Banyan Education's Pilgrimage to Sacred India

Harshada Wagner has been traveling, studying, and teaching in India since 1997. He has a vast amount of knowledge about the spiritual and mystical traditions of India and also enjoys a great social and professional network there. During this trip, Harshada will be taking participants to many of his favorite places and introducing them to the Sacred Heart of India.

Our trip will be in the state of Maharashtra in west-central India. Each day we will follow a retreat schedule with morning group meditation and yoga sessions and satsang (spiritual conversation) every night. Our days will be filled with exploration and enjoyment as we move through the sacred land of Maharashtra. In each location, the group will have local friends of Banyan helping us out and opening up the "secret doors" in the local scenes. Harshada is with the group the entire time, turning the whole trip into one incredibly deep learning experience.

The group is small- less than 10 people including Harshada and one or two Indian students. The small group allows us to "fly under the radar" and be very mobile. Before we go to India, participants receive in-depth cultural and health orientation sessions. The health session will provide us with the necessary information to stay healthy in India. The cultural session will help us to be ready to travel as meditation students in harmony with the local culture- rather than tourists.

Getting there

Many airlines now fly to Mumbai including Delta and Continental. Banyan usually uses Air India. Often, the least expensive direct flights are around $1100-1300 from JFK but can be much less. The flight from New York nonstop is 15-16 hrs. With a stopover, the trip can be over 20 hrs. During the health orientation, Harshada will provide some tools and tips to help get through the long flight.

Being there

Accommodations in India vary dependent on our location. We stay in local hotels, guest houses and retreat sites. They are clean and comfortable but clearly not tourist hotels. The aim is to provide a very authentic safe experience. The food during the retreat will be Indian vegetarian food of the very highest quality. While in the retreat phase of the trip the food will be cooked on site. At other times we will dine in reputable hygienic restaurants. Past participants have commented that the delicious food was as significant for them as the meditation!

The Yatra

India has a great tradition of yatra or pilgrimage people travel great distances to visit holy shrines and "power spots" throughout India. We will be visiting and in some cases staying in these "power spots". Our yatra combines exploration with deep practice, adventure with retreat.

Mumbai (Bombay)

Participants are picked up at the airport and taken to our hotel. We stay in an old part of the City that captures the very best of "Bombay" culture. We spend a couple of days in Mumbai overcoming jetlag, getting into the "India vibe", shopping, eating, and visiting some amazing holy places in the city. In Mumbai we will visit Babulnath- a very old Shiva Temple atop a hill in the city -a very special place.

Mumbai is an incredible city with just about every color, flavor and fragrance one can imagine.

Nasik

Four hours of scenic driving through the Indian countryside takes us to the ancient Holy City of Nasik. Nasik is situated on the Godavari River- a very sacred river to Hindus. It is here where the Hindu deities Rama and Sita are said to have spent time. We will stay in a nice hotel in Nasik with great food and explore some of the ancient sights there including a ancient system of caves carved by Buddhist monks known as Pandulena. The caves were built in the first century BCE and are still intact and accessable. Nasik is a jewel of sacred Indian culture.

Trymabakeshwar

Trymbakeshwar is the location of one of the most holy Shiva Temples in India and a sacred mountain known as Brahmagiri. Trymbakeshwar is also the site of the tomb of Nivrittinath- a powerful meditation master from the 13th century who is part of Harshada's spiritual lineage. His tomb or Samadhi shrine is a very powerful place for meditation. The whole area is set in a gorgeous, mystical valley- known for centuries for it's transformational power.

In Trymbakeshwar we will arrange for a team of Vedic Priests to perform a fire ceremony on New Year's Morning to invoke blessings and express gratitude to the universe.

Madhuban

At the Madhuban Auyurvedic Plant Nursery we will spend some days in silent retreat. The nursery is in the countryside near the Gangapur Dam and is absolutely beautiful. The accommodations are very simple but perfect for deep retreat.

Alandi

Alandi, a small village on the banks of the Indriyani river is the site of the tomb of another great master -Jnaneshwar. Jnaneshwar was the disciple and brother of Nirvritti and is regarded as one of the most powerful masters of all time. He was a prolific poet and Guru and his tomb is the pilgrimage place for millions of devout Hindus and a great center of meditation and devotional practice.

This may not look like much- but it is the underground meditation cave beneath Jnaneshwar's samadhi shrine- meditators say this is the most powerful place they have ever experienced. We will have extended meditation sessions in this cave when we go to Alandi.

Ganeshpuri

Ganeshpuri is a small village in the Tanza Valley is the site of the tomb of -Bhagavan Nityananda. Nityananda was a powerful master who lived in the earlier half of the 20th century and is one of the masters in Harshada's direct lineage. It was nearby Ganeshpuri where Harshada received much of his training in India. In Ganeshpuri we will meditate and chant in Nityananda's Samadhi Shrine and visit Kailas Nivas, Nityananda's ashram. Visiting Ganeshpuri is a very special treat.

The Retreat Fee is only

$2490

and includes all accommodation, food and local transportation. Participants are responsible for personal expenses such as shopping. Retreat fee does not include flight to India or other expenses such as travel insurance, etc.

Contact us today if you are interested in coming to the next retreat. Group size is very limited and participation has some pre-requisites..

You can also send us an email if you have any questions.