Swarg Ashram is a small township located 5 km upstream from Rishikesh, on the left bank of the Ganges, opposite to Shri Shivananda Ashram. It can be reached by two ways - either by crossing river Ganges by boat or by walking through the Ram/Shivanand Jhula built across the river. The ashram was built in the memory of Swami Vishudhanand, the saint better known as Kali Kamli Wala (the saint with a black blanket) amongst the localities. There are lots of ashrams, temples and caves, inhabited by saints, inside the Swarg Ashram. Swarg Ashram also encompasses several cafes, stores, shopping complexes, libraries, parks, meditation centers, Ayurvedic dispensaries, restaurants and hotels. The area lies amidst forest hills, with beautiful orchards and an atmosphere that is free from the pollutions of a motorized city. The area consists of a dozens of large ashrams, generally two or three-storey buildings, with hundreds of rooms that serve as residential quarters for priests, pilgrims, students and tourists looking for an economical accommodation.
Inside the ashram premises, there are several temples and numerous shrines, each of them depicting a number of Hindu deities. Every temple is headed by a priest who takes care of the shrine as well as the residing crew. Several religious ceremonies, like chanting, processions as well as birth and death ceremonies, regularly take place inside the Swarg Ashram. All these residential cells, temples, cafés and other complexes that form a part of the Swarg Ashram are maintained by a trust called ‘Kali Kamliwala Kshetra’.
Kali Kamliwala Kshetra trust has been organized by the followers of Swami Vishudhanand. It is a mammoth organization in the name of Swami Vishudhanand, embracing several activities. Swarg Ashram is very popular amongst foreign tourists as well, mainly because of the ethnic touch that it provides them. They basically visit this place for ‘Yoga tours’ and ‘a study of Ayurvedic medicines’. It is an ideal destination for all those people who love to have a word with nature and are spiritually inclined.
