Amritapuri, originally Parayakadavu, is the main

Ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or a ...

Mata Amritanandamayi Devi Mātā Amritānandamayī Devī (born Sudhamani Idamannel; 27 September 1953), often known as Amma ("Mother"), is an Indian Hindu spiritual leader, guru and humanitarian, who is revered as 'the hugging Hindu saint, saint' by her followers. I ...

, the spiritual master, also called "the hugging saint" or Amma, which means 'mother' in many South Indian languages. This place is also the international headquarters of

Mata Amritanandamayi Math The Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MAM) is an international charitable organization aimed at the spiritual and material upliftment of humankind. It was founded by Indian people, Indian spiritual leader and humanitarian Mata Amritanandamayi in 1981, ...

. It is located in the state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, which is 8 km away from Karunagappally, 29 km away from

Kollam Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...

, about 110 km north of

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

, and 120 km south of

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

. Amritapuri is also the name by which the location of the ashram is now known. Amritapuri is spread over 100 acres of land and is also the headquarters, and one of the seven campuses of the

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (or Amrita University) is a private deemed university based in Coimbatore, India. It currently has 7 campuses with 16 constituent schools across the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka ...

, alias Amrita University. Embracing the World is a global charity foundation operating under Mata Amritanandamayi Math.

History of the Ashram

Initially, the Ashram was Amma's family home. Gradually, as Amma attracted more disciples, huts were built for them. In the same manner, the simple room where Amma still stays was also made. Throughout the early years of the Ashram, Darshan took place in the family cowshed. The cowshed was eventually converted into a small temple, the

Kalari A kalari is a gymnasium or training space primarily associated with the martial art of Kalaripayattu. The word ''kalari'' comes from Malayalam. In the past, village schools in Kerala, typically run by the traditional astrologer families, were k ...

, which still exists today (it is now used to conduct pujas.) Eventually, the number of visitors coming for Amma's darshan surpassed the Kalari's capacity. The Kali Temple was built at this time. It was the first large cement structure in the Ashram, built with only a modest budget, and took five years to finish (1988 to 1992). The

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...

murti In the Hindu tradition, a ''murti'' ( sa, मूर्ति, mūrti, ) is a devotional image such as a statue, or "idol" (a common and non-pejorative term in Indian English), of a deity or saint. In Hindu temples, it is a symbolic icon. Thus ...

(based on the Kali at Dakhshineshwar Kali Temple) was crafted in

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

as per Amma's directions. The Kali Temple served as Amma's Darshan hall for the next few years. After 2000, the Kali temple became too small for the large crowds coming to the Ashram, and an immense hall was built behind the temple. The main Darshan hall is the largest such hall in Southern India (30,000 sq. feet) with a seamless view with no obstructions. This main hall is where bhajans and darshan are held regularly. Amritapuri now consists of flats for householders and visitors, hostels for students who study at the ashram college, large dining halls, offices and departments, and a hospital. After the

2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...

, (when the Ashram was severely affected) the Amrita Setu Bridge was constructed for easy accessibility across the river. The bridge was inaugurated by

APJ Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied phy ...

, former president of India.

Transport

Nearest KSRTC bus stations -
1.

Oachira Oachira or Ochira (') is an ancient temple town located 32 km away from Kollam city in Karunagappally taluk, Kollam district in Kerala, India. Temple town Oachira is one of the famous sacred places of Kerala and in India. Oachira i ...

(5 km)
2.

Karunagappalli Karunagappally is a municipality in the Kollam district of Kerala, India. It is 24 km north of Kollam and south of Alappuzha. Karunagappally taluk consists of Alappad, Ochira, Adinad, Karunagappally, Thazhava, Pavumba, Thodiyoor, Kallali ...

(9 km) Nearest railway stations - 1.

(ocr) (9 km)
2. (kpy) (9 km),
3.

Kayamkulam Kayamkulam is a town and municipality in the ''Onattukara'' region of Alappuzha district in Kerala. It is the second biggest town in Alappuzha district. It is located on the western coast of India, and was an ancient maritime trading center. O ...

(kyj) (15 km) Nearest municipalities-
1.

(9 km)
2.

(14 km)

References

Ashrams Religious buildings and structures in Thiruvananthapuram district {{Kerala-geo-stub