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'''Mirtola''' is a village 10&nbsp;km away from [[Almora]], in [[Uttarakhand]] state in India. It is best known for an [[ashram]] by the same name, also called '''Uttar Brindaban''' ("[[Vrindavan|Brindaban]] of the North"), set up by Sri Yashoda Ma,<ref>[http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/lr/2003/05/04/stories/2003050400200200.htm The Hindu, 4 May 2003] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201190626/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/lr/2003/05/04/stories/2003050400200200.htm |date=1 December 2008 }} ''[[The Hindu]]'', 4 May 2003.</ref> a housewife turned ascetic in the 1930,<ref>Guru by Your Bedside, ''S. D. Pandey, pp. 45''</ref> along with her disciple [[Krishna Prem|Sri Krishna Prem]] (1898–1965),<ref>[http://www.hindu.com/br/2005/12/06/stories/2005120600071600.htm Testament of faith] ''[[The Hindu]]'', 6 December 2005.</ref> a mystic of the 20th Century. The ashram was later run by his disciple, Sri [[Madhava Ashish]] (1920–1997),<ref>[http://www.gurdjieff-internet.com/book_details.php?authID=2&BID=5&lang=English Madhav Ashish Biography]</ref> another Englishman, who also later settled in India.
'''Mirtola''' is a village 10&nbsp;km away from [[Almora]], in [[Uttarakhand]] state in India. It is best known for an [[ashram]] by the same name, also called '''Uttar Brindaban''' ("[[Vrindavan|Brindaban]] of the North"), set up by Sri Yashoda Ma,<ref>{{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20081201190626/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/lr/2003/05/04/stories/2003050400200200.htm The Hindu, 4 May 2003]}} ''[[The Hindu]]'', 4 May 2003.</ref> a housewife turned ascetic in the 1930,<ref>Guru by Your Bedside, ''S. D. Pandey, pp. 45''</ref> along with her disciple [[Krishna Prem|Sri Krishna Prem]] (1898–1965),<ref>[http://www.hindu.com/br/2005/12/06/stories/2005120600071600.htm Testament of faith] ''[[The Hindu]]'', 6 December 2005.</ref> a mystic of the 20th Century. The ashram was later run by his disciple, Sri [[Madhava Ashish]] (1920–1997),<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gurdjieff-internet.com/book_details.php?authID=2&BID=5&lang=English |title=Madhav Ashish Biography |access-date=18 December 2007 |archive-date=25 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825104030/http://www.gurdjieff-internet.com/book_details.php?authID=2&BID=5&lang=English |url-status=dead }}</ref> another Briton, who also later settled in India.


Mirtola is en route to [[Pithoragarh]] from Almora, 3&nbsp;km to the left of the main road after Panuanaula, 25&nbsp;km after [[Almora]]. The place is also known for a [[Radha Krishna|Radha-Krishna]] temple, Uttar Brindaban, built in 1931 <ref>Letters from Mirtola, Sri Krishna Prem and Sri Madhav Ashish, pp.89</ref> by Sri Yashoda Ma, the founder and the spiritual head of the ashram.<ref>[http://www.sumanroyalresort.com/excursion.html Excursions from Almora] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071119081012/http://www.sumanroyalresort.com/excursion.html |date=2007-11-19 }}</ref>
Mirtola is en route to [[Pithoragarh]] from Almora, 3&nbsp;km to the left of the main road after Panuanaula, 25&nbsp;km after [[Almora]]. The place is also known for a [[Radha Krishna|Radha-Krishna]] temple, Uttar Brindaban, built in 1931 <ref>Letters from Mirtola, Sri Krishna Prem and Sri Madhav Ashish, pp.89</ref> by Sri Yashoda Ma, the founder and the spiritual head of the ashram.<ref>[http://www.sumanroyalresort.com/excursion.html Excursions from Almora] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071119081012/http://www.sumanroyalresort.com/excursion.html |date=2007-11-19 }}</ref>
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==History==
==History==
===Origin===
===Origin===
Yashoda Ma (née Monika Devi) <ref>[http://www.gaudiya.com/pdf/Women_Saints_in_Gaudiya_Vaishnavism.pdf Women Saints in Gaudiya Vaishnavism]</ref> was the wife of Gyanendra Nath Chakravarti, the first vice-chancellor of [[Lucknow University]], who was a well-known theosophist.<ref>[http://www.theosophical.ca/InfluenceTheosophy%20.htm Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Chennai India] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218134804/http://www.theosophical.ca/InfluenceTheosophy%20.htm |date=2007-12-18 }}</ref>
[[Shri Yashoda Ma|Yashoda Ma]] (née Monika Devi) <ref>[http://www.gaudiya.com/pdf/Women_Saints_in_Gaudiya_Vaishnavism.pdf Women Saints in Gaudiya Vaishnavism]</ref> was the wife of [[Gyanendra Nath Chakravarti]], the first vice-chancellor of [[Lucknow University]], who was a well-known theosophist.<ref>[http://www.theosophical.ca/InfluenceTheosophy%20.htm Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Chennai India] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218134804/http://www.theosophical.ca/InfluenceTheosophy%20.htm |date=2007-12-18 }}</ref>


