Some rise from your own restless heart.
As they say, train journeys are always special. They are like, wise grandmothers who make the young souls wiser with thousands of meaningful stories. Don’t they?
Now let’s play a small game together. Close your eyes. Pause for a minute. Take a slow, deep breath. Which train journey knocks on your heart first?
To me, it was more than just a train journey. It was something bigger — much more intense than I ever wanted to keep till my last breath. As if I had been dreaming of that day for a long! And then imagine having that long-cherished dream come true in front of my waiting eyes! Come, let me take you along on that breathtaking journey.
It was November 2023. That year, November arrived like a soft knock on my restless heart. It was around 8 a.m. on a Monday. I started my journey. If you also belong to a small town or a village like me, you can easily relate to how we need to cope with the crowd of a local train with big trolleys and bags. So was my story!
As a small-town girl, I needed to reach Kolkata first. Then I boarded a long-distance train towards Coimbatore with a backpack, a bottle of water, and a thousand unnamed thoughts. The city I left behind was loud with ambitions. Competitions, expectations, and endless comparisons. Suddenly, it started feeling so strange. It was as if I was travelling not just across states, but away from a version of myself that was always in a hurry.
It was a last-minute plan. Therefore, all I managed to get was an ordinary sleeper coach. To all my wanderers, I hope you know the chaos and crowd there well! But I felt something more. It seemed that there was an unspoken truth and unseen sparkles amid all the chaos. Inside me, it felt as if the train cut through India like a moving meditation. Green fields blurred into rivers, rivers into towns, towns into mountains. Somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, I felt lighter. As if each station was taking a small weight off my chest.
It was 12 a.m. After a long journey, I finally arrived in Coimbatore. The station lights flickered like tired stars. I spent that night there, sitting on my backpack, half-awake, half-dreaming. Something was humbling about railway platforms at midnight. Then I stared at the strangers sleeping beside strangers. In a moment, the station seemed like the most honest place in this world!
No makeup. No pretence. Only tired bodies and unfinished journeys. At first, I managed to get a seat on a metal bench. The ceiling fan humming above me seemed like an old lullaby there. But all my efforts to fall asleep went in vain! It was so uncomfortable that I went to another waiting room and spent that night there on a sofa. Although it was not very comfortable, it felt strangely peaceful. For the first time in months, I wasn’t chasing anything. I was simply there. No one asked who I was. It seemed as if the world had suddenly paused.
In a small nap, it was already morning. I woke up to the announcements of the Vande Bharat Express, probably towards the South. At that time, newspapers were being given to the passengers. Opening my eyes, it felt as if the morning washed the station in pale gold. The bright rays enhanced my inner excitement to explore a new city with countless dreams. I took an auto and reached a nearby hotel. After freshening up, I stood before the mirror and noticed something. The exhaustion in my eyes had softened. As if the journey itself had begun healing me.
As they say, time flies so fast! It was around 4 p.m. My heart was beating with quiet anticipation. I boarded our bus, moving toward the foothills of the Velliangiri Mountains. There, the sky seemed wider. The air was quieter. And then suddenly, between earth and eternity — He appeared.
The majestic face of the Adiyogi Shiva Statue. One hundred and twelve feet of absolute stillness.
It seemed as if He was there not to demand any attention, but to complete the landscape. Moreover, His closed eyes seemed to hold centuries of silence. For a while, I stood there being numb. It was like 154 centimeters of a fragile human life looking up at 112 feet of cosmic calm. Yet, it felt like no smallness, only belonging. There, the wind felt slower. Even my thoughts seemed to walk instead of run. I was enamoured of the slow life — how people fed the innocent cows, how there was a peaceful sparkle in everything there!
By the time the clock neared six. The sun dipped, the dusk deepened. Suddenly, the ground became full of a crowd. All were gathering for the 14-minute light and sound show. So was I, sitting in the place in front of Him. I was truly overwhelmed. Then, the first decibel touched my ear. I witnessed how the first beam of light touched Adiyogi’s face. Suddenly, something inside me shifted. I felt as if all the confusion and anxieties inside me suddenly paused. Colors flowed over Adiyogi’s face like liquid galaxies. The music vibrated through the open air while the narration echoed across the grounds. I felt so calm and alone — alone in the most comforting way. Therefore, I raised my phone, tapped on the camera option, and started recording everything for those who had never been there. Halfway through, I lowered it. As they say, “Some moments are not meant to be captured. They are meant to be absorbed.” Somewhere between the shifting lights and the echoing chants, I found a definition of peace.
