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 Boston Pilgrimage Sites
The sites below are all places that Yogananda frequented after his arrival to the U.S. in Boston in September 1920 and through his early years of carrying out his mission in the West. Although he began in Boston, he also gave lectures across the U.S. starting in 1923 to packed crowds in symphony halls and other large halls in most major cities.
In celebration of his beginnings in Boston, and the still felt divine vibration of this great master of yoga, our group has arranged pilgrimages to the sites below. We want to share the information we have gathered so that many more may be aware of the uplifting vibration these locations hold.
If you are interested in attending future pilgrimages with us as a group, please contact us, and we'll let you know when we plan the next one! We include some pictures from our latest pilgrimage in November 2008, led by Jane Downey of ME and Ram and Dikshini Smith, leaders of Ananda Rhode Island.
Former Lewis Home
24 Electric Avenue Somerville, MA
(This is a private residence
and has been sold a couple times.
Please do not trespass or disturb occupants)
Yogananda frequently stayed at this home of Dr. & Mrs. Lewis (two of
Yogananda's earliest disciples) during the early 1920's, and for some time had
a room on the third floor at the back of the house. He played their Estey organ (loudly!) and loved taking showers in the upstairs bathroom. He
would also cook many Indian meals for Dr. Lewis and any guests who came for
supper and they would stay up late with Yogananda telling stories and discussing Hindu scriptures. (Treasurers Against Time, pp. 9-10)
The Greater Boston YMCA
316 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA
Yogananda stayed at this Y upon his arrival to Boston on 9/18/20.
During his stay, he gave his first talk in the U.S. on 10/6/20
titled "The Science of Religion" at the International Congress of
Religious Liberals in Unity House (no longer existing today). It was at
Unity House on Christmas Eve 1920 that Yogananda first met Dr. Lewis, who became
one of his first American disciples. (Treasurers Against Time, p. 42)
Jordan Hall
30 Gainsborough Street
Boston, MA
On 3/4/21 Yogananda gave his first public lecture in the U.S. at Jordan Hall.
Symphony
Hall
Massachusetts & Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA
This was the site where Yogananda gave lectures to overflowing audiences during
eight days between 9/23-10/7/28. In this same year, Yogananda gave many
talks at many colleges and throughout Boston. (Treasurers Against Time, p. 18)
Trinity Church -- Copley Square
206 Clarendon
Street
Boston, MA
Yogananda often played the church's organ and meditated at Trinity Church. (per Jane Downey's
conversation with Brenda Lewis Rosser, 1999)
Boston Public Library -- Copley Square
700 Boylston Street
Boston, MA
Yogananda visited the library several times. This is the site where
Yogananda found and talked to the man who had anonymously sent him a letter criticizing him
for "sponsoring" Jesus Christ in the West, because he believed Jesus was a myth. (Chapter 33, “Original
Christianity,” The New Path, by Swami Kriyananda, full-text is
on-line at www.ananda.org)
Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel -- Copley Square
138 St. James Avenue
Boston, MA
Yogananda first spoke here before the Boston Lion's Club on 10/3/28
. Additionally, during 1928 he stayed here during the eight day lecture series at Symphony Hall. After the lectures, the Lewis' would
join Yogananda for pistaschio ice cream with chocolate sauce via room
service. (Treasurers Against Time, p. 18p. 18)
Hardy's Pond
Hiawatha Avenue
Waltham, MA
It was on this street that Yogananda established his first hermitage in the U.S., where he and others meditated regularly in the summer months.
Former Lewis Summer Home
34 Sagamore Road
Duxbury, MA
In 7/21, Dr. Lewis, his father, and brother were out on Duxbury Bay in a small skiff, two miles offshore, when a severe squall broke out. Dr. Lewis remembered Yogananda's advice that if you are in the OM vibration nothing can harm you. After he returned safely that night to his house in Somerville, the telephone rang and Yogananda said, "Well Doctor, you came near getting wet today, didn't you?" (Treasures Against Time, pp. 49-51; Letter from Rosser, 7/29/99)
Plum Island
Newburyport, MA
Plum Island is on the south shore of the Merrimac River where the summer home of Sister Yogamata (first American Sister in Yoganda's organization) was located. In April 1921, Yogananda and Dr. Lewis meditated on a cool spring day for five hours on the breakwater at the mouth of the Merrimack River. (Treasures Against Time, p. 45-46)
References/Further Info
Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramhansa Yogananda, Crystal Clarity Publishers,
full-text online at www.ananda.org
The
New Path, by Swami Kriyananda, Crystal Clarity Publishers, full-text on-line at
www.ananda.org
Treasures Against Time--Paramahansa Yogananda with Doctor and Mrs. Lewis, by Brenda Lewis Rosser, Borrego Publications (out of print; however, if you are
interested in purchasing the book, please contact us.)
Jane Downey's
conversation with Brenda Lewis Rosser, 1999
Letter from John Rosser (Dr. Lewis's son-in-law) to Jane Downey, 7/29/99
"A Time for Remembering," Self-Realization Magazine, Summer 1995
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