Meanwhile, [[Krishna Prem|Ronald Henry Nixon]], a young English fighter pilot in the World War I, who later took a degree from [[Cambridge University]], came to India in 1921, after he took up a job as a lecturer at the Department of English at the newly opened Lucknow University, it was here that became close to the Chakravartis.<ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/20000713/ied13030.html Coming to the path - S.D. Pandey] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060111183056/http://www.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/20000713/ied13030.html |date=11 January 2006 }} ''[[Indian Express]]'', 13 July 2000.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060909224248/http://www.yogamag.net/archives/1981/6june81/kp.shtml Yogi Sri Krishnaprem profile]</ref> In 1927, when Monika Devi moved to the hills on doctors' advice, Ronald Nixon, followed his Guru, and together they stayed in Almora for a while.
Meanwhile, [[Krishna Prem|Ronald Henry Nixon]], a young English fighter pilot in the World War I, who later took a degree from [[Cambridge University]], came to India in 1921, after he took up a job as a lecturer at the Department of English at the newly opened Lucknow University, it was here that became close to the Chakravartis.<ref>[http://www.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/20000713/ied13030.html Coming to the path - S.D. Pandey] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060111183056/http://www.indianexpress.com/ie/daily/20000713/ied13030.html |date=11 January 2006 }} ''[[Indian Express]]'', 13 July 2000.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20060909224248/http://www.yogamag.net/archives/1981/6june81/kp.shtml Yogi Sri Krishnaprem profile]</ref> In 1927, when Monika Devi moved to the hills on doctors' advice, Ronald Nixon, followed his Guru, and together they stayed in Almora for a while.


Later, in 1928, Monika Devi took the vows of [[sannyasa]] (renunciation), under the name 'Sri Yashoda Ma',<ref>Letters from Mirtola, Sri Krishna Prem and Sri Madhav Ashish, pp.88</ref> and a shortly afterwards, Ronald Nixon under the name, 'Sri Krishna Prem'; he was later known as Gopal Da, at the Ashram, which they together established in 1930. Amongst its early inhabitants were Moti Rani (Yashoda Ma's youngest daughter) and Major Robert Dudley Alexander, who retired from his post of Principal, Lucknow Medical College prematurely, to be with Shri Krishna Prem. In October 1943, noted Indian saint [[Sri Anandamayi Ma]], visited the Mirtola Ashram.<ref>[http://www.anandamayi.org/ashram/cc.htm Anandamayi ma life history] ''[[Sri Anandamoyi Ma]]'' Official website.</ref>
Later, in 1928, Monika Devi took the vows of [[sannyasa]] (renunciation), under the name 'Sri Yashoda Ma',<ref>Letters from Mirtola, Sri Krishna Prem and Sri Madhav Ashish, pp.88</ref> and a shortly afterwards, Ronald Nixon under the name, '[[Krishna Prem|Sri Krishna Prem]]'; he was later known as Gopal Da, at the Ashram, which they together established in 1930. Amongst its early inhabitants were Moti Rani (Yashoda Ma's youngest daughter) and Major Robert Dudley Alexander, who retired from his post of Principal, Lucknow Medical College prematurely, to be with Shri Krishna Prem. In October 1943, noted Indian saint [[Sri Anandamayi Ma]], visited the Mirtola Ashram.<ref>[https://www.anandamayi.org/ashram/cc.htm Anandamayi ma life history] ''[[Sri Anandamoyi Ma]]'' Official website.</ref>
 
