Agartha, also spelled in many ways such as Agharta or Agharti, is a legendary kingdom believed to exist on the inside surface of the Earth. Although different stories describe Agartha in various ways, it is often said to be located in Central Asia and ruled by a powerful leader sometimes called the King of the World. This figure is thought to secretly influence people on the Earth's surface. Later stories linked Agartha to the idea that the Earth is hollow. The concept of Agartha has been widely discussed in mystical beliefs, secret teachings, and New Age ideas since the late 1800s.
The term Agartha first appeared in the 1870s, introduced by Louis Jacolliot, a French writer and official. In his 1873 book Les fils de Dieu, Jacolliot claimed he had read ancient Indian manuscripts that described the lost city of Asgartha, including its history and downfall. The original story did not describe an underground kingdom but instead referred to a ruined city in India, with themes more similar to Norse mythology than Indian mythology.
Jacolliot’s book was well-received in France, and the idea of Agartha became more widely known. Later writers, such as Alexandre Saint-Yves d'Alveydre, expanded on the concept. In his book Mission de l'Inde en Europe, Saint-Yves described Agartha as a place inside the Earth that could be reached through astral projection.
The idea gained more attention in 1922 with Ferdynand Ossendowski’s book Beasts, Men and Gods, which was influenced by Saint-Yves and became the most common version of the Agartha myth. Some interpretations of Agartha are connected to ideas about Nordic or Aryan heritage. Another belief, linked to Theosophy and related movements, suggests that a group of spiritual leaders called the Grand Lodge of Agartha lives in Agartha and secretly controls the world. For unknown reasons, Agartha is often confused with the Buddhist mythical kingdom Shambhala, which is sometimes seen as a rival or opposite to Agartha.
Spelling and etymology
The spelling of Agartha is not the same in all sources. Different writings use spellings such as Agartha, Agharta, Aghartta, Agarttha, Agharti, Arghati, and Agardhi. Louis Jacolliot spelled it as Asgartha. One possible origin of the name Asgartha is that it comes from Asgarth, a different way to write the mythical Norse place called Asgard. This theory suggests the letter "a" was added to make the name look more like words from Sanskrit, as the story originally took place in India. The term Agartha or any version of it was used before the 1870s, even though some people say the idea is very old and began in ancient India.
Concept
Agartha is a large, legendary kingdom believed to exist on the Earth's inner surface. Some stories describe it as being ruled by one or more kings who secretly influence events on the surface world. It is often said to be located beneath Central Asia, Tibet, or the Himalayas. Different versions of the story suggest hidden entrances to Agartha, such as Ayers Rock, the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Earth's poles, Mato Grosso, the Gobi Desert, Cueva de los Tayos, and Kentucky. Agartha is sometimes linked to the idea of a hollow Earth or the Earth's hidden spiritual center.
Agartha has been a topic of interest in secret beliefs and mystical practices since the late 1800s. It is also discussed in New Age ideas and alternative culture groups, though many modern researchers in occult studies pay little attention to it. There are many different versions of Agartha's story, and they often contradict each other. The earliest stories did not describe Agartha as an underground kingdom. These ideas may have been influenced by older myths about hidden lands, such as Lemuria, Hyperborea, and Atlantis.
Some groups in Theosophy, a spiritual movement, believe in the Grand Lodge of Agartha, a place where ascended masters—spiritual beings—live and secretly control the world. The Order of the Solar Temple, a group that believed in Agartha, was involved in a tragic event in the 1990s when members committed mass murder-suicide, claiming it was part of a cycle linked to Agartha.
Dwight York, leader of the Nuwaubian Nation, wrote a book titled Shamballah and Aghaarta: Cities Within the Earth. The Polaires movement claimed to communicate with an oracle using numbers and names, connecting to a spiritual center in Asia led by Agartha's sages. Some writers have suggested a link between the Nazis and Agartha, but no evidence supports this.
Agartha is often confused with Shambhala, a mythical kingdom in Buddhist traditions. Some people believe the two are the same, while others say they are rivals. One interpretation describes Agartha as a place of goodness and Shambhala as a place of materialism, though the source of this idea is unclear.
This idea appears in the book The Morning of the Magicians, which describes Agartha as a hidden city of goodness and a place for meditation. The book suggests the rivalry between Agartha and Shambhala may have come from the Vril Society or René Guénon, but there is no proof the Vril Society existed at that time, and Guénon did not write about Shambhala in his works on Agartha.
Esoteric writer Trevor Ravenscroft described both Agartha and Shambhala as forces of "cosmic evil," linking them to Rudolf Steiner's idea of two opposing evil forces. John Michael Greer, a writer and occultist, said Agartha represents "a center of the Luciferic influence," focusing on intellect over matter, while Shambhala represents "the Ahrimanic influence," focusing on materialism. In his novel Götzen gegen Thule, Wilhelm Landig, a neo-völkisch writer, wrote that "Yellow peoples […] await[…] the coming of a new Great Khan out of the underground realm, Agartha."
History
Greer describes Agartha as "one of the most remarkable products of occult history—a rich fabric of legend woven from a mix of Victorian anthropology, occult politics, and imagination." The origins of Agartha are linked to Victorian euhemerism, a theory that tried to explain mythology as references to hidden past events, often drawn from ancient Germanic myths.
