About the Tureya ashram in Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal has recently been declared the Switzerland of India for it quaint city center, pristine wilderness, and breath taking views. Although the ashram does not cater to this tourist vision of Kodiakanal, it is nice for our students to know that Kodaikanal is a place of beauty which can be appreciated by practically anyone who adorns nature.

The Kodaikanal city is primarily designed around tourism which makes is highly accessible and manageable for people from a western world who enjoy facilities like fast internet, quite parks, and tasty restaurants. But the ashram is 15 minutes removed from the city in an area surrounded only by a few farmers and National Reserve Forests which make it an ideal place for the spiritual teachings and discipline that we enforce at the ashram.

The ashram itself has many acres of land that span the side of a mountain. This space provides and expansive amount of terrain for students to hike, meditate, read, and enjoy nature without any disturbances. Many natural landmarks are encompassed within the ashram's ecosystem including a wild river, the Mediation Bolder, forests, mountain-top cliff, fruit tree groves, and several hiking trails.

The highest elevation at the ashram is 6,000 Ft. which allows for the ashram to rest in a very mild environment without too much heat or coldness. This elevation is also ideal for plant growth which is why so many species of plants and animals can be found around the ashram including wild goats, boars, hundreds of species of birds including peacocks, kingfishers, and eagles, and sometimes one can even find wild elephants and cougars.

At the center of the ashram rests Maha-Rishi Ananda Yogi who was believed by locals to be the incarnation of lord Krisha. Ananda Yogi often meditated throughout the ashram grounds and created many maricles to help the local villagers. He was known as a healer and spent most of his life in meditation and in caring for the poor. Today his resting place is the site of on of the Ashram's temples.

Many other temples are also accessible around the ashram including the famous Snake Temple which is devoted to Lord Shiva.

Kodaikanal Weather

Kodaikanal is known for its ideal climate which spans between 8 C – 24 C (47 F – 73 F). Sunny days are very common in Kodaikanal expect in the months of August, September, and October when the tropical rains form to bring growth to the Kodaikanal mountains.

The hottest month of the year is June with temperatures around 24 C and the coldest month is December where the temperature will drop to 12 C at night. The air is typically moist which provides a good ventilation for the skin. On average the daytime temperatures will usually be around 20 C and in the evenings around 16 C. In other words, the climate of Kodaikanal is a much cooler the rest of India, making it an ideal place to be outside observing spiritual practices.

 Specifics About the Ashram Policy

The Tureya Ashram will typically only admit 10-20 students into the ashram at one time. We do this to ensure the quality of the ashram environment and also to preserve the natural surroundings of our ashram. The ashram is located in the middle of one of the forests in Kodaikanal, and is adjacent to some of the natural parks within the Western Ghatts Mountain Range. The tradition of ashram living requires that the spiritual aspirants live amongst nature, and for this reason we work hard to preserve our environment and the quality of our surroundings.

Another reason why we maintain the restriction on the number of students is to ensure each student receives the personal attention they need to develop their spiritual life. We maintain the tradition of the guru-disciple relationship at the ashram, and Swamiji is usually present to help guide students on a personal basis with their Sadhana (spiritual practice). This would not be possible if more students were admitted into the ashram.

The ashram usually offers one course per month. The average class size for the courses is 5-15 students. If you wish to join one of our courses please contact us for the dates. Retreats are administered monthly and are usually designed around the individual needs and requirements of the guests.

As we do maintain a limited number of students who can study at the ashram each session, registration and acceptance into the ashram prior to arrival are required. Not every student is admitted into the ashram as we typically only accept those who are committed to their personal growth and transformation. If you have any questions about our registration process, please visit our Contact Us page.

Maps of Kodaikanal and Tamil Nadu

Wondering where Kodaikanal located? View some of our maps here.

Kodaikanal is in the southern most state of India known as Tamil Nadu. Kodaikanal sits at the top of the Palini Hills at 7,000 Feet elivation.  

Kodaikanal is three hours from Madurai by taxi, and approximately 4 to 5 hours by bus. The closest international airport is in Chennai which will require a 45 minute flight from Chennai to Madurai or a nine hour, overnight, trainride. The ashram is only 15 minutes away from the center of Kodaikanal and can be accessed by either local bus or taxi.

Below is the ashram address for Kodaikanal:

Tureya Ashram
Sadhana Valley
Puliyur Road
Nagama Temple
Vilpatty, Kodaikanal

Click Here: View Google Map's Satellite View of Kodaikanal

What to Bring

Many students ask what should I bring to the ashram. Here is a general list of what you might find useful.

The ashram is a spiritual place and we always encourage students to bring items that are necessary to avoid things that are excessive or are of great value as they are not needed in India.

Clothing for The summer:

• Shorts/Thin Pants
• Raincoat
• T-Shirt and long sleeve shirt
• Warm sweater or Jacket (just in case)
• Hat
• Walking shoes and sandles

Clothing for winter October-January:

• Long pants
• mostly longsleeved shirts and a few T-shirts
• jacket, gloves, winter hat
• sweater(s)
• socks and shoes
• raincoat

Things to avoid:

• computers
• jewelry
• expensive items
• electronics
• etc.