Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry - Aurobindo, The Mother

Aurobindo Ashram is named after its creator ‘Sri Aurobindo Ghosh’, one of the spiritual saints of the 20th century. It is one of the most well known and wealthiest ashrams in India, with devotees within the country and all over the world flocking towards it for spiritual salvation. Its set up was in the form of a small community of Aurobindo’s disciples, after he settled in Pondicherry in 1910. In 1926, Sri Aurobindo directed all the responsibilities of the ashram to his spiritual collaborator, Mirra Alfassa known as, ‘the Mother’. She was a Parisian mystic, painter and musician, who was inspired by his philosophy that she stayed on in Puducherry and was instrumental in the establishment of the ashram.

Today, the ashram community has over 2000 people, most of them are the devotees and around 400 students at the centre of education. The main building of the ashram contains interconnected blocks of houses where Aurobindo and the Mother used to reside. In the middle is a tree-shaded courtyard, where the graves of both of these spiritual leaders are laid. All the daily needs of the members are fulfilled by the ashram as there are separate departments for clothing, food, medical care etc. There are a number of libraries in the ashram having educational as well as cultural books. Currently, there are more than 80,000 books in 25 different languages and 100s of periodicals, along with a huge collection of Indian and Western classical records.

The Ashram is an amalgamation of yoga and modern sciences. Products like Perfumed candles, handmade papers, incense sticks, greeting cards etc manufactured in the ashram are quite popular in the markets around the World because of the quality. Workshops on crafts like pottery, embroidery, weaving, batik etc are also organized in the premises. The Ashram also comprises a theater, a concert and a dance hall, and Allopathic as well as Ayurvedic clinics. Children below 3 years are not allowed. Photography is not allowed..