French writer Louis Jacolliot introduced the Agartha myth in his 1873 book Les fils de Dieu (The Sons of God). Jacolliot was a colonial official in South India and wrote many books, including a trilogy about Indian mythology and Christianity. He claimed Brahmin friends gave him access to manuscripts that revealed 15,000 years of Indian history, including the story of Asgartha. However, this is likely false, as Jacolliot probably created the idea himself.
Jacolliot did not describe Agartha as an underground kingdom. Instead, he wrote about Asgartha, an ancient city that was the solar capital of India since 13,300 BC. He described it as ruled by the "Brahmatma," spiritual figures and chief priests of the Brahmins. Jacolliot believed Agartha was created by people who came before the Aryans, who were later overthrown by the Aryans (who became the Kshatriyas) around 10,000 BC.
Jacolliot’s book tells of Agartha’s rise and fall. The story shares few similarities with actual Indian mythology but has many connections to theories about prehistory and Norse mythology, such as the idea that "Agartha" might be a misspelling of "Asgard." According to Jacolliot, Asgartha was destroyed in 5000 BC, just before the start of the Kali Yuga, by two brothers named Ioda and Skandeh from the Himalayas. The invaders were driven out by the Brahmins and fled north, where they became the Norse people, possibly the namesakes of Odin and Scandinavia.
Jacolliot’s book gained popularity in France, spreading the Agartha concept widely. Soon after, Ernest Renan, possibly influenced by Jacolliot, wrote about a Nordic Asgaard in Central Asia. The next major development came in 1886, when French occultist Alexandre Saint-Yves d'Alveydre wrote Mission de l'Inde en Europe (Indian Mission to Europe). He paid for the book himself, and the first edition was labeled as the third, a common marketing practice at the time. Less than two weeks later, he had nearly all copies destroyed, possibly fearing he had revealed too much about Agartha. Some sources suggest his informants in India threatened him for exposing secrets. The book was reissued in 1910 after Saint-Yves’s death.
Saint-Yves learned about Agartha from a man named Haji Sharif, who taught him Sanskrit. Saint-Yves described Sharif as a "high official of the Hindu church," though his name was more commonly associated with Muslims. Sharif may have been from Albania. His background and later life remain unclear. Sharif claimed knowledge of Agartha, which he said still existed. He also taught Saint-Yves the supposed language and alphabet of Agartha, called Vattanian, which Sharif created. Jacolliot’s influence on Saint-Yves’s story is unclear, as Sharif likely introduced him to the concept. Saint-Yves later claimed to have used astral projection to learn more about Agartha. His version of the story shares similarities with Jacolliot’s but includes ideas from the Mahatma Letters in Theosophy and the novel Vril.
Saint-Yves described Agartha as an underground city with millions of people, ruled by a powerful figure called the Sovereign Pontiff, who was of Ethiopian origin, like the Brahmatma. The pontiff had magical powers and advanced technology, and was helped by the Mahatma and the Mahanga. Unlike Jacolliot, Saint-Yves claimed Agartha still existed underground, having moved there at the start of the Kali Yuga 3,200 years ago. Agartha monitors the surface world, is technologically advanced, and maintains a government called Synarchy, which was lost by the surface world after the "Universal Empire" dissolved in 4000 BC. In this version, Agartha sends emissaries to the surface and holds knowledge the surface lacks. Saint-Yves believed Agartha would reveal itself and share its secrets when the surface world advanced enough. He encouraged leaders to use their power to bring this about.
Saint-Yves’s version of the story became the most popular and influential. Though his book was not republished until after his death, he referenced Agartha in other works. The idea spread among Martinists, a small group of Paris-based occultists, but remained limited to them for a time. Theosophy, a growing spiritual movement, used the Agartha concept to challenge Theosophy’s critics.
Influenced by Saint-Yves, likely through Martinist connections, Polish explorer Ferdynand Ossendowski wrote about Agartha in his 1922 book Beasts, Men and Gods, spelling it "Agharti." He claimed he heard about it in Mongolia and said Agharti had 800 million people, would invade the surface in 2029, and was led by the Brahytma (the "King of the World"), the Mahytma, and the Mahynga. Ossendowski’s version is similar to Saint-Yves’s but is sometimes accused of being close to plagiarism. He denied reading Saint-Yves’s work before writing his book. His book popularized the Agartha idea beyond occult circles. Ossendowski’s version is the most commonly seen today.
René Guénon expanded on Ossendowski’s ideas in his book Le Roi du Monde, using Agartha to explore spiritual and metaphysical themes. He linked Agartha to Rosicrucianism and claimed other Central Asian sources also mentioned it. Guénon described Agartha as the world’s spiritual center, ruled by the "King of the World." He was unsure if the idea was historically true. His followers included someone who claimed to be in contact with the Pontiff and founded a secret society called Agartha 8.
The idea of Agartha spread through publications like Amazing Stories, a science fiction magazine that featured Agartha stories in the 1940s. Robert Ernst Dickhoff’s 1951 book Agharta was likely based on these stories. Dickhoff described Agartha as "the Holy abode of the Buddhist world, located in the Sangpo Valley, China," originally colonized by Martians. He was associated with Om Cherenzi-Lind, who claimed to be the reincarnation of "Koot Hoomi, Regent of Agartha." Cherenzi-Lind distinguished Agartha from Agarthi.
Hollow Earth theorist Walter Siegmeister (writing as Raymond Bernard) wrote about Agartha, linking it to theories about a hollow Earth. French writer Robert Charroux and esoteric fascist Miguel Serrano also wrote about Agartha, with Serrano connecting it to Shambhala