Sri Krishna Prem went on to take over the running of the Ashram, after Yashoda Ma's death in 1944, Gopal Da himself passed over on 14 November 1965; before that he wrote books like, ''The Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita'' and ''The Yoga of the Katho-panishad'', amongst others and handed over the working of the Ashram to Sri Madhav Ashish in 1955.<ref>[http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_devotional_poets/ind/srikris Poet seers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030040801/http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_devotional_poets/ind/srikris |date=2007-10-30 }}</ref> He has the distinction of being the first westerner, to be included in the [[Vaishnav]] form of [[Hinduism]],<ref>[http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/vedic-culture/183745-world-vedic-first-western-vaishnava.html The First Western Vaishnava]</ref> he also was fluent in Hindi and Bengali.<ref>[http://www.arunachala.org/newsletters/1995/?pg=jul_aug May 1938 visit by a Ramana Maharshi's disciple; THE MAHARSHI magazine, August 1995]</ref>


Sri Krishna Prem went on to take over the running of the Ashram, after Yashoda Ma’s death in 1944, Gopal Da himself passed over on 14 November 1965; before that he wrote books like, ''The Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita'' and ''The Yoga of the Katho-panishad'', amongst others and handed over the working of the Ashram to Sri Madhav Ashish in 1955.<ref>[http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_devotional_poets/ind/srikris Poet seers] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030040801/http://www.poetseers.org/spiritual_and_devotional_poets/ind/srikris |date=2007-10-30 }}</ref> He has the distinction of being the first westerner, to be included in the [[Vaishnav]] form of [[Hinduism]],<ref>[http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/vedic-culture/183745-world-vedic-first-western-vaishnava.html The First Western Vaishnava]</ref> he also was fluent in Hindi and Bengali.<ref>[http://www.arunachala.org/newsletters/1995/?pg=jul_aug May 1938 visit by a Ramana Maharshi's disciple; THE MAHARSHI magazine, August 1995]</ref>
===1960s onwards===
===1960s onwards===
Sri Krishna Prem (Gopal Da), was followed as a guru, by his disciple, 'Sri Madhav Ashish' (Ashish Da), previously 'Alexander Phipps', was an English aircraft engineer assembling Merlin engines, who came to India during the Second World War in 1942, and met Sri Krishna Prem at Mirtola in 1946, and soon became his disciple. In the following years, they together wrote many books including their two-part work on the Stanzas of Dzyan, contained in the [[Book of Dzyan]], 'Man, the measure of all things: In the stanzas of Dzyan', and 'Man, Son of Man'. Mirtola Ashram became a pilgrimage for Indian theosophists and started working extensively with the local communities pioneering hill farming techniques which he encouraged them to adopt,<ref>[http://www.earthscape.org/p1/ES2_6881/6881.pdf International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development Report]{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> a work for which Sri [[Madhava Ashish]] was awarded the [[Padma Shri]] in 1992 by the Indian government,<ref>[http://www.iicdelhi.nic.in/program/program_detail.asp?ProgId=1870&CatgId=1 India International Centre, New Delhi]</ref> he later died on 13 April 1997.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19970506/ai_n14109106 Obituary: Sri Madhav Ashish] ''[[The Independent]]'', 6 May 1997.</ref>
