Gurudev's Tapasya Kutir

When Gurudev Swami Sivananda came to Rishikesh in search of the Almighty, he had occupied a small kutir in Ramnagar. But in the devastating flood of 1923, it was washed away. He came to Swargashram and occupied this Sadhana Kutir towards the end of 1923 or in the early 1924. And this secluded kutir witnessed for ten years such intense sadhana that its parallel cannot be found in the modern age.

Rishikesh was a small village, which was not connected with paved road or railway. And the Muni-ki-reti area where the present Sivananda Ashram is situated was a small hamlet with a very few houses and some godowns. Gurudev had to go for bhiksha (free food) to Nepali Kshetra, opposite the present Andhra Ashram using Laxman Jhula. The unpaved road was along the Ganga till past Sheshadhara. But to avoid people, he used to climb the hill and go through the forest. This kutir was handed over to the Divine Life Society on the eve of the Sivananda Birth Centenary celebrations in 1987. Though this kutir was occupied by other sadhakas from 1934 till its possession was given to the Society, it contains that spiritual air and vibrations. When you visit this important place associated with Gurudev's intense sadhana, either sit for meditation or remember all the episodes of his life while living in this kutir to be maximum benefited.