Nayakanahatti Thipperudra Swamy

Sri Guru Thipperudraswamy of Nayakanahatti
Sri Guru Thipperudraswamy
Religion	Hinduism
Philosophy	Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga
Personal
Nationality	Indian
Born	Ganadheeswara Rudraswamy
Died	Not Known as he took up samadhi on Chitra nakshatra Phalguna Bahula day as per Hindu Calendar. at Nayakanahatti, Chitradurga District, Karnataka, India
Religious career
Title	Hindu Guru Disciple of Lord Shiva

Madidastu Needu Bhikshe (Your reward will be as per your work), Kayakave Kailasa (Work is worship)

Nayakanahatti Thipperudra Swamy, (c. 15th or 16th century), also referred as Tippeswamy,Thippeswamy or Thippeswami, was an Indian Hindu spiritual Guru, and social reformer. He is revered by both his Hindu and Muslim devotees.

He preached that Kayakave Kailasa (Work is worship) and that Madidastu Needu Bhikshe (Your reward will be as per your work).

The details of his early life are not clearly documented. Though there are several legends and references to his origins and early life before arrival at Nayakanahatti (also spelled as Nayakanahatty), they are mostly constrained to oral history.

The date of his birth, place of birth and details of his parents or siblings are not known.

As for the time period of the Guru’s life in Nayakanahatti; the Temple Information System website of the Hindu Religious Institutions & Charitable endowments Department (Government of Karnataka) mentions a rough time period between the 15th and the 16th century, possibly 1570 - 1646 AD.

Legend has it that Thipperudraswamy was an incarnation of one of the five Ganadheeswaras (Pancha Ganadheeshwara), who originally spread Shaivism (Worship of Shiva) as they were ordered by Lord Shiva himself. These five Gurus were reincarnated across various places in India at various periods of time, with an intention to spread Shiva Dharma in that specific area.

During Sri Guru Thipperudraswamy’s times, the other four Ganadheeshwaras were reincarnated as Sri Vrishabhendra Swamy of Sarasipur (Kottur), Sri Kolashanteshwara of Arasikere, Sri Kempaiah Swamy of Harapura (Harpanahalli) and Sri Maddanaswamy of Kulahalli.

Thipperudra Swamy’s purpose of life was to spread the word of Dharma and provide guidance and solace to fellow human beings.

The Guru’s original name was Rudraswamy. During the course of his travels across Southern India, he met one of the other reincarnated Ganadheeshwaras, Sri Kempaiah Swamy, who had forgotten his original purpose of life and was caught up in the mundane pleasures, problems and desires of human life.

With the intent to enlighten Kempaiah Swamy, Rudraswamy sat in meditation on a big mound of refuse and cow dung (referred to as ‘Thippe’ in the local languages). This foul smelling mound was intended to be composted for use as a fertilizer in the fields and such mounds can be seen even today in the fields of rural India.