India Spiritual Travel Guide
India Spiritual Travel Guide
India Spiritual Travel Guide
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of the most inspiring and uplifting experiences involving the quest for spiritual enrichment is no doubt a pilgrimage to a Holy Land. This being said, ones dreams of the beauties and mystic wisdom one can encounter in the most ancient Holy Land of India are always mixed with anxieties and perhaps even fears. Both of these feelings are well founded, for one of the most profound truths concerning India is:
India is the best and the worst of all things; simultaneously!
One
Nevertheless, spiritual aspirants from every corner of the world seem to be endowed with a special grace of endurance and great luck. But, the first spiritual maxim that the wise Masters convey to the hopeful aspirant is:
Dont push it!
It is, therefore not a coincidence that the Buddha Himself proclaims his first of eight Nobel Truths as, Right (skillful) action. As with all things in life, and most specifically in spiritual life, one must always avoid the bad while seeking the good. Of course, bad and good are relative terms and even so to the highest extreme in India!
www.spiritual-teaching.org While seeking for decades the highest truths amongst the most advanced Masters of the Himalayas, I finally was told the sacred trinity of rules never to be broken from one of the most renowned saints of Holy India:
One: never eat anything from a street vender; Two: never drink anything that is not sealed (and I mean really sealed); Three: never forget, if you disobey the first two you might, or might not, live to regret it!
But, yes, it is true; taking chances is the spice of life. And of all countries in this world, India offers spices that seem out of this world. A young lady, who was a seasoned Indian traveler, once just could not resist the mystical joy of partaking of hot and freshly deep street fried cauliflower and pepper fritters on a chilly Calcutta night. Early the next morning, when the sacred Brahma mahurta (four a.m.) hour dawned upon her, she was contemplating a new aspect of the mystery of life after death. Instead of wondering how and where her soul would travel after being freed from the body, all she could think of was:
If I die here in Calcutta, my mother is going to kill me!
All of the travel facts and suggestions within this article are specifically aimed at helping you achieve the most enriching experiences while traveling in India; experiences that will, and should, change your life forever. And, hopefully at the same time, helping you avoid getting really sick, or worse, and then at the same time being consumed with the thought that if you did not survive, your own mother would be after you to kill you!
May the Gods go with you, Guide and protect you, on your road to Higher Life.
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The best way to see India is at ground level on the Indian railway system, and not at 30,000 feet. This is especially true after you have offered your hard-earned wages to a questionable travel agent for the privilege of spending a seeming lifetime in a flying can, breathing the worst quality air to be found in the universe! In fact, no visit to India would be complete without the experience of traveling on Indian trains and negotiating busy Indian railway stations, robustly thriving with humans, animals, and everything in-between! Train travel is safe, cheap and (in AC classes) comfortable. Even long distances such as Bombay to Delhi or Delhi to Varanasi can be covered more timeeffectively than flying, using overnight sleeper trains. Although this fact is universally accepted as true, most travelers from the West embrace every minute away from the daily grind as precious, and rightly so. One of the most regretted experiences of travel in India is the remembrance of deciding on the 44hr. (which turned out to be 52hr.) train from Madras to Haridwar. By the time I got down, I was not really sure what planet I was on! Spice Jet Airlines was running a special at that time, and the difference between the train from hell and a flight was less than a ticket to see the Home Team at your local stadium.
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www.spiritual-teaching.org How many nights? If the system shows a train running overnight, make sure it isn't actually two or more nights. The journey from Bombay to Calcutta or from Delhi to Madras is about 36 hours, i.e. typically two nights. On the other hand, traveling on a fast train, Bombay to Delhi or Calcutta to Delhi takes just one night.
Train classes
Air-conditioned first class (AC1) This class is spacious and carpeted (and lockable) with 4-berth and 2berth compartments with washbasin. All necessary bedding
www.spiritual-teaching.org is provided, and berths convert to seats for daytime use. AC1 is a very comfortable and a civilized way to travel, although it is found only on the most important long-distance trains and costs about twice the price of AC2. In AC1, you'll be mixing with bank managers and army officers. You cannot specify that you want berths in a 2-berth rather than a 4-berth compartment when you book - specific berth numbers are only allocated by Indian Railways closer to the departure date and shown on reservation lists at the station before departure and on the coach side. Couples are normally given preference for the 2-berth coupes, families and passengers traveling alone are normally allocated berths in one of the 4-berth compartments, but of course this can't be guaranteed. Air-conditioned 2-tier (AC2) AC2 provides seats by day, convertible to bunks at night. AC2 coaches are not divided into separate compartments, but are openplan, with berths arranged in bays of four (two upper, two lower) on one side of the aisle, and in bays of two along the coach side above and below the windows on the other side of the aisle. Each bay is curtained off for privacy, and an attendant distributes pillows, sheets and blankets in the evening. AC2 is found on almost all decent long-distance trains, and it is the way the Indian middle classes travel. Its relatively clean and uncrowded, and a good choice for most visitors to India. Air-conditioned 3-tier (AC3) AC3 is very similar to AC2, but it has three tiers of bunks - upper, middle and lower arranged in bays of six on one side of the aisle, and bays of two (upper and lower) along the coach side on the other side of the aisle. It's more crowded than AC 2-tier, and
www.spiritual-teaching.org it lacks the privacy curtains and individual berth lights found in AC2. As in AC2, an attendant distributes pillows, sheets and blankets in the evening. Berths convert to seats for daytime use. Westerners who select this class of travel are usually disappointed with the limited headroom available while the bed position is in place. If you wish to meditate while others are sleeping, you will experience less headroom than you need. AC Chair class These are comfortable airconditioned seating cars. AC Chair Class is found on a number of 'intercity' daytime trains (for example Madras-Bangalore, Delhi-Jaipur, Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Kalka for Simla), and is available to holders of an AC2 class IndRail pass. A good choice for daytime travel! Sleeper Class This is the way most of the Indian population travels long-distance, and the majority of cars on a longdistance train will be sleeper class. Sleeper class consists of open plan berths with upper, middle and lower bunks arranged in bays of six on one side of the aisle, and along the coach wall in bays of two (upper and lower) on the other side of the aisle. Bedding is not provided, so bring a sleeping bag. Sleeper class is found on almost all long-distance trains except for the premier 'Rajdhani Express' services. Sleeper class can be quite crowded (although in theory all berths must be reserved, so it can't get overcrowded), and it's fairly grubby and basic. On the other hand, you get a better view of the countryside then in AC coaches, where the windows are sealed, tinted, and sometimes (usually) dirty. In
www.spiritual-teaching.org summer, there are fans on the ceiling (working most of the time) and a breeze from the windows. In winter, wrap up warm at night and take a sleeping bag and fleece, as it can get cold. Sleeper class is used by the more adventurous backpackers, who are prepared to take the rough with the smooth. Unreserved 2nd class This is a once in a lifetime experience for Westerners, and unforgettable! All are open plan cars with wooden or padded plastic seats. Not recommended for long distance overnight journeys (you'll see the huge scrum of Indians all trying to bag a seat), but quite acceptable for daytime journeys of up to a few hours.
