Anandamayi Ma Ashram

Tucked into the tranquil Bhadaini quarter of southern Varanasi, a short walk from Assi and Kedar ghats, the Anandamayi Ma Ashram is a serene riverside retreat founded by the revered Bengali woman-saint Sri Sri Ma Anandamayi (1896-1982).

• Rising above the Ganga on land she acquired in 1944, its whitewashed halls, flower-filled courtyards and the soft ring of temple bells offer a hushed counterpoint to the city's crowded lanes - a place devotees and curious travellers alike come to breathe, reflect and simply be still.
• Ma Anandamayi, born Nirmala Sundari in Kheora village (now in Bangladesh), was celebrated across India as a mystic of perpetual bliss - the meaning of the name her devotees gave her in the 1920s.
• Through the tireless devotion of her close attendant Gurupriya Devi, the Ananda Kanyapith, a residential school offering girls both spiritual and general education, was established here at Chaitra Navaratri in 1945, and for a time this ashram served as the head office of the Shree Shree Anandamayee Sangha.
• On 30 April 1968 the graceful Ananda Jyoti Mandir was consecrated within the compound, adding to shrines dedicated to Annapurna and Shiva.
• The ashram remains a living centre of practice rather than a museum, wrapped around a large yajna hall where fire rituals were once performed for world peace.
• Mornings and evenings bring soft bhajan, the blowing of the conch and arati, while the meditation hall invites unhurried silence.
• Visitors should dress modestly, remove footwear at the shrines, keep voices low and ask before photographing devotees or the inner sanctum.
• Entry is free; a small donation towards the ashram's upkeep and its girls' school is always welcomed.
• Vegetarian travellers will feel entirely at home: like all traditional ashrams, the kitchen here is strictly satvik - no meat, egg, onion, garlic or alcohol - and simple prasad or a langar-style meal may be shared with visitors on festival days.
• For a fuller meal nearby, the pure-vegetarian sweet houses and thali kitchens of Sonarpura and Godowlia are close at hand; do ask for plain sweet lassi, as some riverfront stalls sell bhang (cannabis) thandai that is best avoided.