In 1971, a young Hindu monk by the name of Swami Shanthanand Saraswathi, arrived for the first time in Malaysia with a prayer to his great master Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh: " Dear Master, I do not know why you have brought me here, but let me be worthy of your love and grace."

In Kuala Lumpur, he was hosted by a family and through them met a number of other families.His gatherings were filled with songs in praise of God and his talks illuminated almost every conceivable subject pertinent to life and living , but the most of all it was the way he spoke of God's Love that filled the hearts of those who heard him. As time went by, many more came to hear him and many more began to follow him.

His approach was all-embracing and his ideology simple-"Follow any path, religion or doctrine, but believe in it sincerely, because the sincerity of your belief will illuminate and guide you to the ultimate common goal - GOD " He taught the universal message found in all religions and scriptious; - Love for God and Service to Mankind.

Soon by word of mouth his following spread from Kuala Lumpur to Penang, Johor Bahru, Singapore, Malacca,Colombo, Perth ,Melbourne, Sidney,Coimbatore and Chennai. As time passed, a core of some one hundred families became his regular followers in each centre over a period of ten years and these followers were affectionately referred as the Shiva Family.

The Shiva Family comprised many youngsters and before long, Swamiji felt the urge to begin a cultural centre so that the children in the group would learn dance and music and thereby help to preserve something of thier rich cultural heritage.In 1981, with the help of his devotees, master Sivadas and wife Vatsala, master Gopal Shetty and wife Radha, who were all dance teachers, swamiji inspired the beginnings of The Temple Of Fine Arts. Music and Dance , he taught, have their origin in the Divin, hence, the "Temple". Here the Divine is worshipped through the fine arts,and here,art is taught for the Love of it. A genuine aspiration to learn is the only prerequisite. Even though nomial fees are charged for classes, a deserving student is never refused for want of money.Today, the Temple of fine Arts teaches classicl and folk dances and music. In the course of its growth as an institution for the performing arts, the dances taught include Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kathak, and other Indian folk dances while Hindusthani and Carnatic clasical music classes as well as other instruments like the Tabla, Mridangam, sitar, Veena Violin are also taught.After three years, Swamiji mooted the idea of starting a restaurant that serves authentic Indian vegetarian cuisine as a means of sustaining the activities of the Temple of Fine Arts. As many of the Shiva Family were talented cooks, Annalakshmi Restaurant, the culinary canter of the Temple of Fine Arts took birth. Here the food would be prepared , cooked and served with love.

The adage "Athithi dhevo Bhava" meaning - the guest is God - was the motivating factor, is not a mere concept but a practice. This concept, a tribute to the Goddess of Plenty whose name is Annalakshmi, and the ideals, the warmth and the service very soon captured the taste buds and imagination of diners and connoisseurs alike.

Today, Annalakshmi brings Indian vegetarian cuisine to more and more people in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore,Coimbatore, Perth a, Chennai. And it does this within an ambiance of great beauty. Annalakshmi is lavishly decorated with carvings, paintings , statues and pillars from India, and had subtly given unique expression to the pleasures of art and cuisine.