Most of us Isha Yoga meditators are always eager to visit Sadhguru SriBrahma spots and usually find them to be palpably powerful. Not surprising given SadhguruJV‘s connection with him.
“Sadhguru Sri Brahma is a reminder for me because I am also full of fire, but we always keep it in a controlled flame. We never let it flare in a big way. Making it flare in a big way makes you look supernatural, which he was.”
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev (Source)
In recent times, many people have watched Prem KV’s documentary on Sadhguru SriBrahma’s life on YouTube. I finished watching it in the lockdown weeks. The documentary follows Sadhguru’s movements across Tamil Nadu and talks about the various ashrams and shrines established for him. It has piqued an interest in me and probably many others to visit these places at some point of time.
Update: this blog post has been updated with some details from the 2nd Sadguru Documentary series as well. Yet to finish adding all those details.
If you are planning to visit these places on your own, then getting the various logistical details to make such a pilgrimage trail can be quite a challenge. Especially if you don’t know the local language or are traveling solo (as I usually do). To make it easier, here’s a list of places and relevant details to help you plan. This information is collated from common Isha knowledge, personal experience of visiting some of these places, discussions with Prem KV the maker of the aforementioned documentary and some other Isha friends.
Recently, some volunteers have become lot more active, they are running an Instagram handle. They also have a whatsapp group to remain updated on the happenings. You can message them on insta (or message me on insta) to get added to this group.
Sadhguru SriBrahma Yatra Spots
Trichy ashram was built when Sadhguru was alive and present there. Rest all have been built later by his disciples or people simply touched by him.
Tiruchirapalli
Sadhguru was in samadhi here for quite some time. And the documentary well shows us his impact on the local administration, even the British folk.
Here’s the map location with lots of pictures. Many of those pics seem to be of a Isha Sacred Walks tour which includes this ashram as one of the many places in the itinerary.
This ashram is close to Jambukeshwarar, the Water element temple in the Panchabhoota or 5 elements temples of South India.
I am raring to visit this place whenever it happens. :)
Google maps: Trichy ashram
Guru Pooja dates: to be updated
Local contact: Dhinesh, (+91) 88383.64921 (Tamil only)
Vellanur
This is another place near Trichy.
Google maps: Sargurunathar
Guru Pooja dates: May 12th , 2023 were the dates. If you can extrapolate the Tamil calendar nakshatra basis this, you can figure it out for the ensuring years. If not, then let’s check for an announcement in April or May. (Navigating Tamil Calendar is difficult for me also)
Local contact: tbu
The Vellanur bus stand looks right near this ashram, so one could take a bus to Vellanur and walk down.
Coonoor & Ooty
Lots of places related to Sadhguru here. From the documentary it seems that every house in the region has a photo of Sadhguru in their house. Maybe in some particular area that may be true.
Prem (the maker of the documentary) mentioned, “In the Nilgiri’s there are certain tribes which ascribe to Shaiva worship. Shaiva not in the Shiva form that we understand but as a formless one. They combine nature workship and formless worship. There are different tribes, but one thing they have in common is their devotion. So maybe that is why Sadhguru SriBrahma chose to stay longer there and he also initiated some people.”
Local contact for this region: Jayaprakash Swamigal, (+91) 94.863.051.84 and (+91) 97.870.416.74 – Tamil & some English
Burliyaar
On the main road itself, so very accessible. There is a cave shrine here. As per the documentary, it is where Sadhguru spent some time during which a few local aghori type fellows tried to kill him. But instead, they ended up dying themselves.
Google maps: Burliyaar cave ashram
Solo travel safety: this is quite safe. It is close to main road, and it is somewhat maintained also.
Looking at the map, it seems, we can get off at Burliyaar bus stand and walk down to this place… or we could take a local bus and request conductor to specially stop for us, they usually do that.
Vandi Chollai
Some spots are there, with no markers in this area. Some small ashram spaces are being revived. So maybe in future there will be specific places to visit. More details maybe shared in second part of the documentary.
