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 give your hotel address:
Mahaavatar Babaji Meditation Centre, Village Kandwari, Palampur, Dist. Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India P.I.N. 176061.
Phone: 91-1894-235324

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

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

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 indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival

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. Email address for the ashram: sharmasureshplp@mail.com

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

5. 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. While the electronic and paper versions will be accepted for a six-month transition period, travelers are strongly encouraged to submit the e-Arrival Card online to expedite their entry into India

Personal Items - Essential:

Towel - please bring your own bath towel
Dry shampoo - hot water is limited in rooms so you may not be able to wash your hair as often as you do at home
Torch - very important as it's 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 – the roads in this area tend to be winding due to the mountainous terrain. As a precaution, if you tend to suffer from travel sickness, please bring medication with you
Antibacterial hand gel / wipes
Insect repellent - very important as there can be mozzies in the yagashala at this time of year
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

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 not need cash at the Ashram unless you would like to give a donation in addition to the $108 donation you gave when you registered.
There may be an opportunity to go shopping in Palampur, the small town near the ashram where they specialise in shawls. Most shops in Palampur do not take foreign credit cards so you will need cash if you are shopping. There are ATM’s in the town that take foreign cards, e.g. ICICI and SBI.

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
Neck pillow for plane
Ear plugs and eye mask
Portable clothes line for washing smalls and other, no laundry at the ashram but sending washing out can be arranged
Sunglasses
Sunscreen and hat
Raincoat and umbrella
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:

Temperatures may range from a chilly 4°C (39°F) to 16°C (61°F). Expect mornings and evenings to be cool, so warm clothing is recommended
warm coat/hat/gloves
Comfortable walking shoes, no need for dress shoes
Sandals, thongs/flip flops
Socks for wearing at our sessions
Appropriate temple clothes for ashram. Nothing tight, see through, no cleavage, no bare legs. Conservative Punjabi suits are easy.
Will need Raincoat/jacket for wet weather
Footwear joggers
Comfortable clothing for lounging when in your room
Socks or slippers for wearing in your room as the floors are cold

Food:

The food for our retreat is being organised and prepared by Australian chef Prasad. The food will be vegetarian with gluten/dairy free options available to those who nominate these preferences on the personal details form on registration
Alcohol is forbidden
Chai tea will be available at breakfast. Rooms have a kettle. Bring tea and coffee and cup if you want tea or coffee outside those times. Milk can be bought in Palampur however there is no fridge in the room, so bring some instant milk or creamer is you wish.
Some healthy munchies (muesli bars, nuts, sultanas, etc), airtight plastic bags / container to protect from ants etc.
Tea bags, herbal teas
Remember it’s a purification retreat, healthy snacks are recommended
While Chef Prasad will try to accommodation dietary needs, If you have special dietary requirements please bring what you require e.g. gluten free, especially for breakfast (eg GF muesli). Milk and milk alternatives eg oak milk will be available at meal times.

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 with subject: India Insurance March 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: may range from a chilly 4°C (39°F) to a comfortable 16°C (61°F). Layering your clothing is suggested.

The mattresses/beds in the ashram are quite hard. You may wish to bring a foam underlay to make it softer.

Wifi - There is no wifi at the ashram. Jio sim cards work best at the ashram especially at the guesthouse although others such as airtel also work if you that is easier for you to find . You can to purchase sim cards in Delhi and also in Palampur.

What to bring on Retreat!