Parmarth Niketan Ashram

About the centre

Parmarth Niketan is a large ashram at Swargashram in Rishikesh, on the bank of the Ganga in the Himalayan foothills. It is run as a charitable and spiritual institution and its website says its services make no distinctions of caste, colour, gender, creed or nationality.
The daily programme on the site includes morning prayers, daily yoga and meditation classes, satsang and lectures, kirtan and the Ganga Aarti at sunset, held at the ashram's ghat, with start times that change by season. Yoga and meditation courses run through the year, and the ashram hosts an annual International Yoga Festival. This is a spiritual community, not a medical or clinical centre, and the site lists no therapies or treatment.
The nearest airport for Rishikesh is Jolly Grant at Dehradun. Rooms and courses are booked through the ashram's own reservations page, so it is wise to ask about its house rules, dress and meal arrangements before you plan travel around a stay.

Who it suits

Visitors who want a simple ashram stay with daily yoga, meditation and the evening Ganga Aarti, rather than a treatment programme.

Programme types listed on the centre’s site

• Daily yoga classes
• Daily meditation
• Courses through the year

Questions to ask this centre

• Are rooms available on my dates, and is there a minimum stay or a donation expected?
• Which yoga and meditation classes are open to guests, and at what level?
• What house rules apply to dress, meals, alcohol and quiet hours?
• When does the sunset Ganga Aarti start in the season I will be there?
• How far in advance should I register for a course, and how do I pay?