<span style='color:red'>Fakkad Baba of Hathiram Math, Tirupati, AP</span>
Rahul Sankrityayan recalls him in 'Jinaka Main Kritagya', based upon encounters during his stay at the Tirupati in 1913.
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1. Fakkad Baba's mother tongue was Hindi, he was from somewhere around Moradabad UP.
2. He became Vairagi and started living around Tirupati, and subsequently became permanent resident of Baba Hathiram Math both at Balaji and Tirupati.
3. Vairagi - the roaming sadhus- are almost absent in the Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayali regions. People there, especially local Brahmins dont like these unorthodox - "Jaat Paat Poochhe Na Koi, Hari ko Bhaje so Hari Ka Hoi - Ravidas" - style Sadhus that dont follow Varna-Dharma. As a result if at all Vairagi Sadhus are to be found in south, they are mostly from North, and less in numbers. he says the reason for objection to Vairagi-s was less driven by shastra and more by fear that grihastha-s might get more attracted to these virakta sadhus rather than karma-kand brahmanas.
4. Says dispite being a math in south - it is mostly populated by Sadhus from north India - and Mahant is almost always from North. The then Mahant was a Mahant Prayagdas who came from Marwad Rajasthan.
5. The tradition comes from Baba Hathiram himself who was from north but made Tirupati his abode and a local king later donated all his wealth to the Math. Math is doing very well here. The government by passing Devottar Sampatti Law has taken over its properties that yield about 13-14 Lakhs per annum. A Sanskrit University and research institute is run with the money.
6. Mentions free and popular usage of ganja, and that Sankrityayan himself started using ganja at the Math itself - the habit which only grew in time.
7. Says there were lions in the Tirumala forests, but he along with Baba used to walk miles in the forest every day, always towards a new direction, coming back late in evenings after dark.
Rahul Sankrityayan recalls him in 'Jinaka Main Kritagya', based upon encounters during his stay at the Tirupati in 1913.
<img src='http://inlinethumb33.webshots.com/26720/2341564010100818794S600x600Q85.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<img src='http://inlinethumb10.webshots.com/28233/2512814450100818794S600x600Q85.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
1. Fakkad Baba's mother tongue was Hindi, he was from somewhere around Moradabad UP.
2. He became Vairagi and started living around Tirupati, and subsequently became permanent resident of Baba Hathiram Math both at Balaji and Tirupati.
3. Vairagi - the roaming sadhus- are almost absent in the Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayali regions. People there, especially local Brahmins dont like these unorthodox - "Jaat Paat Poochhe Na Koi, Hari ko Bhaje so Hari Ka Hoi - Ravidas" - style Sadhus that dont follow Varna-Dharma. As a result if at all Vairagi Sadhus are to be found in south, they are mostly from North, and less in numbers. he says the reason for objection to Vairagi-s was less driven by shastra and more by fear that grihastha-s might get more attracted to these virakta sadhus rather than karma-kand brahmanas.
4. Says dispite being a math in south - it is mostly populated by Sadhus from north India - and Mahant is almost always from North. The then Mahant was a Mahant Prayagdas who came from Marwad Rajasthan.
5. The tradition comes from Baba Hathiram himself who was from north but made Tirupati his abode and a local king later donated all his wealth to the Math. Math is doing very well here. The government by passing Devottar Sampatti Law has taken over its properties that yield about 13-14 Lakhs per annum. A Sanskrit University and research institute is run with the money.
6. Mentions free and popular usage of ganja, and that Sankrityayan himself started using ganja at the Math itself - the habit which only grew in time.
7. Says there were lions in the Tirumala forests, but he along with Baba used to walk miles in the forest every day, always towards a new direction, coming back late in evenings after dark.