Kanha Shanti Vanam: A Journey to Spirituality

About Kanha

Kanha Shanti Vanam is a Meditation Centre located on the outskirts of Hyderabad, Telangana, Kanha Shanti Vanam is the world headquarters of the Heartfulness Institute. The ashram is an ecological paradise spread over 1400 acres, a place for spiritual retreat, where you can experience simple living in tune with inner and outer nature.

Kanha Shanti Vanam offers spiritual training and interactive programs that promote overall wellness and the opportunity to learn and contribute.

In 2019, Kanha was awarded ‘The Pride of Telangana’, for inner wellness, by Round Table India & Times of India.

The centre also received the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) Platinum award in 2019 for following world-class environment-friendly practices becoming the first meditation centre in the world to achieve the feat.

The Forest of Peace

Kanha Shanti Vanam is the epicentre of the Heartfulness Movement. Magnificent in its style and design, and tranquil in its atmosphere, the beauty of the place lies in its subtlety; the natural and harmonious environment of the place resonates with the balance and love experienced by the hearts of those visiting and living in Kanha.

Kanha Journey

Before 2010, this entire area was largely barren and dry. At the outset, a massive plantation drive was undertaken with special emphasis being given to the endangered local species. Over the years, the green cover has steadily increased and the landscape has been transformed.

Meet the Leader: Kamlesh Patel

Kamlesh Patel, also known as Daaji, is the current Heartfulness Guide. He offers a practical, experiential approach to the evolution of consciousness that is simple, easy to follow and available to people of all ages and walks of life.

About Heartfulness

Heartfulness is the simple, and subtle practice of meditation that connects each one of us with the light and love in our hearts. Through our network of thousands of global HeartSpots and one magnificent smartphone app, we offer the world a daily practice that awakens our potential for a joyful existence. This precious gift of human transformation is provided free of charge.

Important Information

• Accommodation is provided in the Comfort Dormitory for the visitors, equipped with bunk beds and common washroom facilities. If one wishes to stay in a private room kindly email The Pearl – Rest Well ( [email protected] ) or Guest Room ( [email protected] ).
• During the stay, all Heartfulness Members are encouraged to volunteer at the ashram, provided their health conditions permit it.
• During the registration process, you can select the area of your preference for volunteer work
• Visitor behaviour and attitude should reflect the ashram’s culture and spiritual environment. We do not permit the use of personal devices in the comfort dorm and anywhere else in the ashram for watching movies, playing music or browsing websites not in compliance with the ashram environment.
• We expect visitors to prepare for their visit by practising regularly and taking a minimum of 3 individual sittings with preceptors before arrival. If one-to-one physical sittings are impossible, please use the Heartfulness App.
• In addition, visitors are encouraged to take one individual sitting as soon as they arrive. Information on the location of sittings will be displayed in comfort dorms. Consequently, it is recommended to take two or more individual sessions within a week, during your stay at Kanha.
• Dress Code needs to be followed by all. Shorts/night suits are not permitted in the meditation hall or public utility places.
• Specially abled persons are requested to take personal responsibility and should be accompanied by a caretaker of the same gender if they do not have a blood relationship or are married partners.

Only Heartfulness practitioners with Heartfulness identification cards are allowed to stay overnight at the ashram or those who are pre-registered for any event hosted by Kanha.

Stay Facilities

THE PEARL

The Pearl Hotel is for you. A 4-star hotel located within the Kanha premises. The Pearl offers you an enriching experience to relax your senses and rejuvenate your being.

Contact – 6302750394

COMFORT DORMS

A stay in one of our large, spacious dorms, with bunk beds, is what you need.

SERVICE APARTMENTS

Experience community living at Kanha. Rent out a service apartment and create your staycation. Apartments are available for rent in Kanha. If you plan to visit Kanha and stay for a longer period, Service Apartments can be rented at one of the apartment blocks in Kanha, based on availability.

