Matha Amrithanandamayi Mission

Matha Amrithanandamayi Mission is the incongruously pink ashram of Matha Amrithanandamayi. One of India’s few female gurus, Amrithanandamayi is also known as Amma (Mother), or ‘The Hugging Mother, ’ because of the darshan (blessing) she practises, often hugging thousands of people in marathon all-night sessions. The ashram runs official tours at 5pm each day. It’s a huge complex, with about 2000 people living here permanently – monks, nuns, students, Indian families and Westerners. It offers food, ayurvedic treatments, yoga and meditation, as well as souvenirs from the cult of Amma, everything from books to postcards of her toes. Amma travels around for much of the year, so you might be out of luck if you’re in need of a cuddle.