Ganga Darshan Vishwa Yogapeeth stands on a hill overlooking the Ganga river, in Munger, Bihar, 175 km from Patna, the state capital, and 500 km from Kolkata. Against a backdrop of natural splendour, surrounded by beautiful gardens, Ganga Darshan Yogashram commands a majestic 180-degree panoramic view of the Mother Ganga as she sweeps through green paddy fields, fertilizing, energizing and purifying the surrounding areas.
The river Ganga is the symbol of yoga, the soul’s journey to unite again with the supreme. At Ganga Darshan Yogashram, a new vision of yogic life is inspired, making it a spiritual oasis in the 21st century.
In the ancient past, the site of Ganga Darshan Vishwa Yogapeeth was the seat of King Karna of Mahabharata fame. Here he performed great acts of tapasya (austerity and sacrifice), sadhana, (spiritual endeavour) and daan (unconditional giving), which are still remembered today.
Here, Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati had the vision of Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati blessing him at exactly the same time that Sri Swami Sivananda left his mortal body in Rishikesh. It is the site where he perfected his sadhanas and had the vision of the future role of yoga for humankind.
Munger, the beautiful rural village overlooking the river Ganga, is home to the Bihar School of Yoga, Bihar Yoga Bharati, Yoga Research Foundation and Yoga Publications Trust.
Munger is a place of great spiritual and historical significance. Sri Rama and Sita rested here during their exile before returning to Ayodhya. King Karna of Mahabharata fame, elder brother of the five Pandavas, performed and perfected tantric sadhanas here. Lord Buddha and more recent eminent personalities such as Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda came to Munger to rest and pursue their spiritual sadhana and studies. Sri Swami Sivananda Saraswati visited Munger in 1936 after the devastating earthquake and held kirtans in the town.
Sri Swami Satyananda Saraswati, the founder of Bihar School of Yoga, experienced the supreme bliss of the highest state of consciousness in Munger. He had the revelation that ‘Yoga is the culture of tomorrow’ and that he should create a global fraternity of yoga. Here he realized his mission to be the elevation of human consciousness by bringing to light and disseminating the science of yoga.
In 2004 Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, President of India (2002-2007) named Munger the ‘City of Yoga’.
The state of Bihar has a history and spiritual heritage that goes back to ancient times. Thousands of years ago, Bihar was the home of two great spiritual universities, Nalanda and Vikramshila. Its soil has been touched by the feet of Gautama Buddha. The first sound of Gayatri was whispered on Bihari winds. Mother Ganga herself bathed and caressed the shining bodies of Sri Rama and Sita. Mahavir, the founder of Jainism, and Valmiki, composer of the epic Ramayana, were nurtured in Bihar. Bihar gave the world its first republic. Ashoka, the greatest ruler of India, was born in Bihar. The father of surgery, Sage Sushrata, resided in Bihar.
Bihar gave birth to Aryabhatta, the ancient mathematician, and Chanakya, the father of economics. Sage Vatsyayana wrote the Kamasutra, the treatise on love, while in Bihar. The Ashok chakra adorning the national flag of India originated in Bihar. Bihar gave the world its first yoga university. The epicentre of many social, cultural and spiritual revolutions lies in Bihar. Bihar and Munger are blessed to be the karma bhoomi of Swami Satyananda Saraswati, the modern yogic visionary and reknowned sage.
