Swami Sundaranand

Swami Sundaranand Biography

Swami Sundaranand is a spiritual leader and religious saint related to Hinduism. He hails from Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. He is also known as a photographer, author and mountaineer. A nature lover and environmentalist he delivers lectures nationwide on threats to the Ganges River and the loss of Himalayan glaciers due to global warming. He was a student of the reclusive yoga master Swami Tapovan Maharaj before he turned a Yogi or spiritual guru. He is also a yoga instructor. He lived most of his life in Gangotri, at the source of the sacred Ganges River in the Indian Himalayas since 1948, and is known for sharing a unique bond with the mountains.

Swami Sundaranand was born in April, 1926 near Nellore, Andhra Pradesh. He is one of the primary students of Swami Tapovanam Maharaj who lived during 1889-1957. He received a special transmission from his guru on January, 1957 upon Swami Tapovanam’s passing. Sundaranand lived with Swami Tapovan in the then inaccessible area of Gangotri. Since 1948, he lived there at 10,400 feet, in a modest hut with his guru, and managed to withstand even the severest winters. Over the years he witnessed the gradual shrinking of the Gangotri Glacier from where Holy Ganga originates. Since then he started giving lectures and speeches on this matter, to create awareness among people the need to conserve Mother Earth.

He continues with his spiritual practices and meditations. He saw the first glacier in 1949. He has taken more than 100,000 photos in the past 5-6 decades, and also nicknamed "the Sadhu Who Clicks". He has authored one book - Himalaya: Through the Lens of a Sadhu which includes over 425 photographs he clicked over the years. He is also a mountain climber who has scaled over 25 Himalayan peaks.

Published: January 17, 2019

Updated: January 17, 2019