Puttaparthi - Other Attractions

Other Attractions

Apart from the main Ashram, Puttaparthi has other places of interest like a Hanuman temple, a village mosque and Sathyabhama temple. Sathyabhama is well known locally as 'Sathyamma' and the temple was built by Late Kondama Raju, grandfather of Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

Initially on the outskirts, it is now in the heart of the much grown town of Puttaparthi. Incidentally, another Sathyamma temple was recently constructed by Baba's elder brother Seshama Raju's son on the Bangalore route (10 km from the Ashram) next to the Gantla Maremma temple.

Other major tourist attractions:

• The Shiva temple constructed on the site where Baba was born. This is further down in to the village from the Sathyamma Temple.
• The 'Kalpa Vriksha' or the Wish Fulfilling Tree that has a prominent place in the childhood life of Baba. It is on the banks of the Chitravathi river.
• The meditation tree on the hillock on the way to the university.

Other important places are the educational institutions such as Sri Sathya Sai University, Sri Sathya Sai Super Speciality Hospital designed by the English architect Dr. Keith Critchlow, Chaitanya Jyothi Museum, Sri Sathya Sai Mirpuri Music College, Sri Sathya Sai Space Theatre, and Sri Sathya Sai Hill View Stadium. The then president of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, inaugurated a new indoor sports stadium — with international standards — in November 2006. Indian legend cricketer Kapil Dev was the special guest on the occasion.

The main attraction at Puttaparthi remained Sathya Sai Baba till his death on 24 April 2011. Visitors can get a good idea of Indian village life by hiring an auto-rickshaw and touring the lake and surrounding villages and by interacting with the villagers.