In 1981, the construction of a few humble thatched huts next to Amma’s family home marked the beginning of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math. The ashram grew around Amma’s childhood home. It was a modest house with 3 rooms and a kitchen. It is built on the site of the original thatched hut, where Amma was born. The handful of brahmacharis slept on the sand under the stars. Amma had a small hut built next to the parents’ house, which doubled as a kitchen, in which she slept with the earliest female disciples. Darshan took place in the family cows’ cowshed that Amma’s father had allowed to be converted into a small temple. This first temple still exists today; it is known as the Kalari, is now used for the conducting pujas. Gradually, huts were added near the parents’ house for the brahmacharis and a proper, yet humble, room was constructed for Amma. This simple room is still where Amma stays today.