Lotus Parnasala at Santhigiri Ashram

The Santhigiri Ashram located near the city of Trivandrum in India, has a unique attraction. A huge building, in the shape of a full bloomed Lotus flower made of marble, 91 ft high and 84 ft wide. This building is called ‘the Lotus Parnasala’. Parnasala is a Sanskrit word and it means ‘hermitage’. This building is the final resting place of HH Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru (1927–99), the founder of Santhigiri Ashram. The Ashram (Hindu Monastery) is about 21kms from the Trivandrum city.

The lotus flower consists of two layers of petals, upper and lower. The upper one has 12 overlaid petals signifying the 12 zodiac signs and the lower one has 9 petals signifying the 9 planets of the zodiac circle. The height of each upward petal is 41 ft. and downward petals have a height of 31 ft. About 100,000 sq ft of milky white marble from the world famous Makrana mines in Rajasthan, is used for the construction of this Lotus Parnasala. Black granite, mainly used for flooring, is from the mines in Chamrajnagar district in Karnataka. These petals are supported on 21 pillars, 12 in the outer ring and 9 in the inner ring. There is a circular passage in between these inner and outer pillars. The inner circle of the Parnasala has a width of 64 ft.

A sanctum, carved out of teak wood is placed at the centre of the lotus Parnasala. The shape of this sanctum is of a lotus bud. This has a height of 27 feet and a diameter of 21 feet. The inner walls of this sanctum are covered with brass plates. At the centre of this sanctum, there is a marble casket. The sacred body of the Guru has been placed inside this. A life-size image of Guru, sculpted in gold, has been placed on top of a platform. There are eleven steps, made of black granite, leading to this platform. There are 12 rooms on the first floor of the Parnasala where the guru’s personal belongings are kept. A large parasol having a diameter of 36 feet covers the sanctum from the top.

The main specialty of this breathtakingly beautiful architectural wonder lies in the fact that it is not designed by any professional architect. The Parnasala has been constructed as per the instructions received by H H Sishyapoojitha Amritha Jnana Thapaswini, from the Guru Prakasham (the Radiant Spiritual Effulgence of Guru) in her inner visions. She is the present head of Santhigiri Ashram.

In the evenings, there will be a light and sound show using LED lamps which attracts thousands of people, both devotees and tourists, from all walks of life. The Parnasala was dedicated to humanity by the President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, on August 13, 2010. It was opened for public worship on September 12, 2010.

For more details, please contact:

Santhigiri Ashram,
Santhigiri PO,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala,
INDIA. PIN - 695 589. 
Telephone: +91-471-2419313
Fax: +91-471-2410508
E-mail: communication@santhigiriashram.org

www.santhigiriashram.org