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Swami Avdheshanand named the Hindu of Year by Hinduism Today Magazine

Swami Avdheshananda Giri Maharaj was named the Hindu of the Year and received the 2008 Hindu Renaissance Award from Hinduism Today. Acharya Swami Avdheshanand Giri Maharaj is the head of Shri Panchdashnam Juna Akhada, the biggest of the thirteen Saint Akhadas in Inda. Shri Juna Akhada has more than five million saints in its fold. Hinduism Today Magazine, read by millions around the world, is a global public service to the family of Hindu faiths, produced by a small monastic community based in Hawaii, United States. The magazine also has a digital version and is published once in three months.

Hinduism Today explains the reason for choosing Swami Avdheshananda Giri Maharaj for the 2008 Hindu Renaissance Award:

Such peerless leaders can come in many forms, reflecting the diverse ways of our faith. Some are silent sages, mystics who take us to the heights of our own being by the force of their own enlightenment. Others are tireless social workers, servants of Hindus in need, helping children, priests, villages, the sick and the poor, the living the Hindu ideals of ahimsa and compassion. Yet others are scholars intellectual champions capable of debating deep scriptural truths and fighting in many arenas to protect dharma. This year’s recipient belongs to more than one of these categories.

Previous Hindu Renaissance Award from Hinduism Today awardees are:

Swami Paramananda Bharti (1990)
Swami Chidananda Saraswati (1991),
Swami Chinmayananda(1992),
Mata Amritanandamayi Ma (1993),
Swami Satchidananda (1994),
Pramukhswami Maharaj (1995),
Satya Sai Baba (1996),
Sri Chimoy (1997),
Swami Bua (1998),
Swami Chidananda Saraswati of Divine Life Society (1999),
Ma Yoga Shakti (2000),
T S Sambamurthy Sivachariar (2001),
Dada Vaswani (2002),
Sri Tiruchi Mahaswamigal (2003),
Dr K Pichai Sivacharya (2004),
Swami Tejomayananda (2005),
Ramaesh Bhai Oza (2006) and
Sri Balagandharanathaswami (2007)