Sacred Sites Tour: January 2010

Spiritual tours to visit the Sri Ramana Maharshi ashram, Mount Arunachala, combining sacred power sites, Pondicherry and Auroville, the universal city in the making based on the vision of Sri Aurobindo and home of Mother Meera.

In the Girivalam, the circumambulation procession around the base of Mt Arunachala, is possible.

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Proposed itinerary:

Day 1: Fly UK to Madras

Day 2: We drive via Gingee to view the famous volcanic mounds, and on to Pondicherry, former capital of French India, with its distinctly Gallic atmosphere! (more information available).

It was here near Auroville that Sri Aurobindo's spiritual successor, 'The Mother' was inspired in 1968 to establish 'The City of Dawn': a community of currently some 1,350 people, which it is forseen will become 'an ideal city' of 50,000 in the dawning new era.

We overnight in Pondicherry at a hotel and visit the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, there containing his and the Mother’s Samadhi mausoleum - a very powerful experience.

Day 3-4: We visit Auroville to get an idea of this community of the future, and after a brief tour and lunch in the community hall we return north for an overnight stay on the coast near the World Heritage Centre of Mamallapuram – India’s stone-carving capital, with its famous Shore Temple and some extraordinary rock sculptures. Overnight at hotel.

Day 5-6 Visit the Mamallapuram sites and continue after lunch to Madras to connect with St Thomas. His post-crucifixion mission took him mainly to Kerala in SW India, but he was martyred here and his relics are in San Tome Cathedral on the site of two much earlier churches. Tour finishes here late afternoon/eve.

Day 6-7: Optional stay overnight to meet with departing flight.

Unity Consciousness Retreat

Either fly in from UK or continue from the first week

Day 1: Fly from the UK to Madras (or connect from earlier tour). Meet at the airport mid-morning. Drive direct to Tiruvannamalai (about 4 hours). Check in at the Arunchala ashram about 10 km out of town and overlooking Mt Arunachala - an extinct volcano. This ‘open’ ashram is on a 5-acre site in a rural setting with fine views of Arunachala about 6 km away (more details available).

Accommodation is in cottages of varying sizes, some with their own bathrooms, while others share a bathroom nearby. Hot water is not automatic but can be arranged with notice. (Tanks are generally warmed by sunshine.) The kitchen prepares vegetarian meals three times a day and the style of food is mild Indian, with salads available. Menus vary and 500 rupees a day would cover two main meals. Drinking water is from the ashram's own well and is also available filtered. Western food cooked Indian style is available at a number of places in town.

Days 2-8: Spent at the Arunachala ashram with quiet times and teachings, an independent opportunity for personal attunement in the very powerful energy of Arunachala and its famous meditation shrines. Synonymous with the fifth element of fire, Tiruvannamalai ranks as one of the five holiest towns of Tamil Nadu. The town is full of shrines, and paved pilgrim paths scattered around the mountain, but the main focus is undoubtedly the vast Arunachalesvara Temple - 'Temple of the Eternal Sunrise'. Here Sri Ramana Maharshi sat in the state of supreme Awareness.

Either return home or stay for another extraordinary experience

Accommodation:

Main tour: six nights in ashram stytle cottages of varying sizes as described above for Day 1.

Accommodation is twin or 3-bed shared rooms. £150 single supplement (limited availability). Accommodation includes six nights at the Ashram as described, however you may wish to take two nights at extra cost in airport hotels - please ask for airport hotel accommodation quotation and reservation at the time of booking, if required.

All ground transport is included but domestic flights and all entrance fees and main meals are extra.

Please note that in these times of fluctuating exchange rates, we will need to surcharge if rates differ more than 5% from those used for budgeting.

Deposit and balance payments only refundable if a replacement is found before departure. Comprehensive insurance is recommended.

Please phone for tour prices: 0845 456 1007 (UK lo-call)