Swami Vipulananda’s birthplace
Swami Vipulananda was the first Tamil professor in the world. He was born in 1892 March 24th in Karaitivu. Swami had contributed immensely to Tamil community and Hindu culture. He was a learned personality specialist in literature, religion logic, philosophy, and science. He was versatile in English, Tamil, and Sanskrit. He was a social reformer, teacher, poet, author, and his contribution to Tamil society was enormous. He was one of the pioneers in establishing the Ramakrishna Mission in Batticaloa. Also, he is known to be the first person to research and document about the “Singing Fish of Batticaloa”.
His birthplace was Karaitivu, and it is situated in the Ampara district. After he died in 1947 his remains were brought to Batticaloa and buried in a tomb near the Shivananda National School. A foundation was found in his birth place in 1969. This foundation has taken up the task to spread the virtues of Swamiji and his teachings. His statue was made by the sculptor Pullumalai Navaretnam and declared open by prelate kundrakudi Adihalaar.
Sadly, during the communal riots in 1990 his statue was destroyed by the ethnic extremists. It was decided to transform his house in Karaitivu into a memorial place and the foundation was laid on 23.11.1991 and the memorial hall was opened in 1999. Later the Hindu Culture ministry had renovated the memorial hall, the house and the surroundings music classes, pujas, spiritual gatherings, and meetings in this hall established in Kallady, Batticaloa. Overall, Swami Vipulananda has been a previous monk who has dedicated his life to his community.
