District: Bangalore
Town: Arishinakunte
Temple: Vishwa Shanti Ashram
Vishwa Shanti Ashram is a spiritual center near Bangalore. It is located on the Bangalore Tumkur highway, in Arishinakunte village in Nelamangala Taluk. It is located at a distance of around 25 km from Bangalore city.
Vishwa Shanti Ashram – Overview
Vishwa Shanti Ashram is a wonderful but little known temple complex located in the fringes of Bangalore city. The complex, spread over nearly 20 acres of land, has a number of beautiful temples and a park. There is a huge Vijaya Vittala statue at the entrance and inside there are the Ashtalakshmi temple, Gayathri Mandir, meditation hall with Bhagavad Gita Bodana and Vishwaroopa statues.
Vishwa Shanti Ashram – History
Vishwa Shanti Ashram was established by Sant Keshavadas, whose organization is known as the Temple of Comic Religion in the west. Sant Keshavadas was born in 1934 in Bhadragiri, a small village in Karnataka. A law Graduate from the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial College, his life quest was more spiritual than material.
He believed in the unity of all religions, that they sought the same Ultimate Truth. He unified the teachings of all world religions and established the Temple of Cosmic Religion. He wrote 50 books and has composed 6000 kirtans. He travelled all over the world spreading his message of a Universal Religion. After his passing in 1997, his spiritual work is carried on by his wife and successor, Guru Mataji.
The beautiful Vishwa Shanti Ashram is the Headquarters of the Temple of Cosmic Religion. It was constructed with funds from donations from the followers of Sadguru Sant Keshavadas. The highlight of the ashram is the striking Bhagavad Gita Mandir.
Vishwa Shanti Ashram – Architecture
The Ashram is spread over a few acres of land. Inside, at the front, there is the huge Vijaya Vittala statue. Below this statue is the Lakshmi Narayana temple. Spread on either side of this temple is the Ashtalakshmi Mandir, with the eight forms of Mahalakshmi. Further on there are temples for Gayathri Devi, Navagrahas and Santhoshi Mata.
At the center is the Bhagavad Gita Mandir. To the right of this Mandir lie a series of statues representing the seven main holy rivers of India – Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswathi, Godavari, Narmada, Sindhu, and Kaveri.
The Bhagavad Gita temple itself is constructed in the form of a chariot, with Arjuna seated at the back, and Krishna, holding the reins of the horses, teaching him the lofty yet practical philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita. Inside this chariot is a meditation hall with a large statue of Vishwaroopa Narayana, with the encompassing the ten avatars of Lord Vishnu.
How to Get to Vishwa Shanti Ashram
Vishwa Shanti Ashram is located on the Bangalore-Tumkur highway. It is in the Bangalore Metro bus route to Nelamangala from the city. Get down at Arishinakunte stop. From there you’ll have to walk for one kilometer to reach the temple.
Incranations of Vishwa Shanti Ashram
The 10 incarnations at the ashram you will see are as follow,
- Matsya (the fish)
- Koorma (the tortoise)
- Varaha (the boar)
- Narasimha (the human-lion)
- Vamana (the dwarf)
- Parasurama (the angry man, Rama with an axe)
- Lord Rama (the perfect man, King of Ayodha)
- Lord Krishna (the divine statesman)
- Balarama (elder brother of Krishna)
- Kalki (the mighty worrior)
Vishwa Shanti Ashram – Facts
Vishwa Shanti Ashram serves as the headquarters of the Temple of Cosmic Religion.
- The inside and outside walls of the chariot are set with granite stones bearing inscriptions of the 800 verses of Bhagavad Gita in Sanskrit, English, Hindi and Kannada
- There is a total fee of INR 12 to visit the Ashram
- At the entrance, you have to pay INR 2 for leaving your shoes
- Inside, to proceed towards the Gita Mandir, you have to pay INR 10 per head.
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