Balumama was a mystic, yogi, and a saint. Born in a shepherd family, he spent his life around sheep. He performed many miracles in his life and helped needy people. He is very popular in Karnataka and Maharashtra. Balu Mama was a devotee of Lord Panduranga. His devotees raised a beautiful temple in his memory after his death. Recently, a TV series was aired about his life, which is quite popular.

Childhood:

Ballappa was born on October 3, 1892, in Akkol village of Chikkodi Taluka of Belgaum district in Karnataka. His father was a shepherd belonging to the Kuruba Gowda/Dhangar community. His mother’s name was Satyavva, and his father’s name was Mayappa. Balumama was different from other children and used to meditate since childhood without any training. He did not behave like so-called normal children. His tendency was toward spirituality, but his parents could not understand it and thought that he would not survive in the practical world without proper training. Therefore, they sent him out of the village to work at Chandu Sheth’s home. He became a shepherd there and liked the job.

How Did Ballappa Become Balumama?

He used to eat from a particular plate that had a hole. Once Chandu Sheth and his wife saw some miraculous things inside the plate. Therefore, they started worshiping the plate. But Ballappa wanted to eat from that plate only. So he did not eat for four days. Chandu Sheth did not give his plate back; so he went to his village.

Per some stories, he started living with his maternal uncle. His nephews used to call him Balumama. After that, everybody started calling him by the same name.

How Did Balumama Get Divine Powers?

There are different stories about this. Once, two sadhus had come to Balumama’s village and were very thirsty. The well contained water, but it was too deep. But Balumama risked his life and got water for the sadhus. Sadhus were pleased with him and gave him divine powers.

Marriage:

Balumama did not want to get married, but his parents forced him to do so. So, he married Satyavva, who was his sister’s daughter. His uncle, who forced him to marry, died on the day of his marriage, as predicted by Balumama.

Miracles:

Balumama was a mystic and performed many miracles. He exorcised many people. Following are some of his miracles:

1. When Balumama reached Chandu Sheth’s home along with his father, Chandu Sheth’s cow was not giving milk, but Balumama made her give milk.

2. Once a person’s wife was sick and required surgical treatment. So, he went to Balumama for money. Balumama prayed for him to Goddess Earth. Then he struck the ground with his stick, and lots of money appeared there.

3. Once a woman rejected to give loni (freshly made white butter) to some children. Therefore, Balumama ordered the clay vessel to not give loni anymore. From that day, the vessel stopped giving loni to the woman. When she apologized to him, Balumama ordered her to not sell loni anymore. She agreed. Then, she started getting loni again.

4. He performed exorcisms on many people and drove away ghosts that possessed them.

5. Once a person came to exorcise a ghost out of his son’s body. When people searched for Balumama, they found him dead. At that time, his wife was pregnant. When people started to carry him to a crematorium, he woke up.

Actually, he was in samadhi, but people mistook him for being dead. He told them that he had a dream about Lord Panduranga, who had asked him to look for a guru.

After thinking for a while, Balumama decided that he would start charging some fee for exorcism thereafter and collect some money over time. The person who would recognize the amount he would have collected by exorcising ghosts would be his guru.

6. Once Balumama’s pregnant wife left for a village at night to attend a religious ceremony. While on the way, Balumama stopped her and drew a circle around her. He ordered her not to cross the circle in any event, but she did not listen and crossed it. At that moment, she had an abortion. Balumama got angry with her and ended his relationship with her.

7. Once, one of the villagers was trying to sacrifice a pregnant goat on the advice of a shaman. He did not have any child, so the shaman had advised him to do so. Balumama reached there and stopped him from doing so. Then he asked the villager’s wife to eat a mango from a tree near her house. She was then blessed with a child.

Balumama’s Guru:

It had been many years, but Balumama did not find his guru. Once, he was going to Pandharpur. On the way, he met a person who was playing a flute. Balumama got attracted to him and thought that he was a knowledgeable person. He asked for his blessings, but the person asked for fees for the blessing. Balumama asked him how much he should give. The person asked the exact amount that Balumama had collected by exorcising ghosts, which was Rs. 120. Therefore, Balumama requested him to accept him as his disciple. The person agreed to do so. The name of his guru was Mr. Balkrishna Mule.

Death:

Balumama died of old age in 1966 in Adamapur village in Kolhapur district. At the time of his death, he promised his devotees to come for their help if they called him from the bottoms of their hearts. He was 74 years old when he died.

Temples:

Shri Balumama Mandir in Adamapur is the temple dedicated to Balumama. His devotees built this temple at his samadhi. The temple has become a popular pilgrimage site, and thousands of people visit it yearly.

There are a few other temples of Balumama in Maharashtra.

Festivals:

Balumama Bhandara Festival is celebrated annually in Adamapur. The festival lasts for seven days. Thousands of people visit the temple during this time. On the third day, a palanquin ceremony is organized.

Teachings:

1. Stay away from bad habits.

2. Do not kill animals.

3. You are responsible for your karma.

Balumama’s Sheep:

Balu Mama loved his sheep a lot. His devotees think they are holy, and wherever they go, they bring good luck to the people. If the flock his sheep stays at or passes through a field, the owner gets good luck and happiness. The Balu Mama Trust, a non-profit society, manages them. People worship them daily. Per some sources, women are not allowed to participate in the worship.

Books:

1. Bhavabhakticha Bhandara – Mr. Shankarrao Killedar (Yamage).

2. Shri Sadguru Balumama Vijaya Grantha.

3. Shri Santi Sadguru Devavatari Balumama Charitra Granth – Mr. C. S. Kulkarni.

Movies and Shows:

A few movies and TV series have been made about his life and are quite popular. After the broadcast of the TV series, many people have come to know about Balumama. Before that, he was not very popular.

“Balumama Chya Navan Chang Bhala” is a Marathi TV series aired in 2018 on Colors Marathi. The series is still going on (December 2022) and is quite popular.

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