community in Hindu culture. Mahieu, later known as Brother Francis, learnt Sanskrit and studied Bhagavad Gita to find out the close similarities of thought in the two great religions. In 1998, the Ashram was formally received into worldwide Trappist community. Acharya Francis was made the Abbot of the Abbey or Ashram before he died in 2002 at the age of 92. Fr. Yesudas Thelliyil succeeded him as Acharya. The Ashram runs a dairy farm which rears high yielding cows and collects milk from the pastures around. They bake their own brown bread and distribute quality cattle feed to the local community.