Shantikunj Gayatri Pariwar Live Cam

The ceremonial ground at Shantikunj, an ashram in the city of Haridwar in Uttarakhand, India, lies under this webcam. A stone pavilion stands in the middle of the frame, with rites performed under it and flowerbeds laid out around the edge.

Shantikunj is the headquarters of the All World Gayatri Pariwar, a movement built around the Gayatri mantra and social reform work, and its daily fire rituals are open to anyone staying at the ashram. Haridwar itself is one of the oldest pilgrimage cities in India, on the point where the Ganges leaves the hills for the plain.

Rites run to a fixed timetable morning and evening, which is when the frame fills with people in ochre. During festivals the whole compound is decorated and the crowds spill past the pavilion.