Sri Krishna Prem (Gopal Da), was followed as a guru, by his disciple, 'Sri Madhav Ashish' (Ashish Da), previously 'Alexander Phipps', was an English aircraft engineer assembling Merlin engines, who came to India during the Second World War in 1942, and met Sri Krishna Prem at Mirtola in 1946, and soon became his disciple. In the following years, they together wrote many books including their two-part work on the Stanzas of Dzyan, contained in the [[Book of Dzyan]], 'Man, the measure of all things: In the stanzas of Dzyan', and 'Man, Son of Man'. Mirtola Ashram became a pilgrimage for Indian theosophists and started working extensively with the local communities pioneering hill farming techniques which he encouraged them to adopt,<ref>[http://www.earthscape.org/p1/ES2_6881/6881.pdf International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development Report]{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> a work for which Sri [[Madhava Ashish]] was awarded the [[Padma Shri]] in 1992 by the Indian government,<ref>[http://www.iicdelhi.nic.in/program/program_detail.asp?ProgId=1870&CatgId=1 India International Centre, New Delhi]</ref> he later died on 13 April 1997,<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_19970506/ai_n14109106 Obituary: Sri Madhav Ashish] ''[[The Independent]]'', 6 May 1997.</ref> succeeded by his disciple, Sri [[Dev Ashish]].
[[File:Rainwater harvesting at Mirtola Ashram DSCN7979 1.jpg|thumb|Rainwater harvesting at Mirtola Ashram, 2017]]
[[File:Rainwater harvesting at Mirtola Ashram DSCN7979 1.jpg|thumb|Rainwater harvesting at Mirtola Ashram, 2017]]
Over the years, the Ashram evolved a unique philosophy based on Eastern mystical thought from the [[Bhakti]] traditions, ideas of [[Nisargadatta Maharaj|Shri Nisargadatta]] and western philosophies like that of [[G. I. Gurdjieff]], [[Theosophy (Blavatskian)|Theosophy]] of [[Madame Blavatsky]], and Jungian dream work, among others. Thus a large number of Gurdjieffians visited the ashram, including [[Olga de Hartmann]], Phillipe Lavastine, Lizelle Reymond, Laurence Rosenthal, James George, and Bernard Courtenay-Mayers; even [[Jeanne de Salzmann]] met Ashish Da in Delhi 1971.<ref>[http://www.gurdjieff-internet.com/article_details.php?ID=24&W=9 Interview of Seymour B. Ginsburg] Gurdjieff Internet Guide.</ref>
Over the years, the Ashram evolved a unique philosophy based on Eastern mystical thought from the [[Bhakti]] traditions, ideas of [[Nisargadatta Maharaj|Shri Nisargadatta]] and western philosophies like that of [[G. I. Gurdjieff]], [[Theosophy (Blavatskian)|Theosophy]] of [[Madame Blavatsky]], and Jungian dream work, among others. Thus a large number of Gurdjieffians visited the ashram, including [[Olga de Hartmann]], Phillipe Lavastine, Lizelle Reymond, Laurence Rosenthal, James George, and Bernard Courtenay-Mayers; even [[Jeanne de Salzmann]] met Ashish Da in Delhi 1971.<ref>[http://www.gurdjieff-internet.com/article_details.php?ID=24&W=9 Interview of Seymour B. Ginsburg] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924024246/http://www.gurdjieff-internet.com/article_details.php?ID=24&W=9 |date=24 September 2015 }} Gurdjieff Internet Guide.</ref>
 
