The standard
What sattvic-certified means here
Every house on Saptapuri is checked against the criteria below before it is listed, and again each season by the manager we pay in that city. A house that fails a criterion is not listed at a discount. It is not listed.
The criteria are published in full so that a family deciding from eight hundred kilometres away can hold us to them. Where a house has not yet been surveyed, its page says so rather than implying otherwise.
The method
Four stages
01
Purity
A vegetarian kitchen without onion or garlic, separate vessels, water tested twice a year, and no alcohol on the premises.
02
Worship
A working shrine with aarti at fixed hours and a named priest attached to the house, reachable without a broker in between.
03
Access
Distance to the water walked and timed by us, published in minutes, with the number of steps and whether the lane admits a vehicle.
04
Comfort
A ground-floor room in every house, linen changed daily, and someone awake at the desk all night.
In full
Every criterion
Purity
- Pure vegetarian kitchen
- No meat, fish, or eggs prepared or permitted anywhere on the premises.
- No alcohol on premises
- Alcohol is not served, sold, or permitted in guest rooms or common areas.
- Sattvic meals available
- Meals prepared without onion or garlic, on request, with advance notice.
Worship
- Dedicated puja space
- A clean, quiet space set aside for personal worship, with a shelf or altar.
- Ganga jal available
- Vessels and Ganga jal available for morning ritual on request.
- Early check-in for darshan
- Reception staffed before 4 AM so guests can leave for mangala aarti.
- Priest arrangement on request
- A known local priest can be arranged for puja with advance notice.
Access
- Walking distance to ghat
- Under 500 metres on foot to the nearest ghat.
- Step-free access
- Entrance and at least one guest room reachable without stairs.
- Assisted temple transport
- Pre-arranged vehicle and escort to the temple for elderly guests.
Comfort
- Observed quiet hours
- No amplified music or events. Quiet enforced from 9 PM to 5 AM.
- Hindi-speaking staff on site
- At least one staff member fluent in Hindi present at all times.
Verification
How verification works
A manager walks every listed house each season, times the distance to the water on foot, and eats in the kitchen. Each criterion a house meets carries the date it was checked and the name of the person who checked it. Where those are absent, no survey has happened yet.