Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Sri Ramana Ashram

Sri Ramana Ashram

Sri Ramana Ashram (edit | talk | history | protect | delete | links | watch | logs | views) – (View log | edits since nomination)

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Non-notable Ashram, the sources are about the Maharshi, not the Ashram—lack of WP:SIGCOV, and WP:GNG failure. Zuck28 (talk) 10:46, 29 March 2026 (UTC)

• Note: This discussion has been included in the deletion sorting lists for the following topics: Architecture, Organizations, Companies, Religion, Hinduism, India, and Tamil Nadu. Zuck28 (talk) 10:46, 29 March 2026 (UTC)
• Keep - "non-notable"? It's a highly significant pilgrimage place for the satsang (neo-Advaita) movement, visited by numerous well-known authors. Joshua Jonathan - Let's talk! 12:48, 29 March 2026 (UTC)

  Which policy or guideline says that if a place is visited by numerous well-known authors, it will make it notable enough for a standalone article? Please read WP:NOTINHERITED and demonstrate how it pass GNG & SIGCOV? Zuck28 (talk) 15:50, 29 March 2026 (UTC)

  This vote has no basis in notability policy ꧁Zanahary꧂ 21:47, 12 April 2026 (UTC)

• Keep - notable and important.

Jn.mdel (talk) 14:15, 29 March 2026 (UTC)

How? Zuck28 (talk) 15:51, 29 March 2026 (UTC)

This is WP:NOTAVOTE; you need to explain how it meets notability requirements. ꧁Zanahary꧂ 21:47, 12 April 2026 (UTC)

• Strong Keep - Notable. I am surprised by this nomination. The ashram is a historic Hindu pilgrimage site and organization especially for Advaita Vedanta followers, and has been attracting visitors from all over the world for a century now, with enough evidence in the article, which itself is over 15 years old. The Government of India released a commemorative coin marking the centenary of the institution, thus the ashram clearly passes GNG and it is notable. Additional info found: 100 years on it is international organization -"The main centers beyond Tiruvannamalai are Ramana Satchidananda Mandali in Mumbai (established in 1923); Ramana Kendras in New Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai; and Arunachala Ashram in New York City. Sri Ramana’s thoughts reverberate globally, with roughly 100 centers in 65 countries, including the US, Switzerland, Mauritius, Japan, France, Spain and Eastern Europe." This is Hinduism Today magazine. --Ekabhishek^talk 15:06, 29 March 2026 (UTC)

  I am surprised by your rationale. Apparently, you joined Wikipedia 20 years ago, and your contention to keep the article is that the place "has been attracting visitors from all over the world, and the article is 15 years old". Zuck28 (talk) 15:53, 29 March 2026 (UTC)

  Relax! This is not about me, so do not try to make a personal dig at me by mentioning how long I have been here. Stick to the article, the ashram is over 100 years old, and if you google you will find enough material. No point arguing for the sake of it. Decide what you are here for? To BUILD wikipedia or just to be argumentative? --~ Ekabhishek^talk 17:31, 29 March 2026 (UTC)

  Please read WP:ITEXISTS, and WP:LOTSOFSOURCES. Zuck28 (talk) 18:34, 29 March 2026 (UTC)

Please focus on content, not editors. --CNMall41 (talk) 01:42, 1 April 2026 (UTC)

• Keep: This has detailed SIGCOV about the ashram. This has few lines. - All these have certain surmountable coverage, enough to save the article. BhikhariInformer (talk) 15:32, 29 March 2026 (UTC)

  Thank you for your efforts, but the sources are still not sufficient to pass SIGCOV & GNG. Zuck28 (talk) 15:55, 29 March 2026 (UTC)

*Keep – I think the nominator has a personal issue which is why they are arguing so much otherwise none of the deletion arguments by User:Zuck28 not valid. The subject meets WP:GNG through multiple reliable book sources that provide significant coverage of the ashram itself. The ashram is historically and contextually central to Ramana Maharshi, and the coverage is not merely incidental. The WP:NOTINHERITED argument does not apply here as independent sourcing exists.FactStructure (talk) 16:49, 29 March 2026 (UTC) WP:SOCKSTRIKE ~SG5536B 06:11, 31 March 2026 (UTC)

I have only one argument- a lack of SIGCOV and GNG failure. And I am not arguing, I am just asking for the sources which make the subject pass GNG. If you have substantial evidence of SIGCOV, it is better to mention it instead of just vague statements. Zuck28 (talk) 17:27, 29 March 2026 (UTC)

• Keep per HEY. Additional coverage by this paper. --SatnaamIN (talk) 23:46, 29 March 2026 (UTC)
• Redirect - Even a search of Newspapers.com only shows mentions of the ashram. Redirect to Ramana Maharshi where this can be amply covered without an unnecessary CFORK.--CNMall41 (talk) 01:48, 1 April 2026 (UTC)
• Delete agree with @Zuck and have serious concerns about notability... I am giving a source by-source breakdown of what's actually in the article, measured against WP:GNG and WP:SIGCOV.

