Parmarth Niketan, Rishikesh

Parmarth Niketan, on the bank of the Ganga at Rishikesh, is the largest ashram in the town and one of the best-known spiritual centres of the Himalayan foothills. Founded in 1942, it is famous for its great riverside Ganga Aarti at dusk, its towering image of Shiva seated in the river, and its teaching of yoga and meditation to seekers from across the world.

The evening Ganga Aarti

As the light fades each evening, the ashram’s ghat fills for the Ganga Aarti, when lamps are raised to the river to the sound of chanting and bhajans led by the ashram’s young students. The flames, the singing and the dark flowing Ganga draw visitors and pilgrims alike, and the aarti has become one of the signature sights of Rishikesh.

An ashram of yoga and service

Founded in 1942 by Swami Shukdevanand and led in recent decades by Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswati, Parmarth Niketan offers a daily round of prayer, yoga and meditation, hosts the annual International Yoga Festival, and runs works of education, river-cleaning and social service. Its riverside campus, with hundreds of rooms, gardens and a great seated Shiva by the water, is built for retreat as much as worship.

In the yoga capital

Rishikesh, the gateway to the Himalayan shrines and a world centre of yoga, gives the ashram its setting between the river and the hills. Pilgrims pause here on the way to the Char Dham, and seekers come to study, to sit by the Ganga, and to take the darshan of the river at the evening aarti.

How to reach Parmarth Niketan

• By road: the ashram is at Swarg Ashram, on the east bank of the Ganga at Rishikesh, near Ram Jhula.
• By train: Rishikesh and Haridwar are the nearest railheads.
• By air: Dehradun (Jolly Grant) Airport is about 20 km away.

Frequently Asked Questions

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