Anandamayi Ma

(1896–1982) Hindu mystic and saint,
who during her lifetime gained a wide
following in all parts of Hindu society
as a manifestation of the Mother
Goddess. She was born in Dhaka in
modern Bangladesh and from a very
young age showed strong spiritual tendencies. These intensified after her
marriage, when she would slip into
blissful meditation, oblivious to her
surroundings and the passage of time.
The marriage was never consummated
and her husband became one of her
primary disciples. For some time she
lived in an ashram in the city of
Benares, which is famous as a sacred
site (tirtha). Later she built an ashram
just outside the city of Haridwar,
where her samadhi (“burial”) shrine
can be found.