Ashrams and mandirs

Puttaparthi, where Sathya Sai Baba was born and still lives, was originally a small remote South Indian village. Now one can find an extensive University complex, Chaitanya Jyoti (a World-Religions Museum that has won several international awards for design, a spiritual museum, a Planetarium, a railway station, a hill-view stadium, an administrative building, an airport, an indoor sports stadium and moreHigh ranking Indian politicians, like the former President Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee have been official guests at the ashram in PuttaparthiOn Sathya Sai Baba’s 80th birthday celebration, it was reported that well over a million people attended, including 13,000 delegates from India and 180 other countries.

Prashanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi, A.P.

Sathya Sai Baba resides much of the time in his main ashram called Prashanthi Nilayam (Abode of Highest Peace) at Puttaparthi. In the hot summer, Baba leaves for his other ashram called Brindavan in Kadugodi, Whitefield, a town on the outskirts of Bangalore. Occasionally, he visits his Sai Shruti ashram in Kodaikanal

Sathya Sai Baba established three primary mandirs (Spiritual centers) in India. The first mandir, founded in Mumbai in 1968, is referred to as either “Dharmakshetra” or “Sathyam”. The second center, established in Hyderabad in 1973, is referred to as “Shivam”. The third center, inaugurated on 19 January 1981, in Chennai, is referred to as “Sundaram.

The daily program at Sathya Sai Baba’s ashrams usually begin with the chanting of “OM” and a morning prayer (Suprabatham). This is followed by Veda Parayan (chanting of the Vedas), nagarasankirtana (morning devotional songs) and twice a day bhajans and darshan(appearance of Sai Baba to devotees)[106]. Particularly significant are the darshans during October (the Dasara holidays and November (the month of Sai Baba’s birth).

During darshan Sathya Sai Baba walks among his devotees and may interact with people, accept letters, materialize and distribute vibhuti (sacred ash) or call groups or individuals for interviews. Interviews are chosen solely by the guru’s discretion. Devotees consider it a great privilege to get an interview and sometimes a single person, group or family will be invited for a private interview. It is claimed by the Sathya Sai Organization that, people who receive such interviews may be startled by the materializations and the disclosures that Sathya Sai Baba as a clairvoyant reveals of their own livesSathya Sai Baba claims that his darshan has spiritual benefits.