Our Kriya Yoga Pilgrimage to Sri Lanka and South India 2014

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1 BABAJI S KRIYA YOGA Our Kriya Yoga Pilgrimage to Sri Lanka and South India 2014 from December 29, 2013 to January 15, 2014 with Acharya Satyananda During the turn of the year into 2014, our Acharya Satyananda will lead a group with pilgrims of the Babaji s Kriya Yoga community and aspirants on a very interesting and inspiring pilgrimage to sacred sites of spiritual culture and nature in South India and in Sri Lanka. This tour is our first pilgrimage tour to Sri Lanka! Some significant destinations we offer to all new participants, who join this experience for the first time. But those places are so powerful that they provide new inner experiences each time they are visited. Yet even in India, we will visit mostly destinations which are not visited in our other pilgrimage tour to South India and which have not been covered in previous tours. This makes the tour interesting for new participants as well as for those pilgrims, who have already attended previous pilgrimages, especially those who are interested to experience Sri Lanka. Visit three ashrams of Babaji s Kriya Yoga in Bangalore and Sri Lanka and three ashrams of great Indian sages of this century famous also to many Western spiritual seekers. Practice daily at holy places for yourself and in community, utilize for yourself a guided intensive Kriya Yoga sadhana, and get enriched by sharing encounters with local kriyabans. Satyananda has been teaching Babaji s Kriya Yoga in India for almost a decade now and has done many pilgrimages to India and Sri Lanka with Babaji s Kriya Yoga and on his own. In a pilgrimage, we seek to come close to the Divine by visiting, worshipping and meditating in sacred places which have been sanctified by the spiritual practices of saints, mystics and yogis, so they provide a terrestrial doorway to the infinite and absolute. By visiting living mystics, their presence can provide a direct inner experience of the Divine Presence within yourself. The character of the whole tour is imbibed with the vibration of such a traditional pilgrimage. This tour is not designed to be a tourist trip. Except it will provide a level of comfort required for Westerners. It is scheduled to coincide with the most pleasant warm weather conditions in South India and Sri Lanka during winter time. The hotels have been selected for their Western style comfort and facilities. Ground transportation will be in a comfortable air-conditioned bus. There will be regular practice of Kriya Yoga and a daily Satsang sharing of outer and inner experiences guided by our Acharya to deepen your experience. It will be an unforgettable transforming experience in the homeland of Yoga, which will inspire you and enable you to appreciate the rich cultural tapestry, which has given birth to Babaji's Kriya Yoga. Babaji s Kriya Yoga Order of Acharyas, Inc. (CA/USA/India) International HQ: POB 90 Eastman Quebec JOE1PO Canada info@babajiskriyayoga.net Babaji s Kriya Yoga Trust India: Malleshwaram Bangalore India info@babajiskriyayoga.in BabajisKriyaYoga.net

2 Itinerary The Pilgrimage officially starts in Bangalore, India on December 30 th, 2013 and ends in Colombo, Sri Lanka on January 14 th, This period includes 16 nights. Venture point for our tour on Monday morning, December 30 th, 2013, is our Babaji s Kriya Yoga Ashram in Bangalore. Airport for the international arrival flights is the Bengaluru International Airport [BLR]. Most departures from Europe leave on December 29 th. Booked for the arrival night is Hotel Basil in Malleshwaram in the neighborhood of the ashram. Transit point from India to Sri Lanka on January 9 th, 2014, is Chennai. The departure airport for this international flight is the International Airport Chennai [MAA], arrival airport is Colombo International Airport [CMB]. The first choice flight for our group is Srilankan Airlines UL 128 departure 15:40 hrs from Chennai, arrival 17:00 hrs in Colombo there are alternative flights for late booking. End point of our tour on Tuesday evening, January 14 th, 2014, is the Ashram of Babaji s Kriya Yoga in Dehiwala near to Colombo city. The departure airport for the international return flights is the International Airport Colombo [CMB]. Most departures to Europe will reach on January 15 th. Dates and Destinations: Sat, Dec 28: Take a departure flight from USA or Canada via Europe to Bangalore. Sun, Dec 29: Take a departure flight from Europe to Bangalore. Mon, Dec 30: midnight or early morning arrival at Bengaluru Airport. Stay in Bangalore for 2 nights, at the Basil Hotel located in Malleshwaram in walking distance to our Ashram. At 11 a.m. after breakfast a first group meeting, resting and settling to adjust to India s climate and time zone. At noon visit our Babaji s Kriya Yoga ashram and publication center in Malleshwaram in the city of Bangalore. In the afternoon, visit Mr. Sitaram s retreat outside Bangalore with a beautiful arboretum of all sacred trees and typical cultural plants of India, experience a small Puja with householder Mr. Sitaram at an ancient unknown Hanuman shrine and a Homa fire ritual at a fire place which supposedly existed in ancient Vedic times. Tue, Dec 31: In the morning visit the Ashram and head quarters of the world famous mystic and founder of the worldwide Art of Living foundation, Swami Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, maybe with a personal meeting. During New Year s Eve after a dinner of our ashram kitchen, use the moment of this special night to do personal and group sadhana, have mantra chanting and a light ceremony in our ashram. Wed, January 1: 1 New Year. Travel north (3h) to Puttaparthi to the ashram of famous Sathya Sai Baba, stay at Hotel Sai Towers for 2 nights. Visit the Prasanthi Nilayam ashram campus and its many shrines. Participate in the Samadhi Darshan of Sathya Sai Baba with prayers of priests and silence. Experience the evening atmosphere of the little town which developed around the ashram properties due to the visits of the countless Indian and Western devotees of Sathya Sai Baba during the decades of his constant presence. Babaji s Kriya Yoga Order of Acharyas 2