Sources in the article

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/new-edition-of-work-on-bhagavan-sri-ramana-maharshi-released-in-tiruvannamalai/article66349269.ece: This is a news brief about new book editions on Ramana Maharshi being released at Tiruvannamalai. The ashram is the venue, not the subject. No significant coverage of the ashram as an institution.

https://web.archive.org/web/20110721174720/http://tiruvannamalai.nic.in/mainramana.html A government district listing. Not independent editorial coverage.

https://www.indiagovtmint.in/product/श्री-रमणाश्रमम्-शताब्दी-2/ product listing probably. But the website returned an error and I could not evaluate it because I am in the united states and it returned error "This product is not available for your country"

https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2217440&reg=3&lang=2 A government press release about the Vice-President attending Ramana Maharshi's 146th Jayanti. WP:PRIMARY and passing mention

https://www.hinduismtoday.com/environment/sri-ramana/ the focus is the person. No coverage depth

https://books.google.com/books?id=uYBze1z0yFkC&q=Ramana+ashram&pg=RA1-PA128 A biography of Ramana Maharshi. Classic WP:NOTINHERITED territory.

Godman1998 idk what this is. nothing opens at all

https://theprint.in/opinion/connects-raja-raja-chola-ramana-maharshi-hindu-temples-north-america/2710943/ This is an article about an architectural lineage. The ashram temple gets a mention as one data point in a larger narrative about temple architects. Not WP:SIGCOV of the ashram.

Zaleski: idk what this is. nothing opens at all again

http://www.livemint.com/2008/05/17000630/Hidden-camera.html?d=1 about Maugham's Indian travels or the literary connection. again passing mention

Yogananda, p. 384 One page. Yogananda visited the Maharshi. Classic WP:NOTINHERITED again passing mention

http://www.sriramanamaharshi.org/ramanasramam.html ashram's own website. Not independent.

Mouni Sadhu, 'In Days of Great Peace' 2nd. A devotee's spiritual memoir. again passing mention

https://web.archive.org/web/20120219052920/http://www.iymagazine.org/articles/2007_Fall/Be_As_You_Are.html About Godman as a writer and his work on Ramana Maharshi. No sig in depth coverage of ashram

Osborne, p. 119 One page from a book about Ramana Maharshi. Not independent coverage of the ashram.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/former-president-of-sri-ramanasramam-dead/article32154889.ece An obituary of the former ashram president. Brief, and the subject is the person who died. No sig in depth coverage of ashram

https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2025/Jun/04/followers-numismatists-hail-govt-of-indias-decision-to-issue-a-coin-on-ramana-maharishi About the commemorative coin announcement. The ashram gets a line or two of context lol

@Joshua says it's "a highly significant pilgrimage place visited by numerous well-known authors." This is WP:ITEXISTS reasoning. Famous people visiting a place doesn't generate WP:SIGCOV about the place. Every source about Maugham visiting or Yogananda visiting is coverage of those individuals, not of the ashram. WP:NOTINHERITED is directly on point here.

@Ekabhishek's argument rests on three things: visitors from around the world, the article being 15 years old, and the commemorative coin. Bruh... The first is WP:ITEXISTS. Are we to make articles about every single place Narendra Modi set foot on, simply because Modi is famous? Article age is irrelevant to notability (old articles get deleted all the time). The coin is interesting but the mint page is a catalog blurb, not in depth journalistic or scholarly work.... A coin does not prove that reliable sources have given the ashram itself significant coverage.

