Spiritual Highlights
of Southern India
We are considering offering this pilgrimage. Please contact us if you are interested. Here are the details.
Itinerary
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Day 1:
Fly into Chennai (Madras) late evening; stay at a beach resort
between Chennai and Mahabalipuram (Mamallapuram).
Day 2:
We'll
make the most of our beachfront location which offers long walks,
meditation, and group activities. An excursion will also go
into Chennai. St. Thomas the Apostle ("Doubting Thomas")
is believed to have come to Chennai in 58 AD. We plan to meditate
at the church that contains his remains or the cave where he
lived.
Day 3:
We'll spend the morning in Mahabalipuram, a relaxed beach
town famous for its evocative Shore Temple on the ocean, and other
7th-century rock-cut temples and carving, beautifully depicting
the lives of gods and common people. Craftspeople continue to
this day to create inspiring carvings of stone and wood. After
lunch we'll travel by bus 2-3 hours to the town of Tiruvannamalai,
where we'll spend 3 nights.
Days 4–5:
Ramana
Maharshi (1879–1950) spent most of his life at the
foot of Arunachala Hill
in the ashram which grew up around him. His spiritual power
continues to be a tangible presence in the caves where he meditated,
in his room, and where his body is enshrined. Paramhansa Yogananda
visited him here. The ashram is a flourishing haven of peace,
with a powerful vibration. There 
is great respect for silence and the ashram offers ideal
opportunities for meditation.
We'll also visit the huge, elaborate 11th-century
South Indian "wedding cake" style temple of Arunachaleswar,
and we may visit other ashrams or teachers in the area.
Days 6–7:
Travel by bus 2 hours to Pondicherry. Founded by the
visionary
Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950), the
Aurobindo ashram is a
dynamic urban spiritual community with about 2,000 members and
400 buildings 
spread
throughout the charming seaside town and former French colony
of Pondicherry. The focal point of the ashram (and a great
place to meditate) is the samadhi shrine of Sri Aurobindo—and
an aura of peace and inspired creativity fills the town. The
town of Pondicherry is great for wandering, walking on the
seawall, relaxing and shopping for unique crafts. Lovely
beaches are nearby.
A
half-hour from Pondicherry is Auroville,
the international township inspired by Sri A
urobindo. This is
a fascinating ongoing experiment in community living. Its 1,700
residents are dedicated to high ideals and
to living as "world-citizens."
We'll
witness their numerous successes and challenges of the last 40
years. We'll visit the powerful meditation temple, the
"Matrimandir," and other aspects of the community.
Day 8:
The western Indian city of Pune and its surroundings
offer a fascinating experience of new and old—of
an India in transition. Ancient temples, craftspeople, and
traditional street-markets blend with air-conditioned malls
and apartment towers in this pleasant, medium-sized city. Powerful
pilgrimage sites for meditation, a living history on display,
and unlimited shopping make this city thoroughly enjoyable
for the spiritually-minded. Pune also offers visitors meaningful
interaction with local people, without the number of aggressive
shopkeepers and touts that are found in overly-touristed Indian
cities.
We'll stay at a comfortable hotel in the center
of the city, close to shopping and sightseeing. This will be
our base for outings in and around Pune.
Days 9–10:
Over many centuries, the
Pune area has witnessed tremendous zeal and devotion to
God, and a surprising number of saints. We'll visit the highlights
of Pune as a group, with time to explore on your own as
well.
Paramhansa
Yogananda dedicated a chapter of Autobiography of a Yogi to
the woman saint Anandamoyee
Ma, whom he called the "Joy-permeated Mother." This living sweetness and joy continue
to fill her ashram. We'll meditate in her room, preserved
as it was when she lived there.
- In a village near Pune, we'll
meditate at a very sweet temple to Ganesha,
the elephant-headed deity who represents the aspect of
God that is solution-oriented and removes obstacles. This
is one of a group of 8 local Ganesha temples, enriched
by centuries of devotion.
- Museums can be dusty and dull,
but not the Raja Dinkar
Kelkar Museum, where Indian history comes
alive. Housed in a beautiful historic building, it's a vast
collection from various periods, lovingly amassed by one
man fascinated by beauty and creativity.
- Mahatma Gandhi spent
2 years in Pune imprisoned by the British, with his wife
and followers, at the palace of the Aga Khan. It is here that
his wife died, as well as the secretary who had served Gandhi
for 35 years. Their rooms are preserved as a shrine, touchingly
with Gandhi's simple
personal possessions. The ashes of Gandhi, his wife, and
secretary are enshrined in the garden.
- We'll also
have time to shop in Pune's old town. It offers a vast
selection of clothes, crafts, and gifts at low prices.
Days 11–12:
A special weekend retreat brings
together spiritual seekers and friends of Ananda from India,
Europe, and America. The retreat, held in past years in the northern
city of Gurgaon, will be in Pune to dedicate the founding of
Ananda's first Kriya Yoga community in India. We'll celebrate
through group meditations, presentations, and classes led by
some of Ananda's best teachers, focusing on the realization of
Yogananda's dream for the establishment of "world brotherhood
colonies" in
all lands.
