India Heritage Research Foundation

IHRF is committed to living, teaching and spreading the message of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam, The World is One Family. To this measure, the Foundation is actively involved in organizing, sponsoring and participating in numerous international, inter-faith events.

February 18-19, 2007 - Pujya Swamiji at Centenary function for RSS Shri Guruji

Pujya Swamiji traveled to Delhi for the final ceremony in the 100th anniversary year of Shri Guruji Golwalkarji of the RSS. Vice President Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, former Prime Minister Shri Atal Behari Vajpayeeji, leader of the opposition Shri LK Advaniji, Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modiji, Pujya Swami Avadheshnandaji, Pujya Swami Satyamitranandji, Pujya Dr Pranav Pandyaji, Pujya Sadhvi Ritambharaji, RSS chief Shri Sudarshanji and many other saints, political heads and dignitaries graced the occasion with their presence.

Pujya Swamij and Pujya Swami Dayanandaji released the 6-volumes of "Shri Guruji Samagra" in Sanskrit

February 9-12, 2007 - Rabbi David Rosen comes to Parmarth

Following the Hindu-Jewish Summit, Rabbi David Rosen, the President of the International Jewish Committee came to Parmarth with his wife Sharon to spend a few days of quiet reflection on the banks of the Ganges with Pujya Swamiji. Pujya Swamiji and Rabbi Rosen have been together at so many international, interfaith gatherings, including at the United Nations, the World Economic Forum and the World Conference of Religions for Peace. Pujya Swamiji has always invited Rabbi Rosen to come "home" to Rishikesh and it was wonderful to have him and Sharon with us for a few days.

February 9 was a friday, the holy day of the Sabbath according to Jewish tradition. Pujya Swamiji invited Rabbi Rosen to lead a special Jewish Sabbath prayer after the divine Ganga Aarti on the banks of the Ganges.

Dena Merriam, the Convenor of the Global Peace Initiative for Women (and one of the organizers for the youth summit at the United Nations) also came to Rishikesh during these days and spent time together with Pujya Swamiji and Rabbi Rosen.

It was probably the first time ever that the sacred Sabbath prayers were chanted by a respected Rabbi on the holy banks of the Ganges

Rabbi Rosen, Sharon Rosen, Dena Merriam and Bijon Das Gupta (the well known set/stage designer and architect) sit together at the Ganga Aarti

After Ganga Aarti, Pujya Swamiji blesses Rabbi Rosen and Sharon Rosen

Left: After Ganga Aarti, Pujya Swamiji blesses Dena Merriam
Right: After Ganga Aarti, Pujya Swamiji blesses Bijondas Gupta

February 5-8, 2007 - Pujya Swamiji at Hindu-Jewish Summit, Delhi

An historic event took place in New Delhi, February 5-7, 2007, when a delegation of senior rabbis from Israel and other countries met top Hindu leaders for the first time to discuss a range of subjects including the relevance of tradition in everyday life, similarities and dissimilarities between the two religions and the promotion of education. They affirmed their shared values, condemned violence, and pledged to address the challenges of poverty and illness.

Pujya Swamiji was a participant at this Hindu-Jewish Dialogue, organized by the World Council of Religious Leaders, headed by Shri Bawa Jain and Aim for Seva, headed by Pujya Swami Dayanandaji. The Summit brought together the top leaders of Hinduism, represented by the Acharya Sabha as well as numerous heads of ashrams and institutions, with the leaders of Judaism, represented by the Chief Rabbiniate of Israel. India Heritage Research Foundation (the international-non-profit organization founded and chaired by Pujya Swamiji) is dedicated to inter-faith harmony and Pujya Swamiji is actively involved in a wide variety of interfaith-harmony activities.

Left: Pujya Swamiji with the Hindu Saints
Right: Shri Bawa Jain, Rabbi Metzger (Chief Rabbi of Israel) and Rabbi David Rosen with Pujya Swami Dayanandaji;

Pujya Swamiji with Shri Bawa Jain and Dr. Oded Wiener, Director General, Chief Rabbinate of Israel

Pujya Swamiji had been together with the Chief Rabbi of Israel in Kyoto, Japan at the World Conference of Religions for Peace in August, 2006, where they shared love and friendship. So it was wonderful to be together again.

See www.parmarth.com/
updates/julysept2006 for details.

The Jewish representatives included:

Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, Israel, Chief Rabbi of Israel
Dr. Oded Wiener, Israel Director General, Chief Rabbinate of Israel
Chief Rabbi David Rosen, Israel , President, International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consutation (IJCIC); International Director of Interreligious Affairs, American Jewish Committee (AJC)
Rabbi Professor Daniel Sperber, Israel, Professor of Talmud and Jewish Studies at Bar Ilan University
Rabbi Dr. Israel Singer, USA , Chairman, International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultation (IJCIC); Chairman, Policy Council of the World Jewish Congress, Rabbi Moshe Garelik, USA , Director of the Rabbinical Centre of Europe
Chief Rabbi Albert Guigui, Belgium , Chief Rabbi of Belgium
Chief Rabbi Isak Haleve, Turkey, Chief Rabbi of Turkey

Further Mr. David Danieli the Ambassador of Israel to India attended as well.

