Jesus Cave Rishikesh: Meet the Legend of Jesus’ Lost Years ( 18 )

Jesus Cave Rishikesh is located inside the premise of Vashistha Guha Ashram on the bank of the Ganges near Rishikesh, just 23 km away from Tapovan toward Devprayag , on Badrinath Highway.

Just a five-minutes walk down to white sandy river beach from the Vashistha cave Ashram’s complex, there is another little known cave, facing the Ganges river is called the “Jesus cave” hiding into the mountain. The cave offers breathtaking view of the river and also lush green vertical cliffs across the river . The name of the cave comes from the tradition that Jesus lived in India during the “Lost Years.”

The Jesus Cave, also known as Arundhati Guha or Arundhati Cave, is a popular meditation site at the Vashishta cave near Rishikesh.
Swami Rama Tirtha and Swami Papa Ramdas, who reportedly visioned that Jesus walked through this cave in spite of no prior information.
You can find Jesus cave on a steep cliff overlooking the Ganges river and surrounding Himalayan hills, adding to its spiritual scene for meditation.
The Jesus cave highlights historical and mystical importance, offers serene location near the bank of the river Ganga, marks it an ideal site for spiritual travelers for contemplation.
In the early 20th century both Swami Rama Tirtha and Swami (Papa) Ramdas visited to this site (at separate time and years), and both had visions that Jesus walked through this cave. Though both had no prior information that Jesus lived here.

Overview: Jesus Cave Rishikesh

Jesus Cave at Ashram of Swami Purushottamananda

Swami Purushottamananda ( wondering Hindu monk from south India ) lived inside the cave from 1928– 13 February 1961. He was a genuine disciple of Swami Brahmananda Saraswathi.
Swami Purushottamananda after receiving a degree in engineering, he took Sannyasa Ashram ( renounce his material life and transform into spiritual life ) .
In his mid-twenties he travelled to Uttarakhand’s Himalayas along the river Ganges and found his guru Brahmananda while wondering.
After retiring form Ramakrishna Mission society in the early 1920s, he started wandering in the Himalayas along the Ganges and came across the Vashistha Guha in 1928.
When he reached the cave site, was filled by tall Gullar trees and he started living inside the cave undertaking meditation and austerities till his last breath.
Swami Purushottamananda left his body on Maha Shivarathri Night 1961.

Vashistha Cave Ashram

Vashistha Cave is about 25 km from Rishikesh on the way to Devprayag ( Badrinath National Highway 58) on the Rishikesh Badrinath route. It is said that Sage Vashistha, the guru of Rama frequently visited here.

Now ( Swami Chaitanyananda )

Swami Chaitanyananda currently takes care of the ashram and he a direct disciple of Purushottamananda. in the ashram complex, there is a very long cave with Shivalinga.
It is famous as Vashishta’s Cave or Vashishta’s Ashram, the sage Vashistha, ( the guru of Rama and his brothers Lakshman, Bharata and Shatrughna ) lived here 9000 years ago.
This cave maintained and lived by Purushottamananda from his arrival in 1928 until his departure in 1961. He did ‘tapas’ (austerities) inside till his last breath.
It is Purushottamananda who discover this cave which was covered with tall Gullar tree, there still a huge Banyan trees beside cave’s entrance.
In the earliest years of his stay inside the cave, the local narrates a story that a lion used to come on daily basis after sunset from across the river and sleep at entrance of the cave while Purushottamananda used to meditate inside the cave during night.
Until toady, the cave and the small ashram attracts many spiritual seekers across the globe. The ashram is run by two very holy men, Swami Chaitanyananda and Swami Shantananda Puri.

mantra deditation at Vashistha Cave — Meditation at Vashistha Cave

Vashistha Cave Rishikesh

Today the cave extends into the hillside about 20 feets, and then opens into a large enough space to seat and meditate about eight people. There is a round stone slab where Swami Purushottamananda used to meditate. The cave altar hosts a shiva lingam. A couple of oil lamps , water pot and flowers are for offering prayer.

Sri Satya Sai Baba made his visit to Cave for three consecutive days while visiting Swami Sivananda near Ram Jhula at Divine life society in Rishikesh 1959.

The Ganga here takes a wide curve near Ashram, So Ganga makes a wide beach space to sit and meditate that makes the scenery doubly attractive.

Jesus Cave Rishikesh ( Arundhati Cave )

There is another attractive cave about a five-minute walk down to the river from the ashram. It is set just little up hillside facing the flowing Ganga river across a wide sandy and rocky. The cave is not very deep like Vashistha, in the back of this cave, there is a small white Shiva lingam is appeared.

The Arundhati Guha or Arundhati’s Cave is also known as the Jesus Cave (GPS 30.114032, 78.430851) since the 1930s, when Papa Ramdas detailed about this place in his book “ the Vision of God ” in 1934.

Papa Ramdas tells the story in his book that how Ram (God) allow him to find the Vashistha cave. You know that time there was no good road or any significant trails leading there and it was only fables that it even existed.