One day, Swami Samarth Maharaj called His closest disciple, Shree BallappaMaharaj and gave Him things from His (Swami Samarth Maharaj) personal use. Swami Samarth Maharaj then asked BallappaMaharaj to form a Guru Peetha (Seat of the Guru and Dharma) in the name of Shree Swami Samarth Maharaj. He also asked BallappaMaharaj to provide some food and a place of residence to all the devotees who would come to take Swami Samarth Maharajji'sDarshan. He asked BallappaMaharaj to make sure that the work of spreading the message of Swami Samarth Maharaj will go on till the Sun and Moon remain in the sky.
So, on receiving this message from His Guru and Master, BallappaMaharaj founded a Guru Peetha and a Math (Monastery) to do the work. This Math is called Guru Mandir or Ballappa Math. He started the tradition of providing all the devotees with food and accommodation in the Math.

When Shreeji became the Peethadeesha (The Person in Charge of the Guru Peetha), He continued all the initiatives started by BallappaMaharaj. He would make sure that no devotee left the Math without getting something to eat. In the early times VahiniSaheb, would herself cook food for all the devotees, who came to take Darshan in the Math.

Shreeji continued this tradition even when He started residing in Shivpuri.

He founded the Sati Chimamata Annapurna Samiti, to make provide food and accommodation, to all the devotees coming to Shivpuri. He named it 'Sati Chimamata', after the Holy Mother Chimamata from Rajimwale family. She was a very pious and charitable lady, who devoted all Her life for serving the Lord. She would also give food everyday, to the people in Her town, as Prasad of the DietyBhagwan Rajiv Lochan.

Shreeji started the Annapurna, in Her Holy Memory.

Following the tradition of Guru Mandir, Shivpuri, has been engaged in the noble work of providing food and accommodation to visiting pilgrims since almost four decades.

Annapurna is housed in a grand building in Shivpuri. It is 5000 Sq Ft large. It has a huge kitchen, where the food for Prasad, to be given to the people, is cooked. The food for the Naivedyam of the Dieties is also cooked in Annapurna.

Annapurna has a huge storage room for storing the raw ingredients required for cooking like flour, rice, pulses, etc.

Annapurna has a big hall for people to sit and have their food. There is also a small hall where the residents of Shivpurieat their food.

Annapurna also provides residence for the people working and living in Shivpuri.

Food Materials:

Most of the ingredients that are used for cooking in Annapurna are grown using Agnihotra Farming Methods. Some of them like wheat, jowar, bajra, pulses, groundnuts, etcare grown in the farms of Shivpuri. Some of it is grown by Agnihotra followers in various parts of the Nation. The milk that is required for tea, curds, buttermilk, etc is used from Shivpuri's own Goshala.

Timings:

Tea and Breakfast- 7.00 – 9.00 am

Lunch – 12.30 – 2 pm

Afternoon tea- 4.00 – 5.00 pm

Dinner – 7.30 – 9.30 pm

Devotees:

Prasadam, is provided to all the people who visit the Shivpuri Ashram everyday. Many devotees visit the Ashram and spend longer duration of period with the aim to study the Vedas and other Vedic Sciences like Ayurveda, Yoga, etc or meditate or offer physical Seva. The Ashram operates the Annapurna to provide food for all the visitors who come here everyday from all over the world.