A yogi, his cows and a fire that never goes out
Swargadwari's modern history begins with one man. Narayan Gautam, a yogi from the western hills later known as Swami Hamsananda and as Guru Maharaj, came to this ridge in the late 19th century and spent most of his life here, meditating, herding and milking cows. In Hindu belief the cow is sacred, and his care for the herd became the heart of the place.
In 1895, on the full moon of Baisakh, he lit the fire of a Vedic yagya, a sacrificial rite, in an altar at the ashram. Priests and devotees have tended it ever since, feeding it with ghee and wood. Around the fire grew temples, rest houses and cattle sheds, and a pilgrimage that now draws visitors from across Nepal and India.
The ashram has had hard years. During and after the civil war of 1996 to 2006, donations of hay and straw fell so low that the cows were at risk of starving. Roads have since been built through Pyuthan, and the pilgrimage has grown again. The site is listed in Nepal's national inventory of cultural and historic heritage.
