Christian Ashram South India route

Namaste everyone!

Here's a bit of background - I just finished a three month Northern India route with my partner (including one month volunteering solo in Calcutta while he was in Ladakh doing likewise) - We also spent one week in yoga retreat at Phool Chatti Ashram (Rishikesh) and otherwise were in several Northern cities exploring Vedic, Buddhist and Sikh India - now we're in Nepal and plan to stay approximately one month. After that, we have the luxury of some added time (a little less than 3 weeks - end November - beginning December), We are contemplating getting another Indian visa in order to return and have a Christian Ashram experience in South India (which we didn't do the first time due to distance/time) -

We would like to fly from Kathmandu to South India and visit at least the two sites I list below - this is as much location info I have on them both - here are my questions -

1. I found the blogsite for the first, does anyone have any further contact or location info for either the first or second sites below?
2. Does anyone have any thoughts about either site or both together?

Destination One - Fly to Bangalore - visit Jyoti Sahi (Christian Art Ashram)

Destination Two - Train/plus other transport to Saccidananda Ashram/ Shantivanam (near Trichy, outside of Tiruchivapalli?) in Tamil Nadu

3. Are there any Christian ashram experiences recommended in Kerala? and/or Has anyone visited St. Thomas Church or have any related recommendations for a good South India Christian Orthodox experience? (Possible substitute as a destination or even destination three, although that would crunch time for sure - so if there is an airport, we'd fly in to save time)

Thank you!
- M

Can't help you with own ashram experiences, but I've seen a documentation once about Kurisumala Ashram in the Vagamon hills in Kerala. Looked like a beautiful place for me.

Here's a link: http://www.vagamon.com/kurisumala/kurisumala.htm

Shantivanam is an Ashram founded by Bede Griffiths a Benedictine monk who travelled to India in 1955. He wrote an excellent book called "Return to the Centre" which is well worth a read.
See Here;
http://www.bedegriffiths.com/shantivanam/
KK

Kullukid, this name sounded so familiar to me. When I took a look at the recommended website, I found the following: He was actually the same who had lived in Kurisumala Ashram in Vagamon, too. Before he moved to Shantinavam.

As your link didn't work, I'll post one again to the website:
http://www.bedegriffiths.com

Hi Federica, that's right but He moved from Kurisumala Ashram to Shantinavam because He found Kurisumala Ashram "Too Westernised" Thanks for the fix! KK

Hello,

I am looking for a Christian ashram to visit in the month of july and wanted to see what you ended up doing last fall. Any recommendations would be much appreciated!

I can't help you with your question. In fact I would never have thought of a christian ashram. I wonder what goes in one of those? Do you know? I'd be curious about visiting one too, although I am not a christian. Its hard for me to appreciate hindu ashrams becasue I can't follow the lectures. So i tend just to appreciate the food and enjoy the peace and just make superficial observations beyond that.

I spent a month in a Gurdwara in a holy town and wonder what you made of your experience. My experience is as follows. It was interesting in that when i got there i came from a hindu ashram next door and noted that while the hindu ashram did not asked for money, or mention it at all, which was repeated in the second ashram i stayed at as well, the gurdwara people were very money conscious and i would say greedy. Though i had a very good time there. There was also lots of evidence of human failings such as manipulative behaviour, lying, lot of focus on appearances of wealth, moralising and backwards morality, nosiness and busybodiness and interfering from all the leaders/elders. There was exploitation and neglect of workers needs and insensitivity to them. There was hierarchy. There was even one instance of attempted molestation of a worker which I witnessed and prevented. When i visited the golden temple in 2008, i exposed some fraud amongst the men who were supposed to be guarding the foreigners rooms. Fraud was the word given these deeds by the head of the place.

I just remember can you also try to visit a krishnamurti study centre. These are found around the country. I don't know a great deal about them but I have recently become familiar with this man's thought and I like it. He is neither hindu, sikh, jain, buddhist, christain or anything else. He was once a theosophist and now is just an individual of eastern origin and influence. He has died of course. I haven't been to one of these places but i hope to when next I go to India. I think his thought is brilliant, the best I've come across so far.

He could never admit it, but it was Advaita Vedanta (Non dual Hinduism!).

Christian Ashrams in India;

http://www.bedegriffiths.com/

http://translate.google.co.uk/transl...z%3D1I7GGIE_en

http://firstweekinindia.blogspot.com...ivanam-forest-
of-peace.html

http://www.vagamon.com/kurisumala/kurisumala.htm

Christian Ashram in U.S.;http://www.shantivanam.com/home.html

I spent 3 weeks at Shantivanam in 2009 and absolutely loved it. I am about to go again for the month of January 2012.
For more info read the blog I posted after my last visit at:
firstweekinindia.blogspot.com