Santhigiri Ashram

Santhigiri Ashram was founded by Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru in 1964. Propagating spirituality beyond the confines of religion, the ashram has quickly grown into a spiritual centre with several thousand followers from around the world. The ashram espouses a tradition of Guru-Sishya (Master-Disciple) lineage committed to nurturing and sustaining inner spiritual experiences in the young and the adults alike.

Santhigiri Ashram has more than a dozen branches and several administrative offices spread across India catering to a vast range of its activities in fields like spirituality, healthcare, agriculture, scientific research and environment protection. The ashram is also a major proponent of the ancient systems of medicine like Ayurveda and Siddha, and currently operates more than 100 hospitals of traditional medicine across the country and abroad.

NAVAJYOTHISREE KARUNAKARA GURU

Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru lived a life of extreme austerity in the midst of unprecedented spiritual accomplishments. From His early childhood, Karunankunju (as Guru was affectionately called in his childhood) could sense the constant presence of a divine light deep within His heart. He would often hear words emanating from it, and like a transmitter, He would utter only those words which He heard from it. But, by the age of 9, the light disappeared for no apparent reason. Three years later, driven by an innate compulsion, Guru set out on an epic spiritual quest full of numerous trials and tribulations.

SISHYAPOOJITHA

Her Holiness Sishyapoojitha Amritha Jnana Thapaswini, the prime disciple of the Guru, became the spiritual head of Santhigiri Ashram after the Guru merged into the Primordial Consciousness in 1999. Born into an affluent family, the Shishyapoojitha left home to live at the ashram at a tender age of nine, after experiencing a series of spiritual visions that revealed the greatness of the Guru to Her. Following every footstep of the Guru, She trod the perilous path of spiritual elevation with unflinching diligence and devotion to finally become the most venerated among His disciples.

LOTUS PARNASALA

Santhigiri Ashram is home to the magnificent Lotus Parnasala, a monument built in memory of its founder Guru. The 90-foot shrine covered in pristine-white Makhrana marble - the same variety used for the Taj Mahal - is shaped like a real lotus in full bloom. Realized through the benefaction of thousands of well-wishers transcending confines of religion, race or class, the Lotus Parnasala became an eternal symbol of Universal Love and Peace. The divine glow it emanates and the spiritual essence it enshrines attract several thousands of visitors every year.