Letter by Zone 6 Chairman: Bro. Shitu Chudasama | For languages other than English, press here
Link to register
For questions and more information, contact: info@sssgc-europe.eu
Deadline for arrival at Prashanti Nilayam on July 27 at noon | Departure on August 3 in the afternoon or August 4 in the morning
It is organised by the United Kingdom and we are joining the rest of the European countries. Aside from the information here, more will be posted on the UK website: https://srisathyasai.org.uk/uk-european-centenary-pilgrimage-2025/
The activities will revolve around 4 axes: recitation of Vedas – singing of bhajans – service – plays for young adults and children on education in human values. All with special seating in the Sai Kulwant Hall, in front of the Mahasamadhi.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
1. Duration and arrival dates
The official dates are from July 28th to August 3rd, as these are the dates we will have reserved for activities in the ashram itself in the different spaces, Kulwant Hall, Poornachandra Auditorium, and Sai Hira Auditorium. But, be careful, ❗we must arrive at Prashanti Nilayam at least during the morning of July 27th 🗓 since at 3 pm, after lunch, the General Orientation Meeting ℹ will be held on the upper floor of the North Indian Canteen.
There will be groups leaving together, but if someone arrives individually, at the Accommodation Office you must say that you belong to the Sri Sathya Sai Global Council Zone 6 Pilgrimage. This is very important because registered people have guaranteed accommodation, and we will try to keep everyone on the pilgrimage together in the same North block.
The pilgrimage will always have an office with volunteers for any need that may arise.
2. Registration
Registration deadlines | With children from Balvikas 28 February 2025 – Adults 30 April 2025 |
It is essential to register within the term. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee in any way the participation in the pilgrimage activities for people from Zone 6 without registering, even if they were present at the ashram on those dates 🙏
The form is the following, it is in English: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfTCNJdzzJVBYR7ON8frrpiA5z2rzdqRpdT8Vgp0doQckavFg/viewform
For help filling out the form and more, contact the Pilgrimage WhatsApp Group (within the SSSGC Zone 6 WhatsApp community): Official WhatsApp
Also very important, if you wish to opt to participate in the Singing Recitals / Bhajans (not necessarily in Sanskrit, it can be in other languages), Veda Recitation, Participation in Theater Works (Young Adults and Bal vikas), you must mark it correctly on the form. The request to participate does not guarantee that you will be able to participate, since 400 devotees (or more) are expected and the level is very high. There will be auditions (castings) right there in the ashram.
3. Flights, other transport and estimated costs
The pilgrimage does not have a specific travel agency or airline. Everyone is free to choose their itinerary as long as they are properly registered and arrive on July 27 in time for the General Orientation Meeting at 3pm.
Flights can be taken anywhere. If a platform had to be recommended, or if you simply want to see prices to set a budget, this could be https://www.skyscanner.es since it is a multi-search engine with no added commissions. It shows the price with the airline or with intermediaries (Booking, Lastminute, etc.). Google Flights https://www.google.com/travel/flights is another option.
When travelling from Spain, as directly as possible to Prashanti Nilayam, we found that the most popular flights in terms of day and availability are the two routes from Germany to Bangalore (officially Bengaluru) with Lufthansa. Both depart from Frankfurt and Munich airports. If we had to choose one of the two, we would lean towards Munich, as it is a much smaller airport to navigate than Frankfurt and has only two terminals.
The cost is around €900 today (hopefully the price of oil does not go up). It must be taken into account that it is summer, high season, and it is more expensive than travelling at other times of the year.
But we repeat, the devotee can absolutely choose the route he prefers. Depending on the flight chosen, it will be necessary to add about €100 for accommodation in Bangalore and a taxi from the airport, approximately €60 for taxis to and from Puttaparthi. And another €100 for the night at the ashram, plus associated food costs (between €5 and €10 per day).
All this is indicative and does not include trips outside the ashram or additional costs.
