Amma’s visit to Pontgouin Amma Center
1–2 November, Pontgouin, France
After the programs in southern France, Amma traveled toward Chartres, near Paris, and stayed the night at the Amma Center in Pontgouin. Under the moon, beside the pond and the old castle, Amma sang bhajans and served dinner prasad to the volunteers, warming hearts in the chilly 6°C wind.
The Ashram is an ancient castle—originally a 13th-century manor—set within a large park and fields. It retains the old moat, now home to ducks and geese, three slate-roofed towers, and a farmhouse with stables and barns, altogether spread across six hectares.
In the morning, Amma toured the gardens -vegetable garden, under the trees with yellow and brown leaves- and the unique “bee house,” built only of hay, clay, and wood. Its walls hold beehives, and the bees themselves maintain the room’s temperature through winter and summer. There is no electrification or heating. The bees’ entrance is from outside the wall. The soft buzz is constant, and the hives yearly yielded nearly 500 kg of honey. Amma reviewed many aspects of the structure with loving attention.
By the pond, Amma fed the fish and stepped into a small boat. Taking the oar, she rowed across—left, right, and to the far edges—while the devotee who had prepared the boat sat quietly inside, watching with tears of joy. After about twenty minutes, when Amma returned to shore, cheers and smiles filled the air.
The devotee Ojas, who lives at the Amma Center, had applied for leave from his workplace, but it was not sanctioned. He could not travel to Aix-en-Provence and would not be able to attend the Chartres program either. He had only one Sunday off—and he was the one chosen to be in the boat with Amma, a once-in-a-lifetime blessing.
Since its acquisition in 2002, the Amma Center, Pontgouin, has been steadily restored to historic conservation standards while evolving into a model ecological campus. Extensive vegetable gardens help sustain the residents.
The center is also home to an ecovillage dedicated to a sustainable and supportive way of life. Residents use bio-sourced materials, renewable energy, and thoughtful water systems, balancing family life, seva, and spiritual practice. Twenty-eight homes welcome a diverse, multi-generational community.
These houses follow eco-building standards: highly insulated, near-passive design; no fossil-fuel heating; dry toilets; and solar hot water. One example is a 140 m² family home heated with about 2 m³ of wood per year. Water and sanitation rely on three reed-bed systems that recycle greywater, and the site hydrology—valleys, ponds, and basins—supports wet winters and dry summers.
Amma also visited the new old-age home near the ecovillage. As she arrived, a rainbow arced in welcome. Amma performed a small puja, led a prayer with the ten residents, gave darshan, and took a group photo with the residents and sevaks before proceeding to the main program venue.
-KaliCharan
