About an hour outside Pune in the beautiful Sahyadri mountains of the western ghats, our peaceful facilities include 32 private acres near the foot of a forest-covered mountain, overlooking fields tilled by neighboring villagers.
The Kriya Yoga Mandir ( shown above) can accommodate up to 150 people for yoga, meditations, ceremonies, Healing prayers.
This Ashram and retreat centre centre was established in 2009 by Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. Yogananda had emphasized the need for "world brotherhood colonies", where people with spiritual inclinations could live together, "demonstrating that simplicity of living plus high thinking lead to the greatest happiness!" Swami Kriyananda did his utmost to create communities of this kind, and was successful in creating eight of these communities in America and Europe.
By February 2010, Swamiji was able to move into his new house that had been built on this land, and he lived here for his last three years, before he left his body in April of 2013. This is where he wrote Lessons in Self Realization and Love Perfected, Life Divine. He also recorded the Ask me about Truth video series and much more.
Swamiji created this property for sincere devotees, it remains a powerful and popular pilgrimage spot. Devotees from all over the world come to spend some time in the natural surroundings, feel Swamiji’s vibrations, meditate in his house and walk along the pathways where he would take his evening strolls.
Every religion teaches that in certain places on Earth there are holy vibrations. God is equally present everywhere, but in some places the divine vibrations are more potent, owing to the fact that divine miracles have been performed there, or that spiritual saints or masters have lived there.
If you go to places where masters have lived, the vibrations there will quicken your realization. That is the value of pilgrimages to holy places. The masters’ divine vibrations are still there, just as strong as when they were physically present. Those who are in tune will feel that presence. But first, one has to meditate and prepare himself. —Paramhansa Yogananda
We are grateful to have such a place here in India where we can feel his presence so tangibly. And we hope to keep this place of pilgrimage accessible and available to devotees from all over the world.
If you'd be interested in helping us work towards the beautification of Swamiji's house and the immediate surroundings, to preserve it as a place of inspiration and meditation, then you can find out more about contributing towards this here.
Currently these facilities serve as a meditation and yoga retreat center within the context of Ananda Kriya Yogashram, where people come from all over the world for personal retreats or seclusions, or to explore the vast and life-changing teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. If you've been inspired by your time here and would like to help us keep this ashram going, you can find out more about donating towards this here.