3 Thu, January 2: Participate in the early morning and the evening Darshan with Aumkar chanting, Sankirtan chanting, the high quality traditional Vedic priest chanting, Bhajans, and Arathi (light Puja ceremony). During the day, enjoy the ashram campus atmosphere, or use the small attached town as one ideal place for Westerners to shop for home gifts and souvenirs. Fri, January 3. Travel south east (9h) to Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, stay at the Hotel Arunai Anantha for 3 nights. Sat, January 4. Ascend Arunachala mountain in a beautiful nature walk, explore ancient meditation places, meditate in the cave of Saint Virupaksha, whose body is enshrined inside, and visit the Skanda ashram refuge where Ramana spent six years. This mountain area was sanctified by the shepherd Siddha Idaikadar. Sun, January 5. In the morning, 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. Visit Shivashakti Amma for a darshan in her ashram. In the evening visit the Arunachaleshwara Shiva Temple in the city, where Ramana spent many years absorbed in Samadhi, Siddha Idaikadar experienced Svarupa Samadhi and Siddha Arunagirinathar composed famous sacred Murugan songs. Mon, January 6. Travel eastward to Pondicherry (3h) by the seashore of southwest India, until recently a French colony, established in ancient times by Siddha Agasthiyar (Vedapuri), populated and visited by many Westerners, where famous philosopher Sri Aurobindo when seeking asylum from the British established his ashram with the Mother. Stay at Hotel Ananda-Inn for 2 nights, visit the colonial city and enjoy the seafront boardwalk in the evening. Tue, January 7. In the morning, visit the Sri Aurobindo Ashram where the Mother and Sri Aurobindo lived in seclusion for many years and their samadhi shrines. In the afternoon, visit the world-famous international Auroville community park with its spectacular Matri Mandir dome architecture, in the evening visit the eastern Bay of Bengal ocean beach. Wed, January 8. Travel to Chennai (3h) capital of Tamil Nadu, stay for one night in Hotel Shelter in Mylapore in the city, visit in Madatanakam the Meru Siddhargal Mandir, a temple with a special Meru, a 3-dimensional Sri-Yantra, and statues of the 18 Siddhas, in the evening visit the beach in San Thome or the headquarters of the famous Theosophical Society in Adyar with a library of esoteric sciences and beautiful gardens. Thu, January 9. From Chennai Airport take an international flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka. Stay for 1 night in a hotel in Dehiwala south of the city of Colombo near our ashram.visit the campus of our Babaji Alayam ashram right on the beach, where we hold our initiation seminars and have group sadhana with our local Kriyabans, who keep up a regular sadhana program there. Fri, January 10. Travel northeast to Kandy (5h) in the mountain range of Sri Lanka. Visit the Pinnawela elephant orphanage. Visit the Buddhist Temple of the Tooth with a tooth relic of the historical Buddha. Stay for 1 night in a hotel in the city and experience the atmosphere of a small colonial town. Sat, January 11. Travel south into the central mountain range through nature reserves and national parks (3h) to Nuwara Eliya, visit the Sri Bhakta Hanuman Kovil, a holy site of Hindu Ramayana times. Babaji s Kriya Yoga Order of Acharyas 3

