International Headquarters

Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the SRF Mother Center With Us

The SRF Mother Center commemorates two historic milestones in 2025 — the 100th anniversary of Paramahansa Yogananda establishing the Mother Center as the International Headquarters of Self-Realization Fellowship, and the 75th anniversary of the first SRF World Convocation, personally conducted by the Guru on these sacred grounds.

Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the SRF International Headquarters With Brother Chidananda

Please join SRF/YSS President Brother Chidananda on Saturday, October 25, at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific Time) for a special talk celebrating the 100th anniversary of Paramahansa Yogananda’s founding of the international headquarters of Self-Realization Fellowship atop Mount Washington in Los Angeles in 1925.

Exhibit: SRF Mother Center — Celebrating 100 Years

We invite you to view a Centennial Commemoration exhibit in the main hall of the International Headquarters Building, on display through December 20, 2025.

2025 SRF World Convocation: Mother Center Pilgrimages

View glimpses of the 2025 SRF World Convocation pilgrimage tours to the Mother Center that took place this past June.

Monastic hosts welcomed visitors from around the world sharing inspiring stories from the Guru’s life. Pilgrims enjoyed meditating in the sacred surroundings, devotional chanting with the nuns, visiting Paramahansaji’s shrine rooms, and a traditional Indian meal.

Easter Sunrise Service with Brother Chidananda

View a recording of Brother Chidananda, president and spiritual head of Self-Realization Fellowship/Yogoda Satsanga Society of India, conducting an Easter Sunrise service on April 20, 2025. The occasion — livestreamed worldwide — marked 100 years since Paramahansa Yogananda led the first such service at the International Headquarters in April 1925.

Self-Realization Magazine Articles Commemorating the Mother Center Centennial

The 2024 annual issue of the Self-Realization magazine contains articles dedicated to the Mother Center Centennial.

Available on the SRF bookstore and in temple bookrooms.

History of the SRF International Headquarters

Paramahansa Yogananda founded the International Headquarters of Self-Realization Fellowship in October of 1925. How did a young swami from India acquire this 12-acre property near the heart of Los Angeles? Read the inspiring story of this spiritual sanctuary where Paramahansaji lived, taught, and communed with the Divine for more than 25 years.

“Where Truth’s Spirit Shall Reign” — Paramahansa Yogananda’s Inspiration From the Dedication of the Mother Center  

Read excerpts from Paramahansaji’s words at the dedication of the SRF International Headquarters in 1925.

“A Place of Divine Communion” by Sri Daya Mata

Sri Daya Mata, beloved third president of SRF/YSS, reminisces about the early history of the SRF International Headquarters in Los Angeles. She says, “The story of Gurudeva Paramahansa Yogananda’s worldwide mission — and certainly of his establishing our headquarters on Mount Washington — is one of loving sacrifice and undeterred faith in God.”

Paramahansa Yogananda established the international headquarters, the Mother Center, of Self-Realization Fellowship in 1925. It is located on the crest of Mt. Washington, five miles from downtown Los Angeles. Here he lived and worked for more than twenty-five years, and from this center his lectures, writings, and recorded talks are published and made available worldwide.

Also situated here are ashrams (monastic communities) for Self-Realization Fellowship monastics.

Paramahansa Yogananda’s living quarters at the Mother Center have been preserved as a
shrine, and there are exhibits of some of his personal effects in the library and reception hall. The chapel where he conducted services throughout the years is open daily for prayer and meditation. A lovely outdoor “temple of leaves,” where he often gave classes, also invites quiet reflection and meditation, and visitors are welcome to enjoy the Mother Center gardens.

International Headquarters Retrofit & Rehabilitation Project

To learn more about plans for the much-needed seismic life-safety retrofit project, for the International Headquarters of SRF, please visit the IHQ Retrofit & Rehabilitation Project webpage.

General Opening Hours

Meditation Grounds

• Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Sunday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Closed on Mondays and holidays

Visitors’ Center & Main International Headquarters Building

• Tuesday – Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Sunday 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Closed on Mondays and holidays

Note: Visiting hours can change on short notice. Changes will be indicated in the section below:

Special Events and Holidays

3880 San Rafael Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90065

(323) 225-2471