Maharishi Dayanand, the founder of Arya Samaj, stayed in Mathura for three years under the guidance of Swami Virjanand. Due to the brilliance of knowledge of both the great men, the Vedas and Sanskrit language spread throughout the country and new energy was infused.
The memories of Swami Virjanand and Maharishi Dayanand are scattered in Mathura. It is true that at present their memorial places have been converted into magnificent monuments where Swami Virjanand had given initiation to Dayanand, but many subtle things related to the lives of the two men are yet to be revealed.
Sunil Acharya, the servant of Shatrughan temple in Mathura, says that Pandit Jagannath had given shelter to Virjanand ji in his house on his arrival in Mathura, this is in the year 1846. Pandit Jagannath was a scholar of Sanskrit and was a servant of ‘Devaki Nandan Temple’ located in Chhatta Bazaar, Mathura. Pandit Jagannath had settled Swamiji in a small room in his house. There used to be a cow tied in the open field in front of the room. Swami Virjanand first started the work of teaching Vedas and Sanskrit language at this place in Mathura. A pitcher filled with water was kept near Swamiji. He used to consume a handful of cloves and a pitcher of water, this was his food throughout the day. He was very angry by nature.
In 1971, the Government of India decided to issue a postage stamp on Swami Virjananda. The government entrusted the postmaster of Mathura with the responsibility of finding a picture of Swamiji. During Swamiji’s lifetime, a painter had made a picture of Swamiji which was kept in the temple. The postmaster of Mathura had taken this picture of Virjanand ji with him.
Virjanand was born in 1778 in a Brahmin family in Kartarpur, Punjab. His childhood name was Brajlal and he lost his eyesight due to smallpox at the age of five. Virjanand was a great scholar of Vedas, Up Nishad, Sanskrit language and grammar.
After exploring places like Rishikesh, Banaras, Calcutta etc., Virjanand first stayed in Alwar with Alwar Maharaj and then came to Mathura in 1846. Swamiji’s guru brothers Kishan Chaturvedi and Shivananda lived in Mathura. When he got a place in Mathura, he soon started teaching students. Swami Virjanand gave the lessons of preservation and study of Vedic literature, prevention of hypocrisy and evil practices and resolution of freedom to his students. Swamiji also inspired the youth for the country’s first independence movement. There is evidence that Swami Virjanand had presided over a meeting against the British rule in the forests of Mathura in 1856.
Around this time, Swami Dayanand Saraswati left his home and family in search of truth and set out in search of a true Guru. After years of travelling, when he reached Swami Virjanand’s hut in Mathura in 1860, Swami Virjanand asked him who he was? Then Swami Dayanand said, “Guruvar, I want to know who I really am?” Stunned by Dayanand’s answer, Guru Virjanand did not delay in making him his disciple.
Dayanand Maharishi stayed in Mathura for three years, he made ‘Lakshmi Narayan Temple’ located at Visramghat his residence. Two persons named Amar Lal Joshi and Khetamal Saraf had made arrangements for their food and accommodation.
After independence in the country in 1947, Arya Samaji Dandi of Mathura worked hard to preserve the memory of Swami Virjanand and Maharishi Dayanand. He decided to convert the initiation site of Swami Dayanand in Mathura into a grand memorial. The foundation stone of the initiation site of Maharishi Dayanand was laid on 25 December 1959 by inviting the first President of the country, Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Vice President BD Jatti inaugurated this Gurudham in 1975.
