A one lakh capacity meditation centre, claimed to be the world's largest such facility, was inaugurated on Tuesday at the global headquarters of the Heartfulness Institute and the Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) in Hyderabad, which impart training in Raja Yoga system of meditation.
"The centre that can accommodate one lakh meditation practitioners at a time was unveiled in the presence of Yoga guru Baba Ramdev and other dignitaries to mark the 75th anniversary of the formation of Ram Chandra Mission and Heartfulness Institute," a release said.
It was dedicated to the first guide of Heartfulness Lalaji Maharaj, by Kamlesh Patel, also known as Daaji, the present guide of Heartfulness, at its global headquarters in Kanha Shantivanam.
Built on 30 acres, the meditation centre with a central hall and eight peripheral halls to accommodate 1,00,000 people will offer meditation training free, the release said.
Daaji said "The meditation centre has been carefully designed not just as a structure of physical importance but as an inspiration for all those who seek to better their lives through practise of meditation - the magnanimous gift made available to humankind by the universe."
Commemorating 75 years of SRCM and Heartfulness Institute, three 3-day sessions from January 28-30, February 1-3 and February 7-9 will be held.
President Ram Nath Kovind and social activist Anna Hazare will address the practitioners on February 2 and February 8 respectively while Baba Ramdev delivered his address on January 29, it said.
Heartfulness is a Raja Yoga system of meditation, which is also known as Sahaj Marg or the Natural Path. It originated at the turn of the 20th century and was formalised with the founding of the Shri Ram Chandra Mission in 1945 in India, according to the release.