Where is Sai Baba?
This is a question that is frequently asked, and the answer is "Yes". Thousands -- nay, millions -- of people journey to Baba's Ashram Prasanthi Nilayam (the Abode of Perfect Peace) at Puttaparthi in Southern India, but it is not essential to do so; many people experience His Presence without ever leaving their homes. However, many long to enquire and experience first hand the nature of His Divinity.
Looking at the map of India, Puttaparthi is located about 160km north of Bangalore. From New Zealand, the usual route is to fly either direct to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur and from there to Madras or Bangalore. It is now possible to fly direct from Madras to Puttaparthi on "Prasanthi Airlines", landing at Baba's newly opened airport, but the planes used are, for the moment, small and only function at certain times of the year (mainly the winter months).
The more usual method of reaching Puttaparthi is to take a flight from Madras to Bangalore, and then on to Prasanthi Nilayam by either taxi or bus (Groups usually charter a bus). If one has never been to India before, it is strongly advised that one join a group. There is a rule at the Ashram that young people under 25 are only allowed to stay there provided they are either with a group, or accompanied by their parents.
There is plenty of accommodation at the Ashram, but it is not the Ritz! In fact conditions there are clean but basic. Baba considers that it is good for us to learn to adapt to simple living conditions.-- after all, a visit to Puttaparthi is a spiritual pilgrimage, and should be undertaken in that spirit. The food there is simple, wholesome and strictly vegetarian. The water is clean, being drawn from a 600 foot bore under the sands of the local Chitravati river.
South India is hot -- at some times of the year, very hot. Being the other side of the equator, our summer is their winter, which is a very good time to go there. The winter temperature from November to January is rather hotter than our own hot summer days, though it can be chilly first thing in the mornings before sunrise -- life starts early at Prasanthi! After January, it gets steadily hotter. May and June are very hot. July and August is the monsoon season -the sky tends to be overcast, very humid and hot, and sometimes rainy.
The Sathya Sai Organisation of N.Z. has information sheets with details about the Ashram, the living conditions there, the rules and regulations, and what you will need to take with you. If you are contemplating going there, we strongly advise you to ask us to send you a copy. It is also worth inquiring about any groups intending to go in the near future, as joining a group makes the inner and outer journey more fulfilling.