Guru Mandir

This is a huge flawless white structure standing in the middle of the Ashram. Inspired by ancient architecture, the roof of this structure is dome-shaped complimented by arc-shaped water body. Inside the structure stands a serene statue of Lord Mahadeva, depicted in lotus posture. Lord Mahadeva is considered the first human master (Adi Guru) of this universe. The statue of Lord Shiva is unlikely of any statue found in any other holy place. It is derived from a very ancient picture of Lord Mahadeva. Lord Mahadeva, in this statue, is depicted as substance form of universal energy flowing through polarities of life, death, day and night. Above this beautiful statue hangs the portrait of a great master “Maharaj ji” who blessed Anandmurti Gurumaa with saffron robe.

The presence of Lord Shiva provides a wide source of nourishment for the seeker who is enriched by the touching clarity of the mandir. The white marbles of this mandir shine through every morning under sun soaked rays. The mandir is the heart chakra of the Ashram and forms the central gravity point from where all rays diverge to pointlessness.

Rishi Patanjali Kutir

Four beautifully designed rustic huts stand as tranquil stupas on the both sides of the statue of Sahajo Bai. They are again intriguing piece of architecture, displaying simplicity and earthiness. They represent the times of Aryans when rich culture of simple living and high thinking was prevalent. Hermits, monks in ancient times resided in these hut shaped structures that they called ‘Kutir’. They lived in simplest of huts and taught highest of wisdom.

The Patanjali hut is named after the great yogic master. In this Kutir, the residents of Ashram practice their daily sadhana-spiritual practice. This hut is like a laboratory where seekers practice their inner sciences. They experiment on their minds and hearts with different dhyana techniques.

Sambudh Sabhagar

A beautiful hall for meditation. It has the capacity to accommodate 500 people. A very unique mural of Gautam Buddha sitting under a peepal tree with his disciples, is depicted at the entrance of Sambudh Sabhagar. The eyes of Gautam Buddha are semi- closed and one of his hands rests on his chest in a semi lotus posture - a mudra of blessing, a mudra of compassion, a mudra of avlokiteshevara padmapani. This hall has been made keeping the highest technical details in mind. The hall is provided with central air conditioning and is fitted with high quality sound mechanism. It is here where Anandmurti Gurumaa teaches the inner art to her disciples and quells their doubts. The place is alive with the presence of Gurumaa. One can immediately feel the vibrations as one enters the hall. The hall has resounding silence of space and introduces the seeker to the experience of spacelessness.

There are certain things to be kept in mind while entering Sambudh Sabhagar:

* It is compulsory to wear white robe.
* One must carry his/her own asana or sitting mat.
* One should avoid wearing jewellery or any other sparkling ornament as they may deviate the mind of the meditator. One must feel free while entering the hall.
* Mobile phone should be switched off.
* In order to tap the complete vibrations of the hall, one must maintain silence after entering the hall.
* Children below the age of twelve are not allowed inside the hall.

Annapurna

The kitchen, named Annapurna is constructed in a very systematic manner. It is based on highly advanced and systematic functions of an industrial kitchen. The food is distributed with love and care and the whole process from distribution to consumption is converted into meditation. Gurumaa lays strong emphasis on attaching the prayers with food as she says that the art of praying makes the food tastier. The whole idea of thankfulness makes our bonding close with the divine.

Seekers not only quench their inner thirst, but also get to satiate their appetite by consuming a well-balanced, nutritious Indian vegetarian meal. The meal is hygienically cooked and served in a typical authentic Indian manner depicting the spirit of Indian-ness, which is not the geographical territory but the very oriental wisdom to live and love life.

Bodhisattva Awaas

This is a beautiful building serving as an accommodation area for those who wish to stay in the ashram. “Bodhisattva means one who has had glimpse of inner stillness, one who is on the path of enlightenment.” This building has spacious rooms with attached bathrooms.

Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati and Triveni

This is a set of four buildings named after four rivers of India-Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati and Triveni. They also provide accommodation for those who wish to enjoy the vibrant atmosphere of the Ashram in the presence of Her Holiness Gurumaa. These buildings are complemented by grass-hill, decorated by flowers in circular motion. They are helpful in promoting the individual growth as their cleanliness and neatness attunes the individual to inner harmony. These buildings have smaller rooms with attached bathroom, each room is sufficient for two seekers.

Gyaneshwar Awaas, Nanak Dhaam, Vishwanaath Dhaam

It provides accommodation for meditators. The architecture of these dormitories is beautiful, an ultra modern building in which each person is provided with a bed but has to share bathrooms. One can have a wonderful view of adjacent agriculture green fields. Proper sanitary conditions are provided along with ventilating systems.