Peace is not a place you visit. It secretly lies in how that place contributes to your mindset and your eagerness for acceptance. I had always thought peace meant escaping noise. But standing there, surrounded by people, music, and light — I understood that peace is the ability to remain unmoved within movement. Simply, it would not stay with you if you chased it. But it would stay forever if you could keep it inside.
Then, the parting bell rang and it was the final moment before leaving that cosmic place. My soul hardly wanted to leave. To all my dear travelers, I could not explain how I felt inside, but it was impossible to deny. As if I were not the same person who had arrived at midnight on a railway bench. I walked more slowly. I breathed deeper. My voice felt softer. Adiyogi did not speak — yet I heard everything.
Boarding our bus for the return journey, I watched the captured video again. Suddenly, a new dream grew quietly inside me. What if I could stay there not as a tourist with a camera, but as a volunteer with folded hands? I wished to feed the cows, practice yoga, and worship the cosmic power. To serve. To learn. To dissolve a little more.
Echoes from My Cosmic Journey :
Some journeys only show you places or add photographs to your gallery. But my 40-hour long journey to Adiyogi rewrote the rhythm of my heartbeat. I am still in that dreamy evening. As if somewhere between a midnight railway bench and a 112 feet gaze of eternity, I found a quieter version of myself — one I hope never to lose.
Now, this is your turn!
Now, you might like to experience that unforgettable feeling too. Ain’t I right? If yes, listen to your fellow wanderer carefully.
There are journeys you plan with spreadsheets. And there are journeys you plan with courage. A visit to Adiyogi is both. So, no matter what kind of traveller you are, your travelling companion is always with you!
For my Slow Dreamers
If you believe journeys should unfold like one of your most interesting books from the bookshelf, take a train from your hometown to Coimbatore.
• Duration: 36 to 42 hours.
• Budget: ₹900 for a ticket for a sleeper coach to ₹3,000 or more for air-conditioned classes.
Remember, this route is not the fastest. But it is the most poetic. Boarding the train, take a moment to look outside from your window. See how landscapes change like chapters. Sleep to the rhythm of iron wheels and wake up somewhere new.
For my Time-Keeper Corporate Travelers
I know how you managed this trip! So, you’d better fly to Coimbatore via Chennai or Bangalore.
• Travel Time: 5 to 8 hours.
• Budget: ₹4,000 to ₹8,000.
Just remember, your calendar is tight, but your heart is curious about Adiyogi.
Now, the next question comes to your mind, where to stay! From budget backpackers to comfort seekers, there are plenty of options just like the countless colourful orchids. So, stay where your budget supports your dream and your heart finds what it wishes!
Now the moment has arrived, how to reach there! So simple, just like you solve 2+2 = 4 in a second! Remember, from Coimbatore city, Adiyogi is about 30 km away. There are a few options;
• Take a local bus to the Isha Yoga Center, it is the cheapest way.
• Take a shared taxi, it depends on what you like.
• Take a taxi it costs ₹800 to ₹1,200 for a round trip.
Pro Tips Before You Go
1. Visit from October to February — when the air is kinder, and the evenings wrap around you gently.
2. Arrive by late afternoon. Adiyogi is not meant to be seen in harsh sunlight alone — He reveals Himself fully at dusk.
3. Wear comfortable and respectful clothes. Just remember, as it matters the most to you, it should respect the purpose as well.
Finally, to all the kindred wanderers, do not go there to tick a box. Do not go there only for social media. Go there only if your soul truly wants to absorb the magical calmness in front of the 112-foot of stillness. Do not ask for miracles. Ask for clarity. Because sometimes, the greatest souvenir you can bring back from Coimbatore is not a photograph. It is a quieter heartbeat.
To be continued...
