Siva Ashram’s Gardens
A Spiritual Sanctuary of Nature in the Making
Designing a Spiritual Garden
Inspired by Siva
The botanical gardens at Siva Ashram are designed with nature and the experience of visitors in mind. Firstly, it’s a safe haven for flora and fauna to live and thrive in, and showcase their beauty to all who visit. Secondly, the gardens are designed to help progress a visitor’s spiritual unfoldment.
The gardens are made up of seven primary gardens and numerous smaller transitional gardens and paths. The primary gardens will be interconnected by a meandering winding path that leads you from one to another in a journey of external and inner exploration. The inspiration for the seven gardens come from Hindu philosophy; each of the seven primary gardens represent an area of the mind and are laid out in a sequence of progressive spiritual unfoldment. They have a corresponding color and spiritual practices that guests can learn and empower themselves with.
The gardens were designed by Tatiana and Dandapani – each representing and giving an opportunity for future visitors to work on their spiritual unfoldment in a natural sequence of spiritual growth. They drew inspiration from intuitive insights, the land itself and countless gardens that they have visited all around the world – from South East Asia to Hawaii, from Italy to Africa, and more.
A Living Museum
An Ode of Love to Earth
As far as we know, there is no other planet like Earth in the known galaxy. We’ve been gifted with a most magnificent home that has been engineered over millions of years to perfection. In a fraction of that time, we as a species, have caused irreparable and irreversible damage.
Siva Ashram is the antithesis of this destructive mindset. It is an ode of love and gratitude to Earth for providing us an ineffable home, and all that we need to thrive and live a joyous life. It is a celebration of a fraction of Earth’s beauty through conservation, cultivation and sustainability.
The gardens are a living museum of local and exotic flora and will function as a sanctuary for endangered native trees and plants, as well as some wisely chosen exotic flora, to thrive again in this region. This celebration of nature is part of what nurtures a visitor’s spiritual unfoldment. We cannot separate ourselves from the environment and we must deeply grasp that we need the Earth to thrive in order for us to thrive as a species.
FAQs about the Gardens
Common questions we get about our gardens
What does Siva Ashram consist of?
The vision is that one day Siva Ashram will consist of an expansive botanical garden brimming with flora and fauna, and pathway that guides a visitor to a series of shrines (that will act as learning centers) along a meandering pathway that ends at a Hindu temple. The hope is that at the end of the garden walk, a visitor can sit in the temple and go inwards into contemplation or meditation and reflect upon what they have learned in their journey through the gardens.
Siva Ashram will one day be open for day visitors.
What is the inspiration for the gardens?
The inspiration for the seven gardens came from Hindu philosophy – each representing an area of the mind and giving an opportunity for future pilgrims to work on their spiritual unfoldment in a natural sequence of spiritual growth.
Do I need to be Hindu to experience the gardens?
No, Siva Ashram welcomes people from all faiths and beliefs, this is a garden for personal growth. People of all faiths are welcome to come and explore the gardens and learn more about the local ecology and about their own minds.
Can I visit the gardens?
Once the gardens are open (hopefully in 2024) we will welcome visitors for guided tours. Please follow our social media or subscribe to our blog in order to receive the latest updates.
Can I walk through the gardens by myself?
Once the botanical gardens at Siva Ashram are open, there will be guided tours in prescribed times.
Can I take pictures of the gardens?
Once the gardens are open for visitors you will be encouraged to bring your cameras and take pictures. We also encourage you to tag us on Instagram @SivaAshram
Are there animals in the gardens?
Siva Ashram often has amazing visitors like howler monkeys, coatis, iguanas, raccoons, crocodiles, snakes, hummingbirds, and others. Our gardens are intentionally designed in harmony with the nature around us, hoping many other native birds, bugs, and animals will make this place their home. But they are wild and free and come and go as they please, so there’s no guarantee of what you’ll see on your visit.
Can I play with the animals in the garden?
All the animals you’ll find in the Siva Ashram gardens are wild animals who pass by or naturally make our gardens their home. We do not encourage you to pet them, feed them, or play with them.
Can I go bird watching at Siva Ashram?
Once the gardens are open, you’ll find a variety of stunning birds all over the garden and close to the river bank.
How can I support the garden?
By helping us plant the garden! Pick a project or a tree from our list and donate it to the sanctuary here.
Where can I see updates about the gardens?
Siva Ashram is truly a labor of love. We have a mission to create an amazingly beautiful Hindu Spiritual Sanctuary. In the process of doing so, we hope to share some of the moments that take place in the manifestation of that vision. Please follow us on our social media for weekly updates.
Help manifest this
Spiritual Sanctuary
Three different ways to support the creation of Siva Ashram
Siva Ashram is a labor of love. It is built with a purpose to uplift humanity and positively shift humans’ perspective and relationship with nature for the better. Such effort cannot be accomplished alone. If you feel inspired by what we are creating here, or you have been positively impacted by the teachings and would like a way to give back, please consider supporting the creation of Siva Ashram so that it can continue the work it is doing. Here are three ways you can support Siva Ashram financially:
Have you been
kissed by a butterfly?
One of our intermediary gardens is a butterfly garden. Accessible only via our Palm Jungle our butterfly garden consists of a variety of flowering bushes and shrubs that butterflies go crazy for. On a hot day, which is almost every day, you’ll find a butterfly or two landing on your salty sweaty arm for a kiss. And if you’re blessed you may just spot the elusive and magnificent Menelaus blue morpho butterfly.
Built with a Mission in Mind
To bring about a profound realization within each guest of their role in the future of our planet
As you walk the path that takes you through the gardens, not only enjoy what you see but take much more than a moment to reflect on what is at stake if we do not care for our planet. We have more to lose than we can possibly ever imagine.
The gardens at Siva Ashram were not built purely for your enjoyment and unfoldment. It carries a much more profound message of the fragility of our planet, the need for your active participation in its conservation and sustainability, and for your realization that the future of the coming generations truly depends on us.
“Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it alright will rather preserve its life than destroy it. ”
~ Henry David Thoreau
