Mata Amritanandamayi Math, is situated at Amritapuri in Vallickavu, a small fishing village at a distance of about 30 km from Kollam town. The ashram which houses more than 2,500 disciples and householders as full-time residents is located at the site of the birth place and childhood home of Mata Amrithanandamayi or Amma or Ammichi as she is popularly known. Thousands of people around the world come to experience her unique 'darshan', in which she holds each devotee in her arms like a mother embracing a child. There are frequent buses from Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram to Kayamkulam from where there are local buses to Vallikavu.