Sri Gnanananda Niketan is an ashram, located on the northern bank of the Pennar River, 3 km from Tirukoilur, on the Tirukoilur -
Thiruvannamalai highway. It is a
Sadhana Kendra for teaching Adhyatma Vidya (self-knowledge), in the traditional way, and it also imparts training in meditation.
The ashram is constituted with aim to provide residential accommodation for Sanyasis,
Brahmacharyas and spiritual seekers and to encourage the study of Vedanta and research in comparative religion. It gives training in Yoga and meditation and provides facilities such as prayer and meditation halls. The ashram also organizes study circles, discourses, seminars, conferences, congregation of scholars and retreats. Besides conducting Vedanta classes for Sanyasis, Brahmacharyas and seekers, special instruction in Vedanta and meditation is given to spiritual aspirants coming from abroad.
The nearest railway station is at Tirukoilur, which is on the Viluppuram-Thiruvannamlai meter gauge line. Buses from Chennai, Bangalore, Tiruchirapalli, Salem, Thiruvannamalai, Pondicherry, Chidambaram, Cuddalore and Viluppuram touch Tirukoilur from where one can get to Tapovanam which is 4 km away.