MADHUVANAM APARTMENTS

You may rent out an apartment within the premises and enjoy the lifestyle at Kanha. Apartments are available for rent in Madhuvanam, Kanha, based on availability.

Operational Timings: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm

Contact – 9390828990

Facilities

Lately, Yoga has taken the world by storm, as more and more people recognize the health benefits of this age-old science of well-being.

Yoga is more than a form of exercise. It is a complete science that teaches you how to handle your life with more confidence, clarity of mind and happiness. There is more to Yoga than postures and breathing exercises.

We believe that the benefits of Yoga should be available to all, and we are happy to help you discover this ancient science through practice and personal experience.

Discover the Heartfulness Yoga Style – take the Heartfulness Yoga Fundamentals at no cost.

Yoga Academy

The Heartfulness Yoga Academy is an online learning platform for Yoga Teachers and training personnel. Recognized by Yoga Alliance, the platform provides different levels of understanding of Yoga. At the Heartfulness Yoga Academy, personal development comes with the expansion of the heart’s qualities nourished by simple practices.

Yoga for Kids

The Heartfulness Yoga team believes in doing everything so that everyone can access the beautiful practice of Yoga. Sessions are being conducted online and in-person for every age group at Kanha. Currently, sessions are being offered to kids of two different age groups. The team is also working on coming up with a Yoga program exclusively for teenagers, to inspire them to live a healthy and balanced life.

Heartfulness Yoga

During your visit to Kanha, you can experience Yoga Asanas that bring you closer to yourself with the Heartfulness Yoga Teachers. We have a meditative approach to Yoga that allows us to explore the physical, mental and spiritual all at once. Heartfulness Yoga brings you this full spectrum of Yoga by creating a seamless flow between asanas and meditation in every class.

Green Kanha Initiative

Green Kanha is an environmental initiative by the Heartfulness Institute committed to nurturing India’s mega-biodiversity, indigenous and endangered species. We adopt the latest technologies with scientific planning to create an ex-situ conservation center, replete with splendid green spaces.

Forests by Heartfulness

Forests by Heartfulness is an initiative aspiring to conserve the threatened, rare, and endangered species of our tropical forests. Increasing evidence shows that green cover can improve human, physical, and mental well-being. In cities, tree plantations help to combat air pollution and temperature stabilization.

Thus, there is a need to plant more trees to conserve wildlife, support local communities, combat climate change, improve human well-being, and benefit future generations. Forests by Heartfulness (FBH) is an ecological movement that aims to create spaces where humans coexist in harmony with Nature.

This initiative envisions creating nationwide nurseries to grow highly resilient saplings that can compete and survive in hostile conditions and support livelihoods and micro-entrepreneurs.

Blue Kanha Initiative

दश कूप समा वापी, दशवापी समो हृदः।
दशहृद समः पुत्रों, दशपुत्रो समो द्रुम

daśa-kūpa-samā vāpī daśa-vāpī-samo hradaḥ
daśa hrada samaḥ putraḥ daśaputro samo drumaḥ ॥

– matsyapurāṇa

A pond equals ten wells, a reservoir equals ten ponds. A progeny equals ten reservoirs, and a tree equals ten progeny. – Matsya Purana – 154:512

Kanha Sanctuary

A variety of species of birds and animals are found in the vicinity of Kanha Shanti Vanam. There are now 70 species of birds in Kanha. The tiny and the mighty all have a daily routine. It is a beautiful experience to follow and observe them, inspired by their total surrender to all other natural forces. You will find the Shikra Falcon, Black-Winged Kite, little Tailor Birds, Sunbirds, Bulbuls, and the weaver birds.“A word of caution: It is not easy to leave Kanha. The songs of the birds will charm you to come back.” – Rajesh Menon

Rain Water Harvesting

The Kanha Shanti Vanam campus was designed in a way that the roads of the premises are mostly tilted to an angle. This technique helps in storing the rainwater in various reservoirs. The water bodies were widened and deepened to hold the full potential capacities of the stormwater.

