Santhigiri Ashram is a spiritual center and pilgrimage site, located in Pothencode,

Thiruvananthapuram District Thiruvananthapuram District () is the List of districts of Kerala, southernmost district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. The district was created in 1949, with its headquarters in the city of Thiruvananth ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It was founded by Navajyothi Sree Karunakara Guru and is recognized and developed as a ''Social and Scientific Research Organization'' by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

. Situated within the

ashram An ashram (, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions, not including Buddhism. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (< Parnasala monument, in the shape of a lotus blossom in white Makrana marble. It was constructed by the followers of

Karunakara Guru Karunakara Guru (1 September 1927 – 6 May 1999), also known as Karunakara Guru, was an Indian spiritual leader and founder of Santhigiri, Santhigiri Ashram in Pothencode, Kerala, India. In 1968, Karunakara Guru founded Santhigiri Ashram in ...

over a period of 10 years. It was inaugurated by the

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

Pratibha Devi Patil on 13 August, 2010 and was opened for prayers and worship on 12 September, 2010 . This ashram is located at the

geographic coordinates A geographic coordinate system (GCS) is a spherical or geodetic coordinate system for measuring and communicating positions directly on Earth as latitude and longitude. It is the simplest, oldest, and most widely used type of the various ...

o

at an altitude of about 107.06 m above sea level. Santhigiri Ashram works towards fulfilling Karunakara Guru, Navajyothi Sri Karunakara Guru's vision of "revitalized life involving spiritual, social, economic and cultural elements".

Activities

Offering free food

One of Guru's objectives was to feed the poor and to this end the ashram offers an ''Annadanam'', or ''gift of food'', at their various centers, to all the visitors as well as inmates. On the aspects of Guru's wish all human beings in one society truly followed.

Healthcare

''Athurasevanam'' or ''care of the ailing'' is a supporting function to the Guru's vision. The ashram performs this function through a chain of

Ayurveda Ayurveda (; ) is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. It is heavily practised throughout India and Nepal, where as much as 80% of the population report using ayurveda. The theory and practice of ayur ...

and Siddha research centers, hospitals, onsite and offsite health care programs and camps and social research.

Athmabodhanam

Part of the Guru's vision for the ashram is ''Athmabodhanam'' or ''spiritual awakening''. The awakening is at two levels - rational and transcendental; the former focuses on elimination of ignorance while the latter focuses on knowledge of reality.

Economic development

As part of the vision of a revitalized life, the ashram focuses on economic development, with an emphasis on trade skills and support for women and cottage industry programs.

References

External links

GeoHack - Santhigiri Ashram
* {{commons category, Santhigiri Ashrams 2010 establishments in Kerala Educational institutions established in 2010