Swami Bhaskarananda Saraswati

Mandir, where Swami Bhaskarananda's samadhi shrine lies, Varanasi Swamiji's pre-monastic name was Matiram Misra. Born into a Brahmin family in Kanpur district, Uttar Pradesh, from noted masters including Pandit Anant Ram of Patna, who was at Haridwar at the time. At about age 27, he was initiated into the holy order of Sannyas by Paramahamsa Swami Purnananda Saraswati of Ujjain, and christened Swami Bhaskarananda Saraswati, a name by which he was known afterwards. For thirty-five years Swami traveled around India, always practicing tapas. From his long ineffable knowledge he had desired, he settled down for the remainder of his life in the sacred city of Varanasi and miracles of healing were attributed to him. Today, his samadhi shrine situated at Durga Kunda, adjacent to the historic Durga Mandir in Varanasi is maintained by a small trust. ==His followers==

Alexandra David-Néel studied yoga with Bhaskarananda. Maharaja Jung Bahadur Rana, the King of Nepal and founder of the Rana dynasty of Nepal, has written a pamphlet about Swami. Ernest Binfield Havell (1864–1937), a close friend of Indologist Sir John Woodroffe was also devoted to him. ==In popular culture==

He also finds mention in Mark Twain's non-fiction travelogue Following the Equator (1897), who met Swami in Varanasi. Apart from that American explorer couple, Fanny Bullock Workman and William Hunter Workman also met him at the Ananda Bagh garden. ==References==