The entire land was designed scientifically for the right sizes of stormwater drains to carry excess water from the rains to the water bodies.

Irrigation Systems

Drip Irrigation – In far-reaching sites, the plantation is equipped with water by the Drip Irrigation method, hence saving water along with a hydrated plantation. All shrubs and groundcovers have a drip irrigation system. The total Vegetated area is 100% under drip irrigation. The drip systems irrigate all the plantation which all goes on gravity.

Sprinkler Irrigation – 100% of the turf area has a sprinkler irrigation system to reduce water loss.

Rain Guns – To improve water efficiency, and reduce manual labour and water tankers, large areas of forest landscapes have been deployed with Rain Guns, made from the latest Italian technology where appropriate. This technique helps to retain, and enhance the moisture content for some trees.

Extensive Mulching – Extensive mulching is used to prevent water evaporation around crops and farms.

Waste Water Treatments

We have deployed Advanced Aerated Wetlands technology to treat the majority of the wastewater.

The entire treated water is brought back into use for irrigating the plantation, lawns, and gardens.

A natural, environmentally friendly, and zero power consumption system known as the Constructed Wetlands methodology has been adopted for treating both grey and black water.

Storage of charcoal in jute bags and placed in percolation pits to purify the water of residual matter and impurities (charcoal is a natural purifier). After one year, the charcoal is removed from jute bags and used in the soil as biochar.

The entire land was scientifically designed for the right amount of stormwater drains to carry excess water from the rains to the water bodies.

Results

• Kanha forest – Plantations of various kinds have taken place within the premises. We were able to achieve a micro-climate with the amount of plantation being dependent on existing water bodies. This is something we are replicating across the country.
• The arena had many built-in waterways from the past that were reused or reconstructed. These ways were buried with silt and were revived in this project. One of the stepped wells was identified and was rebuilt which was buried with silt & waste over time.
• Natural wetlands are created to maintain the purity of water bodies.

• Groundwater level improved to the 200 to 300 feet difference from where it was to where we are now. Not discounting the heavy rainfall this year, we have seen the water table just about a few meters below the natural ground level.
• Water efficiency and consumption have led to ample water storage for community usage and landscape utilization, even in case of drought or uncontrolled natural calamities.
• Increase in community ownership to maintain and sustain water bodies.

Spreading Awareness

All these projects have been implemented by creating awareness about the importance of water resources among all the residents and encouraging involvement from everyone, especially children and youth who have participated in many of these projects

• All-natural percolation ponds and sarovars (lakes) are man-made and created by the community with active participation from residents, visitors as well as children, and youth.
• Many campaigns such as Recycle Campaigns Bring Your Bottle Campaign, and Webinars on water-efficient solutions were conducted.
• Signage – for water conservation and switching off taps
• Internships and green education – for residents, international students and focus groups

Facility

Drinking water is easily accessible and free all across campus to promote clean, healthy drinking water for free and avoid the usage of plastic water bottles.

Rooftop rainwater harvesting structures have been created with help from the community and APOSS, which has helped revive several water bodies.

Shopping With Kanha

Horticulture Nursery

Giving different varieties of Indoor and Outdoor plants with medicinal, ornamental, ecological, economical and socio-cultural significance, the Heartyculture Nursery is a platform that brings us closer to Nature. In this platform we can book and purchase any plant variety from Heartculture Nurseries spread across India. It allows us to give our dear ones a gift of nature.

HFN life

Bringing the community together and supporting young entrepreneurs, HFN Life is a platform that provides various lines of products of different brands coming together. The platform offers a wide variety of different products to choose from.

Horticulture Products

An opportunity to give organic and natural products to the community. Hearty Culture promises the authenticity of natural products. Healthy methods of making cold-pressed Edible oils. Extracting beneficial Essential oils. Organic turmeric and Coorg’s authentic coffee along with Natural honey. Offering wellness of different ayurvedic products from Chyawanprash to Four oil tablets. Hearty Culture has launched Superfood Moringa capsules and a wide variety of natural beauty products.