[[File:Memorials of Yashoda Ma, Krishna Prem and Madhav Ashish at Mirtola Ashram DSCN7931 1.jpg|right|thumb|Memorials of Yashoda Ma, Krishna Prem and Madhav Ashish at Mirtola Ashram]]
Amongst the noted disciples of the 'Mirtola Ashram' are, Seymour B. Ginsburg, the co-founder of the [[G. I. Gurdjieff|Gurdjieff]] Institute of Florida; [[Karan Singh]],<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=duseAAAAMAAJ&dq=Sri+Madhava+Ashish&q=Madhava+Ashish&pgis=1 8 December 1958 - first trip] ''Heir Apparent: An Autobiography'', by Singh Sadr-I-Riyasa Karan, Karan Singh. Oxford, 1985. ''page 41''.</ref> former Indian Ambassador to the US and present Member of the Indian Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, and travel-writer [[William McKay Aitken|Bill Aitken]].<ref>[https://www.vedamsbooks.com/no30146.htm Footloose in the Himalaya]</ref> Besides that, many followers of [[Gurdjieff]] teachings continued to visit the Ashram for several decades <ref>''Gurdjieff Unveiled: An Overview and Introduction to Gurdjieff's Teaching'', by Seymour B. Ginsburg. Published by Lighthouse Editions Limited, 2005. {{ISBN|1-904998-01-1}}. ''Page 102''.</ref>
Amongst the noted disciples of the 'Mirtola Ashram' are, Seymour B. Ginsburg, the co-founder of the [[G. I. Gurdjieff|Gurdjieff]] Institute of Florida; [[Karan Singh]],<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=duseAAAAMAAJ&q=Madhava+Ashish 8 December 1958 - first trip] ''Heir Apparent: An Autobiography'', by Singh Sadr-I-Riyasa Karan, Karan Singh. Oxford, 1985. ''page 41''.</ref> former Indian Ambassador to the US and present Member of the Indian Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, and travel-writer [[William McKay Aitken|Bill Aitken]].<ref>[https://www.vedamsbooks.com/no30146.htm Footloose in the Himalaya]</ref> Besides that, many followers of [[Gurdjieff]] teachings continued to visit the Ashram for several decades <ref>''Gurdjieff Unveiled: An Overview and Introduction to Gurdjieff's Teaching'', by Seymour B. Ginsburg. Published by Lighthouse Editions Limited, 2005. {{ISBN|1-904998-01-1}}. ''Page 102''.</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
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* ''Letters from Mirtola: Shri Krishna Prem and Shri Madhav Ashish''. Ed. Jyotsna Singh, ''2004, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan''. {{ISBN|81-7276-356-5}}.
* ''Letters from Mirtola: Shri Krishna Prem and Shri Madhav Ashish''. Ed. Jyotsna Singh, ''2004, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan''. {{ISBN|81-7276-356-5}}.
* ''The Unknowable Gurdjieff'', memoir, by [[Margaret C. Anderson|Margaret Anderson]], 1962, Arkana. {{ISBN|0-14-019139-9}}.
* ''The Unknowable Gurdjieff'', memoir, by [[Margaret C. Anderson|Margaret Anderson]], 1962, Arkana. {{ISBN|0-14-019139-9}}.
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=uUkuoFV5XP4C&pg=PA47&dq=Sri+Madhava+Ashish&sig=ACfU3U3A1FCSPgX20NqqqBtU0-WBSQcaFQ#PPA47,M1 The Secret Doctrine as a Contribution to World Thought:Sri Madhava Ashish] ''H.P. Blavatsky and the Secret Doctrine: Commentaries on Her Contributions to World Thought'', by Virginia Hanson. Quest Books, 1988. {{ISBN|0-8356-0630-9}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8356-0630-1}}.''page 47-56''.
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=uUkuoFV5XP4C&dq=Sri+Madhava+Ashish&pg=PA47 The Secret Doctrine as a Contribution to World Thought:Sri Madhava Ashish] ''H.P. Blavatsky and the Secret Doctrine: Commentaries on Her Contributions to World Thought'', by Virginia Hanson. Quest Books, 1988. {{ISBN|0-8356-0630-9}}, {{ISBN|978-0-8356-0630-1}}.''page 47-56''.
* ''What Is Man? Selected Writings of Sri Madhava Ashish''. Foreword by [[Karan Singh]]. Penguin Book, 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-14-306574-6}}.
* ''What Is Man? Selected Writings of Sri Madhava Ashish''. Foreword by [[Karan Singh]]. Penguin Book, 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-14-306574-6}}.
* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=IDYDGrjqL1cC&pg=PA45&dq=Mirtola&as_brr=0#PPA43,M1 Chapter VII: In the Realm of Krishna] Himalayan Memoirs'', by Navnit Parekh. Published by Popular Prakashan, 1986. {{ISBN|0-86132-126-X}}.
* ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=IDYDGrjqL1cC&dq=Mirtola&pg=PA43 Chapter VII: In the Realm of Krishna] Himalayan Memoirs'', by Navnit Parekh. Published by Popular Prakashan, 1986. {{ISBN|0-86132-126-X}}.
* {{cite book|author1=Seymour B. Ginsburg|title=The Masters Speak: An American Businessman Encounters Ashish and Gurdjieff|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5idZCmh_nM8C|year=2010|publisher=Quest Books|isbn=978-0-8356-0882-4}}
* {{cite book|author1=Seymour B. Ginsburg|title=The Masters Speak: An American Businessman Encounters Ashish and Gurdjieff|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5idZCmh_nM8C|year=2010|publisher=Quest Books|isbn=978-0-8356-0882-4}}


