Accommodation

There is a small Guest House at Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, with limited facilities. The summer guest season is from 11 March – 20 June (dates may vary). The autumn guest season is from  11 Sept. – 20 Nov. (dates may vary) The period allowed for a devotee to stay here is 2 or 3 nights. 

No stranger is allowed to stay at Mayavati Ashrama. Prior written permission from the Adhyaksha of the Ashrama is mandatory. For this purpose, correspondence should be made through email: [email protected] This email ID belongs to Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata branch office. We operate the whole booking process from Kolkata office through this email ID. We do not accept any application offline. Please scroll down this page and peruse more information in English / Bengali in the ‘Notice’ portion.

Guest House

Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati

NOTICE

  • No email request will be processed / answered for Durga Puja holidays from 1 Oct. to 6 Oct., 2022. Phone calls during this time are useless and unexpected.   

  • Booking for the month of September & October, 2022 have been closed. 
  • Devotees may send request through emails for ‘consideration’ .If the applicants do not meet the eligibility criteria the accommodation request can be rejected (through email). Therefore we request you NOT TO PURCHASE TICKETS before your accommodation is confirmed by us via email.
  • Email ID: [email protected]  The whole booking process will be completed exclusively through this email ID from Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata branch office.  We do not accept any application offline at our Kolkata branch office.
  • Only after receiving a confirmation letter from us should you proceed to book railway / air tickets or make necessary arrangements for your trip.  We understand that nowadays Indian Railways allow four months ( 120 days ) advance booking.   We regret any inconvenience caused in this regard. Please do  not insist on us over the telephone in this regard.
  • We receive requests through email from all over India as well as all over the world. We attend each email consecutively. So, kindly allow us few working days for reply. 

  • Booking requests could be sent for :  

           November: 1 to 13 (2022).

  • Due to some official reason no booking request will be accepted for the following time slots :

          14 to 20 November, 2022.

  • For the booking of next year summer (i.e. 11 March – 20 June 2023 / dates  may vary) please check our website in November, 2022.

বিজ্ঞপ্তি

  • দুর্গাপূজার ছুটি থাকায় ১-৬ অক্টোবর ২০২২  বুকিং এর কোন প্রকার কাজ হবে না। এই সময়ে বুকিং এর জন্য ফোন কল একেবারেই অপ্রত্যাশিত।
  • সেপ্টেম্বর এবং অক্টোবর ২০২২  এর বুকিং শেষ হয়ে গেছে ।
  • ২০২২ এর পূজোর সময়ের (১১ সেপ্টেম্বর থেকে ২০ নভেম্বের) বুকিং এর জন্য ভক্তরা  থেকে ইমেইল এর মাধ্যমে  ‘বিবেচনা’র জন্য  আবেদন পাঠাতে পারেন। আবেদন বিবেচিত হলে বা না হলে ইমেইল মারফৎ জানিয়ে দেওয়া হবে।
  •  ইমেইল : [email protected]  এই আইডিটির মাধ্যমে অদ্বৈত আশ্রম, কলকাতা থেকেই বুকিং এর সম্পূর্ণ প্রক্রিয়া ইমেইল এর মাধ্যমে সম্পন্ন হয়। অফলাইন বা সরাসরি, বুকিং এর কোন আবেদনপত্র গ্রহণ করা হয় না। 

  • যদিও ভারতীয় রেলের টিকিট বুকিং এর নতুন নিয়ম অনুসারে ১২০ দিন আগে টিকিট কাটার নিয়ম রয়েছে, তবুও আবেদনকারী / ভক্তদের কাছে আমাদের অনুরোধ, তাঁরা যেন ই-মেলের মাধ্যমে আমাদের অনুমতি-পত্র / Confirmation Letter পাওয়ার পরই ট্রেন বা বিমানের টিকিট reserve করেন। এক্ষেত্রে, যেকোন ধরণের অসুবিধার জন্য আমরা দুঃখিত। এব্যাপারে, বারংবার ফোন কল একেবারেই অপ্রত্যাশিত !

