International headquarters of the Theosophical Society, Adyar

The Adyar campus, on the river of the same name in Chennai, has been the international headquarters of the Theosophical Society since 1882, a few years after Helena Blavatsky and Henry Olcott founded it in New York in 1875. Annie Besant presided over it for more than a quarter of a century and died there in 1933. The grounds hold the headquarters building, the Adyar Library and Research Centre, the archives, gardens with shrines of different religions and a famous banyan tree. It hosts the International Convention around each new year and offers accommodation for visitors and members.