;Articles
;Articles
* {{cite web| title = Mirtola: A Himalayan Ashram with Theosophical Roots |publisher= [[Theosophical Society in America]], Quest Magazine (Summer 2012)|pages=98–105|author=Seymour B. Ginsburg (ed.)| url = http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/2754}}
* {{cite web | title = Mirtola: A Himalayan Ashram with Theosophical Roots | publisher = [[Theosophical Society in America]], Quest Magazine (Summer 2012) | pages = 98–105 | editor = Seymour B. Ginsburg | url = http://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/2754 | access-date = 20 November 2013 | archive-date = 31 January 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230131032755/https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/2754 | url-status = dead }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080512004000/http://www.maharshiramana.com/ramana_maharshi_library/Silent_Power.pdf A description of Sri Krishna Prem's encounter with Ramana Maharishi in 1948]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080512004000/http://www.maharshiramana.com/ramana_maharshi_library/Silent_Power.pdf A description of Sri Krishna Prem's encounter with Ramana Maharishi in 1948]
* {{cite web|title=Beyond "Nama-Rupa"|author=Dilip Kumar Roy|authorlink=Dilip Kumar Roy|pages=1–2|publisher=The Maharishi (Newsletter of Arunachala Ashrama, NY)|date=Jan–Feb 2006| url = http://www.arunachala.org/newsletters/2006/jan_feb.pdf}}
* {{cite web|title=Beyond "Nama-Rupa"|author=Dilip Kumar Roy|authorlink=Dilip Kumar Roy|pages=1–2|publisher=The Maharishi (Newsletter of Arunachala Ashrama, NY)|date=Jan–Feb 2006| url = https://www.arunachala.org/newsletters/2006/jan_feb.pdf}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{commons|Category:Mirtola|Mirtola}}
{{Commons category|Mirtola}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080618174302/http://www.almoraonline.com/hplaces.htm Places around Almora, almoraonline]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080618174302/http://www.almoraonline.com/hplaces.htm Places around Almora, almoraonline]
* [http://anantaprema.blogspot.com/2007/11/sri-krishnaprema-richard-nixon.html Excerpts from, "Yogi Sri Krishna Prem " by Dilip Kumar Roy, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai]
* [https://anantaprema.blogspot.com/2007/11/sri-krishnaprema-richard-nixon.html Excerpts from, "Yogi Sri Krishna Prem " by Dilip Kumar Roy, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai]


{{Indian Philosophy}}
{{Indian Philosophy}}


[[Category:Almora]]
[[Category:Almora]]
[[Category:New Age|Mirtola Ashram]]
[[Category:Religious organisations based in India|Mirtola Ashram]]
[[Category:Religious organisations based in India|Mirtola Ashram]]
[[Category:Hindu new religious movements|Mirtola Ashram]]
[[Category:Culture of Uttarakhand]]
[[Category:Culture of Uttarakhand]]
[[Category:Villages in Almora district]]
[[Category:Villages in Almora district]]

