The Aurobindo Samadhi is the place where their remains are interred and it is the spiritual heart of the ashram. Here is where Sri Aurobindo wrote, meditated and left his body and also where his spiritual partner, The Mother (born Mirra Alfassa in Paris, France) lived and worked, and also left her body. Pondicherry is a very special place, due in part to the very French-inspired architecture and culture, and also to the presence of the Aurobindo Ashram, which is spread throughout the French part of town. I had been there before, too, and was looking forward to meditating at the Sri Aurobindo Samadhi. From there we drove about two hours to Pondicherry, the former French colony on the coast. I had been there before, but it was still a treat to see these beautiful structures, caves, and carvings. We spent the morning in Mahabalipuram touring the rock carvings, the highlight of which is the UNESCO designated Shore Temple. Pondicherry street scene Traveling south to Mahabalipuram and Pondicherryįrom Chennai, we drove south a few hours to Mahabalipuram. I studied there for a month in 2006, but since then, KYM has built a new building on the site so it seemed like a new place to me. The next day we visited Kapalsheewarer Temple, saw the Chola bronzes at the museum, and ended the day at the peaceful Krishnamurti Foundation. Finally, on our last day in Chennai we stopped at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM) before leaving the city. I bought a Kancheepuram silk sari in my colours (green and blue) in case I got invited to a wedding - and was promptly invited to a wedding by a bride who at Nalli’s was buying her wedding sari. On a city tour of Chennai, we went to Nalli’s the famous sari store, which feels like it is preserved in time. Luckily, the cyclone turned out to be largely a non-event, and we set off with our guide Lotus from Wilderness Expeditions in Chennai. The South Indian tour got off to an uneasy start due to the onset of Nilam, the cyclone that hit the coast of Tamil Nadu in 2012. Click here to learn more about the best places to visit in Tamil Nadu.

I wrote about this extraordinary man in Holding hands with children in need. This was also a very special trip because of the people I met, such as my guide Setu, and a man named Ramu, who rescued literally every street kid in the town. An experience I had while meditating at the Sri Ramana Maharshi Ashram, on Mount Arunachala in Tiruvannamalai, confirmed something I have sensed all of my life. It was a transformational spiritual journey because my visit to Tiruvannamalai was life-changing. I WENT ON AN UNFORGETTABLE spiritual tour of South India to visit Chennai, Mahabalipuram, Pondicherry, and Tiruvannamalai in 2012, Tamil Nadu.

Traveling south to Mahabalipuram and PondicherryĪ spiritual journey to Tiruvannamalai and the Sri Ramana Maharshi ashram, South India.

A spiritual journey to Tiruvannamalai and the Sri Ramana Maharshi ashram, South India.

Ramana maharshi ashram tiruvannamalai