As for taxis, we have recommended companies, for example Om Sri Sai Ram TAXIS contact via WhatsApp on tel: +919490767638
The pilgrimage will have many activities and there will be several opportunities for seva, but it is a 100% spiritual pilgrimage and we will spend our time primarily within the ashram. There will be no sightseeing or many opportunities to leave the ashram in general due to the schedule of rehearsals, shows and seva of the pilgrimage itself.
If anyone might find this prospect boring or miss doing more shopping than can be done at the ashram or the shops in town, we kindly ask that you consider a different format of travel in order to avoid possible disappointment🙏
Or take additional days before the formal start of the pilgrimage or after its completion.
4. Information about Visas
It is recommended to apply well in advance, regardless of what you can read on the Internet. As of January 2025, visas to India can be done in the following ways, completely online and digitally, and then in person by submitting a physical passport:
A) Online, digitally from the website: https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa/
Cost of fees approximately €60
B) In person in through the company BLS Services, which acts on behalf of the Embassy of India
This visa is done by the traditional method of receiving a visa in a passport. Important, you must make an appointment in advance with the following steps:
Register an online account at: https://indiavisa.blsinternational.com/spain/software/bls_appmnt/registration
Log in with the online account and then make an appointment at: https://indiavisa.blsinternational.com/spain/software/bls_appmnt/login
Cost of the fees: approximately €92
Refer please to your country’s BLS office locations.
5. Travel and health recommendations
Travel recommendations to India from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the EU generally include the following: do not buy food from street stalls, wash your hands before eating, drink only bottled water opened in front of the customer and avoid raw food, including fruits and vegetables, or fish unless consumed in a restaurant that offers certain guarantees. Tap water cannot be consumed under any circumstances unless it has been previously filtered.
Embassy of Italy in India
50e, Chandragupta Marg, Malcha,
New Delhi, Delhi 110021
+91 – 11 – 26114355
E-mail: ambasciata.newdelhi@esteri.it
Embassy of Spain in India
12, Prithviraj Road
New Delhi 110011.
Tel: +91 11 41 29 30 00.
Consular emergency telephone number: +9198 10 17 41 60
Fax+91 11 41 29 30 20.
Email address: emb.nuevadelhi@maec.es
Embassy of France in India
2/50-E Shantipath
Chanakyapuri
New Delhi 110 021
Tel : 91 (11) 4319 6100
Embasy of Germany in India
6, 50G, Shantipath, Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi, Delhi 110021
+911144199199
Airline telephone numbers in India:
Air India: Delhi +91 11 24667412/13 / 25667407. Mumbai +91 22 22796231 / 22796666
Qatar Airways: Ahmedabad+91 79 30616000 / 40216698
Turkish Airlines: Delhi +91 12 44193000, +91 11 49638981/82. Mumbai +91 (022) 61997900 / 66859314/15
Etihad Airways: Delhi: +91 9871337112 / 18001233901
Alitalia: Delhi +91 11 43658020/21/23/24. Mumbai +91 22 22843666
Finn Air: Delhi +91 12 44671111, +91 11 49638700
Aeroflot: Delhi +91 11 23310426/61238169
Lufthansa: Delhi +91 11 61230303. Mumbai +91 9920789190, +91 22 66859898/99
It is recommended that you have received the mandatory vaccinations (those for children) from the national healthcare systems, especially for poliomyelitis. The most notable thing is the risk of malaria on the coast, which does not affect us, although you can always talk to your family doctor about the possibility of getting vaccinated against this disease.
6. Clothing
An important detail:
➡️ Men must wear white at the ashram. This can be done from the time of arrival on the 27th.
➡️ Women will wear the official saris, ordered according to the registry.
As a general rule, the ashram’s dress code is quite restrictive, and it is added that Indian society is quite conservative in this regard, so it is recommended to dress without showing shoulders or legs. In any case, you have more general information about the ashram here: Prashanti Nilayam
Centenary Pilgrimage 2005 | WhatsApp Group
Kindly fill in the following form in order to get the access link to the Zone 6’s WhatsApp community, where you will find a specific Centenary Pilgrimage Information Group where you can make queries in your own language.
