Activities in Southern Maharashtra
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Osho Meditation Resort
- Pune, India
- Activities › Other
You’ll either like it or hate it. A splurge of an institution, this ashram, located in a leafy, upscale northern suburb, has been drawing thousands of sanyasins (seekers), many of them Westerners, ever since the death of Osho in 1990. With its placid swimming pool, sauna, ‘zennis’ and basketball courts, massage and beauty parlour, bookshop and a boutique guest house, it is, to some, the ultimate place to indulge in some stress-busting meditation and rediscover one’s lost spiritual self. Alternately, there are many who point fingers at the ashram’s blatant commercialisation, calling it nothing short of a clever business ploy, marketing a warped version of the mystic East…
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Bhagwan Rajneesh Ashram
The Bhagwan Rajneesh ashram is in a desirable northern suburb of Pune. Since the Bhagwan's death in 1990, it has continued to draw in manifold sanyasins (seekers), many of them Westerners. Facilities include a swimming pool, sauna, 'zennis' (Zen tennis) and basketball courts, a massage and beauty parlour, a bookshop and a boutique guesthouse. The main centre for meditation and the nightly white-robed spiritual dance is the Osho Auditorium (a 'cough-free and sneeze-free zone'!).
The Osho Samadhi, where the guru's ashes are kept, is also open for silent or music-accompanied meditation.
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Kaivalyadhama Yoga Hospital
Those wishing for a session of yogic healing can head to the Kaivalyadhama Yoga Hospital, set in neatly kept grounds about 2km from Lonavla en route to the Karla and Bhaja Caves. Founded in 1924 by Swami Kuvalayanandji, it combines yoga courses with naturopathic therapies. Room rates cover full board, yoga sessions, programs and lectures. Rates mentioned are for a seven-day package, though two- and three-week sessions are also offered.
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Vasant Cycle Mart
Cycling around is an option, but be careful of speeding traffic especially on the outskirts. Bikes can be hired from Vasant Cycle Mart for Rs. 10 per hour or Rs. 50 per day.
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Nirvana Adventures
Mumbai-based Nirvana Adventures offers paragliding courses (three-day learner course from €250) or short tandem flights (Rs. 1500) at Kamshet, 25km from Lonavla.
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Boathouse
On the edge of Venna Lake, a boathouse rents out rowboats (Rs. 180 per hour) and pedal boats (Rs. 200 per hour), but the long queues can be off-putting.
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Kuk@ease
Kuk@ease offers one-day cookery courses (single person/per person in group of 4 Rs 1600/600) for all levels of experience with equipment and ingredients supplied.
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Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute
To attend classes at this famous institute, you need to have been practising yoga for at least eight years.
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