
According to Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi, kriya yoga was well-known in ancient India, but was eventually lost. In 1861 however, the book continues, the immortal yogi Mahavatar Babaji initiated Lahiri Mahasaya into Kriya Yoga. Lahiri Mahasaya then revived the practice, and it soon spread throughout India. Paramhansa Yogananda, a disciple of Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri who was himself a disciple of Lahiri Mahasaya, then brought Kriya Yoga to the United States and Europe during the 20th century. Since that time it has spread throughout the world through various lineages, most of which claim descent from Lahiri Mahasaya.