Hindu Ashrams and Hindu Organizations

Maa Anandamayi Ashram

Ma Anandamayi
Ma Anandamayi was born on April 30, 1896, as 'Nirmala Sundari', in Kheora village of East Bengal (now Bangladesh). Right from childhood, Sri Sri Ma Anandamayi gave signs of her divinity. Being born in a priestly community of Bengal, she was exposed to meditation and religious rituals at a very tender age. There was a spiritual aura that radiated from her all the time.

One of the most influential spiritual personalities of the 20th century, she got married at a very young age. Her husband also realized the divinity in her and became one of her most loyal followers. A guru never formally initiated Shree Shree Ma Anandamayee. Infact, it is said that she initiated herself, when she heard the chanting of the mantras inside herself. Ma left for the holy abode on 27th August 1982 at Kankhal, Haridwar.

Philosophy of Sri Sri Ma Anandamayi
Each and every Sri Sri Ma Anandamayi Ashram promotes her philosophy. Ma mainly believed in serving others, without the expectation of any return. She encouraged her followers to serve mankind and in return, not to hope for anything, even praise or acknowledgement. As per her philosophy, asking for something in return would make the service lose its value.

Along with that, Shree Shree Ma Anandamayee also preached that a person should detach himself from the world and engage in religious activities. However, she never advised people to worship one particular God. For her, devotion of the worshipper was more important than the form of God. For her, devotion towards God was the path to the ultimate truth or the realization of the supreme. Ma regarded all religions, all forms of life and even inanimate objects as expressions of the eternal truth.

List of Sri Sri Ma Anandamayi Ashrams

In India

  • Agarpara - Calcutta

  • Agartala - West Tripura

  • Almora - Uttranchal

  • Bhimpura - Baroda

  • Bhopal - Madhya Pradesh

  • Dehradun - Uttranchal

  • Jamshedpur - Bihar

  • Kankhal - Haridwar

  • Kedarnath - Uttranchal

  • Naimisharanya - Uttar Pradesh

  • New Delhi

  • Pune - Maharashtra

  • Puri - Orissa

  • Rajgir - Bihar

  • Ranchi - Bihar

  • Tarapeeth - West Bengal

  • Uttarkashi - Uttranchal

  • Varanasi - Uttar Pradesh

  • Vindhyachal - Uttar Pradesh

  • Vrindavan - Uttar Pradesh

In Bangladesh

  • Dhaka

  • Kheora

Shree Shree Ma Anandamayee Ashram, Haridwar
During her lifetime, Ma Anandamayi visited Swami Akhandananda Giri's Ashram in Kankhal quite frequently. Since she was quite attached to Kankhal, her devotees decided to build an international center there, devoted to Ma and her philosophy. Known as the Shree Ma Anandamayee International Centre, it is a place where Indians as well as foreigners study and meditate upon the meaning and message of Vedanta.

       

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