‘TRUE FREEDOM HEALING RETREAT’ is located in Amboori or Amboory, as it used to be spelt. It is a village with a population of around 17,000, in the south east of Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) district in the state of Kerala in India.
Amboori is 40 km (25 miles) from the Agastiya mountain peak where Sage Agastiya, the founder of Ayurveda, is believed to have built his hermitage.
Situated in the southern tip of the Western Ghats, Amboori is surrounded by hills, the grama panchayaths of Vellarada in the south, Aryancode in the south-west and Kallikkadu in the west. The eastern part is covered by the densely forested Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary. In the south east is the state of Tamil Nadu.
Amboori is well-known for high-yielding rubber plantations; however, coconut, pepper, herbs, and medicinal plants are also cultivated.
Near Amboori is the impressive Neyyar Reservoir and Dam.
In the western hills of Amboori there is a large boulder called the Dravyappara (the treasure rock). It is believed that Raja of Venad, later Thiruvithamcore or Travancore, on his exile, spent his days on the top of this rock. There are seventy two steps carved on the side of the boulder allowing one to ascend to the top. The height of the Dravyappara is approximately 700 ft from its base and approximately 1500 ft above sea level.
| Legend has it that the poor citizens of Amboory used to get small loans from an unnamed devata (spirit) of the Dravyappara. If they asked aloud for money as they stood next to a large granite door on the northeastern side of the rock, the devata would grant their request and a granite bucket on the south eastern side of the door would be filled with the required amount. It was expected to be paid back in a reasonable time frame by dropping the money in the bucket and pronouncing aloud that the money was deposited without looking inside the door.
However, one day a young man, while returning the loan of his father, waited to see who the lender was. Eventually he saw a beautiful nude woman come out, take the money, and turn to go inside. She saw the young man and, immediately the door of the Dravyappara closed for ever with a large thunderclap.
There are villagers who believe that one day the door will open again, and they perform pujas (worship rituals) regularly on the southeastern side of the Dravyappara where there are three narrow entrances.
The Kani Tribe of Amboory has another legend in which one of the oldest devotees of the Dravyappara received a divine vision of a Devi (goddess) while performing his puja. She reportedly told him, "I will open the door for you provided you can sow and reap the rice in a single day" from a certain paddy field. However, the tribe has no conclusion to the story.
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