Sivarama Sastri was the only son born to Sadasiva Sastri and Lakshmi Ammal after a long period of waiting. They lived in a small village called Brahma Puram on the banks of the Palar River near Kanchipuram. After his marriage, Sivarama Sastri moved to north Chennai, but tragedy struck when his wife passed away shortly after giving birth to a son. Heartbroken, Sastri entrusted the child to his brother and embarked on a religious pilgrimage to the north. After visiting many places, he eventually settled in Kanchi, where Saint Vasudevendra initiated him into Sanyasa and gave him the name ‘Ramachandrendra Swamigal’. Sivarama Sastri then resided at the Agasthyar Ashram near the Agatheeswarar temple.
A great scholar of the Vedas and Upanishads, Sivarama Sastri became renowned for his exceptional commentaries on all 108 Upanishads, earning him the title ‘Upanishad Brahmam,’ a name by which he was more widely known than his sanyasa title, Ramachandrendra. The Karvet Zamindar, a devoted follower of Upanishad Brahmam, built a Mutt for him near the Agasthyar Ashram, which came to be known as the Upanishad Brahmam Mutt.
The Mutt had a strong connection to music, as Upanishad Brahmam himself was deeply inclined towards it and composed many Divya Nama Sangeerthanas. He also invited two of the greatest musicians of his time, Thyagaraja and Muthuswami Dikshitar, to his Mutt. Both accepted the invitation, came to Kanchipuram, and stayed at the Mutt. During their stay, Thyagaraja composed one Kriti in honor of Kamakshi Amman and two Kritis dedicated to Varadaraja Perumal.
Within the Mutt, there is a Rama Yantram made of Salagramam, featuring various dimensions and Aksharas in Grantha script. The Mutt also houses marble idols of Rama, Seetha, and Lakshmana in the North Indian style, with a triangular closet opposite that contains an image of Anjaneyar. In a Rudraksha Mandapam, the deities Ardhanarishwara (in the form of a Bana Linga), Ambal, Ganapati, Surya, and Vishnu are worshipped as Panchayatana Murthis. Thyagaraja is said to have worshipped the images of Rama, Seetha, and Lakshmana during his stay at the Mutt. Upanishad Brahmam lived during the late 18th century and the early 19th century.
Location
End of the Sangita Vidwan Naina Pillai Street.
Religion : Saivism
Period : 18th Century