India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (35 page)

One of India’s foremost tourism operators,
Sita World Travel
(called
SOTC
in some places) is represented throughout the length and breadth of India. Sita offers a wide range of tours to cover a range of budgets and interests. These include sightseeing trips and excursions to India’s top attractions, as well as soft-adventure and special-interest tours that can really get you off the beaten track (
www.e-holidaysindia.com
).

Note that many of the recommended individual and adventure operators listed above offer escorted group tours.

For more information on escorted general-interest tours, including questions to ask before booking your trip, see
www.frommers.com/planning
.

10 Discovering Spiritual India

However you choose to spend your time in India, you are unlikely to return home unaffected by your sojourn here. Indeed, you are likely to find a moment of enlightenment in the most unexpected places, whether you’re engaged in conversation with a shopkeeper over a cup of
chai
or people-watching on a suffocatingly crowded city street. But for generations visitors have come to India specifically seeking some sort of spiritual transformation, and the increasing plethora of first-rate accommodations and Western-style food options are making it easier than ever—and in some ways more difficult, by cocooning travelers from unvarnished India.

Basic
yoga
classes are conducted in many places all over the country, as are the various techniques and methods of
meditation.
But the best way to experience and improve your skills in either or both of these disciplines—and possibly find true bliss or meaning in life through a spiritual leader—is to spend time at an
ashram,
where philosophical (or religious, depending on where you go) discourse accompanies a meditation and/or yoga program. There are innumerable ashrams all over the country, some the domain of a dynamic
guru
(the teacher whose role it is to assist the spiritual awakening of devotees); while others (like the Vipassana centers; see below) are not driven by a single personality. In the following paragraphs we discuss where you can go to study and practice classic spiritual disciplines during your trip to India.

MEDITATION
The most upmarket meditation center in India is the
Osho International Meditation Resort
in the city of Pune (near Mumbai;
www.osho.com
; see chapter 5). It’s aimed at those who aren’t concerned with giving up the real world while they search for enlightenment. Here, you’re surrounded by 20 hectares (50 acres) of lush greenery (styled on the Japanese water garden), and the campus consists of marvelous pyramidal meditation halls, with a stylish Zen-styled guesthouse, cafes, the esoteric “Multiversity,” magnificent swimming pool, and recreation facilities. For Rs 550 per day (excluding accommodation), you can fill your day with a variety of inward-looking activities, ranging from the intensive early morning “Dynamic Meditation” to the slightly surreal “Evening Meeting of the Brotherhood of the White Robe,” during which you get to focus on Osho’s voice, recorded during his time on earth. There’s another Osho retreat near Dharamsala in Himachal Pradesh, but it’s less welcoming of people who aren’t already familiar with Osho’s teachings .

One of India’s most ancient meditation techniques is
Vipassana,
which translates as “seeing things as they really are.” Taught at 10-day residential courses at many centers around the country, this program is not for the fickle—during the course of the program you must adhere to a strict code of conduct, such as consuming nothing after midday. For many, however, the hardest part of the course is the rule of absolute silence, in which you’re not allowed to speak (or read) a word for the first 9 days. The lack of any form of entertainment or sensory stimulation as well is meant to assist true inner awakening. This is certainly one of the most authentic meditation programs you will find anywhere, and one not based on devotion to a single guru or charismatic personality. The course is also
absolutely free
with no charges for food and board. Check out
www.dhamma.org
for more details.

For meditation in the Tibetan Mahayana Buddhist tradition,
Tushita Meditation Centre
(
www.tushita.info
), a few miles north of Mcleodganj, offers short- and long-term programs for beginners as well as the experienced. Unlike Vipassana courses, which are more or less secular and nonsectarian, Tushita courses include teaching of Buddhist philosophy and religion as well as different meditation techniques.

If all this sounds too committed,
Sudarshan Kriya,
the revered Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s highly acclaimed breathing and meditation technique, can be learned through courses conducted by
The Art of Living
Foundation
throughout India. For details, see the sidebar “Learn the ‘Art of Living’ with India’s Hot New Age Guru” or visit
www.artofliving.org
.

YOGA
For seriously dedicated yoga students willing to make a commitment of at least a month, the country has several well-known centers. Be aware, however, that at most of these places, room facilities are rather basic. The
Bihar School of Yoga
has an ashram on the banks of the Ganga in Munger, Bihar, where students come from around the world, usually for at least 4 months (
www.yogavision.net
). Requiring at least 1 month of dedicated practice is the hugely popular (and highly regarded)
Shri K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute
in Mysore, where the fee of Rs 27,530 for the first month (Rs 17,416 for each subsequent month) is heftier than most, and does not include room and board (see
www.kpjayi.org
); note, however, that the venerated yoga master who founded the institute (or
shala
), Krishna Pattabhi Jois (aka Guruji), passed away in May 2009. For yoga in the tradition of that most famous of Indian yoga gurus,
BKS Iyengar,
you can contact the regional center in Mumbai. The courses at the Pune headquarters are only for long-term yoga experts and are booked up to 2 years in advance (
www.bksiyengar.com
). Less intensive, and more flexible for the traveler, is the
Himalayan Iyengar Yoga Centre
(
www.hiyogacentre.com
). This visitor-friendly organization has retreats in two locations: in Goa right on the sand dunes at Arambol Beach, and in Dharamkot (an hour’s drive from Dharamsala, in Himachal Pradesh).

