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Lingam
manifested by Sri Sathya Sai Baba in Kodaikanal ashram, 1994
Kodaikanal darshan experience:
"...There are indications that there might be a program Vishu/Tamil
New Year- April 14 celebration at Kodaikanal so far there has been no
official announcement. Swami is giving regular darshans. The gathering of
devotees over here..."
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It is said that Prasanthi Nilayam is Swami’s office, Brindavan is His home and Kodaikanal is His playground. In a manner of speaking, this is so particularly where Kodaikanal is concerned, for it is here, that one gets a glimpse of the Sai of the Forties, especially where Divine Leelas are concerned. It all lasts only a few weeks, but what extraordinary weeks they are, for those blessed to enjoy Divine intimacy then!
Kodaikanal is a hill station in South India about four hundred and odd kilometres south east of Bangalore and near the Temple Cities of Madurai and Palani. In former years, every summer Swami used to take a few selected students with Him to Kodai.
Kodaikanal is a famous hilltop resort some
pictures of the nature around Kodaikanal that usually has rain ten months of
the year. This is
called
off-season. Season is generally April-June, and that's when most tourists
visit. Kodaikanal is a lovely place, free of dust and mosquitos, and has
plenty of tourists attractions, like the restaurant called Buddha's Belly!
Here we will give you an overview of visiting Sai Baba, and some important
information to get you well prepared!
Generally, Sai Baba can be found at the Puttaparthi Ashram. This is in
South India, approximately three hours drive from Bangalore.
During the hot summer months in Puttaparthi, (Rayalseema area is one of the
driest in South India) Sai Baba generally travels from Puttaparthi for
Bangalore, where there is an ashram located T Whitefield, some 27 kilometres
out of the city of Bangalore.
Occasionally, Sai Baba visits a small ashram called
Sai Sruthi, located in the hill resort
town of Kodaikanal, which is quite further south of Bangalore in the
adjoining state of Tamil Nadu.
Travelling to Kodai
Sai Itinerary Jan.- Dec.
The only direct way into
Kodaikanal is by road. Kodaikanal is connected by road with Chennai
(520-km), Ooty (264-km), Trichy (197-km), Coimbatore (175-km), Kumili
(160-km), and Madurai(120-km). Additional buses ply during the season. Taxis
and vans are available for local transportation. There are no auto-rickshaws
in Kodaikanal, and taxi fares are set by local authority. All must pay to
enter the National Park entrance, some kilometres out of Kodaikanal.
It is a hilltop town, and the roads narrow and winding. Those travelling for
the first time, best not look down when looking out the window!!!
Planes fly
to Madurai and Coimbatore. Then a two hour taxi journey.
By Rail...
The nearest railway stations are the Kodai Road Railway Station (80-km) and
the Palani Railway Station (64-km).
Luxury Buses
ply between Bangalore Majestic and Kodaikanal. Bus travel takes
approximately 12 hours.
Taxis from Whitefield to Kodai will cost between Rs
6000-8000 and you would be advised to share a taxi if you do this. Travel
time to Kodaikanal would be approximately 10 hours.
It is never known in advance
if Sathya Sai Baba will visit Kodaikanal in any year. Kodai is cool at
night, oft times raining overnight, and generally mild, up to 23 degrees in
the daytime. Fog, clouds and rain can be expected on any day at anytime.
IF Sathya Sai Baba visits Kodaikanal, then the following
are suggested:
umbrella, thin light jumper, thin winter clothes as you would wear in a
sub-tropical winter, thin plastic macintosh like that you can get in
Woolworths or Kmart for $5 to have in case of rain.
Kodaikanal is flat where Swami's house is, there is one driveway to walk up
(steep), then flat sitting area for darshan. If you were to stay in town at
the Hilltop Hotel, Carlton Hotel or around the corner from Swami's place at
the Sterling Hotel, then it is largely flat walking to Swami's darshan. The
remainder of Kodaikanal is hills, hills, hills and incredibly narrow
roads. A taxi to darshan is the usual practice if staying in one of
these other Hotels.
There are Western Hotels at Kodaikanal with charges somewhat similar to
Hotels here in Australia. The top two are the Carleton and Sterling,
standard Hilton Hotel type accommodation. Hilltop is very good and somewhat
less, approx 750-1000 rupees per night.
There are many other hotels and guesthouses available in Kodaikanal. Many
devotees group together and hire a guesthouse.
Darshan is in the mornings; you can walk from the township, around the lake
to the darshan queue, which is on Lake Road itself. Men line up on the
footpath adjacent to the lake, Ladies line up on the other side of the gate,
on the grassy side of the road. Ladies often sit in chairs by the roadside.
Of late, seva dal have stalls either side of the gate, and as you pass, you
put your shoes in and receive a chit.
There are only 4 lines each side at Kodai, and numbers are in fact given
out. Men on cycles or young boys with hot canteens walk up and down the
lines selling small plastic cups of tea. You can expect to stand in line up
to about 8AM or thereabouts when the gates are opened and the lines called
in. Lines generally begin to be formed around 6AM, and there is either
silence of jollity in the lines ...
Like Puttaparthi and Brindavan, there is a small security check as you pass
the gate; therafter, it is a dash or a sedate walk up the STEEP driveway, to
the darshan shelters. Men to the left of the front of the house, ladies to
the right, guests along the far right wall. Men must pass in front of the
ladies to reacch their allocated darshan area.
There are chairs for those who need. Darahan is a small affair under a
simple canopy, and ladies also sit in an island in front of the garden.
Unlike Puttaparthi or Whitefield, all remain inside the compound, seated for darshan until its full completion. If individuals or groups are called for interview, all remain seated. By this time, pullovers, shawls and all the extra coverings are removed as the sun is out and quite warm. When Interviews are complete, Baba emerges, and goes inside the main building; thereafter, darshan is over. Sometimes prasad is distributed during darshan.
After morning darshan, Swami sometimes goes for a drive around Kodaikanal and environs; perhaps a leisurely drive, perhaps a visit to an orphange, or to a home, or to another venerable place. Sometimes, to a picnic! One can often see a procession of cars leaving Sai Sruthi perhaps half an hour or an hour after darshan, with Swami's car in the middle. So if you wish, it is useful to come back after taking your breakfast and walk back down Lake Road, and by grace of Bhagavan, perhaps you will see Swami.
Afternoon Darshan commences with lines at approximately 2.30 or 3PM. As before, all line up around Lake Road. There is a small bhajan mandir on the top and right as you reach the top of the STEEP drive; if you see people going in, follow, for often there are spiritual talks, sometimes a divine discourse, or bhajans in that small mandir. For Afternoon Darshan, Swami may walk along the verandah of the residence, even if it is raining.
General Information - Kodaikanal
STD Code : 04542
Population
2,133 metres.
Clothing
Light woollen in the evening during summer and heavy woollen during winter.
Altitude
2,133 metres.
Location
120 Km From Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
Best Time
April To June And September To October.
Languages
Tamil and English.
