Prasanthi Nilayam
Places of Interest
Within and around the ashram, a township of service, culture and quiet has grown over seven decades. Timings may vary on festival days — confirm locally and observe the dress code at all sites.
Mefodiyz, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Chaitanya Jyoti Museum
Opened in 2000 to mark Bhagawan's 75th year. Seven galleries trace his life through multimedia: his childhood on the Chitravathi, the first miracles, the vast humanitarian works. The building itself is remarkable — Chinese pagoda roofs, Moorish domes and Gothic arches share the same facade.
9:30 AM to 12 PM and 3 PM to 5:30 PM. Closed Mondays.
Super Speciality Hospital
Opened in 1991. Cardiology, urology, ophthalmology and orthopaedics, all entirely free of charge. No patient has ever received a bill. Over two million people have been treated here. The building, with its rose-pink domes, sits about 6 km from the ashram near the old airport.
Visitors: 12 Noon to 2 PM, Monday to Saturday.
Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning
Founded 1981. Degree, postgraduate and doctoral programmes at no cost — tuition, boarding, books and uniforms are all free. Two campuses: one in Prasanthi Nilayam, one in Whitefield, Bengaluru. The Prasanthi campus sits behind the ashram, bordered by sculpted gardens.
Campus viewable from the road. 10 AM to 11:30 AM for visitors.
Sanathana Samskruthi Museum
The Eternal Heritage Museum, built in Jain temple style on the southern hilltop near the SSSIHL administrative block. Across 20,000 square feet, the museum presents the unity of all major world religions through artifacts, sculpture and Bhagawan's early life legends. Entry is free.
10 AM to 12 PM daily. Closed Wednesdays.
Hill View Stadium
A large open-air arena carved into the boulder hillside above the ashram, seating up to 30,000. The grounds hold statues of Hanuman, Krishna, Jesus Christ, Zoroaster and Buddha, placed together as a statement of the unity of all faiths. Used for Bhagawan's birthday on 23 November and annual sports and cultural events.
Open during scheduled events only. Entry restricted otherwise.
Space Theatre and Planetarium
A Spitz 512 projector inside a colourful geodesic dome maps 4,054 stars, constellations and nebulae as seen from Puttaparthi. Shows in English, Hindi and Telugu. Seating for 150; groups of 150 or more may request a special screening by letter to the PRO at least two days in advance.
Daily show at 10:30 AM. Be seated by 10:25 AM. Closed Wednesdays.
Sivalayam — Bhagawan's Birthplace
The temple built in 1979 at the exact spot where Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba was born on 23 November 1926. Located on Sivalayam Road in the old village of Puttaparthi, it now houses a Shivalingam and remains a site of daily worship. The original family home stood here.
8:30 AM to 12:30 PM and 5 PM to 8 PM.
Divine Parents Samadhi
The samadhi of Bhagawan's parents, Easwaramma and Peddavenkama Raju, on Gopuram Road. Special ceremonies are held here on Easwaramma Day (6 May) each year. The adjoining Guru Dattatreya Mandir shares the same compound and opening times.
8 AM to 12 Noon and 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM.
Sri Sathya Sai Gokulam
Located on Vidyagiri Road, the Gokulam is a shelter for cows considered sacred to the ashram. Open for visits twice daily, it offers a quiet glimpse of this gentle tradition maintained alongside the broader campus.
8 AM to 12 PM and 3 PM to 6 PM.
Kalpa Vriksham
A tamarind tree on the Obuladevara Gutta hilltop near the Chitravathi Road, considered by devotees to be wish-fulfilling. The location offers views across the surrounding hills and the winding course of the Chitravathi below.
8:30 AM to 5:30 PM daily.
Chitravathi River
The river that ran through Bhagawan's childhood, winding between the Puttaparthi hills on wide sandy banks. A quiet place for an early morning walk. The same banks where Swami materialised objects from sand as a young boy and first drew crowds from the surrounding villages.
Open all day. Best at dawn and dusk.
Sai Geetha Samadhi
A memorial on Vidyagiri Road housing the ashes of Sai Geetha, Bhagawan's beloved elephant who lived on campus for decades and passed in 2013. A small, quiet enclosure visited by devotees who came to know the elephant through decades of ashram life.
12 Noon to 8 PM daily.
Vidyagiri campus
The Institute's gardens, the stadium and the museums all sit within a morning's walk of the ashram gate.
The Institute's main building amid palms and flowering gardens, from above · Pink.lotus.deva, Wikimedia Commons · CC0