  • বুকিং এর জন্য দেশ–বিদেশ থেকে আমাদের কাছে ইমেইল মারফৎ একের পর এক আবেদন আসতে থাকে। তাই সবাইকে অনুরোধ, ইমেইল পাঠানোর পর উত্তর দেবার জন্য আমাদের কিছুদিন সময় দেওয়ার জন্য। বুকিং তাড়াতাড়ি ক’রে দেবার জন্য বলে বারংবার ফোন করা যাবে না ; কারণ জরুরি ভিত্তিতে বা টেলিফোনে কোন প্রকার বুকিং হয় না।

  • এই সময় পর্বগুলির জন্য বুকিং এর অনুরোধ জানানো যাবে –   

           নভেম্বর  >   ১ – ১৩  (২০২২)  

  • বিশেষ কারণবশতঃ নিম্নলিখিত সময় পর্ব গুলিতে বুকিং এর কোন অনুরোধ নেওয়া হবে না –

           ১৪ থেকে ২০ নভেম্বর, (২০২২)।

  • ২০২৩ এর গ্রীষ্মকালীন বুকিং এর জন্য নভেম্বর (২০২২) মাসে আমাদের ওয়েবসাইট দেখুন।

A brief history of
Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati

(Swami Vivekananda stayed here in 1901)

Swamiji had always been attracted by the Himalayas, the land of tyaga (renunciation) and yoga, the domain of Lord Shiva. During his tour of the Swiss Alps the idea to found an ashrama in similar conditions in India took shape. When Swamiji returned from the West in 1897 and roused India by his tremendous personality and message, comatose religion too was rejuvenated. In Almora, he inspired Captain Sevier and Mrs. Sevier along with Swami Swarupananda, his disciple, to commence looking for a place to house an ashrama ‘dedicated to advaita’. They found it in Mayavati, 6,400 ft. above sea level, surrounded by mountains on three sides, one side opening to a breathtaking view of the snow-capped Himalayan range.

The Advaita Ashrama was inaugurated in March 1899. Belur Math, established earlier, approved of its objects and principles and recognized Advaita Ashrama as its branch. Swamiji paid the Ashrama a visit in January 1901 and stayed for a fortnight.

There have been hardships but when one has a great ideal to live by, hardships become insignificant. Advaita Ashrama had a press of its own and the first editions of Swami Vivekananda’s works, his life, etc. were published from Mayavati, besides Prabuddha Bharata, the monthly journal. Following the laws of inevitability, a good library stocked with excellent books naturally grew.

The object of the ashrama was to study, practise and preach the Advaita philosophy free from ritualistic settings, and also to train others in spreading it. The ashrama in a short time became a melting pot, as it were, of the best minds of the east and the west. It helped spread the core Advaita doctrine, that of the Atman beyond body and mind, which it clothed in novel ways to suit different disciplines and temperaments. The other focus was a creation of a huge body of Vedantic, Ramakrishna-Holy Mother-Vivekananda literature in Sanskrit-English, English and Hindi. This is acting as a launching pad for the spiritual, philosophical, psychological and cultural awakening all over the world.

Mayavati Route Map

Mayavati Brochure & Route Map

One can reach Mayavati either from Bareilly, Delhi, Lucknow, or Almora. From Kolkata one may travel to Bareilly by train on the Akal Takt Express (or Upasana Express, if one is going to Shyamla Tal), and then from Bareilly to Mayavati by private car or bus to Lohaghat. From Delhi there is direct bus service at night to Pithoragarh. The bus reaches the Lohaghat bus stand the following morning. From there one can go to Mayavati by private car or hired jeep. From Lucknow one has to travel by train to Tanakpur by the Nainital Express. There is a through compartment in second-class from Lucknow to Tanakpur. Passengers travelling by first-class compartment have to change trains at Pilibhit in the early hours of the morning (4 am) and board another train going to Tanakpur which usually waits at another platform. It reaches Tanakpur at about 9.30 a.m. Otherwise at Pilibhit one can also get a bus at 4 am that reaches Tanakpur at about 5.30 am. From Tanakpur one can reach Lohaghat in about five hours by a public bus and four hours in a share taxi. From Almora one can travel by bus to Lohaghat, reaching there in about six hours. From Haldwani or Kathgodam one can come to Lohaghat via Bhowali-Sahar Phatak-Devidhura route.
 
The last lap of the journey, from Lohaghat to Mayavati (9 km.), can be done in a hired jeep. The fare is usually Rs. 300 for a round trip. Guests travelling by bus from Tanakpur or Almora usually cannot arrive at Mayavati by noon, so they are advised to have their lunch at Champawat or Lohaghat or at any other suitable bus stop on the way. Private cars are also available at Bareilly, Tanakpur, Lohaghat, Almora, etc.
Download Mayavati Brochure

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