Ananda's founder, Swami
Kriyananda, is expected to speak and will lead the dedication
ceremony on the site of our new community, located in the
countryside outside of the city. You'll be able to visit
our newly purchased land and to add your blessings to this
historic occasion. Deep inspiration comes when we share,
and tangibly express, our ideals with others of similar spiritual
interests.
Day 13:
Travel by train to Nasik, one of 4 towns in India
that host the world's largest religious gathering, the
Kumbha Mela, every 12 years. Upon arriving in the evening we'll
check into our hotel and have dinner.
Day 14:
We'll take a lovely drive to Trimbakeshwar,
a charming small town in the hills. It is famous for a powerful
Jyotilinga temple, one of 12 ancient Shiva temples considered
the most holy in India.
Westerners are not allowed in the temple
itself, but we'll take a walk in the countryside, and in
the town, which is quiet and quaint, with 
an atmospheric old
bathing tank, and relaxed and friendly people. We'll also meditate
at the shrine of Sant
Nivrutti Nath, a famed medieval saint of Maharashtra and
guru of Gyandev. Trimbakeshwar is also the source of
one of India's longest and most sacred rivers, the Godavari.
We'll return to our
hotel for lunch and relaxation. Later we'll visit 2 powerful
traditional temples near the site of the Kumbha Mela, then
spend another night in Nasik.
Day 15:
After breakfast we'll drive 2 hours to the town
of Shirdi, home to one of India's most loved modern saints,
Shirdi Sai Baba, who liv
ed from 1838 to 1918. Shirdi is a small
town which grew up around Shirdi Sai Baba's ashram. Baba
drew Muslim and Hindu devotees alike, and inspired them toward
Self-realization. At the ashram are several powerful places
where we'll meditate, including the tombs of several
of Baba's
disciples. We also hope to take part in devotional ceremonies
in the main shrine. We'll spend a night in Shirdi.
Day 16:
After breakfast, we'll drive 2–3 hours toward
the city of Aurangabad. In the village of Grishneshwar we'll
meditate and participate in devotional offerings at a powerful
Jyotilinga shrine, thought to date back to the 2nd century BC.
The UNESCO World Heritage sites of the Ellora
and Ajanta caves are worth a trip to India all on their own,
as they are among the world's most extraordinary religious monuments.
At Ellora are 34 large caves filled with an amazing wealth of
sculpture, all carved from solid rock from 500 to 1100 AD by
successive generations of Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain monks and
master craftsmen. Each cave is attributed to one of the religions,
reflecting the waxing and waning influence of each faith.
Ellora's
principal attraction, the colossal 8th-century Kailash temple,
rears from a huge, sheer-edged cavity cut from the hillsi
de.
This—the world's largest monolithic sculpture—is
a vast lump of solid basalt fashioned into a spectacular complex
of colonnaded halls, galleries, and shrines.
We'll meditate in one of the Jain cave-temples
that was used for meditation a thousand years ago. In the late
afternoon we'll arrive at our hotel in Aurangabad.
Day 17:
Hewn
from the near-vertical sides of a horseshoe-shaped ravine,
the 28 caves at Ajanta occupy a site worthy of the spectacular
ancient art they contain. Even older than Ellora, the Ajanta
caves escaped the invaders' destruction and remained unknown
until 1819 when they were rediscovered—one of the
most sensational archaeological finds of all time.
Located far enough from civilization to preserve
peace and tranquillity, Ajanta was an ideal location for itinerant
Buddhist monks to found their 1st permanent monasteries, beginning
in the 2nd century BC. Ranging from tiny monastic cells to colossal,
elaborately carved temples, the caves are remarkable for having
been hewn by hand from solid rock.
In
addition to the phalanxes of stone Buddhas and other sculpture,
Ajanta's excavations are adorned with a swirling profusion
of murals depicting the lives of saints. These paintings, some
immaculately preserved, rank among India's most beautiful treasures.
Apart from artistic merit, some
of these caves—which served for centuries as temples and
monasteries—have profound spiritual vibrations. We plan
to arrive at the caves early in the morning when they open,
then meditate in 2 caves we selected as especially powerful.
After
lunch, those ending their pilgrimage will travel to the Aurangabad
airport to fly to Mumbai (Bombay) for their international
departure.
Alternate Itineraries
The above pilgrimage is 18 days within India:
February 16–March 6.
Space permitting, however, it is also possible
to come for only part of the pilgrimage. For example:
- 14-day pilgrimage: February
16–March 2. Includes Chennai area and Pune city only.
- 8-day pilgrimage:
February 16–24. Includes Chennai area only.
Starting in Pune:
You may join the group in Pune on February
24 (You'd be met at Mumbai airport , then driven 3 hours
to Pune). Look up these dates in the above itinerary for details:
-
6-day pilgrimage: February 24–March 2.
Includes Pune city, retreat, and community dedication.
- 11-day
pilgrimage: February 24–March 6. Includes Pune, retreat,
and caves and temples of Maharashtra.
- 16-day pilgrimage: February 24–March 11.
Includes Pune, retreat, caves, and Kolkata.
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