ABSTRACT
Given the global visibility of yoga today, it is not surprising that Rishikesh's economy is increasingly oriented toward domestic and international tourism of the spiritual variety. The institutions surrounding spiritual teaching and yoga instruction, and the discourses of Hindu spirituality that many prominent gurus offer, are transnationally and historically produced and are associated with the place of Rishikesh and the Himalayan landscape. These people are called as local residents, and it is their role in creating the cosmopolitan atmosphere. If gurus are charismatic icons of the neo-Hindu spirituality that attracts foreigners to Rishikesh, its central institutions are ashrams. Ashrams are considered to be religious rather than touristic institutions, but in practice this distinction has become blurred as ashrams are incorporated into the tourist industry. Parmarth Niketan is one of the largest and most accessible ashrams in Rishikesh. Advaita Vedanta's philosophical orientation is cosmopolitan in the ease with which, precisely because of its abstractness, it offers different messages to different audiences.
