We have tentatively scheduled this pilgrimage for Wednesday to Friday, 9 – 11 July 2025. We’ll announce the price, and open registrations very soon.
One day of the year, on Guru Purnima, Lahiri Mahasaya’s home in Varanasi is open for devotees to have darshan. To be in his home, for even this brief darshan, is a unique blessing.
Varanasi, the oldest-surviving city in the world, radiates timeless wisdom. Great saints like Adi Shankaracharya, Gautama Buddha, and Mahavatar Babaji lived here. It was in Varanasi that Paramhansa Yoganandaji first met Swami Sri Yukteswar.
Here lived the now famous but ever humble Yogavatar, Lahiri Mahasaya, who, with the blessing of Mahavatar Babaji, resurrected Kriya Yoga and began a quiet revolution that has spread around the world.
The home where Lahiri Mahasaya lived, meditated, and taught his disciples is preserved as it was when he was there, more than 100 years ago. It is available for darshan only on this one day of the year.
In the same neighborhood is Satyalok, an ashram that has been passed down in Lahiri’s family. We’ll meditate there, near Lahiri’s samadhi, which contains a portion of his ashes.
We’ll visit Varanasi’s famous Kashi Vishwanath temple and Dashashwamedh Ghat, where Babaji and his sister Mataji appeared before Ram Gopal Muzumdar. Another destination is the temple of Trailanga Swami, Lahiri Mahasaya’s 300-year-old friend, with whom he would meditate.
Our hotel is less than a 10-minute walk to Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Manikarnika burning ghat, and Dashashwamedh Ghat, where at sunset we plan to attend the Ganga arati.
This pilgrimage will be led by teachers from Ananda Sangha Delhi.
Ananda Pilgrimages are not so much about sightseeing and doing as about being—being in a place of high spiritual vibration and learning to relax and open your heart to receive blessings. Meditating as a group in these holy spots reinforces their power. On pilgrimage, we meditate together in the mornings, and at each place, we visit. The flavour of the pilgrimage is inward—one of communion and meditation.
Glimpses from Previous Trips
Our Schedule
| Wednesday, 9 July | |
| Arrival on your own at the hotel (flights arriving by 1 pm), check-in. | |
| 3:45 pm | Opening gathering, introduction, and sharing |
| Boat ride, meditation, and Ganga Arati at Dashashwamedh Ghat | |
| Dinner at hotel | |
| Thursday, 10 July | |
| Energisation, chanting, and meditation at the hotel | |
| 9:00 am | Meet to walk to Lahiri Mahasaya’s home. |
| Darshan at Satyalok | |
| Lunch on your own | |
| Afternoon darshan at Kashi Vishwanath Temple | |
| 5:00 pm | Visit to the ashram of Anandamayee Ma |
| Dinner at Hotel | |
| Friday, 11 July | |
| 5:30 am | Sunrise boat ride to Trailanga Swami temple for meditation |
| Breakfast and check out from your rooms. | |
| Closing circle and leave to the airport. | |
Getting Around
When possible, we will reach our destinations by boat. Taxis and autos cannot negotiate the narrow lanes close to the river, so we will also do a good deal of walking. Our hotel’s central location means we need to walk no more than 20 minutes at a time. However, the pavement can be uneven, with many steep steps down to the river. The weather will be hot and it will be monsoon. In the unlikely event of the river level rising very high, we would adjust our mode of transport. One needs to be in good shape to maneuver the lanes and ghats of Varanasi.
Our Hotel
Rooms have simple furnishings, A/C, and an attached bath. Breakfast and dinner are included.
Arrival & Departure
You would arrive on your own at the hotel. Taxis from the airport take one to 1½ hours, cost around Rs. 2000.
Our hotel is located in the main market, just 500 meters before Dashashwamedh Ghat. Access from the airport is by private taxi only, not larger vehicles. The road is closed to cars from 5 to 8 pm, due to the Ganga arati.
The pilgrimage officially begins at the hotel after lunch on the 9th July and ends at the hotel before lunch on the 11th July.
Flights
You would arrive the morning of the 9th July by 1 pm and depart late afternoon or evening of the 11th July after 3 pm. Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai have several direct flights to Varanasi. From other cities, you may need to combine flights to reach Varanasi. Also, many trains reach Varanasi.
Programme Fees
We’ll announce the price, and open registrations very soon.
If you don’t have a roommate, we’ll try to connect you with another single pilgrim of the same sex. If a roommate can’t be found, you’ll pay for single occupancy. If you snore, we ask you to room with someone you know well or pay for single occupancy.
The program fee includes all group transportation; lodging; breakfasts and dinners; and group tips. Not included in the fee are lunches, snacks, and beverages; travel to and from Varanasi; transfer from the airport or train station to the hotel; medical care should you need it; donations at ashrams; and personal hotel expenses such as room service or laundry.
Payments
A completed application form and payment are both needed to confirm your space. We ask for full payment at the time of application.