VICTOR KANNAN recently visited the Inner Peace Museum at Kanha Shanti Vanam, and invites us inside its doors to feel the calmness that inner peace brings.
In the heart’s core,
A sacred calmness resides,
Inner peace endures.
Most peace museums around the world are dedicated to wars. Indeed, they are peace museums because they remind us of what passed, and that which should never come to pass again. However, in Kanha Shanti Vanam, on the outskirts of Hyderabad in India, there is a museum that is dedicated to a different kind of peace: peace of mind, peace of heart, and peace of soul. It is first of all a humble tribute to the great souls of humanity who tread the path of unity and love, the path of spirituality, and of the Almighty. And it is also more than that. The Inner Peace Museum is unique in that it is an experiential museum. It proffers to the visitor an opportunity to soak in its lush, verdant surroundings, meditate in its atmosphere effused with subtle Divinity, be inspired by its art and installations, and feel inner peace.
World peace is achievable once individual peace is at hand. And peace is already there. Our philosophy makes us understand that: peace is our fundamental nature. A meditative practice helps us arrive at a meditative state and constantly keeps fuelling peace within as well as with people we meet, wherever we go; we are in some way contributing to peace because of who we are.
The intensity of your inner peace will be exposed the moment you drop all ideas of pride, ego, desires, etc. You will be unburdened so much that you will be surprised with your own nature which is full of peace.
—Daaji
The exhibits of the Inner Peace Museum reflect humanity’s quest for the highest through the ages, and the inner journey inspired by the world’s rich spiritual heritage, realized through meditation.
The artists who contribute their original work for the museum come from around the world. Inspired by their stay and experiences in the pristine environment of Kanha Shanti Vanam, they create in the museum studio. These individual and collective works represent diverse faiths and schools of thought from around the world, ranging from the ancient forms of worship to modern scientific ideas, all united in the singular urge of all life to evolve to the Highest.
The Inner Peace Museum inspires us to focus on true peace, the inner peace in our hearts, which if established will automatically lead to external peace. It also brings to light the universal concept of Unity, the fact that we are all united by that singular urge to evolve to the highest as human beings, whether through religious thought, science, philosophy, literature, art, music, spirituality, or simply by virtue of being human.
The Inner Peace Museum inspires us to
focus on true peace, the inner peace in our
hearts, which if established will
automatically lead to external peace.
For more information, please contact us at ipm@heartfulness.org.
Victor Kannan
