As part of our San Diego stay with our first son Nikhil, we visited Swami beach in Encinitas, a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California, it is 25 miles north of San Diego, we first went to see the SRF Golden Lotus Towers, these large lotus towers along South Coast Highway were designed and dedicated to the world by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1948.
Swamiji spent many years in divine communion here and his personal rooms used by him are now being preserved as a shrine.
Swami had dedicated the entire site as a world brotherhood center for people from all over the world to come, gather and learn the intricacies and ideals of Self-realization and right living
We then visited the second and latest temple constructed after the loss of Golden Lotus Temple in a tragic land slide, it is a serene and beautiful church located on a horseshoe-shaped hill overlooking the city and the sea and it was surrounded by tall eucalyptus and pine trees.
It was formerly used as an educational center known as Bishop’s School. It is now divided into apartments with an auditorium seating about 200 people. Regular services are held along with meditations, chanting of keertans, scriptural readings, commemorations, and many opportunities to serve the needy
We later went to the meditation garden which was rated the most peaceful tourist attraction in California state, it was un believable to see such a green and serene park right in the middle of the busy locality, we could luckily get a parking and as we entered we were greeted by a volunteer and were asked to keep our cell volumes low as it was a silent area
The meditation gardens are open to all, every Tuesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are closed on major holidays and when it rains.
The moment we entered ,it was as if we had stepped into a different time zone ,winding paths took us through the garden which had a large variety of plants including succulents preserved so beautifully
Benches were arranged for people to sit and meditate in several nooks ,the Pacific ocean stretched before us majestically and we felt as if the time stood still ,we could see a lot of Indians and Americans strolling around and talking in hushed tones ,some were seen meditating ,my husband took the opportunity and said later that the experience was surreal.
There were streams and ponds and an occasional waterfalls which had huge Koi fish swimming around merrily, in Japan these fish are symbols of good luck, prosperity, good fortune and perseverance, I remarked to my son that it looked very much like Japanese gardens
Refreshed fully, we came out and proceeded to the beach which is named after Swami. We went through the small "Swami" park at the top of the cliff, which had a water fountain, benches, picnic tables, and trees some of them very artistically molded
There were about 160 wooden steps to get down to the ocean, view from the top was exhilarating ,on the way I saw a cute spot named Joy’s Memorial created after a surfer called Joy who died of a heart attack during surfing ,it was a touching thing to see
In no time we got down to the beach, it was incredible experiencing the fresh air, the sand was soft with occasional stones scattered across it.
While coming down the steps and also going up again we saw many surfers carrying their heavy surfing boards effortlessly as this beach was well known for world class surfing , very talented and even professional surfers apparently come to surf here
Swami's beach is available from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. and has lifeguard towers open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m
Encinitas beaches, including Swami's, prohibit pet dogs, transportable barbecue grills, drinking glasses, and any sort of smoking or alcohol which I thought was a good idea to keep the beaches clean
The Swami's Reef is a protected area through the California Marine Life Protection Act, it protects nearby sea life and habitats from removal. In addition, fishing is strictly prohibited in this particular area.
It was a very good experience to visit the beach as San Diego has many beaches, each has its own quaint beauty
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