Latest revision as of 14:45, 16 January 2026

Mirtola
village
Radha Krishna Temple at Mirtola Ashram
Radha Krishna Temple at Mirtola Ashram
Mirtola is located in Uttarakhand
Mirtola
Mirtola
Location in Uttarakhand, India
Mirtola is located in India
Mirtola
Mirtola
Mirtola (India)
Coordinates: 29°35′50″N 79°39′25″E / 29.59718°N 79.6570°E / 29.59718; 79.6570
Country India
StateUttarakhand
DistrictAlmora
Elevation
2,118 m (6,949 ft)
Languages
 • OfficialHindi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
263623
Vehicle registrationUK
ClimateAlpine (BSh) (Köppen)
Websiteuk.gov.in

Mirtola is a village 10 km away from Almora, in Uttarakhand state in India. It is best known for an ashram by the same name, also called Uttar Brindaban ("Brindaban of the North"), set up by Sri Yashoda Ma,[1] a housewife turned ascetic in the 1930,[2] along with her disciple Sri Krishna Prem (1898–1965),[3] a mystic of the 20th Century. The ashram was later run by his disciple, Sri Madhava Ashish (1920–1997),[4] another Briton, who also later settled in India.

Mirtola is en route to Pithoragarh from Almora, 3 km to the left of the main road after Panuanaula, 25 km after Almora. The place is also known for a Radha-Krishna temple, Uttar Brindaban, built in 1931 [5] by Sri Yashoda Ma, the founder and the spiritual head of the ashram.[6]

History[edit | edit source]

Origin[edit | edit source]

Yashoda Ma (née Monika Devi) [7] was the wife of Gyanendra Nath Chakravarti, the first vice-chancellor of Lucknow University, who was a well-known theosophist.[8]

Meanwhile, Ronald Henry Nixon, a young English fighter pilot in the World War I, who later took a degree from Cambridge University, came to India in 1921, after he took up a job as a lecturer at the Department of English at the newly opened Lucknow University, it was here that became close to the Chakravartis.[9][10] In 1927, when Monika Devi moved to the hills on doctors' advice, Ronald Nixon, followed his Guru, and together they stayed in Almora for a while.

Later, in 1928, Monika Devi took the vows of sannyasa (renunciation), under the name 'Sri Yashoda Ma',[11] and a shortly afterwards, Ronald Nixon under the name, 'Sri Krishna Prem'; he was later known as Gopal Da, at the Ashram, which they together established in 1930. Amongst its early inhabitants were Moti Rani (Yashoda Ma's youngest daughter) and Major Robert Dudley Alexander, who retired from his post of Principal, Lucknow Medical College prematurely, to be with Shri Krishna Prem. In October 1943, noted Indian saint Sri Anandamayi Ma, visited the Mirtola Ashram.[12]

Sri Krishna Prem went on to take over the running of the Ashram, after Yashoda Ma's death in 1944, Gopal Da himself passed over on 14 November 1965; before that he wrote books like, The Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita and The Yoga of the Katho-panishad, amongst others and handed over the working of the Ashram to Sri Madhav Ashish in 1955.[13] He has the distinction of being the first westerner, to be included in the Vaishnav form of Hinduism,[14] he also was fluent in Hindi and Bengali.[15]

1960s onwards[edit | edit source]

Sri Krishna Prem (Gopal Da), was followed as a guru, by his disciple, 'Sri Madhav Ashish' (Ashish Da), previously 'Alexander Phipps', was an English aircraft engineer assembling Merlin engines, who came to India during the Second World War in 1942, and met Sri Krishna Prem at Mirtola in 1946, and soon became his disciple. In the following years, they together wrote many books including their two-part work on the Stanzas of Dzyan, contained in the Book of Dzyan, 'Man, the measure of all things: In the stanzas of Dzyan', and 'Man, Son of Man'. Mirtola Ashram became a pilgrimage for Indian theosophists and started working extensively with the local communities pioneering hill farming techniques which he encouraged them to adopt,[16] a work for which Sri Madhava Ashish was awarded the Padma Shri in 1992 by the Indian government,[17] he later died on 13 April 1997,[18] succeeded by his disciple, Sri Dev Ashish.

