Dhamma Pāla

Dhamma Pāla ('one who protects Dhamma') is the Bhopal Vipassana Centre, near Kerwa Dam at Daulatpura, Bhopal. It was established in May 2009 on 5 acres; before that, courses had been held at temporary sites in and around Bhopal since 1984. It is run by the Madhya Pradesh Vipassana Samiti, a registered charitable trust, and a city office in Arera Colony handles registration. The centre has a Dhamma hall, a mini hall, single rooms with attached bathrooms for 40 men and 30 women, teachers' residences and a dining hall; the rooms and the hall are air-cooled, and the pagoda has 116 air-cooled cells. The centre gives distances of about 18 km from Bhopal railway station, 17 km from Rani Kamlapati (Habibganj) station and 27 km from Raja Bhoj airport. Every route passes Kerwa Dam, a well-known picnic spot, and the centre is 2.5 km beyond it. According to the centre's site, each year it holds 19 to 20 ten-day courses, two Satipatthana courses, separate 7-day teenagers' courses for boys and girls, short courses for old students and children's courses; its expansion page also lists Special 10-day and 20-, 30- and 45-day courses. Some 10-day courses receive more than 350 applications, and as of 2026 an expansion is under way. Sanchi is 46 km north-east of Bhopal.

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).