USA Pilgrimage Guidelines - Accommodations

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Upon Arrival in Ashram	Registration
Arrival at non-office hours	If you are arriving before June 21
Room Check Out	General Instructions
Safety Precaution in your rooms	Laundry service
Wheelchair Facility

Upon Arrival in Ashram

The Registration and Accommodations Office for Overseas Devotees is located in North–8, A-1. All overseas devotees seeking accommodation in the ashram must report here on arrival for registration/allotment of accommodation. Note: A few members of the Pilgrimage Planning Team will be available at the Accommodations Office to provide assistance and answer questions on June 20 and 22 during non-darshan hours between 8am – 8pm. Accomodations Office Timings: 6am to 8pm on all days.

Registration

For the registration process, every overseas devotee must produce a completed registration form and their valid passport and visa. A recent passport size photograph is needed. If you don’t have one, a digital photo can be taken in the office, but you will save time by bringing your own.

Arrival at non-office hours

You are strongly encouraged to plan to arrive at the accommodations office during their regular office hours between 8 am – 8 pm. For devotees who arrive in Prasanthi Nilayam during non-office hours (between 8pm and 6am), temporary accommodations will be provided for a day in the dormitories, as allotted by the Sevadal (volunteers) at the ashram entrance. These devotees are required to report to the Accommodations Office later during office hours and obtain their accommodations receipt in order to extend their stay in the ashram.

If you are arriving before June 21  [TOP]

For devotees who arrive in Prasanthi Nilayam before June 21, the Accommodations Office may provide accommodations in the dormitories until June 21. You can try requesting accommodations by mentioning that you are from the USA group and that your group date starts from June 22 (or July 5) to July 2 (or July 14). Accommodations before June 21 (July 4) are not guaranteed.

Checking Out: Checkout time is 12 noon.

• You must vacate the room on the day after the last morning darshan: group 1 pilgrims on July 3 before 12:00 noon, and group 2 pilgrims on July 15 before noon.
• After locking the room, you must immediately deposit the room key in the Accommodations Office. If you are departing during non-office hours, the key may be dropped in the key box on the office door.
• Please ensure that the room is left clean and tidy, with all lights and fans switched off and taps, doors, and windows closed before departure

General Instructions

• Cooking is not permitted in rooms and dormitories.
• If the room keys are misplaced, it must be immediately brought to the notice of the Accommodations Office so they may take necessary action.
• You are responsible for keeping your own room and bathroom clean. Cleaning supplies are available at the shopping center for purchase. You can hire a cleaning woman to sweep the room and wash the floor for a nominal fee. Just ask someone where to find the cleaning woman. The cleaning woman should have an ashram Identity Card; don't deal with one that doesn't.
• Please keep all food (cookies, biscuits, milk powder, etc) in tightly sealed containers or ziplock bags in your room. Ants and other insects are notorious for invading exposed food.
• For any help or guidance, approach the Sevadal (volunteers) (wearing blue/yellow scarves) posted in your bulding.

Safety Precaution in your rooms  [TOP]

It is important to follow some basic safety precautions while in the ashram.

• Do not store valuables in your room
• Keep suitcases locked
• Keep room doors locked when not in room
• Keep windows closed when not in the room, to prevent insects, birds, and monkeys from entering

Laundry service

• Starting about 7AM, one or two dhobis (laundry service men/women) will be present at the building entrance. You may give them your soiled clothes to be washed and ironed. They are usually returned the next morning at the same time. You pay 3 rupees per item (whether a sock, shirt, towel, or sheet). Dhobis should have identity cards —don't deal with those that don't have one.
• You won't get a receipt with a number on it for your clothes or anything like that. They just get it right!
• Consider hand washing your own personal items and drying them in your room

Wheelchair Facility

• Devotees in need of wheelchairs may obtain them at North-8, A-10 between 8am and 8pm. The Accommodations Office also allots ground floor rooms to such people on request, subject to availability.
• Wheelchairs are not supposed to be taken outside the ashram premises and must be returned on the specified date.