A view across the land, with sacred peepul and jamun trees on left and Shivlik mountain range in the distance
Guru Kripa Forest Hermitage is being built as the fulfillment of Swami Kriyananda’s expressed wish and legacy: to build a monastery for the monks of Ananda Sangha. The hermitage is founded on guidance provided by Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. Kriyananda wanted a hermitage where Ananda Sangha monks can live separate from others, even while actively serving. The monks’ seva involves spreading Yogananda’s teachings throughout India and South Asia, both online and in person.
The Hermitage will provide the ideal environment to inspire greater spiritual strength, depth, and inspired seva. Daily life at the hermitage will include group meditation and sadhana, online and office work, some daily gardening and chores, and a life in harmony with God and nature. The Ananda India monks are already living this life to a large degree.
Kriyananda wished his monastery monks to live and serve daily with their brother monks; thus, the Hermitage will not be a place for guests and visitors. It will include kutirs (small cottages) for monks, a temple for daily meditation, offices for online work, and a kitchen and dining hall. Abundant vegetable plots, along with various fruit and native trees, are already in progress as part of working with the land.
Guru Kripa means Guru’s Grace — the name that Kriyananda gave to his first home in India. It also describes the grace-filled filled journey that has led Ananda Sangha India to purchase land, secure legal permissions to build a monastery, and assemble a stellar team of architects, designers, and gardeners.
Learn more about A New Kind of Monastery.
Ananda India monastery monks
“Ananda isn’t a fixed thing or a crystallized form, but an ever-growing movement within the vision of Master, our line of gurus, and of their ray of consciousness
“I couldn’t have done it without their help. It was because I was trying to work in attunement with them that many miracles have happened along the way. God had only to withhold one important miracle for Ananda not to exist anymore. It has taken divine help, and lots of it, but it’s also taken our willingness and dedication.”
— Swami Kriyananda
Latest News
August 2025
Dear Friends,
Guru Kripa Forest Hermitage is showing visible and beautiful progress! The first five monk cottages now have walls, ceilings, and floors. The hundreds of trees we’ve planted are quickly growing. One more acre of land has been formally added to the Change of Land Use (CLU).
Five monk kutirs (cottages) will soon be ready for interior finishing: windows, cabinets, bathrooms, and more. Foundations are nearly complete on two more kutirs.
The walls are up on the Chela Bhavan house. This building will have a kitchen and dining room large enough to feed many monks, along with a living room and a rooftop laundry facility. Design work on the kitchen is nearly complete. Stairs next to the kitchen already lead down to a large root cellar for food storage. Construction will be begin soon on an outdoor dining patio..read more
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