ANANDA ASHRAMA was founded in Southern California in 1923 by Swami Paramananda as an extension of the Vedanta Centre in Boston. Situated in the foothills of the Sierra Madre Mountains, at an altitude of more than 2000 feet, the ashrama covers 120 acres of hillsides, canyons and meadows. Trees, gardens and rock-lined pathways provide a peaceful retreat for spiritual study and prayer.
The ashrama is a non-sectarian place of worship dedicated to all the religions of the world, where people of different faiths may come together and worship the One Spirit Who is called by many names. Our philosophy is based on the universal teachings of Vedanta as expounded by India's 19th century mystic and world teacher, Sri Ramakrishna. His chief disciple Swami Vivekananda brought Vedanta to the West in 1893.
The Vedanta Centre of Boston was founded in 1909 by Vivekananda's youngest disciple, Swami Paramananda. Another Ananda Ashrama was established on the South Shore of Massachusetts in Cohasset in 1929. This sister ashrama is now the permanent headquarters of the Vedanta Centre.
Ananda is the Sanskrit word for bliss. An ashrama is a spiritual retreat. Ananda Ashrama, therefore, is a retreat where one strives to live by and practice spiritual life in order to realize the joy of the Divine.
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