Shri Devadas Rao is named as Dev Baba by the renowned Avadoot Saint “Hamsbaba” of Vindhyachal. Sadguru Shri Dev Baba was a science and law graduate with the highest diploma in banking. He selected banking as his career and was as an inspecting officer of Vijaya Bank for 9 years. During this time he travelled length & breadth of India. During this period he met his first Guru, great Himalayan Master Naren Baba in Nasik. His deep routed interest in yoga was thus kindled. He was asked by the great master to visit Amarnath of himalayas. It was in August 26, 1976 that young Devdas was initiated by his first great Master in his Amarnath cave home. Thus he was enrolled in to the hierarchy of Himalayan Masters. Thus came the himalayan tradition to the south when Shri Dev Baba established an ashram dedicated to teach Kriya Yoga and meditation in the name of “Shree Shakthi Darshan Yogashram”.

Sadguru Shri Dev Baba, realising the importance of the native Indian breed of cows and its role in ones spiritual development, conceived the idea of starting a full fledged Gaushala.

On 22 December 2007 with mammoth efforts he established Surabhivana, on a 20 acre land allotted by the Karnataka Government. Shri Raghaveshvara Bharati Swami of Hossanagar inaugurated this gaushala and donated half a dozen cows to kick start this movement.