Dr. (Alesha) Sivartha (1834-1915) was born in Bristol, England, and most likely died in the state of Kansas. He claimed to be the son of Raja Ram Mohun Roy (1774-1833) an Indian religious and social reformer. In 1883, Sivartha (then known as Dr. Arthur Merton) moved to Chicago where he founded a religious sect called the Band of Israel, whose teachings were based on Sivartha's The Book of Life (1876). He later moved to Oakland, California, where he continued to lecture on his theories. Sivartha also invented a universal language called the Visona, which was based on the natural laws of sound. There is no record of Sivartha studying with Mary Baker Eddy or uniting with the Church of Christ (Scientist).

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