Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

Spiritual leader

Indian Alappad Panchayat in Karunagappally, Kollam District, State of Travancore-Cochin (now in Kerala), India

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Quick Info

ProfessionSpiritual leader
NationalityIndian
Date of Birth27/09/1953
Age72 years
BirthplaceAlappad Panchayat in Karunagappally, Kollam District, State of Travancore-Cochin (now in Kerala), India

Latest News about Mata Amritanandamayi Devi

24/07/2026

Mata Amritanandamayi Devi received the Janani Award 2026 from the Dr A P J Abdul Kalam International Foundation at Amritapuri Ashram. The award recognised her humanitarian service, social transformation, and contributions to women’s empowerment.

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Bio/Wiki

Birth nameSudhamani Idamannel
Nickname(s)
  • Amma
  • Mata
Name earnedThe Hugging Saint

Physical Stats & More

Height162 cm
Eye ColorBrown
Hair ColorSalt & Pepper

Personal Life

ReligionHinduism
Food HabitVegetarian

Relationships & More

Marital StatusUnmarried
Family
FatherSri Sugunanandan Idamannel (Fishmonger)
MotherDamayanti Amma
Siblings
  • Subhakan
  • Sathish Kumar
  • Sudhir Kumar
  • Suresh Kumar
  • Kasturi Aamma
  • Sajini
  • Sugunamma

Career

Awards
  • 1993: Hindu Renaissance Award for ‘Hindu of the Year'
  • 1998: Care & Share International Humanitarian of the Year Award in Chicago, USA
  • 2002: Karma Yogi of the Year
  • 2002: Gandhi-King Award for Non-Violence by The World Movement for Nonviolence in UN, Geneva
  • 2005: Mahavir Mahatma Award in London, UK
  • 2005: Centenary Legendary Award of the International Rotarians in Cochin, Kerala
  • 2006: The Philosopher Saint Sri Jnaneswara World Peace Prize
  • 2007: Le Prix Cinéma Vérité Award by Cinéma Vérité in Paris, France
  • 2013: First Vishwaretna Purskar by Hindu Parliament in Tiruvananthapuram, India
  • 2018: Felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the largest contribution to the Government of India’s Clean India Campaign Swachh Bharat Mission
Honors
  • 2010: An honorary Doctorate in humane letters from the State University of New York
  • 2019: An honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Mysore, Karnataka
  • 2021: An honorary degree in D.Litt.(Honoris causa) from the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) in Bhubaneswar
Achievements
  • 2012: Watkins' list of the top 100 living spiritual influencers in the world
  • 2014: The Huffington Post's list of the 50 most influential women religious leaders

Social Media

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/MataAmritanandamayi/
YouTubehttps://www.youtube.com/@MataAmritanandamayiDevi

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Sudhamani started helping with chores at her aunt’s house at 15 before moving in with her uncle in Karunagapally.
2. Amritanandamayi has been embracing people for comfort since the age of 22, leading to her being known as the 'hugging saint' by her devotees.
3. The Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MAM), founded on 6 May 1981, aims for the spiritual and material upliftment of humanity.
4. Since 1998, the Mata Amritanandamayi Math has constructed over 47,000 houses for the homeless in 75 locations throughout India.
5. She is the chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, a multi-campus research university.
Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error
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