The
ashram
itself
is
a
huge
complex
with
room
for
thousands,
with
canteens,
shops,
a
museum
and
library,
and
a
vast
assembly
hall
where
Sai
Baba
gives
darshan
twice
daily
(6.45-7.00
AM
and
3.45-4.00
PM).
Queues
start
more
than
an
hour
before
the
appointed
time,
and
a
lottery
decides
who
gets
to
sit
near
the
front.
One
of
the
oft-visited
locations
in
the
ashram
is
the
museum,
perched
on
a
nearby
hillock.
The
museum
contains
models
of
various
temple
structures
including
the
Golden
Temple
of
Amritsar,
the
Mecca
mosque,
etc.
The
story
of
Satya
Sai
Baba,
right
from
his
birth
to
the
time
he
attained
Nirvana,
are
also
depicted
in
the
form
of
pictures.
The
museum
is
open
daily
from
10
AM
to
12
noon.
It
contains
a
detailed,
fascinating
display
on
the
major
faiths
with
illustrations
and
quotations
from
their
sacred
texts,
punctuated
by
Sai
Baba's
comments.
Within
the
campus
of
the
ashram,
there
is
a
sophisticated
planetarium
as
well.
The
Sri
Satya
Sai
Institute
of
Higher
Medical
Sciences
became
operational
in
November
1991.
Within
a
period
of
four
years,
it
had
performed
4,250
heart
surgeries.
The
interesting
part
of
the
institute
is
that
it
runs
its
services
free
of
charge,
irrespective
of
caste,
creed,
nationality,
and
status.
This
institute
is
fast
becoming
a
leading
center
for
cardiac
surgery,
interventional
cardiology
and
sophisticated
diagnostic
and
therapeutic
methodologies
for
diseases
of
the
heart,
and
is
ably
supported
by
a
team
of
dedicated
cardiac
surgeons,
cardiologists,
anesthetists
and
technical
staff.
The
support
facilities
include
a
central
sterilization
department,
blood
bank,
clinical
laboratories,
diet
kitchen,
laundry
and
central
stores
among
others.
In
order
to
ensure
a
constant
supply
of
skilled
personnel
and
to
provide
worthy
vocational
training,
a
nursing
school
was
also
established
in
September
1992.
The
institute
has
an
uro-nephrology
department,
ophthalmology
department,
x-ray
unit,
blood
bank,
total
body-scanning
unit,
and
vitreoretinal
services
cell.
Sai
Baba
founded
the
Sri
Satya
Sai
Institute
of
Higher
Learning
on
November
22,
1981.
An
autonomous
body,
it
has
been
recognized
by
the
Ministry
of
Education,
Government
of
India,
and
the
University
Grants
Commission
(UGC)
as
a
deemed
university.
To
effectively
mold
a
student's
personality,
hostel
living
has
been
made
compulsory
and
patterned
in
the
ancient
gurukula
style.