The Hindu representatives included:

1. Swami Dayananda Saraswatiji
2. Swami Gurusharananandji
3. Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji
4. Swami Hans Dasji
5. Swami Madhav Priyadasji

and many, many more.

Pujya Swamiji began His talk by chanting both the sacred mantras of Hinduism as well as the Sh'ma Y'israel, one of the most sacred chants of Judaism.

Pujya Swamiji with Pujya Swami Dayanandaji, Pujya Swami Madhavpriyadasji & other revered Swamijis.

On the evening of the 6th February, dinner was hosted at the home of Shri L.K. Advaniji which was a wonderful time for all the delegates to come together in a casual setting and share the evening and prasad (dinner). The Chief Rabbi of Israel gave a glowing speech about the role that Shri Advaniji had played for Israel over the many years. Following the dinner, Shri Advaniji's daughter, Pratibhaji, gave a special screening of the beautiful movie she had made for Shivratri. Even though it was late at night and the movie was in Hindi and dealt with traditional Hindu themes, the Chief Rabbis sat and enjoyed many minutes of the beautiful film.

Shri Advaniji greets Pujya Swamiji

Left: Pujya Swamiji with Rabbi Metzger the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Rosen and Mrs. Sharon Rosen
Right: Pujya Swamiji with David Danieli, the Ambassador of Israel to India

More Text and Images Here

The head table at the dinner, pictured left to right: Rabbi David Rosen, Chief Rabbi Metzger, Shri Advaniji, Mrs. Metzger, Shri Bawa Jain, Pujya Swamiji

November 18, 2006 - East Meets West Program in Rishikesh by Shantimandir

Pujya Swamiji was a special guest speaker at the Shantimandir program held in Rishikesh. Led by Gabriella Lavorgna of Italy, a special East Meets West program was held for 3 days with lectures and evening musical programs. Pujya Swamiji inaugurated the event and gave a beautiful talk on what happens when East Meets West within ourselves - what does the East have to offer and what does the West have to offer, and how we can truly find the unity and union of these two within our own beings.

Left: Pujya Swamiji lights the inaugural lamp with Ravindra Jain, the famous musician.
Right: Pujya Swamiji gives His blessings on the occasion

Left: Pujya Swamiji blesses Ravindra Jain
Right: A special shawl is given to the Italian leader, Gabriella

February 1-12, 2006 - Pujya Swamiji at Sandipani Mandir Mahotsav in Porbandar, Gujarat

Pujya Swamiji traveled to Porbandar, Gujarat for the Mandir Mahotsav of the Sandipani Ashram, headed by Pujya Sant Shri Rameshbhai Oza. During the course of the two week celebration, the Hari Mandir was inaugurated and the prana pratishtha ceremony was performed. Then, there was a 7 day Bhagwat Katha along with evening sessions of discourse by the revered saints, and nighttime bhajan/kirtan performances by renowned singers and musicians.

The program began with a beautiful Shobha Yatra on the 1st February and then to the roof of the temple for the sacred puja.

Pujya Swamiji lights the lamp with Pujya Bhaishri to inaugurate the medical and publication department

The official temple shikhar kalash ceremony with Pujya Swami Gurusharananandji

Right to left: Pujya Hansdasji, Pujya Swamiji, Pujya Swami Gurusharananandji, Pujya Bhaishri, Pujya Swami Avichal Dasji

Left: with Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi;
Right: Pujya Swamiji, Pujya Bhaishri, Smt. Kokilaben Ambani and devotees witness the first darshan

Revered saints from across India including Pujya Swami Gurusharananandji, Pujya Swami Ramdevji, Pujya Morari Bapuji, Pujya Deviprasad Bapuji, Pujya Bhupendrabhai Pandyaji and many other revered saints came during the 2 week event to offer their darshan and their words of wisdom.

More Photos here

February 13 - Pujya Swamiji with H.H. The Dalai Lama in Bodh Gaya

In honor of the 2550th anniversary of Lord Buddha's enlightenment, there was a weeklong function in BodhGaya, the land where He sat under the Bodhi tree and attained enlightenment. The inauguration was on the 13th February and Pujya Swamiji was a special guest for the function. His Holiness the Dalai Lama graced the event with his presence and words, and also led a divine chanting/prayer session.

The program was organized by the Maha Bodhi Society of India, of which Dr. Bhupendra Kumar Modiji is the President.

