Where there is Love, there is Sai. Welcome to Sai Prema Nilayam.
Upon arrival, one feels the warmth of Sai’s Love. There are no crowds, just an overwhelming sense of peace. The generous building, a former meeting place of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, greets visitors. Walk into the main hall and you feel divine energy in the hallowed hallways and vaulted ceiling. Welcome to Sai Prema Nilayam.
Nestled in the middle of a quiet town, far from the restless energy of Los Angeles, yet surprisingly accessible to most of Southern California, Sai Prema Nilayam feels like an ideal retreat from worldly encumberments. With room to seat 690 persons and several smaller rooms for service projects, spiritual gatherings, and Sai Spiritual Education classes, the building is designed to be a home to local, regional, national, and international Sai gatherings. Sai Prema Nilayam is destined to host numerous global and interfaith events to spread Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s message of spirituality, selfless service, and promote practice of the five fundamental human values. Its sprawling 6.7 acres will be fertile ground for vegetable farms and Go-Green initiatives.
The Sathya Sai Society of America discovered the lovely property pre-pandemic, and on October 20, 2021, the deed was purchased. It is no coincidence that Sai Prema Nilayam was christened on Avatar Declaration Day. The SSSIO members of Southern California organized safely-distanced weekend service projects where its members had the opportunity to clean, repair, prepare, and nurture this sacred space.
As the world shrugged off its two-year long COVID slumber, the SSSIO- USA National Council decided it was time to come together in person for a conference from April 30, 2022 to May 1, 2022. The local teams went into overdrive. The altar team, food team, logistics team, and transportation team all worked tirelessly for weeks. On April 30, 2022, at 7:00 am, the doors of Sai Prema Nilayam officially opened to welcome about 50 delegates from all over the regions across the country. As the delegates arrived, you could feel the love, divine energy, and peace fill the space. People took their seats, and the collective “Aum” broke the solitude of the last couple of years. The president of the National Council, Mr. Harish Naidu, addressed the room, followed by presentations from all the ten regions and various national wings of the SSSIO-USA.
The day ended on a high note, with an energetic 30-minute bhajan session. The next day, as people left the Sai abode on May 1, 2022, their hearts brimmed with love and their heads turned to look one more time at Sai Prema Nilayam. This was just the beginning.
Welcome to Sai Prema Nilayam.