Ananda is a multi-award-winning holistic wellness retreat set in the former Palace Estate of the Maharaja of Tehri-Garhwal, in the North Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is world-renowned for integrating traditional Ayurvedic medicine with the latest innovations in modern healthcare, a healthy diet, yoga, meditation and Vedanta to rejuvenate the mind and body.
The wellness journey at Ananda starts well before arrival. Guests fill in a detailed health and wellness assessment form and undergo a pre-arrival consultation with an expert. This is critical to understanding the state of each guest’s physical, mental, and emotional health. To prepare themselves for their programme at Ananda, guests are given specific dietary and lifestyle guidelines that they need to follow a couple of weeks before arrival.
Once at Ananda, the wellness journey begins with consultations, with the lead physicians and experts representing the different pillars of healing such as Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, nutrition, Yoga, Meditation, physiotherapy and emotional healing. Guests are given a daily schedule of personal therapies, customized wellness meals, and individual and group wellness sessions to follow. Daily progress checks are made with each of these experts and the programme is modified if required.
Stress Management, Weight Management, Pain Management and Active Fitness- focusing on enhancing fitness and muscle tone – are some of the popular programmes offered at Ananda. These and other programmes are designed to be effective as well as sustainable, one that can be followed after guests leave the retreat.
To achieve this, Ananda’s team of experts conduct follow-up consultations 30 days and 90 days after a guest has left the retreat. Ananda also offers its guests the choice to continue with additional sessions and consultations with experts through online Ayurvedic consultations, private sessions in Yoga, Meditation, physiotherapy, and emotional healing.
Ananda’s willingness to adapt innovations in healthcare has allowed it to integrate them within its traditional structure. Electronic health records, wearable health devices, and AI-powered diagnostic tools have been adopted, enabling remote consultations, data-driven healthcare, and personalized treatment plans. It also enables Ananda to conduct a year-round health management process with follow-up consultations, and self-assessment tools with diagnostics for the post-retreat period.
Integral to Ananda’s approach to healing is its concept of luxury – “that which cannot be bought” – peace and tranquillity. This ethos determines every aspect of its 100-acre hilltop property. Overlooking the Ganga River valley and Rishikesh – the spiritual birthplace of Ayurveda, yoga and meditation – the property is resplendent with its manicured gardens, graceful Sal forests and aesthetically luxuriant man-made structures. Everything has a place and purpose.
Guests arriving at Ananda are greeted at the resplendent Viceregal Palace, the restored reception area that once welcomed some of India’s most renowned heads of state during the Maharaja’s reign. Adjacent to the reception area, the grand Viceregal Tea Lounge retains an old-world charm with life-size portraits hanging on the walls and cups of Darjeeling tea served on the tables.
The Maharaja’s billiards room, also located in the Viceregal Palace, boasts the oldest billiards table in India. A hundred years old, the wooden table has witnessed games between famous political figures who were guests of the Maharaja. The largest space within the Viceregal Palace is the Viceregal Hall. Once the indoor skating rink of the Maharaja, bathed in natural sunlight, it has been converted into a conference hall or as a space to host group events.
Guests can choose from three types of rooms, three types of suites and the Ananda Villas while at the retreat. The recently renovated rooms feature walk-in closets, elegant writing and bedside tables, and bathrooms with life-size mirrors and premium bathtubs. The rooms have either a balcony or a porch that is furnished to enjoy the views of the Palace, the gardens or the valley.
There are three Garden Suites with attached sitting rooms and spacious bathrooms. These secluded suites offer scenic views of either the valley or the palace. The Ananda Suite, located on the ground floor, comes with a large private garden with gazebo seating. In addition to the bedroom, it has a sitting and dining area, a luxuriously fitted bathroom, and an extra powder room with a shower.
The Viceregal Suite is like a time capsule from India’s regal past. Located within the precincts of the Maharaja’s Palace, it has a bedroom with a four-poster bed and an attached dressing room, a spacious sitting and dining area and a bathroom, all beautifully appointed with antique fittings and furniture. Its USP is a private terrace and a rooftop gazebo overlooking the gardens and the valley.
There are three Ananda Villas, two of which are two-bedroom villas, while the third is one-bedroom. Each villa is elegantly appointed with a living room and a pantry for the butler service. A generous dressing room leads to a spacious bathroom with a private sauna and large windows overlooking the pool deck and beyond. Each villa also comes with a 40 Sq.metres private pool overlooking the valley. Its deck is furnished with comfortable lounge beds.
Described as the soul of Ananda, the spa spans 2,300 Sq.metres. It features therapy rooms with views of the surrounding nature, open-air yoga and meditation pavilions, an outdoor pool, a physiotherapy centre and a gymnasium. The finest Ayurvedic, Traditional Chinese Medicine, International treatments and Physiotherapy treatments are offered here. In addition to Ananda’s wellness team of certified Doctors, healers and practitioners who bring decades of experience, the spa also hosts ‘Visiting Experts’ – highly proficient specialists in their respective fields.
At Ananda, specially curated meals are tailor-made, in consultation with the Ayurvedic doctor, for each individual based on their specific wellness programme needs and body type. The signature traditional and contemporary dishes, which are low in fat and calories, are prepared using farm-fresh ingredients sourced locally or grown in Ananda’s garden.
Ananda’s signature restaurant, built in a grove of Sal trees, has a yantric decor. It serves Indian, Asian and other international cuisines. The restaurant also includes a tree-top deck for outdoor and intimate dining experiences. The Tea Lounge at the restaurant pavilion is an ideal spot to spend the afternoon with tea and light snacks.
The Pool offers a cool, relaxed setting in which one can enjoy light healthy snacks that refresh and hydrate while offering a splendid view. Guests can also opt for a Private Dining experience in beautiful, secluded venues on the palace estate. At Culinary Studio, Ananda’s wellness cuisine concept is demonstrated by its chefs, instructing guests on how to make the recommended dishes at home so that they can continue their diet after leaving the retreat.
The region surrounding Ananda offers incurable options for those seeking adventures beyond the retreat. Guests can go on a wildlife safari at the Rajaji National Park to view Asiatic wild elephants, wild boar, deer, and leopards, as well as bird watching with more than 400 species of indigenous Himalayan birds. The Himalayan foothills can be explored on foot with a personal guide. White water rafting on the Ganges River offers a range of rapids suitable for beginners as well as experienced adventurers. In the cradle of Indian spirituality, there are numerous historic temples and rituals to experience.
To arrive at Ananda, the closest international airport is New Delhi, which is connected via daily 45-minute flights to the Dehradun airport. The retreat is another 40 minutes away, on country roads that snake through the Shivalik hills.
