Sri Kshetra Hebballi Brahma Chaitanya Mandir, also known as Chaitanyashram, is located at Hebballi village near Dharwad, Karnataka. This sacred place is closely connected with Sri Kshetra Gondavale of Maharashtra and has grown into a powerful centre of Rama Nama Sadhana and Guru Bhakti.
The spiritual foundation of this kshetra was laid when Sadguru Sri Brahma Chaitanya Maharaj of Gondavale personally visited Hebballi in the year 2009 and installed his divine Charana Sparsha Shila Padukas. The place became an active spiritual centre from 26 January 1984, when Sri Datta Avadhoot Maharaj came and began daily uninterrupted worship. From that day till today, not a single day of upasana has been missed, making the kshetra spiritually vibrant for more than four decades.
The main focus of worship at Hebballi is the Padukas of Sadguru Sri Brahma Chaitanya Maharaj, worshipped as a living spiritual presence. Along with this, the temple complex houses Sri Brahma Chaitanya Maharaj Paduka Mandir,
Sri Rama Temple (Rama Nama as the core spiritual path), Sri Ganapati Shrine,
Sri Chidambara Temple
The entire worship is centred on Nama Smarana, Bhakti, and Seva.
Originally, the Paduka Mandir was a small 10 x 10 feet structure built with mud and stone, with a central raised platform and a simple wooden mandapa. Over time, under the guidance of Sri Datta Avadhoot Maharaj, it developed into a well-structured ashram complex.
Today, the Chaitanyashram includes a grand Paduka Mandir, shrines for other deities, a Likitha Nama Sadhana Mandir, spacious halls for bhajans and discourses, and a large Goshala. The architecture is simple, traditional, and spiritually focused, designed to support meditation and collective worship rather than ornamentation.
Hebballi village had a long-standing devotional connection with the Nadagir family, who were ardent devotees of Sri Brahma Chaitanya Maharaj. Answering their sincere prayers, Maharaj personally visited Hebballi and established his Padukas behind the Nadagiri ancestral house.
Decades later, Sri Datta Avadhoot Maharaj, a parama shishya of Sri Brahma Chaitanya Maharaj, arrived at Hebballi on 26 January 1984 as per the guidance of Gondavale trustees. His arrival marked the beginning of structured daily worship, transforming Hebballi into a recognised Sri Kshetra.
When Sri Datta Avadhoot Maharaj first entered the Paduka Mandir in 1984, a divine miracle occurred. From the Padukas emerged a small blue flame-like divine light, which instantly spread across the temple and the surrounding area.
At the same time, a Marathi divine voice was heard saying:
“Upasana suru kara | Loka sangraha khoop hoyeel ||”
Meaning: “Begin spiritual practice; it will greatly benefit society.”
Deeply moved, Swamiji bathed, purified the temple, and that very evening began puja, aarati, mantra pushpa, ashtavadhan seva, bhajans, and shej aarati. From that day onwards, Akhanda Nityopasana has been carried out without interruption through Rama Raksha Stotra, Hanuman Chalisa Parayana, and Rama Nama Japa, thereby recognising the place as Shri Kshetra Hebballi.
Connection with Hampiholi Datta Kshetra: Sri Datta Avadhoot Maharaj belongs to the Hampiholi Inamdar family lineage, which has a long-standing spiritual association with the sacred Hampiholi Datta Kshetra. Born into this Datta-parampara-rich family, he naturally imbibed the spirit of Guru Bhakti, Nama Sadhana, and renunciation, which later blossomed fully under the grace of Sadguru Sri Brahma Chaitanya Maharaj at Hebballi.
Hebballi Sri Datta Avadhoot Swamiji was born on Wednesday, 5 September 1951 (Bhadrapada Shuddha Chaturthi) at Yadawad village, Gokak Taluk, Belagavi district, Karnataka. He was born to Sri Vishwanath Vishnu Inamdar and Smt. Indumati. His birth name was Rukmangada, and he was later known as Dattatreya.
Born into a family with a strong Vedic and spiritual lineage, he was deeply inspired by the life and teachings of Sri Brahma Chaitanya Maharaj and took up Rama Nama Japa at a very young age. The spiritual practices at Hebballi are rooted in the Datta Parampara and flourish through the grace of Sadguru Sri Brahma Chaitanya Maharaj.
He walked barefoot to Gondavale, lived in Ujjain, undertook intense Nama Sadhana, studied Sanskrit, Vedas, and Vedanta, performed Narmada Parikrama, and completed over four crore Nama japa at various sacred places,having walked nearly 10,000 miles on foot during his years of tapasya.
In 1974, Sri Brahma Chaitanya Maharaj appeared in his dream and instructed him to chant “Sri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama”. Since 1984, he has been residing at Hebballi, guiding thousands of devotees through Nama, Bhakti, discipline, and service.
Under the leadership of Sri Datta Avadhoot Maharaj, devotees from Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh actively participate in Hanuman Chalisa Parayana Abhiyan.
A major highlight was the world-record 108-hour Akhand Hanuman Chalisa Parayana held in Hubballi, which strengthened devotion and collective spiritual energy among thousands of devotees.
Sri Kshetra Hebballi celebrates festivals with devotion and cultural richness. Programs include homa, havana, discourses, anna dana, harikatha, yakshagana, Bharatanatya, and classical music.
The annual Margashirsha festival is celebrated from Margashirsha Krishna Pratipada (05.11.2025) to Margashirsha Dashami (14.11.2025).
On 14 December 2025, at 5:55 AM, Gulalu Seva is offered to Parama Pujya Sri Brahma Chaitanya Maharaj.
