Tapaswiji Maharaj.  Photo probably taken in the late 1930's.

By the 1940's, Tapaswiji was a well known saint in India with ashrams in the north and south parts of the country.

He was born in 1770 and dropped his physical form on October 12, 1955.  He lived 185 years by undergoing kaya kalpa rejuvenation three times.

Shivabalayogi often praised Tapaswiji and credited the great hatha yogi with helping him during his own tapas, including actually saving his life.

When Tapaswiji first visited the young yogi in 1951, he immediately noticed that he was starving to death.  Tapaswiji bought a cow and instructed Swamiji's mother, Parvatamma, to give a glass of milk each day to the young yogi.  This simple nourishment sustained Shivabalayogi throughout most of his tapas.

Tapaswiji also caused the gopuram to be constructed to relieve some of the suffering the young yogi's body was undergoing.

He also intervened on several occasions to protect the young yogi from black magic.

Tapaswiji's body is buried in a Samadhi at Koshi, on the road between Delhi and Agra.  See photo.