For almost 20 years, the pilgrimages organized by Ananda to the Himalayas have been guiding devotees to the small and remote ashram of Bankhandi Maharaj (Swami Akhandanand Saraswati).

His deep love for nature, for animals, and for plants, along with his profound devotion to the Divine Mother—whom he sees as Nature itself—has led us to lovingly nickname him Baba Saint Francis or the Tiger Swami.

There isn’t much known about his life, except that it has been entirely dedicated to spiritual practices on the peaks of the high Himalayas, between Nepal and India. In the late 1970s, the Divine Mother appeared to him in a vision, asking him to create a temple for Her in a special place, on a mountain in the state of Uttaranchal, in the region of Sattal, and to light a sacred fire as a symbol of Her presence. The Yogi accepted the Divine Mother’s request and journeyed to that place, where there was nothing but forest. Over the years, he gave life to the small ashram we know today. Since then, the sacred fire has always burned, and the divine presence remains ever-active.

Bankhandi Maharaj is a true example of the ancient lifestyle of the Himalayan Yogis. To come into contact with this dimension of being is, for us, a rare opportunity to experience something uplifting and transformative, which is rarely encountered on typical tourist paths.

Swami Bankhandi, who will turn 105 this year, has only begun traveling outside of India in the last ten years. It will be a great honor and a profound blessing to host him for 12 days in our community.