Parmarth Niketan is an ashram located in Rishikesh,

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand ( , or ; , ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; the official name until 2007), is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" (literally 'Land of the Gods') due to its religious significance and ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Overview

Parmarth Niketan is situated in the lap of the lush

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...

, along the banks of the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

. The ashram was founded in 1942 by Pujya Swami Shukdevanandji Maharaj (1901–1965). Since 1986, Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji Maharaj is the President and Spiritual Head of Parmarth Niketan.H.H.Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji
For the last 25 years, Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati lives and teaches at the Parmarth Niketan Ashram. As the largest ashram in Rishikesh with over 1000 rooms, Parmarth Niketan provides a clean, pure and sacred atmosphere as well as abundant, beautiful gardens to thousands of pilgrims, who come from all corners of the Earth. The daily activities at Parmarth Niketan include daily

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consci ...

specializing in Vinyasa yoga, general Hatha yoga and

yoga Nidra Yoga nidra ( sa, योग निद्रा, ) or yogic sleep in modern usage is a state of consciousness between waking and sleeping, typically induced by a guided meditation. A state called yoga nidra is mentioned in the Upanishads and the ...

. Daily activities also include morning universal prayers and meditation classes, daily

satsang A satsanga (), also rendered satsang, refers to the practice of gathering in the company of good people for the performance of devotional activities. It also refers to an audience with a Satguru for yogic instruction. Satsangas are group events, ...

and lecture programs, kirtan, a

Ganga aarti The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

at sunset attended by hundreds of visitors each day at the shore of Ganges, as well as Nature Cure and Ayurvedic treatment and training. Parmarth Niketan is the home to a 14 feet

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

statue on the banks of the Ganges which provides a perfect view to the ashram. The divine tree of heaven

Kalpavriksha Kalpavriksha () is a wish-fulfilling divine tree in Indian religions, like Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Its earliest descriptions are mentioned in Sanskrit literature. It is also a popular theme in Jain cosmology and Buddhism. ...

was planted at the premises of this ashram by Vijaypal Baghel of Himalaya Vahini. Additionally, there are frequently special cultural and spiritual programs given by visiting revered saints, acclaimed musicians, spiritual and social leaders, and others. There are frequent camps in which pilgrims come from across the world to take part in intensive courses on yoga, meditation,

pranayama Pranayama is the yogic practice of focusing on breath. In Sanskrit, '' prana'' means "vital life force", and ''yama'' means to gain control. In yoga, breath is associated with ''prana'', thus, pranayama is a means to elevate the '' prana'' ''sh ...

, stress management,

acupressure Acupressure is an alternative medicine technique often used in conjunction with acupuncture or reflexology. It is based on the concept of life energy, which flows through "meridians" in the body. In treatment, physical pressure is applied to acu ...

Reiki is a Japanese form of energy healing, a type of alternative medicine. Reiki practitioners use a technique called ''palm healing'' or ''hands-on healing'' through which a " universal energy" is said to be transferred through the palms of the ...

, Ayurveda and other ancient Indian sciences. Parmarth Niketan is also the headquarters of the Swami Shukdevanand Trust, a non-profit, religious/spiritual organization dedicated to religion, spirituality and culture, founded in 1942 by Pujya Swami Shukdevanandji Maharaj and registered in 1962 under the Societies Registration Act.Swami Shukdevanand Trust
Parmarth Niketan is open to all visitors, with no discrimination on the basis of race, nationality, religion, caste or creed.

Gallery

File:Parmarth2.jpg, Parmarth Niketan view from

File:Shiva in rishikesh.jpg, A statue of

meditating at Parmarth Niketan on the

File:Statue of lord Shiva at the Parmarth Niketan, in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India.jpg, Shiva meditating in Rishikesh

References

External links

Parmarth Niketan, Official website
{{Dehradun Ashrams Religious organisations based in India Organisations based in Uttarakhand Rishikesh Religious organizations established in 1942 1942 establishments in India