Mahila Sangha
The women devotees' wing, Nilachala Saraswata Mahila Sangha. The first Mahila Sangha in Odisha began in 1948. There are now more than 60 Mahila Sakha Sanghas in Odisha and beyond.
Jagannathpur Sakha Sangha
History
Our branch, and the Sangha it belongs to.
Our Sangha
The history of Jagannathpur Sakha Sangha is coming soon.
Jagannathpur Sakha Sangha is a branch (Sakha Sangha) of Nilachala Saraswata Sangha, Puri.
Nilachala Saraswata Sangha, Puri
24 Aug 1934Founded at Nilachala Kutir, Puri
150+Sakha Sanghas (branches)
India and USAIncluding a branch in North Carolina
Nilachala Saraswata Sangha was founded by Swami Nigamananda Paramahansa Dev, for his household devotees in Odisha, on 24 August 1934 at Nilachala Kutir, his eternal abode at Puri.
Pleased with the devotion and sincere spiritual quest of a handful of young Odia devotees, he asked them to gather at the Sangha once a week, to pay obeisance to Sri Gurudev, to discuss his ideals and to share the experiences of their spiritual path. He instructed the devotees to live an ideal householder's life on the lines of his teachings, with clean and principled living as its basis, and to practise in the Sangha in order to become ideal human beings.
The Sangha began with a few devotees who were then school students. Devotees gradually came from every corner of Odisha, a movement that coincided with the publication in 1942 of an Odia biography of Swami Nigamananda by his disciples Sri Durga Charana Mohanty and Banamali Das.
Sri Gurudev himself laid down the principal value of the Sangha: it must not seek publicity for the spread of his teachings. His teachings should instead be shown through the everyday lives of his followers. If established in true human values, one such person can achieve the impossible. Only those who wish to dedicate their lives to the welfare of others without seeking recognition, silent workers, need be in the Sanghas.
Four core practices
- Sangha Shakti: establishing the power of the Sangha through unity and shared practice.
- Atmagathan: self-development and inner discipline.
- Ideal family life: living Adarsha Grihastha Jeevan, guided by values.
- Service to society: activities that benefit the larger human community.
Growth
In its 75th year the Sangha had grown to more than 150 branches, spread across Odisha and including New Delhi, Kolkata, Jamshedpur, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune. It has also crossed the borders of India, with a branch in the United States of America (North Carolina), and it has a Sangha-Ashram at Rishikesh.
Wings of the Sangha
Sevak Sangha
Brings together youth, teenagers and students under common principles, and trains them as model workers in the ideals of Seva-dharma. Its idea first took shape in 1973 at Naukona Sangha in Kendrapara district.
Kishore Sangha
The formative wing for adolescent boys, nurturing disciplined thinking, respect for elders, moral conduct and habits of service.
Kumari Sangha
The wing for young girls from Sangha families, first started in 1979. Members follow a planned daily routine (Dina-lipi) based on Niyam Panchak and Dasa Sheela.
Sangha Puja
Sangha Puja is one of the core collective practices of the Sangha. Member-devotees come together for prayer, remembrance and reflection on values. A typical sequence has collective prayer before Guru and Ishta; recitation of selected stotras, nama or devotional passages; a short discourse on Sadachara, householder ideals and seva-dharma; and collective bhajana or sankirtana, followed by arati and prasad. The exact form may vary a little from branch to branch.