Chinmaya Dham Yatra with 62 delegates from UK, Australia, Canada, Kuwait, USA, India, Philippines, Hong Kong, St. Martin and Singapore started from Delhi on October 19th 2009.
During the inaugural speech, Guruji explained the purpose of this yatra. The main goal was stated as being to travel together while learning about Gurudev, bonding as a Chinmaya Family in the process.
During this yatra, one of the main priorities was to retrace the steps of Pujya Gurudev, thus deepening our understanding of Gurudev’s vision of Chinmaya Mission. Know different members, we stand as one family – it will be a bonding experience for centers we visit and among the yatris.
As Guruji put it in the address, “Bharat did a Ram Dham when he visited Lord Rama in the forest; we are doing a Chinmaya Dham.”
Pujya Guruji did an introduction of the Delhi center, and its several branches, including DCST, CMD and CORD.
In 1953, Delhi became the third city, after Pune and Chennai, to host a jnana yagna by Pujya Gurudev. He spoke on the Mandukya Karika for 91 days. Since then, Delhi has been a hotbed of Chinmaya Mission Activity.
In 1992, Gurudev performed the Bhoomi Puja (Ground-breaking ceremony) for the Chinmaya Center for World Understanding (CCWU). When Gurudev attained Mahasamadhi in 1993, his body was kept there overnight as devotees poured in to pay their respects to the Master. The spot where his body sat during that night is now the site of a beautiful Samadhi Shrine surrounded by a lotus pond.
CCWU also houses Chinmaya Chetna, an interactive multimedia exhibit showing Gurudev’s life and teachings. Photographs and videos capture Tapovan Kutir, Gurudev’s childhood and other precious moments with the Master. It also gives us a broad view of what Chinmaya Mission is today. Chinmaya Chetna shows how one noble ideal transformed an individual life and through it, the society at large.