A historic Gandhian ashram in Kausani, Uttarakhand founded in 1946 by Sarala Behn (Catherine Mary Heilemann), a British-born disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. Officially known as Kasturba Mahila Utthan Mandal, the ashram has been working for women's education, empowerment, and rural development in the Kumaon hills for over 75 years. Activities include spinning, weaving, organic farming, and a girls' residential school. Entry is free. Visit as part of your Kausani tour with Tour Venture India.
Lakshmi Ashram (officially Kasturba Mahila Utthan Mandal) is a Gandhian ashram in Kausani, Uttarakhand, founded in 1946 by Sarala Behn (Catherine Mary Heilemann), a British-born disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. It works for women's education, empowerment and rural development in the Kumaon hills. Entry is free. Located ~1 km from Anasakti Ashram.
Lakshmi Ashram, officially known as Kasturba Mahila Utthan Mandal, is a historic Gandhian institution in Kausani, Bageshwar district, Uttarakhand, situated at approximately 1,890 metres in the Kumaon Himalayas. Founded in 1946 by Sarala Behn (born Catherine Mary Heilemann in London, 1901), a devoted British-born disciple of Mahatma Gandhi, the ashram has spent over 75 years working for the education, empowerment and upliftment of women in the remote hill villages of Kumaon.
The ashram runs a residential school for girls from remote Kumaon villages, where students learn academics alongside spinning, weaving, organic farming, environmental conservation, and Gandhian values of self-reliance and community service. Handmade textiles and organic products produced at the ashram are available for purchase by visitors — a direct way to support the ashram's mission. Approximately 100–150 students are enrolled at any given time, and the ashram continues to function as a living example of Gandhian philosophy in practice. Uttarakhand has over 15,000 villages — Lakshmi Ashram has trained women from hundreds of these remote communities since its founding over 75 years ago.
Sarala Behn (1901–1982), born Catherine Mary Heilemann in London, was a British social worker, Gandhian activist, and environmentalist who dedicated her life to rural India. She came to India in the 1930s, joined Gandhi's ashram at Sabarmati, and became one of the few foreigners to be fully immersed in the Indian independence and rural uplift movement.
Gandhi sent her to the Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand in the early 1940s, recognising that the remote mountain communities — especially women — needed sustained support. She learned the local Kumaoni dialect, adopted local dress and food, and spent over four decades — more than 40 years — working among the hill communities. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in Kumaon's social history. Her direct influence shaped the Chipko Movement of the 1970s, India's landmark forest conservation movement in which local women literally embraced trees to prevent logging.
Lakshmi Ashram (Kasturba Mahila Utthan Mandal) is a Gandhian ashram in Kausani, Uttarakhand, founded in 1946 by Sarala Behn. It runs a residential school for girls and focuses on women's education, handloom weaving, organic farming and rural development. Entry is free. Located ~1 km from Anasakti Ashram in Kausani town.
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Official Name | Kasturba Mahila Utthan Mandal |
| Founded | 1946 by Sarala Behn (Catherine Mary Heilemann) |
| Location | Kausani, Bageshwar district, Uttarakhand |
| Entry Fee | Free (donations appreciated) |
| Focus | Women's education, empowerment, rural development |
| Activities | Spinning, weaving, organic farming, girls' residential school |
| Products Available | Handmade textiles, organic items (purchasable by visitors) |
| Altitude | ~1,890 metres (6,200 ft) |
| Distance from Anasakti Ashram | ~1 km (15-minute walk) |
| Distance from Kausani Bus Stand | ~1.5 km |
| Nearest Railway Station | Kathgodam (131 km, ~4 hrs) |
| Best Time to Visit | Year-round |
Lakshmi Ashram is open and accessible year-round. Unlike most tourist sites, it functions as a working ashram with daily activities — making any season a meaningful time to visit. Kausani sits at 1,890 metres in Kumaon, giving it a temperate climate: temperatures rarely exceed 30°C in summer or drop below −2°C in winter, making it pleasant even in December–January.
| Season / Month | Weather | Visitor Experience |
|---|---|---|
| October – November | 8–18°C, clear skies | Best Himalayan views; pleasant weather; highly recommended |
| December – February | 0–10°C, possible snow | Crisp mountain air; fewer tourists; carry warm clothes |
| March – May | 10–22°C, pleasant | Rhododendron blooms; good for sightseeing; moderate crowds |
| June – mid-July | 15–25°C, pre-monsoon | Lush greenery; ashram activities in full swing |
| mid-July – September | 18–24°C, monsoon | Heavy rain; road conditions may be affected; ashram open |
| From | Distance | Travel Time | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kausani Bus Stand | 1.5 km | 20 min walk | On foot |
| Anasakti Ashram | 1 km | 15 min walk | On foot / short walk |
| Kathgodam (Railway) | 131 km | ~4 hrs | Taxi via Almora |
| Nainital | 135 km | ~4 hrs | Road via Bhowali–Almora |
| Pantnagar (Airport) | 155 km | ~4.5 hrs | Taxi |
| Delhi | ~400 km | 9–10 hrs | Road via Moradabad–Haldwani–Almora |
Nearest airport: Pantnagar (155 km). Taxi to Kausani via Haldwani and Almora, approximately 4.5 hours.
Nearest railway: Kathgodam (131 km). Regular trains from Delhi; hire taxi onward to Kausani via Almora (~4 hrs).
Buses from Haldwani, Almora and Nainital to Kausani. Lakshmi Ashram is ~1.5 km from Kausani bus stand.
From Delhi: NH9 via Moradabad–Haldwani–Almora–Kausani (~400 km). TVI arranges private cabs from Kathgodam, Haldwani, Nainital & Delhi.
Lakshmi Ashram is ~1.5 km from Kausani bus stand and ~1 km from Anasakti Ashram — easily walkable from either point.
The story of Lakshmi Ashram begins with a remarkable British woman who gave up her life in England to follow Mahatma Gandhi's vision of rural India. Catherine Mary Heilemann, born in London in 1901, came to India in the 1930s, met Gandhi, and became one of his most dedicated disciples. Gandhi gave her the name Sarala Behn — meaning "simple sister" in Hindi — reflecting her commitment to simplicity and service.
After training under Gandhi's guidance, Sarala Behn moved to the Kumaon hills of Uttarakhand, which she believed offered the ideal setting for implementing Gandhian ideals of self-reliance and rural development. In 1946, she established the ashram in Kausani and named it Kasturba Mahila Utthan Mandal — in honour of Kasturba Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's wife. The institution was designed from the ground up to uplift women from the remote hill villages of Kumaon who had limited access to education or economic opportunity.
Sarala Behn spent the rest of her life at the ashram, training generations of women in spinning, weaving, agriculture, and social service. She became a prominent voice for Himalayan environmental conservation and is credited as a foundational influence on the Chipko Movement — the 1973 forest conservation movement in which Garhwal and Kumaon women embraced trees to prevent commercial felling, a movement that directly inspired India's Forest Conservation Act of 1980. Sarala Behn passed away in 1982, but Kasturba Mahila Utthan Mandal continues to operate from the same Kausani campus she established, carrying her educational mission forward more than 40 years after her death.