Yogananda's Kolkata

In the Footsteps of the Autobiography of a Yogi
27–30 December 2011

Yogananda with his guru, Sri Yukteswar

Yogananda's attic room, where he found God

"What I had merely read or heard came alive in a new way. Yogananda's family members generously shared their homes and time so that we become more closely attached to his larger spiritual family."—P.K., San Francisco, CA

"Every aspect was so well planned and meticulously and lovingly executed: travelling, lodging, meditating at different places together, and satsangs. It was if Yogananda himself were there to take care of me."—S.P., New Delhi

The Heart of the Autobiography of a Yogi
Is the City of Kolkata . . .

Immeasurable blessings emanate from the places where Paramhansa Yogananda and Sri Yukteswar lived and meditated. That power is as alive today as always. Ananda has been leading pilgrimages to Kolkata, our most popular destination, for over 20 years, and we share a deep friendship with Yogananda's family and other custodians of these shrines . . .

Slideshow of Past Kolkata Pilgrimages

Pilgrimage Highlights

• Paramhansa Yogananda's boyhood home at 4, Garpar Road
• Sri Yukteswar's hermitage in Serampore
  
• Banyan tree where Babaji came to Sri Yukteswar
  
• Kali Temple at Dakshineswar, home to Sri Ramakrishna
  
• Daily group kirtan, meditation, and spiritual practices
• Meditation at each pilgrimage site
  
  

Tentative Schedule

Monday 26 December:
Board Duronto Express; leave New Delhi 8:05 pm. Or, reach Kolkata on your own by the morning of 27 December and meet us at hotel.

Tuesday 27 December:
Train arrives Kolkata 12:25 pm. Bus pick-up; check-in hotel. Lunch around 1:30 pm. We'll spend the afternoon at Yogananda's boyhood home at 4, Garpar Road. It is now the residence of his brother's grandson, Somnath Ghosh. Somnath and his wife and children lovingly maintain the home and share it as a shrine. They welcome us and make us feel like one of the family, sharing stories, family relics, and photos.  

We'll visit, chant, and meditate, and each of us will have the opportunity to spend time in the small attic meditation room where Yogananda said, "I found God". We'll also be able to meditate in the bedroom where Babaji came to Yogananda, giving his blessing to the one he had chosen to take the timeless teachings of yoga to the West.

We'll return to hotel for dinner and a satsang.

Wednesday 28 December:
We'll have group meditation and breakfast at the hotel. Just around the corner from Yogananda's home in Kolkata is the family home of his boyhood friend and disciple, Tulsi Bose. Yogananda stayed here during his return visit to India in 1935-36, cared for by Tulsi's wife, Martan Ma. It's now the residence of Tulsi's daughter, Hassi. We'll meditate in this home, a shrine in its own right, with its own relics and treasures, including the beds of Sri Yukteswar and Yogananda. Hassi will greet us, be with us, and serve us lunch.  

After lunch we'll walk to the home of Bhaduri Mahasaya, the "levitating saint", and meditate there. Then we'll drive to the Kali Temple in Dakshineswar, just outside Kolkata on the banks of the Ganges delta. Yogananda visited this temple with his sister Roma and her husband. Here he entered cosmic consciousness and the image of Kali came alive before him, granting his request that Roma's husband become spiritually awakened. We'll chant and meditate at this powerful spot. 

Sri Ramakrishna, one of the best-known masters of India, lived at this temple many years along with Sarada Devi, his spiritual companion. We'll be able to meditate in his room, where he and his disciples spent many hours. In the early evening we'll drive back to the hotel.

Thursday 29 December:
We'll travel by bus to Serampore, the small town where Sri Yukteswar had his hermitage, and where Yogananda spent 10 years in training with his guru. We'll visit Sri Yukteswar's bedroom and meditate in a shrine built on the site of the hermitage. We'll then walk down Rai Ghat Lane to sing chants under the banyan tree where Babaji greeted Sri Yukteswar after he completed writing The Holy Science.

We'll also visit and have lunch with other members of Yogananda's family, and meditate at the ashram of Motilal Thakur, a close disciple of Sri Yukteswar. We'll return to our hotel early evening.

Friday 30 December:
After meditation and breakfast, we will return to visit and mediate at Tulsi Bose's and Yogananda's homes. We will then share lunch and a farewell gathering with Yogananda's family. After lunch about 2:30, transportation will take pilgrims to airport and to Sealdah train station.  

Saturday 31 December:
Sealdah Rajdhani train arrives New Delhi 10:20 am.

Accommodations, Meals, and Transportation

Our hotel in Kolkata for 3 nights is the 3-star Indismart Hotel. All meals are included. Transportation within Kolkata will be by comfortable a/c bus.

How to Reach Kolkata

Arrival: You may arrive on your own and meet us at Indismart Hotel in Salt Lake about 30 minutes from airport. Plan to arrive at hotel any time on the morning of 27 December, so you can meet the group for lunch at 1:30 pm. It may be possible to check in before the group arrives, if rooms are available. Some pilgrims from Delhi will fly; others of us will take the overnight Duronto Express train, departing New Delhi 26 December at 8:05 pm. A bus will meet this train and take us to the hotel.

Departure: At about 2:30 pm on 30 December, we'll depart Yogananda's home to drop pilgrims at the airport and to Sealdah train station. Your flight should depart after 5:30 pm to partake of group transport.  Some Delhi pilgrims will fly; others may take the Sealdah Rajdhani Express train which leaves Sealdah station at 4:50 pm, arriving in New Delhi 10:45 am on 31 December. You'll pay for your own transfer if you need to reach airport at a different time, or go to a different train station.

Programme Fees

Double occupancy (Rs. 17,000)
Single occupancy   (Rs. 22,500)

If you wish train transportation from Delhi we can purchase tickets for you at an additional cost:
     Delhi-Kolkata  1-way Duronto  2nd/AC class, including meals: Rs. 2,000
     Kolkata- Delhi 1-way Rajdhani 2nd/AC class, including meals: Rs. 2,000

The pilgrimage begins at Indismart Hotel at lunch on 27 December and ends after lunch at Garpar Road on 30 December.

The programme fee includes all group transportation in Kolkata, lodging and 3 meals a day, and hotel tips.

Not included in the programme fee are beverages; airport transfer if you arrive or depart on your own; donations at ashrams and Yogananda's shrines; medical care should you need it; personal trips in taxi or rickshaw; and personal hotel expenses such as laundry, telephone, or Internet.

Payments

Completed application form and 1st payment of Rs. 5,000 due by 20 September. Spaces are allotted in the order applications are received. Later applications will be accepted only if spaces are available. Payments by online transfer (please request bank details), cheque, or bank draft payable to "Ananda Sangha", or in person in Gurgaon by cash. Mail payment to Keshava Taylor, Ananda Sangha, B-10/8, DLF Phase I, Gurgaon (HR) 122 002. Your participation is confirmed only when we approve your application and receive 1st payment. Balance of fee due by 1 December.

In case of cancellation, Rs. 1,000 of the fee is non-refundable. Cancellation close to date of departure may incur additional costs.

Tour Leaders

This pilgrimage will be led by Keshava and Daya Taylor of Ananda Sangha India. They will be assisted full-time by a guide from Discover Tours, the Indian tour operator that has guided Ananda pilgrimages for 20 years.

Terms and Conditions	Application
About Ananda Pilgrimages	Letters from Pilgrimages