Pujya Swamiji on the stage with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, other revered Buddhist monks, Ven. Sumedha Theroji, Ven. Rewatha Theroji and Dr. B.K. Modiji

Left: Pujya Swamiji and Dr. Bhupendra Kumar Modiji had a special meeting with His Holiness the Dalai Lama during the visit to Bodh Gaya.
Right: While there, Pujya Swamiji and Dr. Bhupendra Kumar Modiji also had meetings with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.

His Holiness recites the prayers; the audience at the gathering

February 17 -Pujya Swamiji at Art of Living Silver Jubilee, Bangalore

Pujya Swamiji was a special guest at the 25th anniversary Silver Jubilee Celebrations of the Art of Living and the 50th Birthday of Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji.

The program began in the morning with a beautiful yagna, and then in the evening India's most revered saints came together to address the huge gathering.

Pujya Swamiji, Pujya Bhaishri and Pujya Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji discuss the glorious event

Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Swami Ramdevji

Pujya Swamiji discusses human values with Smt. Indu Jain, Chairperson of the Times of India; the special yagna

Pujya Swamiji talks to Pujya Asharam Bapuji, sitting on stage at the Silver Jubilee Celebrations

Left: Pujya Swamiji addresses the crowd of over 100,000 people in Bangalore on February 17. He spoke about the importance of bringing spirituality and meditation into our lives, and He appreciated the wonderful work being done by Pujya Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji and the Art of Living to spread the divine messages of spirituality.
Right: While at the function, Pujya Swamiji also spoke to a Minister from Indonesia. Pujya Swamiji had traveled to Bali on yatra in 2003 and they shared thoughts and ideas of the common traditions between India and Indonesia

November 8, 2005, Delhi: Pujya Swamiji is Guest Speaker at a gathering of Spiritual Leaders, organised by UNESCO and Art of Living, for social tragidies facing girls in India

Pujya Swamiji was a special Guest speaker at a function regarding the tragic situation facing girls in India - with respect to feticide, child-selection, abandonment of girl children and the consequent grave decline in the proportion of young girls to boys in many parts of the country. The program was organized by UNESCO with Art of Living. Spiritual leaders from all faiths from across India came to this function and spoke out against the current situation and pledged to use their influence to effect change.

November 1, 2005, Rishikesh: Diwali celebrations

November 1 was the divine occasion of Diwali. For the full meaning of this beautiful festival of lights, click here.

Diwali at Parmarth was celebrated with a divine puja on the banks of Mother Ganga and a yagna and Ganga Aarti. Following aarti Pujya Swamiji gave His "Diwali Message" to all present and then the rishikumars lit firecrackers on the ghat!!! A perfect mix of prayer and play!

Guests on Diwali included people from USA and from across India. VIPs included Shri Bawa Jain, the secretary General of the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual leaders at the United Nations and the current Secretary General of the World Council of Religious Leaders, and the Birla family from Bombay and Delhi. Yash and Avanti Birla from Bombay came with their dear children Nirvaan, Vedanth and Shloka, and Chandrakant Birla came from Delhi with his wife and daughter Avanti. After dinner, the guests present helped to distribute warm clothing to the rishikumars for winter - including hats and sweaters.

October 23, 2005, Delhi: Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Bhaishri visit opening of new Akshardham temple

Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Bhaishri traveled together to Delhi for the opening of the new, divine Akshardham temple. The Akshardham temple is being heralded as the 8th wonder of the world! Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Bhaishri had a tour of the entire temple and its grounds and also saw the outstanding IMAX film. Then, they had a program in the temple hall where each gave effusive praise and blessings for this spectacular spiritual and cultural masterpiece. It is all due to the grace of H.H. Pujya Pramukh Swamiji that this divine temple came to fruition.

October, 2005, Rishikesh: Pujya Swami Madhavpriyadasji and Swaminarayan Swamiji's visit Parmarth

Pujya Swami Madhavpriyadasji of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya came to Parmarth Niketan with a large group of Swaminarayan Swamiji's. It was a great honor for us to have their darshan and to have them with us. In November of 2002 a group of 200 Swaminarayan swamijis and devotees had come to Parmarth, under the leadership of Pujya Swami Madhavpriyadasji for several weeks. We hope they will continue to grace Parmarth with their presence.

6 September, 2005: Minorities Commission Meeting on Hindu-Muslim Unity, New Delhi

Pujya Swamiji was called as a leader at the Inter-Community Dialogue in which the National Commission for Minorities (led by Shri Tarlochan Singhji) called Muslim and Hindu leaders together to work on bringing peace, harmony and understanding between the two religions in India.

The meeting was a great success as all the leaders expressed their eagerness to work for peace and inter-faith harmony.