4 Travel further south to Katargama (4h) close to the southern coast, stay at the Sunflower Hotel for 2 nights. Sun, January 12. Visit in Katargama our Babaji shrine, right next to the large temple properties of a famous Muruga temple, near a big Buddhist stupa, where Siddha Boganathar established a consecrated powerful Yantra in the inner temple sanctum. Spend some time in silence at our beautiful small Babaji ashram site in a sylvain environment on the banks of the small Manickaganga river, with a shrine and a sacred fire place and a small building, and use another mantra Yagna fire ceremony there for deep inner self transforming sadhana. Mon, January 13. Travel around the southern cape of Sri Lanka on the coastal road towards Galle and along the west coast with Sri Lanka s famous offshore coral reefs to Bentota (4h). Stay at a beach resort hotel for 1 night and practice Kriya Yoga at the beach of the Indian Ocean. Tue, January 14. Take the last stage back (3h) to the Babaji Alayam location south of Colombo city to end the offical group part of your pilgrimage.final opportunity for individual local shopping before the departure flights. Departure to international destinations from Colombo Airport. Or continue your pilgrimage trip on your own in Sri Lanka or in India, we may help to arrange accommodation or transport for the transition days. Wed, January 15. Arrival in flight destinations of Europe Registration Contact for registration and with your questions about the tour the tour organizer M. Govindan Satchidananda satchidananda@babajiskriyayoga.net, or the tour guide Acharya Satyananda satyananda@babajiskriyayoga.net, or the ashram manager in Bangalore Vinod vinod@babajiskriyayoga.in. General information is given on our website Costs: The amount for participation in the proposed trip payable to the tour organizer is EUR 1, This amount includes the costs of local ground transportation by bus in India and Sri Lanka and hotel accommodation for the 16 nights of the proposed itinerary. Not included are the flight tickets, for your international return flight and your flight from India to Sri Lanka, your tourist visas for India and for Sri Lanka, as fees vary from country to country, and your daily meals, which vary and will average around 10 Euros per day according to individual meal preferences. The amount for participation in the Sri Lanka part of the proposed trip is EUR 800 and includes the costs of local ground transportation by bus and hotel accomodation of the proposed itinerary in Sri Lanka. Rooms for the group are reserved as a twin bed double occupancy with single beds. Single occupancy can be reserved on demand for additional EUR 400 which covers the hotel single room rate difference. Babaji s Kriya Yoga Order of Acharyas 4

5 Reservation: To register for the tour, to Satchidananda or call the Quebec office at < >, or to Satyananda. Make a deposit of EUR 300 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 November 1, 2013, due to the time required for a transfer of funds to India in order to complete the required advance payments for our reservations. Payment: for Europe, pay by bank transfer to account of Marshall Govindan in Deutsche Bank International (BLZ , account # ) IBAN: DE , BIC: DEUTDEDBFRA, subject Sri Lanka Pilgrimage For USA/Canada, pay on our website under enroll in activity using your VISA or Mastercard or Amex. Booking of Your International Flights: Please book your own tickets for your international flight and the international flight from India to Sri Lanka. Our India travel agent is not allowed to book flights for foreigners without the original passport at hand. Arrival airport for the international flights is Bengaluru International Airport [BLR], departure airport for the international return flights is Colombo International Airport [CMB]. The flight from India to Sri Lanka departs from Chennai International Airport [MAA] and arrives in Colombo International Airport [CMB], the first choice flight for our group on January 9, 2013, is Srilankan Airlines UL 128 departure 15:40 hrs, arrival 17:00 hrs; there are alternative flights for late booking which can be given after registration. In case you want to return home after the group tour, book a oneway ticket from India to Sri Lanka, in case you want to continue your personal trip in India after the group tour, book this flight to Sri Lanka plus a return flight to the international airport in India of your choice (Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Calcutta, Trivandrum, Kochi). In order to obtain a reasonable price for your international return flight, we recommend to book an open jaw flight with one airline which operates flights both to Bangalore and to Colombo, either by direct flight or via their connecting hub airport, for example the U.A.E. airlines like Emirates via Dubai, Gulf via Bahrain or Etihad via Abu Dhabi. Your Accomodation is booked by the tour organizer for 16 nights from Sunday evening December 29, until Tuesday morning January 14, 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 Travel or flight insurance for the dates of the trip should be included in the flight booking if required. 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 Tourist Visa is required for both India and Sri Lanka. For Sri Lanka the visa can be obtained online through the official website of the Sri Lanka immigration services (eta.gov.lk/slvisa), or exceptionally on arrival at the Colombo airport for an additional fee (credit card or local cash 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 extend unexpectedly, the costs vary from country to country. Babaji s Kriya Yoga Order of Acharyas 5