Swami Kalyandev
| Swami Kalyandev | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1876 (Birth date not verified) Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Died | 14 July 2004 (aged 128) (disputed) |
| Known for | Social work |
Swami Kalyandev (June 21, 1876? – July 14, 2004) was an Indian-born ascetic who was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in India, for his years of social work in the villages of India.
Kalyandev ji Maharaj was born as Kaluram in Kotana village in the district of Baghpat in a family of Jangid Vishwakarma Brahmins, Uttar Pradesh to Bhoi Devi, wife of Pherdudatt. He grew up in the village of Mundbhar near Sisauli in the Muzaffarnagar district. In his youth he travelled to Ayodhya and Haridwar with few belongings and begging along the way to sustain himself. At Haridwar, he heard of Swami Vivekananda's visit to Khetri. He travelled to Khetri to meet Vivekananda.
On his return from Khetri, Kalyandev became the disciple of Swami Purnananda of Muni Ki Reti, Rishikesh. Purananda named him Swami Kalyandev. Kalyandev did tapasya in the Himalayas for a few years but then decided to help the poor people of his region. Kalyandev established almost three hundred schools and medical facilities for the villagers. His work covered western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi and elsewhere. The institutions include technical and vocational schools, an ayurvedic medical college, middle schools, high schools, girls' schools, junior high schools, primary schools, clinics and dispensaries, eye clinics, Sanskrit schools, workshops, students' homes, dharmashalas, schools for the deaf and dumb, blind schools, yoga instruction centers, old age homes, asylums for old cows, orphanages, martyrs' memorials, and other religious and spiritual centers.
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