Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry
Pondicherry or Pondy, once a peaceful French colony, is a beautiful and quaint Indian Union Territory. Touring through the streets of this beautiful town, submerged in the French-aesthetics and a laid-back lifestyle, you will come across the stunning old-school bougainvillea-draped French colonial buildings or Ville, classy cafés selling aromatic coffee and cookies, wide cleaner streets. However, the Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry and its subsidiary Auroville attract a huge percentage of spiritually inclined visitors.Merged with Pondy’s bohemian minded lifestyle attracts tourists searching for answers about spiritualism and other theological stuff. But, fret not if you are not searching for these answers. At Pondy, you can always relax at the beaches or enjoy the savor the delightful French food, or participate in rejuvenating yoga and meditation sessions.
However, if you are interested to know about the Ashram, then this guide could help you. Read on to know more.
Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry
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Keynote on Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry
Address: Junction of Manakula Vinayagar, White Town, Marine Street, Puducherry, 605002
Opening time: 8:00 am – 12:00 pm & 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Entry Fee: INR 50
Famous for: Spirituality and meditation
Visit Duration: 2 to 2.5 hours
Best time to visit: Winters are the ideal time to visit the Aurobindo Ashram as the weather is at its best. Apart from that, 15th August is an important day in the Ashram complex.
How to reach: You can take a cab or rickshaw could be hired for reaching the complex.
A Brief Glimpse of Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry
Established in 1926, the Ashram has close to 2,000 community members who live in the complex and work towards social and moral development (of self and others). This organization was founded Sri Aurobindo and his French collaborator Mirra Alfassa, fondly known as the Mother. The Mother ran the ashram her life, teaching the visitors about yoga, meditation, and other Indian philosophies.Based on the doctrines presented by Rishi Aurobindo this organization works towards internal spiritual awakening. As you enter the ashram premise you are swept in with a feeling of warmth and peace, which is rarely found nowadays. The ashram complex has a bookstore that sells in-house books and merchandise for the guests. Apart from that, the visitors can sit around the Samadhi of Mother and Sri Aurobindo, and meditate. The evening meditation sessions are free for all.
The Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry is a peaceful place where visitors can have a cathartic experience.
An Elaborate History of the Ashram and Sri Aurobindo
Before becoming an Indian philosopher and mystic, Sri Aurobindo was a zealous participant of the Indian freedom struggle movement. Although he had the streaks of the philosophical blend, his mystical and spiritual experiences during his jail term influenced him to leave politics and focus on the spiritualism.He came to Pondicherry, then a French colony, and established his ashram with just a handful of followers. With time, the number disciplines increased and the center became one of the popular centers for spiritualism in India.
Sri Aurobindo was joined by Mirra Alfassa, fondly referred to as Mother by the mystic himself, a French occultist. She was regarded as the spiritual collaborator of Aurobindo and worked towards the development of the organization. After the mystic retired into seclusion, the entire responsibility of running the Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry fell into her shoulders. Under her leadership and vision, the ashram prospered, attracting more followers and disciples.
Activities at the Visitors
1. Collective meditations
You can participate in the collective meditation sessions organized inside the Ashram complex during the evenings. The timings are 7:25 PM - 7:50 PM (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday). On Thursdays and Fridays, similar sessions are organized in the Ashram Playground. For the playground meditation sessions, visitors are required to show passes.2. Volunteer work
Visitors planning on staying for a longer duration can contribute towards volunteer work. You can always visit the main information center or the respective department for more information.3. Cultural Programs
The cultural programs are announced beforehand and the respective information for the same could be gathered from the Ashram notice board. The programs are open to visitors. But, few special cultural activities may require passes for entry, but such information would be forwarded beforehand to the interested guests.4. Tours
On the weekdays Autocare Services runs a tour of the Ashram premise at 8.15 am. In the tour, you would be taken around the complex and few of the departments of the organization. In the afternoon, a trip to the Auroville’s Matrimandir Viewing Point is conducted.Some Interesting Facts about the Ashram
The ashram is a beautiful place and full of interesting things. Here are some of the most out of the ordinary facts about this foundation:1. The Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry focuses on spiritual growth and upliftment by focusing on the development of the community, rather than withdrawing from society. Most of the followers of this foundation practice community service, along with meditation and yoga as a part of their spiritual awakening.
2. One of the most important people associated with the organization is Mira Alfassa, the ardent follower of the Indian mystic. She joined the foundation in the early 20th century and became the head of the organization after Rishi Aurobindo went into seclusion.
3. The Ashram publishes several monthly, quarterly, and yearly magazines and journals on different topics. These magazines have a huge readership in India and abroad.
Things to Remember While Visiting the Museum
1. Visitors are expected to maintain silence and decorum of the ashram premise.2. Before entering the Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry you will be expected to switch off mobile phones.
3. Children above the age group of 4 years are permitted inside the ashram complex.
4. Photography is prohibited inside the ashram