In January, 2013 the BBC produced a short documentary piece on Ridgely, along with a feature piece on Swami Vivekananda.  This post contians an excerpt, and you can find the full piece (including video) below: Few in the west have heard of Swami Vivekananda, who was born 150 years ago this week. Yet this Bengali intellectual, still … Continue reading Ridgely featured on the BBC

The estate was created by Francis Leggett in the early 1890s; he later became a friend of Swami Vivekananda and the first president of the Vedanta Society of New York (founded by Swamiji in 1894). Ridgely has been the home of Leggett’s heirs since his death in 1909. While visiting America in 1993, Swami Gahanananda, … Continue reading History of Ridgely

Q. Why is Vivekananda Retreat, Ridgely important? Swami Vivekananda, the first person to bring the message of Vedanta to the West, stayed at Ridgely on three occasions. He felt he could be himself there, relax and recover from the strain of his intense work. Now, this serene atmosphere – made so by Swami Vivekananda’s extended … Continue reading Frequently Asked Questions

The current members of The Board of Directors of Vivekananda Retreat Ridgely are:   Swami Sarvadevananda, President; Pravrajika Gitaprana, Vice-President, Treasurer; Dr. Shelley Brown, Vice-President; Pravrajika Shuddhatmaprana, Secretary; Swami Tyagananda; Peter Hirshman; Swami Atmajnanananda; Mitu Hirshman; Tapas Mukherji; Ratna Mukherji; Manoj Ray; Sudeshna Ray; Carolyn Hansen; Chandi Sanyal; Paromita Roy  

Ridgely! During Swami Vivekananda’s first and second visits to America he spent in all at least twelve weeks of rest and revitalization at that beautiful estate, speaking day and night of God and of things of the Spirit, transporting those around him. Now Ridgely is open to spiritual seekers from all over America, indeed from … Continue reading About Ridgely

Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was the foremost disciple of Ramakrishna and a world spokesperson for Vedanta. His lectures, writings, letters, and poems are published as The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. He felt it was best to teach universal principles rather than personalities, so we find little mention of Ramakrishna in the Complete Works. Swami Vivekananda … Continue reading About Swami Vivekananda

On December 12, 2008, Ridgely was featured in the New York Times, in an extensive article about ashrams and retreats in the New York Area by Shivani Vohra.  This post contains a small excerpt, and you can find the link to the full article below: It began at 4:30 on a Saturday morning. The three dozen … Continue reading Ridgely in the New York Times