Edapally
In the forest, there is a pit. Where he took samadhi for quite some time. There is a small pond nearby. I visited in April 2022, and this ashram is only open for an hour at 7AM morning or something. Pls call below number and check. Either case, one can always visit the forest pit.
Google maps: Sadhguru Shri Parabrahma temple
Solo travel safety: no, it’s in the forest
Contact: Mallan Swami – 80989 99925
Yellanahalli
Yellanahalli is kind of the hub of these SriBrahma related places today. They are keeping all the other places together in a way and providing help whenever needed.
Google maps: Sadhguru Rajayogam Sangham
Guru Pooja dates: Initiation function takes place on the Avani Avittam day as per Tamil Calendar. Guru Pooja days in 2021 started from 21st March to 11th April. These dates change every year as per Tamil calendar (Thiruvonam nakshatra is when it starts this Panguni month from what I understood when I spoke with Jayaprakash Swamigal – but I might be wrong).
It is close to the Yellanahalli bus stand so one could get off there and walk up.
Ooty Lake & Temples
Sadhguru meditated outside by the lake through the night near the Kashi Vishwanath temple (map) – he is said to have said that “there are so many beings around, I was giving mukti to them“. He then spent some time in one of the rooms in this Kashi temple. We can ask the management there to let us go and meditate in that place, there is a meditation kutir. Also, this is a really nice temple with a lot of interesting shrines and a room where there are samadhis of a lot of local saints also.
Mariamman temple is where there is a record of him doing the Aghori khanta practice, where the limbs are offered to the fire etc.. (map location)
Sarguru Tribal Schools
I visited one of these schools when I was in Coonoor many years back. I had contacted the Isha coordinator in town. No volunteer was free and since I was travelling solo, it was deemed unsafe for me to venture alone to other places. However, the tribal schools are located well in the city itself.
The school on Mt Pleasant road, which I visited, has a photo of Sarguru and the samadhi of someone called ‘Ramalinga Swami’, who was the disciple of Guruvel Swami, a direct disciple of Sarguru.
Considering these were set up 70-80 years back. A modern tribal school was amazing for many leaders around the world including the then president of India, political leader Periyar and many other scholars from around the world who visited the school. Photos of these people at the school are also kept in this shrine room.
Velliangiri, 7th Hill
Also referred to as “Podhigai hill” in the documentary. This is the place Sadhguru SriBrahma is said to have left his body through all his 7 chakras – a rare powerful spot. It is a fairly arduous trek of 6-7 hours starting from the Poondi temple (map location) which is only a few kilometres from the Isha Yoga Center situated in the outskirts of Coimbatore. So this can make for a powerful pilgrimage in its own right.
Caveat: This trek is actually followed by the local Hindu folks to a Shiva shrine on the 7th Hill. They don’t allow women on this trek, as long as they are menstruating. Sabarimala style. So either you need to use some ploy and get in or, well, wait until you are older and reach menopause.
Naduvapatti
This is the village Sadhguru SriBrahma resided in as a gruhasta (householder) before he chose to leave his home as a wandering yogi. He tried to go in a 10 day underground samadhi, but unfortunately the social situation was not conducive. And he left from there to find better suited places.
In recent years, his grand daughters built a small temple for him.
Google maps: Sargurunathar samadhi temple I don’t know why it is called a Jeeva Samadhi, considering he didn’t take samadhi here.
Local contact: English – 89394 22522, Tamil – 89405 86979
Guru Pooja dates: From PremKV’s insta post seems to be sometime in Sept – Oct
Subbalapuram
Since Naduvapatti was not able to provide a suitable place for a 10 day underground samadhi, Sarguru SriBrahma finally found a conducive situation in Subbalapuram.
They have a 3 day Guru Pooja festival which is celebrated with much devotion. Here’s a short Isha blog on their 100th celebration.
