आश्रमāśrama · hermitage, a place of effort

Ashrams in Rishikesh, how to choose and stay

4 min read · Updated October 16, 2026 · sources checked October 16, 2026

In short

An ashram in Rishikesh is a spiritual community with a daily routine and rules, not a hotel with yoga. Before you stay, read the rules the ashram publishes itself (dress, food, silence, timings), ask who teaches and what a day looks like, get prices and refund terms in writing, and check that your host registers foreign guests with the authorities, as Indian law requires.

The word āśrama (आश्रम) comes from the root śram, to make an effort: an ashram is a place where one works on oneself. Rishikesh has a great many of them, from institutions founded nearly a century ago to small houses around a teacher. This page does not rank them. It sets out what two well-documented institutions publish about life inside, so you know what to expect, and the questions that let you judge any other place yourself.

What an ashram is, and is not

An ashram is a community organised around a teaching, often a lineage and a guru, with fixed hours for practice, meals, worship and silence. Comfort is simple, and guests are expected to follow the routine. A "yoga school" or "shala" sells classes or courses; a "retreat centre" sells a packaged stay. None is better in itself. The mistake is to book an ashram expecting a hotel, or a hotel expecting an ashram.

Two institutions, in their own words

These are examples because they publish their rules and programmes online, not recommendations.

The Divine Life Society (Sivananda Ashram), Muni ki Reti, west bank

According to its official site, Swami Sivananda moved to the west bank in January 1934, the Divine Life Society Trust was registered on 13 January 1936, and the Sivananda Ashram is the headquarters of a society that counts "more than 300 branches around the world". The site says that "any person interested in the spiritual life, whether a member of the DLS or not, can come".

Its published daily programme gives an idea of an ashram day: meditation and a short talk from 5:00 to 6:00 am, worship from 6:00 am, an asana and pranayama class from 6:00 to 7:00 am (listed as "only for men", except Sundays), chanting through the morning, the Ganga arati in the evening (5:30 pm in winter, 6:00 pm in summer) and an evening satsang of talks, kirtan and bhajans from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. The site also reproduces Swami Sivananda's own "Daily Routine for Visitors to the Ashram", which runs from japa and meditation at 5 am to kirtan until 10 pm, with study of the Gita, mantra writing and three hours of selfless service in the afternoon. Read it before you go: it tells you what kind of stay the founder had in mind.

Parmarth Niketan, Swarg Ashram, east bank

Uttarakhand Tourism says Parmarth Niketan was established in 1942 by Swami Sukhdevanand ji Maharaj. Its own site describes "several hundred residential rooms", many with attached Western-style bathrooms and hot running water, linen provided. Its published guidelines say, among other points:

clothing must cover shoulders (no sleeveless shirts), midriff and calves; yoga students are expected to wear white;
drinking intoxicants, smoking and drugs are strictly prohibited, as is eating eggs or other non-vegetarian food; guests are advised to avoid onion and garlic;
silence is appreciated from 10 pm to 6 am;
pilgrims are expected to join the Ganga aarti at sunset;
a guest who leaves for more than three days must vacate the room;
satellite phones, banned in India, must not be brought.

Its directions page adds that the office opens at 8 am and usually closes by 8 pm, and that the ashram never asks for accommodation payments by phone or WhatsApp.

Rules you will meet almost everywhere

Rishikesh, Haridwar and Muni ki Reti have long banned the public sale of meat, fish and eggs; the Supreme Court of India upheld the ban on eggs on 9 March 2004 (Om Prakash v. State of U.P.). Inside ashrams, expect vegetarian food without eggs, no alcohol or tobacco, modest dress, fixed meal times, silent hours, sometimes a gate closing at night, and an invitation to satsaṅga (सत्संग, gathering for teaching) and sevā (सेवा, selfless service).

The registration you should expect

Indian law obliges every accommodator to register foreign guests. The Bureau of Immigration's portal states that "all accommodators, hotels & educational institutes are legally obliged to fill Form II (Form A) & Form III (Form C) in respect of all foreigners". A host who asks for your passport and visa is doing its job; a host who cannot register you is a reason to look elsewhere. Check your e-Visa conditions too.

Ten questions to ask before you book

Which tradition does the teaching come from, and who actually teaches, day to day?
What does a day look like, hour by hour?
Are beginners welcome? How are injuries and limits handled?
What are the house rules: dress, silence, curfew, phones, visitors?
Single or shared room, hot water, heating in winter?
What is included in the price, and what is a donation?
Deposit, cancellation and refund policy, in writing?
Will you register my stay (Form C)?
How are physical adjustments given, and can I say no?
Whom can I speak to if something goes wrong?

Warning signs

Pressure to pay quickly, in cash, or to a personal account.
Requests for payment by phone or messaging app in the name of a known ashram.
Promises of enlightenment, healing or "powers" within days.
Refusal to put rules, prices or refunds in writing.
A teacher who asks for secrecy, isolation, gifts or physical contact you did not ask for.

France Diplomatie advises women travellers in India to be prudent in their relations with people they meet and to avoid isolated places, especially after dark. That advice applies to "private sessions" offered by someone you have just met.

Next steps

For a structured course rather than an ashram routine, read how to compare teacher trainings in Rishikesh and what Yoga Alliance registration means. For the evening rite you will share with your ashram, see the Ganga aarti. Back to the Rishikesh guide.

Questions people ask

Can a foreigner stay in an ashram in Rishikesh?

Yes, many ashrams receive foreign guests. By law, every accommodator must register foreign guests with the immigration authorities (Form C), so expect to show your passport and visa. Each ashram sets its own conditions: ask before you travel.

What rules are common in Rishikesh ashrams?

Parmarth Niketan's published guidelines are typical: modest dress covering shoulders, midriff and calves; no alcohol, smoking, drugs, eggs or other non-vegetarian food; silence from 10 pm to 6 am; joining the evening Ganga aarti.

Which ashram should I choose?

We do not rank ashrams. Choose by what you want to do every day: a traditional routine of meditation, chanting and service, a structured yoga course, or a quiet retreat. Then compare the published rules, the teachers and the written conditions.

Is it normal for an ashram to ask for a donation?

Yes. Some ashrams have fixed rates, others ask for a donation, called dakshina, or both. Ask what is usual so that you neither under-give nor feel pressured, and pay through the ashram's official office.

Sources

Ashram Guidelines — Parmarth Niketan (official website) checked October 16, 2026
Ashram Facilities — Parmarth Niketan (official website) checked October 16, 2026
Ashram Activities, daily programme — The Divine Life Society (official site) checked October 16, 2026
Daily Routine for Visitors to the Ashram, by Swami Sivananda — The Divine Life Society checked October 16, 2026
Introduction to the Sivananda Ashram — The Divine Life Society checked October 16, 2026
Form C (Form III) for accommodators — Bureau of Immigration, Government of India checked October 16, 2026
Om Prakash and Others v. State of U.P. and Others, Supreme Court of India, 9 March 2004 — Indian Kanoon checked October 16, 2026
Rishikesh, Swargashram and Parmarth Niketan — Uttarakhand Tourism (official site) checked October 16, 2026
Inde, conseils aux voyageurs : sécurité (risques spécifiques pour les femmes) — France Diplomatie checked October 16, 2026

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