@Bhikhari did provide the most useful response by actually linking sources. The thing is these sources treat the ashram as a brief mention it while covering Ramana Maharshi, his teachings, or events happening at the location. There is no depth besides trivial mention

@FactStructure Sock so not gonna go into it

@Satnaam cites one thesis but says "per HEY" without elaborating on whether that paper provides SIGCOV. HEY is again an essay not a guideline. Plus a PhD thesis which itself did not get much citation and is not really peer reviewed, cannot be used to establish notability Flyingphoenixchips (talk) 14:54, 2 April 2026 (UTC)

Flyingphoenixchips You are so incorrect. Read the speech of the Vice President of India, published on a government press website: "He lauded the enduring role of Sri Ramana Ashram, Tiruvannamalai, and Ramana Kendras in India and abroad in preserving and disseminating Ramana Maharshi’s timeless wisdom. Appreciating the Ashram’s community service initiatives, he highlighted its free medical dispensaries, provision of meals to sadhus and the underprivileged, and efforts in environmental conservation. Recalling history, he noted that Mahatma Gandhi, during the freedom movement, often encouraged freedom fighters to visit the Ashram to gain strength, clarity and solace." This is No way a passing mention. haha.

Secondly, if the Government of India releases a commemorative coin on the centenary of an institution, it is NOTABLE institution, alright, plus it was released by the Vice President of India. This itself negates all your so-called arguments and attempts to dilute the notability. Just because you cannot access the link your country, wikipedia cannot help it.Specification Section has full section about history and importance of the Ashram, please read --~ Ekabhishek^talk 18:16, 2 April 2026 (UTC)

@Ekabhishek Buddy, press releases are primary sources not secondary. First understand, I am not against this article... I just have concerns that the sources do not really establish notability. I am going by Wikipedia guidelines not personal interest. Please take your time to read WP:GNG and WP:SIGCOV. Just because some famous guy or the Govt of India say something does not make it notable. It has to be backed up by indepth sources. h: A Vice President giving a laudatory speech at the centenary celebration of the very institution he's visiting is not independent coverage buddy. Lol if we take your word and started treating every single dignitary's event speech as proof of notability, every district library inaugurated by a state governor would qualify for its own Wikipedia article. The VP was a guest of honor; he was there to say nice things. Lmaoo... That's how event speeches work. Finding it on a government press site just means the PIB did its job that day, not that scholars consider the ashram independently significant.

Also, India's government mint has released commemorative coins for, among other things, the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Bureau of Indian Standards, and the Income Tax Department. By this logic, the Income Tax Department deserves an article emphasizing its spiritual notability no? Thing is wikipedia needs sustained, in-depth coverage in independent reliable sources. By no means can we consider philatelic or numismatic tributes without significant coverage as an evidence of notability. Also I mentioned not being able to access the source, so that others can verify and facat check. Plus... If a source can't be independently verified by editors worldwide, that's a problem with the source's accessibility, not with the editors questioning it.

Happy Editing, and please take your time to read wiki guidelines. Flyingphoenixchips (talk) 19:18, 2 April 2026 (UTC)

@Flyingphoenixchips You claim you are not against the article, but your feebly humourous commentary on each citation, and laughable personal perspective on Vice President speech shows your bias against the topic. You are not added anything constructive here, you dissing other editors and I can see you love baiting people and turn normal discussions into battleground. Please continue, I have no interest in indulging in you. I am sure neutral editors will step in! Read WP:NOTHERE It will give you something to reflect upon. LOL --~ Ekabhishek^talk 19:37, 2 April 2026 (UTC)

@Ekabhishek Please do not make it about me, talk about my reasoning instead of the editor. Wikipedia is suppose to be collaborative. I don't know in what way I would have interest or personal bias towards an ashram in India to start... but anyways, I rest my case here. Have a pleasant evening. Flyingphoenixchips (talk) 19:52, 2 April 2026 (UTC)

• Keep per WP:GNG. Notable attraction featured in multiple travel guide books like Lonely Planet and Rough Guides. Lots of coverage to be found regarding the ashram's cultural influence on writers such as Somerset Maugham (discussed in several of the sources listed above), artists such as V. Ramesh (discussed in this article in Marg: A Magazine for the Arts), and rainforest activists such as John Seed (writing in Yoga Journal). Also found this 2018 article, "The Holy Town of Tiruvannamalai" in Hinduism Today which clearly says the ashram is the most popular destination in the area. NB: WP:SIGCOV clearly says that Significant coverage is more than a trivial mention, but it does not need to be the main topic of the source material. No statement of WP:BEFORE search. Cielquiparle (talk) 13:22, 4 April 2026 (UTC)
• Keep - per the discussions VerdictByLogic - Let's Discuss 13:35, 4 April 2026 (UTC)

Relisted to generate a more thorough discussion and clearer consensus.
Relisting comment: A full source analysis would be helpful.
Please add new comments below this notice. Thanks, voorts (talk/contributions) 15:23, 5 April 2026 (UTC)

• Keep, per Ekabhishek and Cielquiparle. Vanamonde93 (talk) 15:35, 12 April 2026 (UTC)

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.