Google maps location: Vinayagar Temple
Guru Pooja dates: 3 days after amavasya in the month of July
Contact: Ph: 86675 75504, 96003 50958
Palani – jal samadhi
Not many records of Sadhguru SriBrahma’s time here. He is known to have taken a jal samadhi in a kund. Brahma kund is this place. So once we land in Palani. We can visit Brahma Kund. Adjacent there is a small shrine for Sadhguru SriBrahma with his photo.
Google maps: Sarguru Swamigal samadhi
Nearby, behind a wall, there is the shrine for Guruvel Swami, who is Sadhguru’s disciple. Guruvel Swami was key person who set up a lot of the ashram places after SSB left. His samadhi is also near this Brahma kund, however, it is in a different complex behind a wall, so one has to walk a bit and then enter that compound.
Details to be updated.
Coimbatore
Sevashram in RS Puram. It has a hall inside as part of an orphanage with Sadhguru’s photo and a linga shrine. Could be consecrated by SSB himself or maybe a disciple.
There is another temple in the courtyard which is also very old with a beautiful banyan tree outside it. These were already there when SSB visited.
Contact: Ramanathanji – 98942 00255
Sadhguru shrine is located inside the orphanage, so it is not a typical temple. One can request them and sit there for few minutes.
This place runs an orphanage and during the initial COVID lockdown days, the BJP ran a free meals kitchen serving lakhs of people daily. That was stopped by the government (maybe political reasons). Either case, they do need some donations to run the orphanage, if you are inclined, account details are on their website here.
Head to RS Puram in Coimbatore. It’s a nice market place with quiet residential areas. Walkable from RS Puram post office bus stand.
Annur Road, Kaikatti
Quick note about a Sadguru ashram established Manu Swami, the disciple of Coonor Adigalar. Coonoor Adigalar is the person behind the Sarguru Tribal Schools in Coonoor. So this ashram was made after Sadguru ShriBrahma’s time. Here’s a short blog on my visit there in Oct 2022.
Map location ‘Shri Sarguru Rajyogamandalam’ here.
They also have a Guru Pooja event. I don’t know the tithi, but in 2022 it was on June 19th. I don’t know the open and close timings.
You can try these numbers to check if it is open etc.. : 9486305184, 8098161551, 9787041674
Kolli Hills, Naganallur
Periaswamy kovil, under the tree. Sadguru Shribrahma revives boy with snake bite. Taught the vidya to local family. Still happening and an avid devotee community.
Maps location: Periaswamy kovil
Local contact: to be updated
Guru Pooja dates: to be updated
Famous Nataraja Temple, Chidambaram
Second documentary mentions Sadhguru visiting the Nataraja temple, Golden sabhai in Chidambaram.
Gupt Kashi, Uttarakhand
Isha Dhyanayatra to sacred spots in the Himalayas covers this little town that has a powerful Shiva temple, known as Gupt Kashi. I have been here. It is said, Sadhguru SriBrahma did quite a bit of sadhana with a couple of his disciples here. (See pics from Prem KV’s Nov 2020 visit insta post)
Maps location: Kashi Vishwanath temple, Gupt Kashi (enroute Kedarnath)
Kadappa Temple, Andhra
The documentary in the final episode mentions certain records of SSB having visited this Kadappa temple (map location). However, it didn’t get corroborated on the site.
But if you feel drawn to this place, you can visit :)
That’s all for now folks. Will update more details and places as and when they come up.
Each of the Sadhguru Shri Brahma ashrams conduct pujas and annadhanam (feeding) every month once or twice on Pournami, Thiruvonam days etc. Those of you interested can contribute towards the same, by contacting them directly. – Prem KV in his recent video on How you can visit Sadhguru ShriBrahma ashrams :
Second part of Sadguru documentary is out now. First episode is here. Many more places to be revealed in this one, so let’s see which they are and how I can add them here and we can go exploring further :)
Have you visited any of these places? How was your experience?
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