The Aurobindo Ashram was founded in 1926 and from a small group of two dozen disciples into a large diversified community; it has grown into a full-fledged ashram with more than 1200 members. Along with this there are more than 400 students who form a part of the centre of education and hundreds of devotees who live nearby, the larger community forms more than 2000 people. Unlike the other ashrams most of which are located in a secluded place, this ashram lies in the middle of busy city which is inhabited by more than 700, 000 people. It is right in the middle of a vibrant centre of life in a modern urban setting. The ashram and its community have a dynamic character and reflect aim of Sri Aurobindo's Yoga. The ashramites consider work as an offering to the divine and thus spend a considerable part of their time in the ashram doing service for the poor and the needy. They are always engaged in some form of productivity in one of other Ashram's department.

The ashram has a spiritual discipline as a part of which there are no obligatory practices, no rituals, no compulsory medications or systematic instructions in the yoga. They don't have to do anything out of compulsion but according to their wish. The asmramites or Sadhaks are given the freedom to determine their own course and place of their sadhana or systematic instructions of yoga. However there is one general principle of sadhana which applies to all which is that one must surrender to the divine and an opening to the divine force so that it may work to transform one's being.

Located in the eastern part of Pondicherry, this Ashram provides a lot of people an atmosphere to live and work in large numbers. There are a lot of building spread throughout the area which houses a vibrant living and working community. The main block of he ashram is simply called the Ashram and consists of an interconnected block of houses including the ones in which Sri Aurobindo and the mother lived for a considerable part of their lives. In the centre of the ashram is a Samadhi in a tree shaded courtyard.

In the Ashram all the devotes are provided with all they need for a decent and healthy life. There are different departments which are organised to take care of basic needs of the ashramites like food, clothing, and shelter along with medical care. In total there are about 80 departments that include farms, gardens, healthcare, guesthouses, and engineering units among others. Most of these departments grew as a result of one or the other needs the ashramites faced. Another reason why these departments grew into a full-fledged unit was because of the encouragement of the mother who provided all the support to the ashramites who wanted to pursue their art. Along with the day to day functioning of the ashram, these departments also help to instill in the ashramites a sense of work and sadhana and spiritual discipline. Those who want to study also have the facility of a library where they can go and spend some time in pursuit of knowledge. The entire affairs of the ashram are administered by Sri Aurobindo Ashram Trust.

Facilities at Sri Aurobindo Ashram

The various sections of the ashrams are as follows-

Art Gallery - The art gallery was started by the Mother in 1963 who fondly named it 'The Studio' and also gave it a very meaningful message - 'on the physical place, it is in beauty that the divine expresses himself'. The mother was an artist and painter herself who had great interest in art. She thus started this gallery to provide a platform to the young and the old to pursue art as part of their spiritual growth. In this gallery you will find her collection of paintings and photographs which is preserved with great care and attention.

Ashram Library - This library was started in 1954 by the Mother who started it with a message - 'A ibrary must be an intellectual sanctuary. There one should look for light and progress'. The library is housed in a grand French colonial building and has big halls with a little garden in the front. It has about 80,000 books in 25 different languages and hundreds of periodicals. It has a large collection of Indian and Western periodicals which truly makes it an intellectual sanctuary.

Bureau Central - The bureau central provides the ashram with all the information that the visitors require. Some of the services it provides are - it holds a permanent exhibition which introduces the life and yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the mother through their own writings, conducting a video program which gives a basic idea of the ashram and its activities to its followers, there is a large map of Pondicherry with all the relevant places marked on it, provides information on accommodation and information regarding all the activities of the ashram.

Photo Section - This section basically sells various photos of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother to meet the demands of the devotees who come here to visit the ashram. It was started in 1950 in the main ashram building, few days after the death of Sri Aurobindo. Devotees come here from all parts of the world and while leaving they used to ask for the photos of Aurobindo and the Mother. Thus this department was started to meet the needs of such devotees.

Publication Department and Sabda - This department formed in 1934 publishes the works of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother and their disciples in over 15 languages. Its distribution unit is called SABDA which also distributes books of other publishers with related content.

Celebrations at Sri Aurobindo Ashram

Some of the important days celebrated in this ashram are - Sri Aurobindo's birthday on 15h August, the Mother's birthday on 21st February, the Mother's final arrival in Pondicherry, Sidhh day or the day of Victory, Sri Aurobindo's Mahasamadhi day on 5th December, Day of Supramental Manifestation on 29th February, The Mother's Mahasamadhi's day on 17th November and the day her body was laid to rest on 20th November.