We stand at the edge of the lake. Swans glide past a converted windmill. The air smells of eucalyptus and damp earth. This is not the headquarters of Self-Realization Fellowship. It is something else entirely. The Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades, California, is Paramahansa Yogananda’s final resting place and his most public meditation garden, a site that prioritizes interfaith peace over institutional function. Every other site he established serves a different role: Mount Washington is the administrative nerve center, Encinitas is the hermitage where he wrote, and Hollywood is a congregation church. The Lake Shrine holds his body and his vision of world harmony.
Meta: How the Lake Shrine compares to Paramahansa Yogananda’s other sites — Mount Washington, Encinitas, Hollywood — and why each attracts a different kind of pilgrim.
The Lake Shrine is a meditation garden and memorial park dedicated by Paramahansa Yogananda on August 20, 1950. It sits on a 10-acre property in Pacific Palisades, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. A spring-fed lake, a windmill chapel, a museum, and the Court of Religions with a crypt containing Yogananda’s body define the grounds. It is the only SRF site that houses a portion of Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes, given by the Indian government in 1953. The site is open to the public daily, free of charge, and hosts no resident monastic community. It is designed as a place of pilgrimage, not as a living center.
How the Lake Shrine Came to Be
Yogananda had long wanted a secluded retreat near the ocean. In 1949 he purchased the property, a former film set and lake known as “Lake Shrine” from the 1920s. The existing lake had been built for a silent movie. Yogananda saw it as a natural setting for meditation. He dedicated the shrine on August 20, 1950, with a ceremony attended by several thousand people. The windmill, originally a pump house, was converted into a chapel. The Court of Religions was added later, with symbols representing Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The crypt was built after Yogananda’s death on March 7, 1952. His body was placed there in a white marble sarcophagus on March 10, 1952. The Gandhi World Peace Memorial, containing a stone urn with Gandhi’s ashes, was dedicated in 1953.
That history is why the Lake Shrine feels different from the other SRF sites. It was not a place where Yogananda lived or worked day to day. It was his final project, a gift to the public.
What the Lake Shrine Does That Other Sites Do Not
The Lake Shrine functions as a memorial and a garden. It does not hold regular Sunday services, though a chapel service is held on weekends. It does not host classes or retreats for lay members. The focus is on silent meditation, walking the grounds, and visiting the crypt. The museum displays Yogananda’s personal belongings, including his desk, typewriter, and robes. The windmill chapel seats about 40 people and is used for small weddings and services. The lake is stocked with swans and ducks; visitors are asked to sit quietly.
Compare this to the Mount Washington Estate in Los Angeles, purchased in 1925. Mount Washington is the international headquarters of Self-Realization Fellowship. It houses the main temple, the monastic community, administrative offices, and the printing press. It is a working institution. The grounds include formal gardens, but the atmosphere is one of active spiritual discipline. Monks and nuns live there. The temple holds Sunday services, meditation classes, and conferences. The Lake Shrine has no permanent residents. You will not find a monastic schedule posted.
The Encinitas Hermitage: Where Yogananda Wrote
The Encinitas Hermitage and Meditation Gardens, about 20 miles north of the Lake Shrine, is a different animal altogether. Yogananda purchased the property in 1936 and lived there intermittently until 1952. It was at the hermitage that he wrote “Autobiography of a Yogi,” completed in 1945. The hermitage overlooks the Pacific and includes a small chapel, a meditation cave, and a tower room. The gardens are open to the public, but the hermitage itself is reserved for monks and nuns. Unlike the Lake Shrine, which is a public shrine, Encinitas is a working retreat. The Lake Shrine is open to all, every day, with no appointment. Encinitas requires a reservation for the gardens and restricts access to the hermitage.
The Lake Shrine’s crypt is the only place where Yogananda’s body can be visited. Encinitas has his bathtub, his desk, and a chair he used, but no physical remains. The Lake Shrine, therefore, draws a different kind of pilgrim: one who seeks a direct connection to the teacher through his tomb.