Other prominent leaders at the meeting included Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Maulanna Wahiduddin Khan Sahib, Maulanna Dr. S. Kalbe Sadiq and many more. Click here for the full list of attendees.

Above: (left to right): Maulanna Dr. S. Kalbe Sadiq, Shri Tarlochan Singh (Chairman, Minorities Commission), Pujya Swamiji, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Maulanna Wahiduddin Khan Sahib (photo courtesy Shri Tarun Vijay of Panchjanya).

Above: Pujya Swamiji, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Maulanna Wahiduddin Khan Sahib and other Hindu and Muslim leaders sit together in the Inter-Community Dialogue led by Shri Tarlochan Singh, Chairman of the Minorities Commission

2001-2003

Vishwa Dharma Yatra Pujya Swamiji was one of the main spiritual leaders to travel across the world on a World Peace Pilgrimage. From the Caribbean to USA to Canada to Europe to Russia to Africa to the Pacific Islands to South East Asia, the yatra included revered spiritual leaders of every faith. The yatra was organized and sponsored by the Vishwa Pravasi Bharati Leaders’ Forum, headed by Shri Mohanlal Mittal and Dr. Bhupendra Kumar Modi.

Meeting with spiritual leaders of every tradition in Sydney, Australia

Left: With the High Priest of Bali

Right: Lighting the lamp with the Head of the Council of Chiefs and Sadhvi Ritambharaji in Fiji

Pujya Swamiji with Pujya Swami Divyanand Teerthji, Shankaracharya of Bhanpura Peeth, Pujya Sadhvi Ritambharaji, the Head of the Council of Chiefs, Shri Mohanlal Mittal and Shri Anup Jalota in Fiji
4. Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Maulanna Wahiduddin Khan Sahib

Dharma Yatra in Malaysia

Left: Pujya Swamiji and Pujya Maulanna Wahiduddin Khan Sahib

Right: Pujya Swamiji with Dr. L.M. Singhvi and Shri Singh Sahib, Dr. Manjit Singh

Performing Aarti in Paris, sung by Anuradha

Children from Amritsar's Miripiri Academy come to Parmarth Niketan

Left: Ekhart Tolle comes to Parmarth Niketan

Right: Pujya Swamiji with Former President of USA Bill Clinton

Left & Right: Pujya Swamiji prays at Ground Zero, the site of the World Trade Center in New York.

Left: Pujya Swamiji with Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Right: Pujya Swamiji addresses the World Economic Forum (2002): Plenary Session on Bridging Religious Divides. Seated from Left to Right are: Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thami, Emir of Qatar; Mr Klaus Schwab; The Chief Rabbi of Israel, Meir Lau; H.E. Frances Cardinal Arinze; H.E. Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti of Bosnia; H.H. Pujya Swamiji; and His Grace George L. Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury.

1993 - 2002:

World Council of Religious Leaders. From June 12 – 14, 2002 more than 100 leaders of the world's religions gathered in Bangkok, Thailand for the World Council of Religious Leaders, a direct outcome of the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders held at the United Nations in August 2000. H.H. Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji (Pujya Muniji) was one of the main Hindu Representatives and gave blessings for the "Vision for the World Council." Additionally, he was the Hindu leader to present the Charter of the WCRL to the Executive Secretary of the UN.

February, 2002: Pujya Swamiji was one of the 2 Hindu leaders at the World Economic Forum, where 3000 of the world's leaders – business leaders, political leaders, social leaders and religious leaders – gathered together in New York City.

August, 2000: The Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders at the United Nations. Over 2000 people from over 100 countries, representing all the world's major religions came to listen, to speak, to share and to understand. Pujya Swamiji was one of the Hindu representatives and delivered a beautiful speech on the opening day in the General Assembly of the United Nations. Additionally, he helped to bring about understanding and the signing of an informal agreement between the Catholic and Hindu faiths regarding the necessity of stopping forced conversion in India.

December 1999, Parliament of World Religions. Pujya Swamiji was one of the main Hindu representatives at this gathering of thousands of the world' s religious leaders, clergy, scholars, followers, devotees and students. Pujya Swamiji delivered a speech titled "Peace for Ourselves and for the world" as well as the final blessings for the Parliament.

1999: H.H. Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji (Pujya Muniji) is one of the main speakers at the International Conference on the Great Religions of Asia in Lumbini, Nepal.

1997: IHRF sponsors and organizes the 9th International Congress of Vedanta in Rishikesh, India.

1996: IHRF co-sponsors a large Interfaith Conference in Delhi where over 100,000 people gather.

1995: IHRF Co-sponsors the Interfaith prayer at the United Nations Golden Jubilee.

1993: IHRF co-sponsors the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago, USA and Bangalore India.

IHRF co-sponsors The World Fellowship of Religions in Delhi which hosts 200,000 people.

IHRF helps organize the Festival of Spiritual Unity in London.