If you have ever dreamed of visiting sacred India, longed to touch the ancient roots of Yoga, Tantra, Buddhism and Indian Dance (before modern culture totally takes over), here is your chance...Integrating spiritual cultivation, pilgrimage, and eco-wandering, we will immerse ourselves—body and soul—into Orissa, one of India’s most artistic regions and best kept secrets. With the thread of yoga, meditation and self-healing stringing the days together, we will visit Tantric temples, Buddhist caves, tribal villages, and elephant and tiger sanctuaries.
We will spend our precious time in India linking our personal spiritual practice with the timeless landscape that is Orissa.
There are two tours of two weeks each.
Tour One: Culture of Orissa (14 days)
Jan 29 - Feb 11, 2012
On Tour One, we dive into Orissan culture and the spiritual heritage sites of the region: With visits to the elaborate meditation caves of Udaygiri and Khandagiri; the 64 Yogini Temple of Hirapur (an open-roof Tantric temple with 64 different statues of the Goddess, one of only three of its kind in India); Sun Temple of Konark (with its breathtaking architecture and exquisit array of erotic sculptures); and the Dhabaleswar Temple (located on an island in the Mahanadi River, connected to the mainland by a pillar-less hanging bridge). Both tours include a visit to PK Mahanandi’s tribal village to experience authentic tribal life with all its colorful textures, sights, sounds and smells.
Cost $4,495 (does not include airfare)
Tour Two: Orissa's Wonders and Wildlife (14 days)
Feb 12 - 25, 2012
We explore Orissa’s landscape and wildlife, with visits to national parks, tribal hills, and coastal lands. Adventure to amazing sites such as: The Similipal National Park and Tiger Reserve; the ancient Buddhist Monastery of Ratnagiri; Gudgudia orchidarium; Bhitarkanika Park (home of the largest population of giant salt water crocodiles in India and home to more than 215 bird species); the Gahirmatha Coast (the world's largest nesting and breeding area of Olive Ridley Sea turtles); and Chilka Lake, where we will visit Swargadwar Beach, the bathing place of Sri Chaitanyadev, the renowned Vaishanava prophet.
Cost $3,995 (does not include airfare)
Participants of each tour have the option of extending their trip by adding either one or two weeks of the adjoining tour.
Both tours include a visit to the Athmallik tribal village home of PK Mahanandi, located on the shores of the great Mahanadi River, where we will stay at PK’s “eco-cottage.”
We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to share time with PK Mahanandi, considered “the Martin Luther King of India” for his life-long commitment to social change, equality and sustainability. Appointed by Indira Gandhi, PK is the first "Untouchable" to serve as an Ambassador of India.
Our personal adventure guide and geologist, Philip Price, will attend to the details of the tour and provide us with fascinating historical and geological information on the sites we visit. The tour will be fun and informative as we immerse ourselves in the richness of the landscape, the local culture, and history.
We will also be joined by acclaimed documentary filmmaker, Stefan Quinth, who will capture some of the unforgettable moments of our trip in a personal DVD video for you to take home.
This is specialty small group tour and space is limited.
Call Cain at 602-717-2735 or email (yogicain@gmai.com) to reserve your space.
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