- Born
- Died
- Birth nameEugenie Peterson
- Nickname
- Mataji
- Indra Devi was born on May 12, 1899 in Riga, Russian Empire [now Latvia]. She was married to Siegrid Knauer and Jan Strakaty. She died on April 25, 2002 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- SpousesSiegrid Knauer(1953 - 1977) (his death)Jan Strakaty(1930 - 1946) (his death)
- In 1966, she became captivated by the teachings of the guru Satya Sai Baba. This resulted in a new form of yoga that she called Sai Yoga.
- In 1960, India's ambassador to Moscow arranged for her to meet the top Soviet leaders, including Aleksei Kosygin, the premier, Andrei Gromyko, the foreign minister, and Anastas Mikoyan, chairman of the Supreme Soviet. After she spoke to them of the benefits of yoga, it was legalized in Russia.
- Attended drama school in Moscow as a girl, and escaped to Berlin with her mother when the Communists came to power in 1917.
- Introduced the ancient discipline of yoga to the Kremlin leadership, Hollywood stars like Gloria Swanson, and even students in India.
- Her fascination with India began at 15, when she read a book by the poet Rabindranath Tagore, then some books on yoga. In 1927, she sailed for India. Under the stage name Indra Devi, she became a rising star in Indian films. She legally changed her name to Indra Devi in 1953.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content