ASHRAMS
For those travelers intent on working on their dharma and karma, destinations such as Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), Bodhgaya (Bihar), Rishikesh, and Haridwar (both in Uttarakhand) have numerous centers, each providing some direction to an individuals’ spiritual quest. In Rishikesh,
The Divine Life Society
welcomes daily visitors to its ashram on the banks of the Ganga; it professes to embrace the essential truth found in all the religions of the world. Chanting continues 24 hours a day (check the website
www.sivanandaonline.org
for details). In Bodhgaya, the
Root Institute
(
www.rootinstitute.com
) runs 6- to 12-day courses and retreats in Buddhist philosophy and spiritual awakening meant to bring peace and happiness to daily life. You can also attend 1-day workshops and take short courses on topics such as how to meditate, peaceful living and dying, and transforming problems into happiness. Accommodations are available at the institute.

You can also find programs offered by more well-known groups, such as
ISKCON
(Hare Krishna;
www.iskcon.com
),
Ramakrishna Mission
(
www.sriramakrishna.org
), and
Aurobindo Ashram
(
www.sriaurobindoashram.org
) in Puducherry (Pondicherry), as well as gurus with large, worldwide followings such as Sri Mata Amritanansamayi Devi—better know to the world as
Amma
(or “The Mother” or “The Hugging Guru”)—who has her ashram in Amritapuri in Kerala (
www.amritapuri.org
).

For a deeper, more authentic experience—spiritually and culturally—
Arunachala,
the ashram dedicated to the teachings of the late Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi,
is 3 hours west of Chennai, in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu (
www.arunachala-ramana.org
). Rooms are small, basic, and cheap, but you will have to book 1 month in advance.

Finally, another fairly upmarket ashram, one with a strong following among Westerners, is run by the
Siddha Yoga
foundation at Ganeshpuri, also near Mumbai (
www.siddhayoga.org
). Note that this ashram does not encourage casual tourists dropping in; you have to be in touch with their programs to be allowed onto the beautiful walled estate.

A note of caution:
Although all the yoga and meditation centers listed here are legitimate, care should be taken before embarking on any spiritual journey in India. (If you don’t believe us, read Gita Mehta’s
Karma Cola
[Vintage Books], an acerbic and witty investigation into the way in which unscrupulous gurus market Indian spirituality to credulous Westerners in search of something more “enlightened.”) There are some who feel that spiritual teaching should come free, while others argue that spiritualism is being packaged for Westerners in a way they can relate to, and performs basically the same function as a psychotherapist might in the West. Most important: Be aware that literally thousands of gurus and ashrams, “pseudo” or “real,” are spread all over the country, some of whose principal aim is to part you from your money or, in worst-case scenarios, to sexually exploit you. Principally, be suspicious of two things: gurus who claim to have supernatural or magical “powers” or are “miracle workers,” and those who ask for hefty donations. Check credentials and make your choice wisely.

11 Tips on Accommodations

One of the best developments in the past decade has been the increase in
luxury boutique-type options
offering international standards of service and comfort and flavored with Indian accents—like beautiful craftsmanship and ancient traditions (we’re talking Ayurvedic masseurs on tap)—which means that the subcontinent is now a very desirable destination for the visitor wanting relaxation and pampering. To find the most unusual independent hotels, guesthouses, and homestays, an excellent resource for those who don’t want the classic resort or chain hotel experience is Alastair Sawday’s
Special Places to Stay: India
(
www.sawdays.co.uk
), at press time about to go into its third edition. Though the properties listed pay to be in the book, they are all, almost without exception, special in some way; the best are included in this book (plus many more that cannot afford or choose not to pay for publicity).

Capitalizing on the desire for totally individual boutique-style lodgings, CGH Earth (
www.cghearth.com
; our favorite chain in South India), has been purchasing, building and/or skillfully renovating heritage properties throughout the south, and staffing it with locals usually with one of their highly trained managers at the helm. Their properties are so unique, and their standards generally so high, that—should your entire South India itinerary comprise only their properties—you will return home delighted.

Of course we all knew India had “arrived” when the ultraluxe
Amanresorts
entered the fray with
Amanbagh,
arguably the finest resort-style property in India, but the pace was first set by the
Vilās
properties, owned by India’s very own, very fabulous
Oberoi
chain. Besides the Vilās properties (the best of which is
Amarvilās
in Agra, though many rate
Udaivilās
in Udaipur as their top choice), Oberoi runs some of the very best city hotels, as well as several spa resorts in key tourist destinations and a luxury backwater cruiser in Kerala. As with the three Aman properties in India (including their exceptional new hotel in Delhi—probably our favorite city hotel in the country), Oberoi hotels and resorts attract top dollar, but you can generally count on superb service and attention to detail. Best of all, you can often get great discounts on room rates by reserving in advance over the Internet (
www.oberoihotels.com
).
Note that Oberoi also operates a tier of smaller, less opulent hotels under the
Trident
banner; aimed principally at business or family travelers; trained to Oberoi standards, service in these hotels is excellent and they usually offer very good value.