Founded in 1926 by Sri Aurobindo and a French-born woman known as ‘the Mother’, this spiritual community now has about 1200 members working in its many departments. Aurobindo's teachings focus on an 'integral yoga' as the path towards a 'supramental consciousness which will divinise human nature'; devotees work in the world, rather than retreating from it. General visits to the main ashram building are cursory – you just see the flower-festooned samadhi of Aurobindo and the Mother, then the bookshop, then you leave.
Ashram accommodation guests can access other areas and activities. Evening meditation around the samadhi is open to people with passes – which you can only get if you're staying at an ashram guesthouse or from the ashram's Bureau Central , where there are also interesting exhibitions on Sri Aurobindo and the Mother.
