The Sri Vidya Shrine serves as the spiritual heart of the Himalayan Institute’s Honesdale campus.
Vision:
The Sri Vidya Shrine reflects our deep commitment to group spiritual practice and stewardship of sacred space for all who seek to experience their full potential. Group spiritual practice has been a cornerstone of the Himalayan Tradition for thousands of years. The shrines of the Tradition have served as sanctuaries for aspirants seeking to immerse themselves in a spiritually-awakened sacred space that is ideally suited to meditation and group spiritual practice.
The Sri Vidya Shrine in Honesdale is the twin of the Sri Vidya Shrine at the Himalayan Institute’s Khajuraho campus in central India, and is the first shrine of the Himalayan Tradition to be established outside of India.
Rooted in the Himalayan Tradition, the Sri Vidya Shrine is a sacred space dedicated to meditative practice, open to seekers from all spiritual traditions. The Shrine’s consecration on July 16, 2019 marked the opening of Year Long Meditation, a year-long group practice and yajna (tantric group practice of sacred fire) undertaken to celebrate this momentous occasion.
Originally envisioned by the Institute’s founder, Sri Swami Rama, the Shrine’s consecration on July 16, 2019 was the culmination of decades of profound effort.
Shrine Design:
The Sri Vidya Shrine in Honesdale is located about 500 feet behind the HI Retreat Center, on the former site of the yajna shala (sacred space for tantric fire ceremonies) where group spiritual practices has been undertaken since 2001. The sacred architecture of the Sri Vidya Shrine is inspired by the ancient shrines of the Himalayan Tradition, and houses two key spaces: the Sanctuary and Meditation Hall.
Another element that draws its inspiration from many ancient shrines is the parikrama (circumambulation) path that rings the Shrine. At the threshold of the Shrine area, you cross a decorative archway, and find yourself at the juncture of the parikrama path and the main entrance to the Shrine.
Parikrama Path
Many seekers enjoy taking one or three clockwise circumambulations around the Shrine to quiet the mind and draw it inwards before entering the Shrine. To the right of the Shrine is the havan kund (ceremonial fire pit for tantric practices of sacred fire). The havan kund and its canopy are the same structures that sat on the site of the Shrine, until being shifted intact to their new location!
Meditation Hall
The meditation hall is the focal point of the Shrine, and is a space that is traditionally referred to as the mandapa, literally “the canopy for seekers to gather.” Enclosed by a 36′ diameter, 22′ high monolithic concrete dome, this grand circular space is designed for silent, seated meditative practices, which are the primary focus of the Sri Vidya Shrine.
Sanctuary
The Sanctuary is the heart of the Shrine. It is a space that is traditionally referred to as the garbha griha. Literally meaning “spiritual womb,” it is the sacred space in which the most sublime, transcendental aspect of Divinity is invoked and invited to radiate its shakti throughout the entire Shrine. This space is open for a limited period each day, for a brief darshan.
Shrine Project Timeline:
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Founded
1971Himalayan Institute was founded
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Group Meditation
2007–2008First year-long group meditation in Honesdale, PA.
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Group Meditation
2011–2012Second year-long group meditation in Honesdale, PA.
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Sri Vidya Shrine
2013Establishment of Sri Vidya Shrine in Khajuraho, India
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Ground breaking
May 30, 2017Official ground breaking for the Sri Vidya Shrine in Honesdale, PA.
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Foundation
Fall 2017Sitework and foundation
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Construction & Landscaping
2018Construction & landscaping
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Guru Purnima
July 16, 2019Consecration
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Group Meditation
July 2019–2020Year Long Meditation group practice in Honesdale, PA.
How You Can Help!
The Sri Vidya Shrine in Honesdale is a vision that has taken decades of hard work and spiritual commitment to manifest. In this era of disintegration, epitomized by fear, instability, and spiritual poverty, the goal of the Sri Vidya Shrine is to create a vibrant new reality that can heal and nourish all of society from the inside out. The Shrine serves as a locus to share the spiritual gifts of the Himalayan Tradition, nurturing seekers on all levels, eventually acting as a catalyst to inspire an exponential leap in our spiritual evolution.
We invite you to be a patron of the Sri Vidya Shrine, and contribute to a spiritual legacy that will serve generations to come.
Make a Donation
Major Gifts
Make a major gift and leave a lasting spiritual legacy as a founding patron of the Sri Vidya Shrine. For more information on making a major gift or a planned gift in support of the Sri Vidya Shrine, please contact:
Greg Capitolo, Treasurer
Himalayan Institute
952 Bethany Tpke
Honesdale, PA 18431 USA
(570) 647-1516
gcapitolo@himalayaninstitute.org