Krishnamoorthy was the previous name of Swami Swayamprakasa Brahmendraji. He was born of Ramaswami Sastrigal, a pious Vedic scholar and a poor but respectable Brahmin, and Janaki, a woman of high-souled purity, in the village of Kalpattu in the district of South Arcot, Tamil Nadu, on Tuesday, the 28^th of November 1871.

Swami brahmendraji was educated in three places: Thiruvidaimardur, Kumbakonam and Thiruvananthapuram. He passed the Matriculation Examination and took to the study of Sanskrit in right earnest. He studied under Bala Saraswati Bhatta Sri Narayana Sastrigal, an erudite scholar. Afterwards he studied Tamil poetry. Swamiji had a wonderful retentive memory. He quoted long passages with proper contexts and comments with perfect ease.

Krishnamoorthy worked as a School Master in a neighbouring village for some time. Thereupon he joined the Settlement Department as a clerk on a monthly salary of Rs. 50/-.

Krishnamoorthy was urged by his brother to marry, but he refused with determination. He gave up his job and turned his steps towards the North in search of a Guru. At Kashi he met Swami Dakshinamoorthy and stayed with him as his disciple for three years. He studied Vedanta thoroughly under the Swami. He served a silent Muni in Kashi for six months.

There from Krishnamoorthy went to a cave above the Bana Tirtha near Papanasam, Tirunelveli District, where he saw a radiant Sannyasin, the Avadhuta Sadguru Brahmendra Saraswati, commonly known as the Judge Swamigal.

In order to test Krishnamoorthy, the Avadhuta Swami threw stones at him. Krishnamoorthy bore everything with patience. He even supplied syones to the Swamigal for throwing. The Swami found out that Krishnamoorthy was quite ripe for initiation.

According to the directions of the Swami, Krishnamoorthy went to his own house at Kanappettai, on the Full Moon Day in the month of June 1891. He stayed with his mother for three hours. His clothes fell down of their own accord. He took Avadhutashram at once.

Swami Swayamprakasa Brahmendra Saraswati roamed about here and there. He ate what he could get when he was hungry and took rest when he was tired. He visited Nerur in the district of Tiruchirapalli, where there is the Samadhi of Sadasiva Brahman. He wandered through the various villages in the district of Thanjavur. He remained in a cave at Tiruvannamalai for some months. He made a tour all over India. He went to Badrinath also.

As Swami Brahmendra was nude, the police people locked him up, but he was released by Krishnaswami, a prominent advocate.

Swami Brahmendra was poisoned. His hair and beard were burnt. He was tempted by women of ill repute brought by wicked men. He was dragged along the streets in the hot sun, with a rope tied around his waist. Finally, the Swami proceeded to the village of Sendamangalam in Salem District and wandered in the Kolli hills. He chose a small hillock in Sendamangalam for his abode and performance of penance. Sri K. Sundaram Chettiar, a retired High Court Judge, served the Swami with faith and devotion.

Swami Brahmendra was a living example of spiritual eminence. He practised the severe austerities of the Avadhuta Ashrama. Many were his physical sufferings on account of his nudity and phenomenal was his patience at the gibes and sneers of worldly-minded, ignorant youth. Early in life he abandoned the pleasures and comforts of the world. He braved the razor path of Nivritti Marga with a burning desire for Self-realization. He pursued the course under the blessings of his Sadguru with unabated vigor. He was a spiritual guide to a large number of disciples. Men, women and children have been the recipients of his benediction.

In order to infuse devotion and piety into the hearts of people, the Swamiji wanted to install an idol of Sri Dattatreya in his Ashram. While the Swamiji was living, his devoted disciple Swami Sankarananda, in his excessive love and reverence for the Swamiji, took immense paints to build a temple over the hillock, in the Ashram, for installing the idol of Dattatreya and also the marble statue of the Swamiji.

The marble statue of the Swamigal and the idol of lord Dattatreya in that two-storeyed temple reveal the marvelous ingenuity of the artist who made them. This attractive temple on the hillock, with its calm and inspiring surroundings, and the improved Ashram owe their existence and present charming appearance to the strenuous, indefatigable efforts and remarkable patience and ability of Swami Sankarananda.

The Guhalaya there is built on the Sannyasikaradu or Sannyasikundu. The hillock is called as Dattagiri now. The Dattatreya temple and the Guhalaya of Sendamangalam will flourish as lasting monuments, reminding the people of the glory and greatness of the holy sage who entered into Mahasamadhi in the month of December 1948.