Rainwater harvesting at Mirtola Ashram, 2017

Over the years, the Ashram evolved a unique philosophy based on Eastern mystical thought from the Bhakti traditions, ideas of Shri Nisargadatta and western philosophies like that of G. I. Gurdjieff, Theosophy of Madame Blavatsky, and Jungian dream work, among others. Thus a large number of Gurdjieffians visited the ashram, including Olga de Hartmann, Phillipe Lavastine, Lizelle Reymond, Laurence Rosenthal, James George, and Bernard Courtenay-Mayers; even Jeanne de Salzmann met Ashish Da in Delhi 1971.[19]

Memorials of Yashoda Ma, Krishna Prem and Madhav Ashish at Mirtola Ashram

Amongst the noted disciples of the 'Mirtola Ashram' are, Seymour B. Ginsburg, the co-founder of the Gurdjieff Institute of Florida; Karan Singh,[20] former Indian Ambassador to the US and present Member of the Indian Parliament, the Rajya Sabha, and travel-writer Bill Aitken.[21] Besides that, many followers of Gurdjieff teachings continued to visit the Ashram for several decades [22]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ The Hindu, 4 May 2003[usurped] The Hindu, 4 May 2003.
  2. ↑ Guru by Your Bedside, S. D. Pandey, pp. 45
  3. ↑ Testament of faith The Hindu, 6 December 2005.
  4. ↑ "Madhav Ashish Biography". Archived from the original on 25 August 2017. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
  5. ↑ Letters from Mirtola, Sri Krishna Prem and Sri Madhav Ashish, pp.89
  6. ↑ Excursions from Almora Archived 2007-11-19 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Women Saints in Gaudiya Vaishnavism
  8. ↑ Theosophical Publishing House, Adyar, Chennai India Archived 2007-12-18 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Coming to the path - S.D. Pandey Archived 11 January 2006 at the Wayback Machine Indian Express, 13 July 2000.
  10. ↑ Yogi Sri Krishnaprem profile
  11. ↑ Letters from Mirtola, Sri Krishna Prem and Sri Madhav Ashish, pp.88
  12. ↑ Anandamayi ma life history Sri Anandamoyi Ma Official website.
  13. ↑ Poet seers Archived 2007-10-30 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ The First Western Vaishnava
  15. ↑ May 1938 visit by a Ramana Maharshi's disciple; THE MAHARSHI magazine, August 1995
  16. ↑ International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development Report[permanent dead link]
  17. ↑ India International Centre, New Delhi
  18. ↑ Obituary: Sri Madhav Ashish The Independent, 6 May 1997.
  19. ↑ Interview of Seymour B. Ginsburg Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine Gurdjieff Internet Guide.
  20. ↑ 8 December 1958 - first trip Heir Apparent: An Autobiography, by Singh Sadr-I-Riyasa Karan, Karan Singh. Oxford, 1985. page 41.
  21. ↑ Footloose in the Himalaya
  22. ↑ Gurdjieff Unveiled: An Overview and Introduction to Gurdjieff's Teaching, by Seymour B. Ginsburg. Published by Lighthouse Editions Limited, 2005. ISBN 1-904998-01-1. Page 102.
  • Chapter 10, Uttar Vrindavan, Footloose in the Himalaya, Bill Aitken. 2003, Sangam Books Ltd. ISBN 81-7824-052-1.
  • Introduction, Guru by Your Bedside, S.D. Pandey. 2003, Penguin, ISBN 0-14-302954-1.

Bibliography[edit | edit source]

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External links[edit | edit source]

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