The Shantivan complex includes a main conference hall and six smaller halls. The seating capacity of the conference hall is twelve hundred and there is facility for simultaneous translation in six languages. The smaller halls each accommodate three hundred and fifty people and are suitable for lectures, seminars, workshops, etc. There are also two halls for meditation and a spiritual museum on this campus. Shantivan’s residential buildings can lodge 15,000 guests.
In addition to this gigantic structure, Shantivan has the largest parabolic solar device in India, which provides steam heat for cooking; and, together with wind energy, provides electricity for computers, the telephone exchange and emergency emergency lighting systems.
One building houses the University’s printing department and publishes its two monthly magazines: Gyanamrit (Hindi) and World Renewal (English), as well as many books and booklets in several languages.
Founded by the Brahma Kumaris in 1996, the Gyan Sarovar Academy for a Better World was inaugurated as part of the celebration of the University’s 60th anniversary. The Academy is an international campus – a place where men, women and children can reach their unique human potential and cultivate the values of our common humanity.
In 1996, the Academy was presented to Habitat II, the second UN Conference on Human Settlements held in Istanbul, Turkey. It was recognised as part of the Best Practise Initiative for Human Settlements.
Madhuban is a place where thousands of BK students from nearly 100 countries gather to deepen their meditation practice. Madhuban’s clear and subtle atmosphere of spirituality inspires profound experiences. A practitioner of Raja Yoga meditation has no need to make radical changes in life–style or permanently leave home and family. However, a few weeks in Madhuban, away from worldly responsibilities, dramatically assists a student’s spiritual growth. Lectures and workshops provide essential tools which enable students to explore and emerge the powers of spirituality innate within each human being.
Just as the cool heights of Mt. Abu beckoned the Rajasthani kings to retreat from their daily routine; professionals from all corners of the world are attracted to the spiritual power of ’Madhuban‘. Above and beyond the hustle and bustle, the wondrous beauty of ‘Madhuban’ spirits you away to another world.
The highest peak among the Aravalis is Mount Abu. In ancient texts and folklore, Abu is associated with the names of sages and seers; thus there are many temples and hermitages to be found upon it. One of the most exquisite works of art in India is the 11th century Dilwala Temple built here and maintained by the Jains.
The town of Mount Abu itself is a bustling bazaar: dusty shops burst into narrow streets, vendors cry out their wares and sacred cows wander aimlessly amidst the people. More often than not, the hospitable shopkeepers proudly introduce foreign customers to their family members. The friendly, hard working Rajasthani people still carry the regal bearing of their heritage – the men are decked in their turbans and the women in their colourful dresses and traditional jewellery.
However, a short walk takes you away from the maze of activity into the tranquil seclusion of this sacred destination whose atmosphere emanates a sense of enchantment; and to the worldwide headquarters of the Brahma Kumaris from whence the knowledge of the king of all yogas, Raja Yoga, is disseminated. The headquarters complex consists of three campuses – Madhuban, Gyan Sarovar and Shantivan – as well as a recreational park (Peace Park) and the Global Hospital & Research Centre.
Perhaps few organisations have stimulated as much change and discussion at the time of their inception, or have undergone such expansion in succeeding decades, as the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. Yet, throughout its growth and development, the BKWSU has managed to maintain its original principles and adhere to its original purpose.
When the University came into being under the name “Om Mandali” it consisted of only a handful of men, women and children living in Hyderabad, Sindh (now part of Pakistan, but at that time part of colonial India). After a respected and wealthy member of their community, Dada Lekhraj, experienced a series of visions in 1936, these spiritual pioneers were inspired to transform their lives.
Dada Lekhraj’s visions revealed a body of knowledge about the nature of the soul, of God and of time – concepts so simple in their expression but so profound in meaning that they awakened a powerful sense of recognition in those with whom the visions were shared.
A year after Om Mandali’s establishment, the organisation moved from Hyderabad to Karachi. For fourteen years, until two years after the partition of India and Pakistan, the founding group of nearly 400 individuals lived as a self–sufficient community devoting their time to intense spiritual study, meditation and self transformation.
In 1950, the community moved to Mount Abu, a quiet place reputed for its ancient heritage and regarded as a sacred destination by many in search of spiritual rejuvenation and empowerment. Nestled high in the Aravali Mountains of Rajasthan, it provided an ideal location for reflection and contemplation. After a few years in a rented building, the community moved to the site which remains the University’s world headquarters: Madhuban (meaning ‘Forest of Honey’).
