer of Kerala. Every year thousands of devotees visit the Sivagiri Ashram to pay homage for Sree Narayana Guru. Sree Narayana Dharma Sangham (SNDP) is also headquarted at Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala.