Shakti Durga Retreats, What to Bring

Essential Items:

Plane tickets - arrange your own travel
Passport with at least 6 months before expiry
Valid Indian visa*
Travel Insurance documents

* Visa Information
Australia:
The link is http://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html
Please use this link as there are other agencies who charge for organising your visa.
You should apply for a tourist visa.

You will need to supply your Hotel address, see below for address of Peedam Ashram:
Sri Kamalanivas
Sri Narayani Peedam Thirumalaikodi Vellore - 632-055 Tamil Nadu
India
Telephone; +91-995-239-8222

New India Entry Requirements
Please note this is in addition to having an Indian visa.

A. Mandatory e-Arrival Card: All foreign nationals are required to complete this online form before their arrival in India.

How to Complete the e-Arrival Card:
1. Access the Portal: Go to the official government website

2. Provide Details: Fill in your personal and passport information, your local address in India (see above under visa information), and a record of countries you visited within the last six days.

3. Submit Before Travel: Submit the completed form within 72 hours before your scheduled arrival in India.

4. Keep Confirmation: A confirmation will be provided upon successful submission, which you should present upon request to immigration officers.
To comply, you must provide passport details, accommodation information, and recent travel history on a designated government portal before travel.

B. Health Form
Health Form: This is the link to the health form which you can also find on the Smart Travel advice above. Please note there is no fee to be paid when filling out this form, if payment is asked for you are not on the right site.

Overseas participants, could you please make your own inquiries, if you have any issues let us know.

Personal Items - Essential:

Towel - you will be given 1 towel. It is often helpful bring your own bath towel as well.
Torch - very common to have blackouts in India
Power adapter for India. 3 round pins. Some Indian plugs have 1 round and 2 flat - these cannot be used at the Ashram
Power board - a good idea
Toiletries - (shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, moisturising creams, deodorant and so on)
It is good to bring extra toothbrushes, at least 1 extra. It’s habit to rinse under tap. If that happens you will need to throw it out as it is not recommended to ingest tap water.
First Aid requirements (bandaids, Betadine, Imodium or whatever you use for treating diarrhoea, nausea etc. Cold & flu tabs, Panadol, heel balm, electrolytes are important precaution
Probiotics, highly recommended ones that do not need refrigeration, good to have SB in them e.g. Lactoferrin plus SB
Your doctor ‘s prescriptions etc
Travel Sickness Medication – if you tend to suffer from travel sickness, please bring medication with you
Antibacterial hand gel / wipes
Insect repellent
Tissues for your use
Toilet paper - some will be provided in your room
Water bottle - filtered drinking water at the ashram is good and bottles can be filled
Travel cup
Travel chair to take on outings (optional)

Money Update:

Either bring cash and exchange it at the Indian Airport you fly into or take cash out at the ATM. Most Indian ATMs only let you take out INR10,000 per transaction. This is about AU$200.

There is usually limited Indian Rupee at Sydney Airport.

You will need cash in small denominations for temple donations. Breakfast is included. For other meals you may purchase from the Divine Cafe a short walk from Kamala Nivas.

For any additional shopping, some shops do not take foreign credit cards so you will need cash if you are shopping.

Suggestions:

Mala beads if you have them
Prayer shawl if you have one
Spiritual journal and pen (can just be an exercise book if you don’t have a special journal)
Small backpack for outings/shopping
Neck pillow for plane
Ear plugs and eye mask
Portable clothes line for washing smalls and other, no laundry at the ashram but dry cleaning can be arranged
Sunglasses
Sunscreen and hat
Umbrella or wet weather coat
Needle and thread for running repairs
Safety pins
Ipod, earphones or travel dock
Mobile Phone with roam facility (arrange with your provider before you leave), or an Indian SIM card Jio has the best reception in this area. You must have a mobile that is not locked to a telecommunications company to use with another SIM. i.e if your phone is under contract with your phone provider it will not work with another SIM card
Book to read (spiritual or personal development preferably)
Camera
Bottle of Isocol or similar for receiving or giving sweeps

Clothes:

Conservative India clothing, long lose Punjabi suits and scarves
Comfortable walking shoes, no need for dress shoes
Sandals, thongs/flip flops - As shoes are left outside the ashram and temples it is advised you bring a spare pair as sometimes shoes go missing. Better to bring old rather than new shoes.
Appropriate temple clothes for ashram. Nothing tight, see through, no cleavage, no bare legs. Conservative Punjabi suits are easy.
In November Vellore will experience hot and humid weather with daytime highs averaging around 29°C to 33°C (85°F to 92°F) and nighttime lows dropping to a comfortable 21°C to 23°C (69°F to 74°F).
Raincoat/jacket in case of wet weather
Comfortable clothing for lounging when in your room
Shoes are not worn in the Ashram.
Socks or slippers for wearing in your room

Food

Breakfast is included. The food in the ashram is simple wholesome clean Indian food.
For other meals most choose to eat at Divine Cafe next door to the ashram and this is recommended. A wide variety of good vegetarian food is available here.

Alcohol is forbidden

You may like to bring some healthy munchies (muesli bars, nuts, sultanas, etc), airtight plastic bags / container to protect from ants etc. , tea bags and herbal teas
Remember it’s a purification retreat, healthy snacks are recommended
If you have special dietary requirements please bring what you require e.g. gluten free, especially for breakfast (I take GF muesli)

General Information:

We strongly advise you see your doctor for medical travel advice. If you are susceptible to chest infections etc you may need to bring antibiotics as a precaution
Travel insurance is compulsory – a copy of your policy is required to be emailed to retreats@shaktidurga.com prior to departure with reference India Amma November 2026.
Excess Baggage Please be aware the domestic planes in India are very restrictive on weight allowances, usually allowing no more than 15kg before attracting excess baggage fees that can range from $10 to $20 per kilo.
Temperature: forecast for this time of year suggests temperatures between 29°C to 33°C (85°F to 92°F) and nighttime lows dropping to a comfortable 21°C to 23°C (69°F to 74°F).
The mattresses/beds in the ashram are quite hard. You may wish to bring a foam underlay to make it softer.
Wifi - can be arranged via reception at the Peedam ashram for an additional fee

What to bring on Retreat