Mata Amritanandamayi, Ma Amritapuri or Sudhamani is the hugging saint. She was born on 27th September 1953 in the Kollam district of Kerala. During her childhood she lived very hard and humble lifestyle. Her mother was persistently ill, so Amritapuri was also busy with household chores and laborious work.
Amritanandamayi very intensely longed for Lord Krishna and underwent a number of spiritual experiences, even as a child. When she became twenty two years of age, she displayed her miraculous strengths and divine nature to her village people. Her divinity and miraculous strengths gained her immense popularity not only in the Indian subcontinent but also in many parts across the world.
The home where she lived in (her hut) has now been declared as a holy shrine. Many devotees throng at this sacred shrine for taking her blessings and also benefit from the regular activities, she conducts. Devotees of Amritanandamayi address her as Amma or Mata Amritanandamayi. As a saint she has immense sympathy and compassion for the weak and downtrodden. To help people she has started many hospitals, educational institutions, homes for the abandoned, orphanages and also provides and arranges for pension for the very financially weak people. Amritanandamayi has earned a lot of love and admiration from thousands of people in India.
She has following world-wide and is looked upon by people from different parts of the world. Amritanandamayi is the living embodiment of the universal Divine Mother. She is known as Amma which means ‘Mother’ in most languages in Southern India. Mata Amritanandamayi Devi’s main Ashram is Amritapuri (originally known as Vallikavu) which is also the International Headquarters of Mata Amritanandayami Math. She is well known across the world as the ‘Hugging Saint’ and a renowned spiritual master.
