Draft:Shanti Kali Ashram Mission

The Shanti Kali Ashram Mission is a spiritual community (ashram) located in Tripura. The mission is named after the Indian Hindu spiritual guru and priest Gurudev Shanti Kali. This Ashram was first started in 1979 at Manu in Sabroom. At the present the mission runs 24 ashrams across the Tripura state.

History
Shanti Kumar Tripura was born to Dhananjay Tripura and Khanjan Devi in a small village of Sabroom. In his early youth, he embarked on a pilgrimage across India. It was during these travels that he decided to come back to Tripura and establish a temple dedicated to Goddess Tripura Sundari, alongside an ashram to address the needs of the local tribal community. Upon completing his pilgrimage, he devoted himself to the establishment of the Shanti Kali Ashram. In 1979, on the auspicious day of Shiv Chaturdashi, the ashram was inaugurated at Manu in Sabroom, marking a significant chapter in his lifelong commitment to spiritual and community service. Subsequently, numerous tribal individuals embraced his teachings and becoming dedicated disciples.

In 27 August of 2000 Gurudev Shanti Kali were killed in his ashram at Khumulwng area of Jirania(then Sadar Sub-division) by the insurgent group National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT). He was asked to discontinue all Hindu rituals and practices, with pressure to convert his religion to Christianity by the NLFT. In the months following his demise, an extremist Christian group forced the closure of eleven ashrams, schools, and orphanages established by the priest across the state.

Following the passing of Shanti Kali, Chitta Maharaj was the choice of his guru as the successor, assumed responsibilities and spearheaded the expansion of the ashram's initiatives.

Present
At present day the mission runs 24 ashrams, cultural center, kabriraji healthcare, orphanage and primary schools across the state. The mission aims to establish 108 additional ashrams in the state of Tripura. The present headquarter of Shanti Kali Ashram was inaugurated by Mohan Bhagwat, the Sarsanghchalak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on 27 August 2022 at Amarpur, Tripura.