Career
lieutenant was one of the first large ashrams to be established in Rishikesh, prior to which it was mostly as a place for individual seekers, or pilgrims to stop over on way to Char Dham temples pilgrimage. He was well acquainted with spiritual luminaries of nineteenth century India like Swami Vivekananda. Dhanraj Giri as part of his wanderings had come to Rishikesh from Varanasi and had put up in Surat Giri Bangla ashram in Kankhal.
This monastery came to be known as Kailash Ashram.
Swami Vivekananda, as part of his travels in North India, went to Rishikesh and also went to Kailash Ashrama. Dhanraj Giri, who wielded considerable influence among the monks and who regularly used to feed the monks from his Ashrama, provided full support to the service activities conducted by the two disciples of Swami Vivekananda and gave them special respect and importance in front of all other monks, which gradually ensured the acceptance of their work in the wider community.