The Consecration of the Kalady Shrines

At Perambavur, five miles from Kaladi, the agent of the Mutt Srikantha Sastri and Ramachandra Aiyar came to the Acharya to report progress. The Acharya soon went into Samadhi, and there stood before him the vision of Sri Aryamba, mother of Sri Shankara, as if welcoming him with a winning and benevolent smile. Reaching Kaladi, the first place he visited was an ashoka tree which stands at the place where the blessed mother was cremated by Sri Shankara.

Kalady, for long a sleepy hollow in the woods, pulsated with a new life on the arrival of the Acharya. Two beautiful shrines had been built, one for Sri Shankara and the other for Sri Sharada, both of which the Jagadguru consecrated on Monday, February 21, 1910. The act symbolised the re-descent of Sri Shankara on the earth, and the Acharya prayed to both Sri Shankara and Sri Sharada to establish in the land the reign of Dharma and ensure the well-being of all people.

The Swami of the Sivaganga Mutt was also present during the ceremonies. During his stay in Kaladi, the Acharya received the Maharaja of Mysore and Cochin, and the Diwans and high officials of the States of Mysore, Travancore and Cochin.