After spending 37 years in the Himalayas doing deep Tapasya (meditation) Swami Keshavanand ji had a vision of The Supreme Goddess (Ma Bhagwati) after which he moved to an island near Haridwar to meditate further.

The island on one side has the Chandi Devi temple and the river Neeldhaara and on the other side has the Bhagirathi river and the Mansa Devi Temple.

​

At that time the Island was a thick forest and was full of snakes and scorpions. Swami Keshavanand ji had only one Kamandal (water jug used by Saadhus) and a Chimta (tong).

​

This was in 1903 when there was British rule in India and the British Governor used to visit a Dak Bungalow from where he used to often come to do Swamiji's Darshan. The Governor would often find Swamiji's in deep meditation and sometimes he would sit and have long conversations with Swamiji. The Governor was very impressed with Swamiji’s knowledge and fluent English. One day the Governor asked Swamiji how he could help and do Sewa (service). It was then that Swamiji asked him to make some arrangement where he could build a small hut and do his daily prayers and sing devotional songs without any problems or disturbance. Since then the land was and is leased to Swamiji and the Katyayani Trust that he set up.