What began 40 years ago as a small private garden is now frequently atop Gorgeous Gardens in the West. Visiting the garden is an annual springtime tradition in the Sierra Foothills for over 12,000 visitors from as far away as India. Trip Advisor reviewers have made the Crystal Hermitage one of the top three spots to visit around Nevada City.
Close to 17,000 tulips bloom in the formal gardens surrounding the Crystal Hermitage, giving a spectacular display of color—111 varieties—April through early-May.
A place of deep peace and joy, Crystal Hermitage was the home of Swami Kriyananda where he wrote many of his 140 books and composed some of his 400 pieces of music.
“He built the Crystal Hermitage and gardens for the community to meditate, pray and experience joy in nature,” explained Nair, lead gardener. “Swami was rarely here. Teaching yoga and meditation took him around the world.”
You can visit year round, or rent the Crystal Hermitage gardens for a retreats, proposals, weddings and baptisms. The grounds include a chapel, modeled after St. Francis of Assisi’s chapel in Italy.
Swami Kriyananda founded Ananda Village and it has grown into a worldwide movement, now with 8 communities of people living yoga in daily life, and 145 meditation groups and centers in North America, Europe and India.
A direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda—whose Autobiography of a Yogi sparked the revolution of yoga and meditation in the west that we are living today—Swami Kriyananda was laid to rest in the Moksha Mandir below the gardens in 2013.
For more information, contact Mai Lee, mai@ananda.org, 530-478-7712. Advance tickets are highly recommended to visit the garden this year.
Admission is $8 weekdays, $10 weekends, children 12 & under free. For groups of 10 or more, please call 530/478-7587 for reservations. Open house weekends are April 13-14, 20-21. During event weekends, visitors can chat with our lead gardener and award winning landscape designer; enjoy our famous maple scones; or just sit and enjoy the peace and beauty.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://crystalhermitage.org or call 530-478-7574. Please note: On Friday, April 22 the gardens will open at 1 p.m. Please no alcohol, pets or picnicking.