Feb 11, 2010

Dhamma Giri: The Early Days (Origins of the Global Pagoda)

The Global Vipassana Pagoda owes its immediate history to the early days of spread of Vipassana in India, establishing of first Dhamma centres such as Dhamma Giri and Dhamma Thali. Pioneering Dhamma workers paved the way for future generations to gain immense benefits of pure Dhamma service.

The first 10-day course was held in Dhamma Giri in October, 1976. Currently, over 12,000 students annually participate in twice-monthly ten-days and longer courses, in the world's largest Vipassana meditation centre. 

Over 150 Vipassana centres function independently worldwide; thousands of Vipassana centres will serve beings in coming centuries.

How much Vipassana benefits all beings depends on how much each individual meditator develops his or her practice of Vipassana -  grows in purity, and shares merits gained.

The most crucial Dhamma service is to "Be Happy ! Meditate. meditate, meditate!" 



Pagoda with meditation cells, Dhamma Giri. The exterior design of the Global Pagoda and the Dhamma Giri Pagoda are based on the Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon, Burma.

Dhamma Giri: The Early Days

By Dr. Geo Poland

I remember the first time I heard about Dhamma Giri. It was at the end of the course in Khandala, when Goenkaji announced that they had been looking for a centre near Bombay; they had found a piece of land and purchased this land in a town named Igatpuri, about three hours north of Bombay. As it happened, our train to Bombay stopped at Igatpuri for about twenty minutes to change engines. And so a friend and I got off the train and looked around at the beautiful landscape; we were so inspired and excited about the possibility of a centre coming up, that then and there we decided to go and see Goenkaji at his office in Bombay the next day and ask his permission to return to the land to sit and meditate for a few days.

Dhamma Giri Pagoda in 1982

In those days I was a hippy with long hair and long beard, as was my friend. But it also so happened that at the end of that course I decided to leave those hippy days behind. So I went to the local barber's shop and had my haircut and beard shaved off. Then we went on down to Bombay. The next day we went to Goenkaji's office and requested the secretary if we could have a few words with him and we were told to wait in the waiting room. I must admit I was a bit nervous as I'd never had any contact with Goenkaji, other than as a student sitting at his feet. After a short period of waiting, I was told I could go in and see him and so I walked into his office. As soon as he saw me, he burst out laughing. I couldn't understand what was going on and I reached nervously for my beard, which was my habit whenever I got nervous. Then I realized that my beard had been shaved off and that he didn't recognize me. I asked if we could go and meditate at the land. He was happy to let us do so and he was also happy that we had cut our hair short and shaved off our beards, because he felt that it was very important that the first few people that went to Dhamma Giri would be viewed by the townspeople as representing Goenkaji and the technique of Vipassana meditation.

Myanmar Gate: The main entrance to Dhamma Giri, in gratitude to Burma that preserved Vipassana in its purity for millennia


So the next day we took the train up to Dhamma Giri and contacted Mr Bhojraj who showed us up to the land. At that time there were only three buildings on the property. There was an old farmhouse where some resident farmers were staying and a large warehouse. And then there was a three- room bungalow, which is still in existence at Dhamma Giri today. So Mr Bhojraj showed us up to the bungalow and opened the door and told us this was where we could stay. That night he came back with a few other meditators from the town and we had a small group sitting outside, under the stars. We stayed to meditate for a few days and then we had to leave, due to previous commitments.

When I returned to Dhamma Giri about two weeks later, Graham Gambie from Australia, who had been living up in Darjeeling, had heard about the land being purchased and had immediately come down. We were both very excited about the new centre and we wrote a letter to Goenkaji, requesting his advice as to what we should do: should we start digging gardens and planting flowers; what should we do to improve the site and begin the work on the centre?

We very soon received his inspiring reply: "Dear Geo and Graham, Be happy! Meditate! Meditate! Meditate! Clean yourselves and clean the atmosphere of the centre." So this became our goal.

For article: Dhamma Giri - the Early Days

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* Directions to reach the Global Pagoda
* Directions to reach Dhamma Giri* Vipassana meditation courses worldwide, course venues, online application for beginners' 10-day residential Vipassana courses
* Global Pagoda Developmental Projects - Phase Two

Feb 2, 2010

Directions to the Global Vipassana Pagoda, India

Global Pagoda Timings: 9.00 am to 7.00 pm. Open all days of the week.

(The last ferry leaves Gorai jetty to the Global Pagoda at 5.25 pm)

Visiting the Global Pagoda is free of charge. There is no entry fee.

* Vipassana students - those who have taken one or more 10-day Vipassana courses as taught by Sayagyi U S.N.Goenka - are permitted to meditate inside the main dome Dhamma Hall of the Global Pagoda.

