Dhamma Paduma

Dhamma Paduma ('Lotus of Dhamma') is the Trivandrum Vipassana Meditation Centre, at Vazhode (Vellanad post office), Nedumangad, in Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala. It is about 20 km from Thiruvananthapuram Central railway station and about 25 km from the international airport. From the city bus stand, buses to Vellanad stop at Kannettunada, after Sankaramukham and 5 km before Vellanad, and the centre is about 250 m on foot from there. The centre's site says the land was bought in 2018 and facilities are being added in stages; dhamma.org gives 2014 as the year of the first course. As of 2026 there is a Dhamma hall for about 40 students (up to 60 in the final layout) and a small residential block for about 10, with temporary facilities next to the centre used for accommodation, kitchen and dining. Because of this, 10-day courses take 20 students and are single-gender, alternating between men-only and women-only courses. They are open to Indian students; the centre says foreign students will be admitted once construction is complete. One-day refresher courses and 3-day courses for old students, weekly group sittings and occasional children's courses are also held. dhamma.org lists Malayalam and English as the course languages.

How to apply

Apply online through the centre's page on dhamma.org (in Nepal, start from np.dhamma.org). New students must first complete a 10-day course, and there is no charge.

What is taught here

Donation-funded 10-day courses taught with S. N. Goenka's recorded instructions, in the line of Sayagyi U Ba Khin, at centres in Nepal and worldwide. Read about Goenka (U Ba Khin).