Kriya Yoga Pilgrimage to South India

TRAVEL ITINERARY

Arrival and departure dates:

The tour officially starts Thursday morning, on February 9th, in Bangalore. We will meet at the hotel lobby at 10 a.m. to leave together to our Babaji’s Kriya Yoga Ashram. Arrival by international flight is to International Airport Bengaluru (BLR), during the night of February 8th to 9th, or according to your personal precedent journey.

The tour officially ends Wednesday evening, February 22nd, in Kerala, which allows to depart during the night into Thursday 23rd. Departure by international flight is from International Airport Kochi (COK), through connection flights via the Gulf states or India, or according to your personal onward journey.

We recommend to arrive early enough, either during the previous day of Wednesday, February 8th, or even earlier during the previous night (which requires an additional hotel night), to have time to rest and relax after a taxing long haul flight, and to get accustomed to the local time zone and environment, before the tour starts. The latest possible flight arrival time is 4 a.m. on February 9th, with no time for rest before the tour starts officially.

Schedule of Days and Destinations:

February 7, Tuesday: Departure flights from America to India.

February 8, Wednesday: Departure flights from Europe to India. For those who arrive a day earlier, first local India shopping opportunity in Bangalore, or an additional day for rest and adjustment to India’s time zone and climate.

February 8, Night Wednesday / Early on 9th, Thursday: Night or early morning flight arrivals to Bengaluru Airport, or at train and bus stations. Stay at the comfortable Hotel The Citrine for 3 nights, located in Malleshwaram city close to our Ashram and the interstate bus station.

February 9, Thursday: At 10 a.m., after breakfast, first official meeting of the group. At noon, visit Babaji’s Kriya Yoga ashram and publication center in Malleshwaram, in the city of Bangalore. Babaji’s Kriya Yoga Puja to sanctify the pilgrimage, and a starting satsang. In the afternoon, visit Mr. Sitaram’s retreat outside Bangalore with a beautiful arboretum of many sacred trees and typical cultural plants of India, see an unknown ancient Hanuman shrine and a historic Homa fire site of ancient Vedic times.

February 10, Friday: A day for group yoga practice and to allow arriving at your inner pilgrimage as well. Visit the School of Ancient Wisdom retreat center, a uniquely beautiful tranquil place in colonial style with residential seminar facilities surrounded by nature and filled with botanical greens and birds, founded by a lady who was associated with the famous Theosophical Society. (Before writing down Babaji’s teachings of the „Voice of Babaji“, V.T.Neelakantan was a renowned writer for the Theosophical Society.) In the afternoon participate in an opening fire ceremony at the fire place where we hold our mantra yagnas, to further prepare us for our outer and inner pilgrimage.

February 11, Saturday: Travel to Tiruvannamalai. Visit the Ramana Maharshi ashram at the base of the holy mountain Arunachala, a famous destination for many western spiritual seekers since his life time, meditate in the small hall where Ramana spent many years and taught devotees absorbed in Samadhi. Stay at Hotel Arunai Anantha for 2 nights.

February 12, Sunday: Walk in a beautiful nature on the Arunachala mountain, explore ancient meditation places like the cave of Saint Virupaksha whose body is enshrined inside, and the Skanda ashram refuge where Ramana spent six years. This mountain area was sanctified by the shepherd Siddha Idaikadar. Evening visit during evening temple activities to the Arunachaleshwarara-Shiva-Temple in the city, where Ramana spent many years absorbed in Samadhi, and Siddha Arunagirinathar composed famous songs about Muruga.

February 13, Monday: Travel to Pondicherry by South India’s eastern seashore at the Bay of Bengal, in ancient times established by Siddha Agastyar (Vedapuri), and until recently a French colony, where the famous philosopher Sri Aurobindo sought asylum from the British and established his ashram with „the mother“. Now the city with colonial atmosphere is populated and visited by many Westerners and offers shopping opportunities and an ocean beach boardwalk. Stay at Hotel Ananda-Inn for 2 nights.

February 14, Tuesday: In the morning, visit the Sri Aurobindo Ashram with the samadhi shrines of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, where they lived in seclusion for many years. In the afternoon, visit international Auroville community park with its spectacular ‘Matri Mandir’ dome architecture and huge old vibrating Banyan trees; in the evening enjoy the Bay of Bengal ocean beach.

February 15, Wednesday: Travel to Trichy (Tiruchirappalli). On the way, visit the Babaji Nagaraj Mandir Shrine in the small village Parangipettai (Puerto-Novo), established by Yogi S.A.A. Ramaiah. In the evening, visit famous historic Srirangam temple, one of the biggest temple premises in India which resemble a city within a city, with the jiva samadhi shrine of Saint Ramanuja who established the philosophy of „qualified monism“. Stay at Hotel Sangam in Tiruchirappalli.

February 16, Thursday: Travel to Palani Malai, an ancient temple of the deitiy Muruga on top of a sacred mountain in the midst of central South India, where usually no Westerners go, with statues of 18 Siddhas and the jiva samadhi shrine of Siddha Boganathar, who established the place and created a statue of Muruga out of 9 secret alchemical substances. Visit the ashram of Boganathar’s disciple Pullipani, personal satsang with present successor Swami Sivananda Pullipani and our local friend Swami Yogi Venkatesh. Stay in Hotel Vel’s Court for 2 nights.