How to reach Global Vipassana Pagoda, Gorai / Borivali, Mumbai, India:
The Global Pagoda can be reached overland by car, as well by ferry. Pre-paid taxi services are available at the Mumbai domestic and international airports. Ask for "Esselworld", if "Global Vipassana Pagoda" draws a blank stare. The Global Pagoda is within the Esselworld Park premises.

Reaching Global Vipassana Pagoda by Road from Mumbai City / Domestic Airport / International Airport / Railway Stations in Mumbai
  1. Reach Western Express Highway and go North towards Dahisar/Borivali/Ahmedabad.
  2. Cross the Dahisar Toll Booth and keep going straight.
  3. When you reach the Mira-Bhayandar crossing, turn Left towards Mira-Bhayandar. The crossing has a statue of Shivaji Maharaj positioned at the centre.
  4. Keep going straight till you reach Golden Nest Circle. At the Golden Nest Circle, take a left turn and stay on the main road.
  5. Keep going straight till you take a hard right turn at the end of the road. This point will come after Maxus Mall, which comes on your right. After the hard right turn, take a left at the T point junction.
  6. Keep following directions to Esselworld or Global Vipassana Pagoda from this point forward.
  7. When you reach the Esselworld Parking Lot, go ahead a few metres and take a right turn towards Esselworld. Tell the guard at the security post that you want to go to the Pagoda.
  8. Keep going straight till you reach the Helipad. At the Helipad, take a right turn to the Global Pagoda Road through the Sanchi Arch.

The Pagoda is about 42 km from the Domestic Airport Terminal.

Please click here For more detailed directions and maps

Hiring a car for airport pick-up to Global Vipassana Pagoda:

Private taxis and vehicles can also be hired from many car rentals in Mumbai, besides the airport pre-paid taxi service. Rates may vary. Many Vipassana students make use of the services of private taxi operator Mr Jagdish Maniyar. Contact : Tel (Res): 91-22-26391010 or cell phone 09869255079. As of February 2011, Mr Maniyar charges Rs 800 ( approx US $17, 13 Euros) for airport pickup to Global Pagoda (inclusive of road taxes). From Mumbai airport to Dhamma Giri Vipassana centre, Igatpuri, he charges Rs 2,550 (approx US $56).

From Borivali Railway station:
From Borivali Station (Western Railway, Mumbai) please use the western exit gates of the station (for the train from Churchgate, the exit is on the left). One can take Bus number 294 or hire an auto rickshaw (tuk-tuk) to Gorai Creek. The bus fare is Rs. 6 and auto rickshaw fare is approx Rs. 25 (approx US $0.50) to Rs 35.
For the auto-rickshaw, please take one heading to your right, after crossing the road from the western exit of the railway station. The Gorai jetty is approximately 10-15 minutes-ride from Borivili station. Please take the ferry for Esselworld from Gorai Jetty. The return fare for the ferry is Rs. 35/- per person.
On arrival at Esselworld, you will see signs guiding to take you to Global Pagoda (which anyway is too big to be missed !).
The Dhamma Pattana Vipassana Centre is less than five minutes walking distance from the Esselworld Jetty gate.

Prefer a shorter sea trip? One can take the more frequent (and humbler) ferry to Gorai Village (Rs 5 one way - actually it's only a jetty, the village is not in visible distance). From there, shared autorickshaws (Rs 15 a seat, or Rs 40 for 3 passengers) and the more quaint horse-drawn carriages (Rs 10 a seat) are available for a nice ride to the Essel World entrance through the flat landscape of marshlands. The Global Pagoda, a brief walk from the gates, is of course visible throughout the 10-minute ride from the Gorai Village jetty.

Other Bus Numbers to Gorai: From Kurla railway station (West) - 309 L; From Mulund station (West) - 460 L;From Ghatkopar Bus Depot - 488 L (please re-confirm before boarding bus)

Wishing you a very happy and most beneficial visit to the Global Pagoda.

For any further details and assistance, please contact:

Global Vipassana Pagoda
Telephone: 91 22 33747501 (30 lines)
Email: pr@globalpagoda.org

Pagoda Address:
Global Vipassana Pagoda
Next to Esselworld, Gorai Village,
Borivali (West), Mumbai 400091

For sending any post/courier, please use this address:

Head Office Global Vipassana Foundation
2nd Floor, Green House, Green Street, Fort
Mumbai – 400 023

Telephone: +91 22 22665926 / 22664039
Fax: +91 22 22664607

Dhamma Pattana Vipassana Centre
Inside Global Vipassana Pagoda Campus
Next to Esselworld, Gorai Village,
Borivali (West), Mumbai 400091
Tel: [91] (22) 3374 7519
Fax: [91] (22) 3374 7518
Email: info@pattana.dhamma.org

* Vipassana meditation courses worldwide, course venues, online application for beginners' 10-day residential Vipassana courses

* One-day Vipassana courses at Global Pagoda (for those who have completed a 10-day Vipassana course)

New website of Global Vipassana Pagoda