The Hollywood Temple: A Congregation Church
The Hollywood Temple at 4860 Sunset Boulevard was dedicated in 1940. It is a conventional church building with a sanctuary, Sunday services, and a meditation room. It serves the local SRF membership. The Lake Shrine has no congregation. People come from all over the world, but there is no membership roll. The Hollywood Temple is a place of weekly worship; the Lake Shrine is a place of pilgrimage. One is a church, the other is a shrine.
Symbolism of the Lake Shrine
The lake itself is the central symbol. It is not a swimming pool but a naturalistic body of water fed by a spring. Yogananda described it as a mirror of the soul. The swans, often seen as symbols of the Self-realized soul, glide across it. The windmill, with its blades now still, represents the harnessing of spiritual energy. The Court of Religions, with its five symbols, is a physical statement of Yogananda’s teaching that all religions lead to the same God. The crypt, covered in white marble, is the anchor. It is a place where devotees sit for hours, sometimes weeping or chanting.
There is a meditation cave built into a hillside, a replica of the cave where Yogananda meditated in India. It is small and dark, with a single beam of light from above. The Lake Shrine is layered with these references, each one a teaching.
Common Misconceptions
The most common mistake is thinking the Lake Shrine is the SRF headquarters. It is not. Mount Washington holds that role. The Lake Shrine is a separate property, managed by SRF but not the administrative center.
Another misconception: that Yogananda lived at the Lake Shrine. He visited it occasionally, but he lived primarily at Mount Washington and the Encinitas Hermitage. His private quarters at Mount Washington are preserved as a memorial.
A third: that the Lake Shrine is a burial site. It is a crypt, not a grave. Yogananda’s body is above ground, in a sealed marble sarcophagus, visible through a glass window. This is a distinct difference from Forest Lawn Memorial Park, where his body was originally interred and then moved. The crypt is part of the shrine’s accessibility.
FAQ
Is the Lake Shrine free to visit? Yes, admission is free, though donations are accepted. No tickets or reservations are required.
Can I meditate at the crypt? Yes, the crypt is open during visiting hours. Devotees often sit in silence on the benches facing the sarcophagus.
What is the best time to visit the Lake Shrine? Early morning or late afternoon for fewer crowds. Weekdays are quieter than weekends. The gardens are open from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM.
How does the Lake Shrine compare to the Encinitas Hermitage Gardens? The Lake Shrine is more public and centered on the crypt and interfaith memorial. Encinitas is more focused on the hermitage where Yogananda lived and wrote, and its gardens are smaller but more intimate.
The Lake Shrine in the Context of Sacred Sites
The Lake Shrine is not a temple in the traditional sense. It is a garden that functions as a shrine. Among Yogananda’s sites, it is the most accessible and the most symbolic. It is the only one that explicitly honors other religions. It is the only one that holds a portion of Gandhi’s ashes. It is the only one that contains Yogananda’s body. For a pilgrim who can only visit one SRF site, the Lake Shrine offers the most concentrated experience of Yogananda’s legacy. For a scholar of sacred sites, it is a unique American example of a created pilgrimage landscape, blending Hindu, Christian, and universalist elements into a single garden.
The Mount Washington Estate remains the heart of the organization. The Encinitas Hermitage is the writer’s retreat. The Hollywood Temple is the church. The Lake Shrine is the tomb and the interfaith crossroads. Each serves a different purpose, and the Lake Shrine fills the role that no other site can: a place where the public can pay respects to the body of the teacher and meditate in a garden designed for peace.
We leave the Lake Shrine with the sound of water falling over stones. The swans have not moved. The crypt remains quiet. The site asks nothing of us but stillness. Compare that to the busy halls of Mount Washington, and the difference becomes clear. The Lake Shrine is Yogananda’s final gift, not to his organization, but to the world.
For more on sacred sites, see our vertical hub on pilgrimage and sacred geography. Explore the glossary of meditation terms to understand the practices used at these sites. Read our guide on Paramahansa Yogananda’s sacred sites for a full tour of his California legacy.