February 17, Friday: Early morning ascend climbing 1,008 steps to the top of the hill, like thousands of Indian pilgrims do for hundreds of years, attend a special puja (a sunrise arati worship service for darshan of the deity Lord Dandaswamy, Muruga), experience the intensity and wildness of a very exotic ancient cult of worship under guidance of Venkatesh, then meditate in the Jiva-Samadhi shrine of Siddha Boganathar. In the afternoon, rest or walk in Palani spending time with Swami Venkatesh.

February 18, Saturday: Travel to Muttalamada at the foothills of Kerala’s Western Ghats, meet our friend Sai Swami Sunil Das in his ashram, placed within beautiful nature in a wild animal nature reserve with a stunning view to the mountain range, have lunch and participate in the ashram’s Shirdi Sai Baba puja ceremony for World peace and love with Sunil Das, a disciple of the famous Indian spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba. Travel to Palakkad and stay in Hotel Indraprastha for 2 nights.

February 19, Sunday: Meet and have satsang with Swami Ritodgata, a disciple of famous Swami Tathata, in his ashram in Palakkad. Visit a well preserved historical Brahmin village to catch a glimpse of authentic Indian religious neighborhood village life style.

February 20, Monday: Travel westward to Thrissur and to Guruvayur at the Kerala coast. Meet and have satsang with our friend Sai Swami Hari Narayanan in his Shirdi Sai Temple of Peace and Light. Stay at the comfortable Hotel Lulu ICC for the last 3 nights.

February 21, Tuesday: At India’s west coast, at the Arabian Sea, enjoy a boat-trip on Kerala's famous „backwaters“ (shallows right behind the ocean frontline), visit an Elephant sanctuary, in the evening perform together with Swami Hari Narayanan a holy homa fire ceremony.

February 22, Wednesday: Last day for group sadhana and satsang, last shopping opportunity in Thrissur, preparation for your return or onward journey.

February 22, Night Wednesday / Early on 23rd Thursday: Departure flights to international destinations from Kochi Airport. Or stay for a later departure or to continue your individual journey afterwards.

February 23, Thursday: Arrival to destinations in Europe or America.

COST, INDIA ASHRAM DONATION AND VISAS

Article by M. G. Satchidananda: " A pilgrimage is an adventure in Consciousness"

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Contact

for your registration and for questions to the tour organizer M. Govindan Satchidananda satchidananda (French, English)

for questions regarding the tour and itinerary:
Acharya Satyananda satyananda (German, English)
Acharya Sita Siddhananda sita (French, Portuguese)

or the ashram manager in Bangalore Vinod vinod (English).
General information is given on our website www.babajiskriyayoga.net.

Costs: The amount for participation in the proposed trip payable to the tour organizer is EUR 2,100 or US$2,300 or C$2,875 . This amount includes the costs of local ground transportation by bus in India and hotel accommodation for the 15 local nights of the itinerary. Not included are the flight tickets for your international return flight, your tourist visa for India, as fees vary from country to country, and your daily meals, according to personal meal preferences, which vary on average around 10 Euros per day. Rooms for the group are reserved as twin bed double occupancy (king size or single beds depending on availability). Single occupancy can be reserved on demand for additional EUR 400 or US$600 which covers the hotels’ single room rate difference.

Reservation: To register for the tour, email to M.G. Satchidananda, or call the Quebec office at +1 450-297-0258, or email to Sita Siddhananda or Satyananda. Make a deposit of EUR 300 or US$450 or C$600 to reserve your place, or pay the full amount at once. The deposit should be paid as early as possible after registration to ensure your place. The balance of the amount must be received latest by December 1, 2016, this is required to fulfill the hotels’ demand of full advance payments for our reservations.

Payment: in Europe, pay by bank transfer to the bank account of “Marshall Govindan” in Deutsche Bank International, IBAN: DE09500700240072310600, BIC: DEUTDEDBFRA, subject “South India Pilgrimage 2017”. In America, pay on our website under “enroll in activity” using your VISA or Mastercard or Amex.

Your Accomodation is booked by the tour organizer for the 15 nights from Monday night Feb 8 into 9, until Wednesday night Feb 22 into 23, inclusive. We offer you help with the booking for your local hotel accomodation for the days before or after the official itinerary, which have to be paid individually, in case you choose to have a relaxed arrival or departure one or two days earlier or later.

A Tourist Visa is required for India. The visa must be obtained from the designated Indian Mission in the country of your permanent residence and must be applied for online through the official website of the Indian immigration services (indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa). The application should be submitted early enough as the processing time can vary, the costs vary from country to country.

No vaccination for tropical conditions is required for this sort of travel during this time of the year and in the present mild hygienic conditions in South India and Sri Lanka.

A Travel or flight insurance for the dates of the trip should be included in the flight booking if required.

Booking of Your International Flights: Please book your own tickets for your international flight to India and return. Our India travel agent is not allowed to book flights for foreigners without the original passport at hand, and this allows you to adjust your personal trip to India by choosing individual arrival or departure dates and airports

Arrival airport for the international flights is Bengaluru International Airport [BLR], departure airport for the international return flights is Kochi International Airport [COK].

In order to obtain a reasonable price for your international return flight, we recommend to book a connection flight with an airline through the UAE hub airports, like Emirates via Dubai, Etihad via Abu Dhabi, Qatar Airways via Doha (Qatar), Gulf Airways via Bahrain.

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Link to KRIYA YOGA PILGRIMAGE TO HIMALAYAS - September 21 – October 9, 2017