In 1998, as Sunyogi was on his walking route around India, more and more people were asking where they could meet and learn from him as he was always on the go. He then decided to organise an annual spiritual conference for three consecutive days every year.
The first conference was held at Lachipur from 22nd to 24th of June 1998. For the first year two to three hundred people came and attended the conference. All the people who attended the conference at Lachipur, coming from different places from all around India, had expressed their gratitude and demanded this conference be held every year. So it was decided, but it was expensive. Sunyogi´s brothers sponsored the first conference by selling part of their land, and they were happy that their money was spent for spiritual purposes. On further occasions, fortunately, all the people of our village and those nearby donated money, and conferences have since been conducted almost every year, except for 2001 and 2002, as the economic burden was too high.
Behind the scenes, the conference has been instigated by Mahavatar Babaji. The aim is to find common ground regardless of different backgrounds so that we can come together and work towards the common goal for the better world. From the book of Yogananda we have got to know Babaji´s effort to bring East and West together through religion.
Universal Peace Conference 2004: From the left: Local person, Annamallai University Professor, local person, Raja Aiya from Vedaranyam who gave the names “Sunyogi” and “Sunyoga”, Unknown, Sunyogi, Moulavi Sakhel Raja Nouri from Kargil at the border to Pakistan, Kedilianna from Vedaranyam Gurukulam, Unknown from Vedaranyam Gurukulam, Unknown from Vedaranyam Gurukulam, Unknown from Vedaranyam Gurukulam, Siva Sankar Bag, Acupressure researcher Dr. Promod Prasad, local.
Universal Peace Conference 2005: From left: Gouri Sankar Bag (youngest older brother to Sunyogi), Unknown local, Chandra Shekhar, Sunyogi, mother of Sunyogi (in front), Sahapur Sundarana (behind), D. R. Karthikeyan, Scientist Karan, Hiran Ratan Manek, Unknown.
Previous Universal Peace Conferences:
- 1998 – Lachhipur
- 1999 – Lachhipur
. . .
- 2004 – Lachhipur
- 2005 – Lachhipur
. . .
- 2010 – Chennai
. . .
- 2013 – Mahapour Radhanagar
. . .
- 2016 – Delhi
- 2017 – Warangal
- 2018 – Ahmedabad
- 2019 – France
