All World Gayatri Pariwar

The All World Gayatri Pariwar is the mass spiritual movement founded by Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya (1953) around the Gayatri Mantra and yajna — now centered at Shantikunj, Haridwar, with millions of members.

Overview

Shriram Sharma (1911–1990), freedom-fighter-turned-sage, launched the Gayatri movement from Mathura and built Shantikunj (from 1971) as the movement’s headquarters; his wife Bhagwati Devi Sharma co-led; the movement’s 2400 crore? — its signature yajnas and the Gayatri Sadhana camp network spread nationwide.

Core teachings

Gayatri upasana (the mantra as universal worship), yajna as daily and festival practice, the “family-hood” (parivar) ethos of spiritualized social life, and the Science of Living (the “yug nirman” — era-transformation — program of thought reform).

Practice and work

Daily Gayatri japa and havan; nine-day sadhana camps; publication (Akhand Jyoti magazine from 1938? — its long-running monthly); the Brahmavarchas Research Institute (research on mantra, yajna, and plant science); literacy and de-addiction campaigns.

Modern status

One of India’s largest mass spiritual organizations; Shantikunj trains thousands yearly; the movement continues under its successor leadership.

Verification notes

• Founding and institutional history are documented by the organization’s records.
• Audited against Wikipedia (September 2026).