History

Nilachal Saraswat Sangha (NSS), Puri, was founded by Swami Nigamananda Paramahans Dev exclusively for his household devotees in Orissa on 24th August 1934, at Nilachal Kutir, his eternal abode at Puri, India.

Satisfied with the devotion and the sincerity for spiritual quest of a handful of his young Oriya devotees, Swami Nigamananda had directed them to congregate at the Sangha once in a week, pay obeisance to Sri Gurudev, discuss his ideals and commune with each other to share experiences gained on the path of spirituality. He had categorically instructed the member-devotees to lead an ideal householder's life on the lines of his teachings, affirming a clean and principled way of living as the basis, and to practice in Sangha to become ideal human beings.

Four-Pronged Practices

• Establishment of the power of Sangha (Sangha-Shakti)
• Atmagathan (self-development)
• Foundation of ideal family life
• Carrying out activities benefiting the larger human society

NSS was started with a few devotees who were then school students and ardent followers of the Paramahans Dev. The line of devotees gradually emerged from the nook and corners of Orissa, coinciding with the publication of the biography of Swami Nigamananda in Oriya in the year 1942 by his leading disciples Sri Durga Charana Mohanty and Banamali Das.

The principal value of Nilachal Saraswat Sangha was clearly delineated by Sri Gurudev himself: it must not focus on publicity for the spread of his teachings; rather, his teachings should be reflected through examples set by everyday lives of his followers. If established in true human values, a single such person can achieve the impossible. Those who desire to dedicate their life for welfare of others and yet do not nurture recognition in exchange, only such silent workers need to be in the Sanghas.

Into the 75th year of its inception, NSS became more than 150 branches (Sakha Sanghas) strong, spread throughout Orissa including branches in New Delhi, Kolkata, Jamshedpur, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Pune. It has also crossed the boundary of India with its branch set up in the United States of America (North Carolina). It also has a Sangha-Ashram at Rishikesh.

NSS, Puri, has a wing for women devotees - Nilachal Saraswat Mahila Sangha (NSMS) - which plays a significant role in keeping up Sangha values and in pursuing the primary teaching of the Gurudev to build an ideal family life to groom ideal human beings first, and ultimately for the service of humanity at large. Wings for young devotees called Sevak Sanghas and Kishore Sanghas for boys, and Kumari Sanghas for girls under NSS, are engaged in perpetuating this ideal.