Sri Aurobindo arrived in French Pondicherry on April 4, 1910, seeking political refuge from British imperial persecution following his trial in the Alipore Bomb Case. Here he retired completely from active politics to dedicate himself to intensive spiritual sadhana. In 1914, Mirra Alfassa, a French artist and mystic, arrived in Pondicherry and recognized Sri Aurobindo as her spiritual counterpart. Following her permanent return in 1920, a growing community of seekers coalesced around them.
On November 24, 1926—celebrated as Siddhi Day (the Day of Victory), when Sri Aurobindo attained the descent of the Krishna consciousness into the physical—the ashram was formally founded. Sri Aurobindo withdrew into seclusion to focus on inner work and writing magnum opuses including 'The Life Divine' and 'Savitri', entrusting the organizational, material, and spiritual guidance of the ashram entirely to The Mother.