Evergreen Gardens

The golden gardens of the Ashram remain in full bloom round the year. The gardens are covered with lush green velvet like grass. The gardens remain forever brimming with butterflies. Various kind of seasonal flowers blossom here making a Kaleidoscope of colours. From November to December, the gardens are filled with seasons of Godavari, Marigold. January is the season of Dahlia. In February and March, Panjee (Pancy), Gajarnia, Flowcus (a very fragrant flower), Chameli, Roses fill the golden gardens. The wind compliments these gardens and carry the fragrance to far off places thus carrying the message of celebration, suggesting that once the inner flower sprouts, then there is no end to the spreading of the fragrances. The inner garden always remains golden and floral with the divine grace and the fragrance never ceases to flow.

The Ponds in the Garden

The bonding of Rishi and water dates back to ancient times. The Ashram has a magnificent water body, which is called Sarovar. Two small bridges over the Sarovar makes the landscape heavenly. The water of the Sarovar reflects the blue firmament above and turns green, blue, turquoise. The still water makes us feel connected with our inner, ever-residing stillness and when the reflection of star-studded sky and moon falls in it, it seems as if the Sarovar is bejewelled by divine jewellery. Lots of trees grow around the water body beautifying the already perfect topography. Many beautiful birds of different kinds are attracted towards this large water body and green trees.They sing and chirp around merrily, further adding liveliness to the glory of Ashram.

Dancing Lord Krishna - A masterpiece in itself

In one of the golden gardens, which is the biggest and the widest, stands a splendid statue of Dancing Lord Krishna. A very unique and unlikely statue of Lord Krishna in which he is depicted as the celebrator, the one on whom total celebration has occurred and once this complete state of celebration occurs there is no holding back, all prejudices are dropped, one dances and becomes child like-“absolute and pure”. In this statue Lord Krishna finds it difficult to hold himself back. The only thing that is preventing him is that, he is made of stone here but a keen eye can see him dancing even through this substantial form.

Maha Mrityunjaya

An exquisite masterpiece of Lord Mahadeva, Lord Shiva is depicted here as an advanced yogi who has surpassed the fear of death. There is no split in the consciousness, there is a totality, after all the austerity and hard part of spiritual practice-sadhna, he has reached the crescendo where he is drenched in his own silent pool of witnessing, lost in the drunkenness of consciousness and enjoying the ultimate relaxation where a deep universal oneness is experienced. The image of Lord Mahadeva is overlooking, the eyes are simply overlooking rather they are looking in a non-judgmental way, the whole phenomenon of looking is taking place as if there is no looking at. Lord Mahadeva’s one elbow rests on the Shiva lingam. The pose of Shiva is depicting that life is followed by death and death is again followed by life.

Shri Hanuman

A very beautiful statue stands tall in golden garden depicting the inner strength, inner will to move onto the journey within. The image of Shri Hanuman depicts sturdiness and will of mind.

Mandala

The Sanskrit term ‘Mandala’ in English language means ‘Circle’, representing wholeness. True to its name is the repository ‘Mandala’ in Rishi Chaitanya Ashram. The ‘circle with a centre’ pattern that forms the fundamental theme of the whole creation is reflected in ‘Mandala’ which is built around the centre to offer a divine treasure encompassing an exclusive audio video collection of Anandmurti Gurumaa, Books written by Anandmurti Gurumaa, White robes (Cholas), and Aasanas.

The audio video collection includes pre-recorded discourses of Gurumaa bestowed at various places, several meditation techniques developed by Gurumaa for the modern day pacer who has to face various upheavals in day to day life, and soul stirring bhajans in the mellifluous voice of Gurumaa to abridge the gap between seeker and the divine. The available formats are: Cassettes, CDs, VCDs, DVDs, and MP3.

Bismillah Cafe

This cafe is designed to provide a vibrant divine ambience for munching snacks, sipping tea/coffee/cold drink etc- with an accent of sophistication, imbued with awareness. It offers a special selection of affordably priced *menu to serve the wide variety of choices. The interiors and the comfortable arrangement of chairs and tables in the cafe are consciously arrayed in a way to give an ample space to an individual to relish and celebrate being oneself and an opportunity to be with others who are on the same path.

*The Café also stores and offers the items of day to day utility to facilitate the seekers who stay at Rishi Chaitanya Ashram.

Gaushala

Gaushala is such a sweet word that automatically reminds us of Krishna and Vrindavan. Our rishis have always shared a special bond with cows. Cow’s milk is pure and light to digest. Consumption of cow’s milk is said to sharpen our intellect and bestow us with satvikta (purity) of body. Gaushala in Rishi Chaitanya Ashram serves the needs of the seekers in Ashram with pure milk.  Gurumaa herself has given names to every cow - Vidya, Anamika, Kapila, Geetu. They recognize Gurumaa very well and even give loving sounds when they hear Gurumaa coming from distance to them. Proper attention is given to their food, water and cleanliness. The Ashram grows its own crops and vegetables. The vegetarian meals served at Annapurna are made with organically grown vegetables. Even the grains and rice are grown here in the Ashram itself.