Tracing Swami Vivekananda’s footsteps In Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand resonates with the spiritual vibrations of thousands of saints who have meditated in its pristine environs through the annals of time. Swami Vivekananda too was drawn by the mystical magic of the region which he believed was the birthplace of the Vedas. The magnetic pull of the beauty of the Himalayan region saw two young monks setting off in search of the eternal truth into what is now the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand. The year was 1890 and the young monks were Swami Vivekananda and Akhandananda.

The pursuit of the inner truth led the monks deep into the forests of Kumaon starting from a place named Kathgodam from where they moved to Nainital, and soon the hallowed feet of Swami Vivekananda touched the blessed soil of Kakrighat, a place nestling on the banks of the river Kosi. The place was so enchanting that Swami Vivekananda turned to his companion, saying, “what a charming place this is and so wonderful for meditation”. Swami Vivekananda bathed in the flowing Kosi River and sat down for meditation underneath a Peepal tree and was soon immersed in a deep trance of meditation. When he emerged from his meditation, he was a changed man. He addressed Akhandananda saying, “Oh, Gangadhar! I have just passed through one of the greatest moments of my life.” “Here, under this Peepal tree, one of the greatest problems of my life has been solved. I have found the oneness of the macrocosm with the microcosm, in the microcosm of the body, everything that is there in the macrocosm exists. I have seen the whole universe within an atom”.

A Peepal tree which is a clone of the original tree stands at the very spot that Swami Vivekananda meditated more than 100 years ago.

Advaita Ashram

It had been Swami Vivekananda’s dream to establish a monastery in the heavenly environs of the Kumaon region where the peaceful serenity would itself spur meditation and introspection. To this end he had requested his disciples, James and Charlotte Sevier and Swami Swarupananda to look for a suitable place to establish the monastery. The result was the establishment of the Advaita Ashram in Mayawati in the year 1899, with an aim to study, practice, and disseminate the Advaita philosophy.

A visit to the serene environs of the Mayawati Ashram has a calming effect on the mind and even today one can feel the presence of Swami Vivekananda in its beautifully landscaped gardens and its library where once the great man had meditated.

The Kumaon region and more specifically the district of Almora is full of places that Swami Vivekananda covered along with his companion when they set off free from worldly encumbrances, with just the clothes they were wearing and armed with begging bowls. Swami Vivekananda visited Uttarakhand again in 1897 and sanctified many of the places with his presence.

Places like Sitlakhet, Shyamlatal, Nainital, Lohaghat, Almora, and of course Kakrighat and Mayawati still resonate with the unseen presence of Swami Vivekananda. The voice of Swami Vivekananda can be heard even today in the depths of the silence of Uttarakhand’s rivers, forests, and mountains, one just needs to listen attentively.