Omkarananda Ashram Himalayas

Omkarananda Ashram Himalayas is a living dharmic institution set on the western bank of the Ganga at Shivanandanagar, in the Muni Ki Reti belt just upriver of Rishikesh and within easy walking distance of Ram Jhula and Lakshman Jhula.

• Founded by Paramahamsa Omkarananda Saraswati — a Garhwal-born sage, philosopher and prolific writer — the ashram grew from the 1960s onward into a cluster of temples, guest houses, schools and cultural academies threaded along the riverfront.
• Its best-known landmark is the Omkarananda Ganga Sadan, a large multi-storey complex rising directly above the Ganga, whose terraces and ghats give pilgrims an unhurried place to sit, pray and watch the river slide down out of the mountains.
• At the devotional heart of the ashram stands the Omkarananda Dipeshwar Mandir, its principal Shiva shrine, alongside the Omkarananda-Kamakshi-Devi Mandir, the Shri Mahakala-Bhairava Mandir and the Omkarananda-Shanta-Durga Mandir.
• Daily worship follows the classical Shaivite and Shakta rhythm — morning and evening aarti, abhishekam of the Shivalinga with water, milk, bilva leaves and flowers, and the ringing of temple bells that carries across the water.
• Unlike the crowd-magnet ghats downstream, the atmosphere here is contemplative and residential; the ashram is first a place of practice and study, and visitors are received as guests within that discipline.
• What distinguishes Omkarananda from many Rishikesh ashrams is its cultural and educational mission.
• It runs the Omkarananda Saraswati Natya Kala Academy, where Bharatanatyam and classical Indian dance and music are taught and performed, and it supports schools, a college and Sanskrit scholarship, so that spiritual life sits beside the performing arts and learning.
• Ayurveda, yoga and meditation feature in the ashram's broader wellness ethos, in keeping with Rishikesh's identity as the world's yoga capital.
• Rishikesh is a holy city that is vegetarian and alcohol-free by law, and the ashram itself observes strict satvik discipline: any meals served to residents and guests are simple, pure-vegetarian and often prepared without onion and garlic.
• For travelling vegetarians this makes the whole Muni Ki Reti riverfront effortless — German Bakery-style cafes, thali kitchens and pilgrim bhojanalayas line the lanes toward Ram Jhula, all wholly meat-free.
• Come for the riverside calm, the temple aarti and a glimpse of classical dance kept alive on the banks of the Ganga.