Locate us on Google Maps

How To Reach

By Air

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has one integrated Terminal for domestic and international arrivals and departures. RGIA Customer Care 24×7: +91-40-66546370.

People who visit Kanha from Hyderabad RGI Airport are using taxis (Ola, Uber, Private taxis). Fare is Rs 1350 – 1650 Travel time 45-60 min. Parking charges fixed 250 will be there. Distance 33 km. Up to four passengers can share the taxi.

For travelling back from Kanha to Hyderabad RGI Airport, please call the transport desk a day in advance. The fare is Rs 1400 – 1100 Travel time is 45-60 min. Parking charges fixed 250 will be there. Distance 33 km. Up to four passengers can share the taxi.

Kanha Transport desk : +91-9133318636

Transport Email: [email protected]

Pre-paid taxis are available at the airport car park. A 25% night surcharge applies between 2300 hours to 0500 hours.

This system is working well. Regular visitors have mobile numbers of taxi operators. Possibly we can enhance this by making a list of known/good taxi operators and sharing it discreetly with functionaries of the Mission.

By Train

One can take a Bus (1i, 7I) or Rickshaw to the MGBS bus stand. Distance 9 km. 30-35 min by Rickshaw. One can take a Bus (7c, 1p, P1) or Rickshaw to go to the Afzalgunj bus stand. The distance is 9 km. 30 min by Rickshaw.

One can take a Bus or Rickshaw to Kacheguda (KCG) Railway station (6 km, 20 min). Don’t take Blue Metro – it’s not worth it. From Kacheguda several trains are available to Timmapur. Following two trains from Secunderabad you can reach Timmapur via Kacheguda.

Sr	Train No and Name	Station, Start /Arrival Time	Station, Reach Time	Distance, Travel Time
1	17023 Tungabhadra Express (AC CC,II) (reservation can be done in advance but many unreserved coaches)	SC 7:30 am (PF-9) KCG 7:43 am (PF2) MXT 7:47 am (PF2)	TMX 8:30 am SHNR 9:00 am	44 km, 1 hour 60 km, 1:30 hour Unreserved Rs29
2	17027 Hundry Express (No reservation, buy a ticket from the counter)	SC 4:45 pm(PF3/5) KCG 5:00 pm (PF2)	TMX 5:50 pm SHNR 6:00 pm	44 km, 1:05 hour 60 km, 1:15 hour
	PF=Platform Number	SC=Secunderabad, KCG=Kacheguda	TMX=Timmapur, SHNR=Shadnagar	Note: These are station codes.

Take a Taxi or Auto Rickshaw to reach Kanha from Timmapur. One can get down at Kothur or Shadnagar also.

If you wish to avail of cab/taxi services or use your transport, please find below the details of the routes to be followed. Kanha Ashram is about 58 km from the station.

• From the Secunderabad Railway Station, take Ranigunj Street Number 2, Lower Tank Bund Road and Telugu Talli Flyover to NH7 in Ambedkar Colony, Hyderabad.
• Follow Hyderabad Elevated Expressways and continue on the Bangalore Highway till Thimmapur which is approx. 19 km from the airport.
• Travelling in the direction of Bangalore, from the Thimmapur Checkpost, take a right to reach Chegur village.
• At a distance of approx. 3 km, take a left from the railway crossing and continue straight till Kanha.

By Bus

From	To	Timing	Duration	Route / Bus #
Afzalganj	Kanha	5:30 AM	2 hrs	539 / 455
Secunderabad-Platform 1(Alfa Hotel)	Kanha	6:50 AM	3 hrs
Afzalganj	Kanha	11:20 AM	2 hrs
Afzalganj	Kanha	1:30 PM	2 hrs
Afzalganj	Kanha	3:30 PM	2 hrs
Secunderabad	Kanha	6:30 PM	2 – 2.5 hrs