Supporting Cultural Preservation, Education
and Community Development

How you can help

CHF’s support to the sustainable community development of Chitrapur village is anchored in four thematic areas.

Background

Until about thirteen years ago, the village of Chitrapur – seat of Shri Chitrapur Math – lacked a high school. The village residents faced two challenges: one, inability to pay for high school education in neighboring towns, and two, inability to pay for daily commute. Responding to the request of the residents of villages in and around Chitrapur, Parama Pujya Sadyojat Shankarashram Swamiji, the 11th Mathadhipathi of the Shri Chitrapur Math, established Srivali High School. Built under the aegis of Srivali Trust, and inaugurated in April 2004, this high school imparts education from 8th Standard to 10th Standard to the under-privileged children of Chitrapur and surrounding villages.

Students are provided free education including uniforms, text-books, and mid-day meals. With growing demand for admission into Srivali High School, the school administration plans to increase student-intake. In order to help defray the increasing costs of providing quality education and related expenditures, the Srivali Trust has embarked on a Sponsor-A-Student Scheme.

Srivali HS 2016-2017 report

Goals of Sponsor-A-Student Scheme

The goals of this Sponsor-A-Student Scheme are to:

  • Provide funds to sustain the school operating expenses that include mid-day meals, student uniforms, school supplies, teacher and staff salaries and utilities and maintenance of the school facilities.
  • Provide donors with a yearly results of the students graduating from the 10th standard board exams and provide a summary of the students’ achievements in extracurricular events.

Sponsorship Amount

  • Sponsorship donation to support 1 student for 1 academic year – US $300 per year. For sponsorship from India, this is roughly Rs.15,500/- per student per year.
  • Sponsorship donation to support 1 student for 3 years (entire high school period: Grades 8,9,10) – US $750.
  • For sponsoring multiple students, multiply the above amounts by the number of students.

Method of Remittance:

At the request of Srivali Trust, the Chitrapur Heritage Foundation (CHF) a section 501(c)(3) organization based in the State of New Jersey has agreed to participate in the Srivali Trust’s Sponsor-A-Student (SAS) Program. The Federal Tax ID for CHF is 20-2738955.

Donors can make tax-deductible contributions to CHF in following ways:

Check made payable to “Chitrapur Heritage Foundation” and mailed to the address below:

Mr. Santosh Gunavante,
Chitrapur Heritage Foundation,
P.O. Box 1253 Langhorne
PA 19047.

Securities transfers to:

Fidelity Investments Account 285-701173 Federal Tax ID 20-2738955.

Electronic Funds Transfer to
Bank of America,
Rocky Hill, NJ 08553

CHF Account Details are as follows:
Checking Account Number:55-003817535082
Bank Routing Number: 02120039
Bank Center Number: 01023807

Parimochan Project

Project Parimochan is a participatory program launched by Parijnan Foundation® to reach out to people below the poverty line (BPL) and initiate sustainable development in several villages around the Shri Chitrapur Math®. The twofold aim of this endeavor is to improve livelihood and thereby the quality of life of the participant natives on the one hand and on the other to ensure sustainable management of the natural resources within the given area.

Green Energy Project

Shri Chitrapur Math has implemented several green energy projects, such as a gobar gas plant at the Math that uses cow manure from the goshala to generate gobar gas which is then used for cooking purposes in the kitchen. All students at Srivali High School are provided free solar lamps that they can use at their homes when the power supply fails. Many village residents also do not have the lack electricity in their homes.

Parijnan Foundation

The PARIJNAN FOUNDATION® is a religio-social initiative undertaken by Shri Chitrapur Math® (Shirali, Uttar Kannada, India) and the Shri Chitrapur Math Charitable Trust to create and support projects, research programmes and institutions in the vital fields of education, medical care, rural welfare, uplift of the poor and several other areas of public utility, on a no-profit basis to promote peace and coexistence and for the benefit of society at large, caste, class no bar. Shirali, the green environment in which Shri Chitrapur Math® is housed, is the main hub generating all activities of Parijnan Foundation® and the beneficiaries are its local residents, or natives of many of its surrounding villages.

Chitrapur Museum –

Friends of Chitrapur Museum Program –

A recurring donation of $360 per year for supporting the Museum's staff to appraise, process, catalog, prepare and restore objects and documents in museum collections and exhibits; preserve permanent records and historically valuable documents as well as oversee collections of pertinent artwork and historic items.

Temple Restoration –

Ensuring the sanctity and security of our heritage –

CHF supports the initiatives of the Shri Chitrapur Math in restoring some of the old temples and math properties that form an integral part of our heritage. Temple restoration projects are spread all across the country including Math restoration, Dwadshanta mandir, restoration of temples in Gokarn and Mangalore, Rath steering mechanism improvements, and other temple properties in and around Shirali.

Varanasi project –

Securing a vantage position for sewa in Ganga Sannidhi -

Shri Chitrapur Math is establishing a presence in Varanasi by re-building a chatra acquired there. The acquisition of this property and its renovation have been funded by a donor in India. The facility will provide for Paramapujya Swamiji to camp in Varanasi and accommodation for some devotees in close proximity to one of our holiest places. CHF requests donors to contribute to this project.

Other Shri Chitrapur Math Projects -

Supporting other ongoing projects at SCM –

CHF intends to support several other project initiatives of the Shri Chitrapur Math (SCM) in line with our commitment to support projects at the Math. These projects are supportive of our general themes of support of SCM causes. Sample projects to mention here would be renovation of Kembre Farms, Goshala, Anand Ashraya renovation, building improvements of various schools under management, other improvements of Math properties all across India and numerous other initiatives.

Meditation Center at Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu -

A meditation center in Tiruvannamalai–

CHF, through a generous donation of a US donor, helped Shri Chitrapur Math acquire land in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, for establishing a meditation center. We encourage Bhanaps to consider special donations for this cause.

Vantiga is the contribution from Chitrapur Saraswats, which helps in the conduct of daily ‘Viniyogas’ at the Math. Payment of Vantiga is a sacred duty and proud privilege of every earning Chitrapur Sarawat to participate in the religious activity of our Math.

Over the years, by the Grace of Lord Bhavanishankar and our Guruparampara, the annual Vantiga has been steadily on the rise. However rising costs and decreasing returns on investments requires that Vantiga figures continue to improve so that viniyogas do not suffer.

Thus said our revered H.H. Shrimat Anandashram Swamiji : If all paid vantiga at the rate of 1% of their income, the daily as well as occasional services at the Maths could be performed without any anxiety and the sadhana contemplated by us could be accomplished with peace of mind.

We suggest an amount equal to $1 per day per family ($365) per year as a possible vantiga payment.

Seva at the Math encompasses many aspects and you can choose any of the following ways you can contribute to continuing our heritage and traditions at Shri Chitrapur Math (SCM).

Some suggested donation ideas are listed below:

Anandashraya

Friends of Anandashraya Program A recurring donation of $360 for sponsorship of doctor visits, hospitalization, palliative care and hiring geriatric caregivers.

Kembre Farm & Panchavati

Kalpataru Program A recurring donation of $360 per year for planting and care of native trees in Kembre Farm and Panchavati

Goshala

Kamadhenu Program – A recurring donation of $360 per year per cow for acquiring and sponsorship of feed and care of Math's indigenous cows

Patron Member of Shri Chitrapur Math

A recurring donation of $2000 per year that can be paid either in full or in quarterly installment of $500 per quarter or monthly installment of $167 per month.