Vavania Ashram & Hanuman Temple
More than 100 years ago, after leaving His home when He was quite young, Maharajji went to the village of Vavania where there was a Vaishnav saint and stayed there for 6-7 years.
Maharajji practiced austerities, sadhana, and yoga here. This ashram has a pond where Maharajji sat and where He kept away from the world. Because of this, Maharajji was known as ‘Talaiya Baba’ then.
There was a tree where the herders who came to graze cattle and goats hung there food. When they went to eat the food, it was gone. They threw stones in the pond while demanding their food. Maharajji, sitting in the lake, then tossed various foods, including sweets, to them on the shore.
Maharajji established a Hanuman murti on the bank of the pond in the open area. After Maharajji left this place, He made a yatra (spiritual journey) to South India where He took the darshan of Hanuman Ji at many temples.
During this time Maharajji was known by many names, including Laxman Das, Handi Baba, and Tikonia Baba.
Vanania is 40 km from the town of Morvi in Gujurat and within 30km for the Arabian Sea. Vavania is approximately 226 kilometers and four hours driving time from Ahmedabad, Gujurat, on NH947.
Photo by Pankaj.