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www.spiritual-teaching.org with ticket delivery. www.irctc.co.in introduced this hassle-free ticketless option for traveling on the best Shatabdi and Rajdhani Express trains in 2005, then extended it to cover almost all long-distance express trains in 2006. A small charge is made for e-tickets, currently RS 25, about 35p. If you lose the printout you can still travel as long as you have your passport as ID, but there's an RS 50 fine.
Since the Gods are traveling with you, you will from time to time, feel a little apprehension (really an intuitive hunch) about the validity of your ticketless voucher that you printed out while in the security and straightforwardness of your own home. Dont worry; it is a sign of grace. Simply find the Station Master Office, within your departing station, and show him your printout. ASK HIM TO INITIAL IT. He will feel charmed at your respect, and you will also charm the conductor on your train when he sees the initials of his Master. The i-ticket option: You only need to use the i-ticket option if for some reason the e-ticket option isn't available for the train you want. i-tickets (i=internet) are sent by courier to any Indian address you specify (for example, the hotel where you will be staying) in Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras and other specified Indian cities. If you ask for them to be delivered to your hotel, the courier will need to see a letter authorizing delivery if you are not there to sign for the tickets, so you will have to arrange this with the hotel. An email or fax to the hotel authorizing them to take delivery is sufficient. To see which postcodes in which cities are covered by the courier service, select 'PIN codes covered' from the www.irctc.co.in home page. You will need to know the full address and postcode (which is called a PIN code in India) for your hotel. If these collection and delivery arrangements don't suit you, and for some reason you can't use the e-ticket option, it may be better to book through an IndRail pass agency using an IndRail pass as explained below. In addition, if this i-ticket option seems, to say the least, dubious, then you can consider yourself a seasoned traveler. The possibilities of error or delay are so numerous that even the Creator questions why He invented it!
www.spiritual-teaching.org You can pay securely by Visa, MasterCard or Amex credit card. It will offer you a list of Indian banks, but don't panic, at least try not to panic! It is not asking you which Indian credit card you have, but which Indian credit card merchant service you want to handle your transaction. It's been reported that the Citi Bank payment option works better than the others with overseas (non-Indian) debit cards, and Axis works best with non-Indian credit cards. Unlike some Indian budget airline websites, www.irctc.co.in does accept credit cards issued outside India, making it easy for tourists to book train travel this way. After payment, you will (should) receive an email from Indian Railways with your booking details. Some western banks are now so worried about fraud that they put a 'hold' on your credit card the moment any unusual foreign transaction goes through. If your credit card doesn't work, or if it worked to buy one ticket but won't work for a second ticket, try contacting your credit card company to confirm that you're making a legitimate transaction and ask them to unblock your card.
www.spiritual-teaching.org 'veg' or 'non-veg') on a bit of paper. An hour or so later he will reappear with some rice and curry in small foil containers from the kitchen car. It is not expensive usually Rs. 30 to Rs. 50 per meal. Attendants also regularly pass down each car selling soft drinks, snacks, or excellent hot sweet Indian tea (garam chai) for a few rupees. Please remember that even though long train travel gets boring; do not let your boredom dim your skilful resistance to the snack from hell. Also remember your mother will kill you if you die while traveling in India! On the premier Rajdhani Express trains (linking Delhi with Bombay, Calcutta, etc.) and the premier daytime Shatabdi Express trains (linking Delhi with Jaipur and Agra, etc.), food is included in the fare, served at your seat.
www.spiritual-teaching.org padlock your luggage. As in any busy place, pickpockets operate at the major stations (for example Delhi and New Delhi), so take care.
www.spiritual-teaching.org also be used for recharging PDAs, iPods & some cameras whilst on the move.
www.spiritual-teaching.org Guest House, which is run by devotees of Sri Anandamayi Ma. At present, the proprietor of this Guest House is a Dr. Gosh, and can be reached by phone at: (+91) 0133 4246345. If you are traveling to the sacred Hill of Arunachala and the Ashram Of Sri Ramana Maharshi, you can easily book accommodation, in advance, with the following contact information. Sri Ramana Ashram can organize a taxi from Tiruvannamalai to pick you up at the airport, or your hotel in Chennai (Madras) on getting all details from you. The taxi fare will be app. Rs. 2000/-. International monetary exchange rates vary daily, at the present time $1 = Rs. 48, and 1 British Pound = Rs. 73.