India: The gate to Heaven
January 6 – 26, 2011
This journey was created for us to travel together and share spiritual experiences in India, the Spiritual Mother of our planet. We will visit sacred temples, ashrams, cities and listen within our hearts as we realize that although cultures are different there is only one Truth which is found in all religions.
Day 1 – Arrival to Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu. Please realize as you book your plane ticket that you need to arrive in Chennai on January 6th. Flights to India often involve an overnight flight which means you would leave from your country on January 5th. You will be met at the airport and taken to your hotel to rest.
Day 2 – This morning we will visit a Shirdi Sai Baba Temple and the Parmahansa Ramakrishna temple. We will then take a bus to Pondicherry. Pondicherry was once occupied by the French. We will concentrate on the heritage that Aurobindo and the Mother left. Overnight in Pondicherry.
Day 3 – Today we will visit Aurobindo's ashram at Auroville. Overnight in Pondicherry.
Day 4 – This morning we will take a bus to the town of Tiruvannamalai where the sacred mountain of Arunachala is found. The story of Arunachala is based on a dispute between Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma as to who was greater. They went to Lord Shiva for him to decide. Shiva asked them to find the beginning or end of a column of light. The story continues that, because the lingam or column of light was too dazzling to behold, Siva manifested himself instead as the Arunachala hill, declaring: “As the moon derives its light from the sun, so other holy places shall derive their sanctity from Arunachala. This is the only place where I have taken this form for the benefit of those who wish to worship me and obtain illumination. Arunachala is OM itself. '' We will walk through the ashram of Ramana Maharishi and visit the cave where he lived and meditated for many years. Though he no longer lives on the earth plane, his energy is very present. Overnight in Tiruvannamalai.
Day 5 – Today we will make the sacred walk around Arunachala Mountain. It is not physically difficult. We walk concentrating on the energy of the mountain, passing sadhus, visiting small temples and conclude at the Arunachaleshvara Temple. Overnight in Tiruvannamalai. Day 6 – We return to the Ramana Maharishi ashram to meditate before departing on our bus for Madurai, famous for it's beautiful temples, including the Meenakashi Temple. Overnight in Madurai.
Day 7 – In the morning time we will visit temples and the afternoon you are on your own. Overnight in Madurai.
Day 8 – Today we will take an early morning train to the island of Rameswaram. This island is in the Gulf of Mannar and only 24 kilometers from Shri Lanka. Our purpose here is to visit the very sacred temple and see one of the 12 Jyothirlingas of India. The holy island of Rameswaram is known as one of India’s most venerated and most visited Shiva shrines, dedicated to Sri Ramanathaswamy. It is so intimately associated with the life of Sri Rama, the hero of the epic Ramayana, that both Saivites (those who worhsip Shiva) and Vaishnavites (those who worship Vishnu) consider every grain of Rameswaram’s sand very sacred. Evening train back to Madurai arriving approximately at 21:10 pm.
Day 9 – Today we will take a bus to Kanyakumari, the tip of India where the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean meet. We will be staying at the Vivekananda Kendra Ashram.
Day 10 – We will take a boat out to visit the small island where Vivekananda meditated. (He was a disciple of Parmahansa Ramakrishna and was one of the first Indian saints to visit the West.) During the rest of the day you can visit more temples or spend time enjoying the beach.
Day 11 – Today we leave the state of Tamil Nadu and will enter Kerala, known as God's country because of it's beauty. We will stay at the Sivananda Ashram where we will participate in the ashram life, including satsang (devotional singing) and yoga.
Day 12 – Sivananda Ashram
Day 13 – Sivananda Ashram
Day 14 – 21 - Today we drive to the capital of Kerala, Trivadrum, where we will take an airplane to Bangalore in the state of Karnataka. From here we will travel to Puttaparthi, the village where the ashram of Sathya Sai Baba is located in the state of Andra Pradesh. As no reservations are accepted at the ashram we will stay together in a hotel in the village. This will be our home until Day 21 when you will be driven to Bangalore for your return flight home. (Please note that you arrive at Chennai and depart from Bangalore, now also known as Bengaluru.) We will orientate you as to how the ashram functions, including darshan and finding your way around the ashram. After this orientation you are free to follow your heart and see what each day will have in store for you. We will meet for dinner daily so we can share experiences, ask questions and stay connected. Sathya Sai Baba will have completed 85 years of life when we visit. It is such a blessing to be in his Divine presence, something that each person feels in his/her own way.
Price: Euros 2,039
This includes all land transportation, 3 star hotels or ashrams where indicated, airplane flights from Trivandrum/Bangalore and travelling with Inti Cesar Malasquez and/or Janet Ananda Gopal Malasquez
You do need a visa for entering India. A tourist visa is usually given for 6 months and once the visa is placed in your passport that is when the beginning of the 6 months starts.
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