After The Traitors, Lakshmi Manchu seeks solace in a secret temple city in Italy
The Traitors
,
escaped into the quiet of the Italian mountains, seeking a spiritual reset in a place she had been trying to visit for over eight years —
Damanhur
.
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She shares, 'For years, I had been hearing whispers about this sacred land tucked away in northern Italy — a spiritual community, a temple city built underground in complete secrecy. Every time I tried to go, something would happen, plans would fall apart. But this year, my heart said, 'Now or never.' I made a sankalpam that nothing would stop me from visiting. And nothing did.'
An Italian friend picked her up from Torino airport.
She shares, 'In just 30 minutes, I was in this enchanted village, surrounded by ancient mountains and forests. It felt like nature was breathing with me,' she says. Ironically, the friend who first introduced her to Damanhur had to leave the day she arrived. 'Coincidence? I don't believe in that. Just God's timing.'
Lakshmi Manchu in Italy
Despite the language barrier, she felt grounded. 'My Italian is patchy, and very few people there speak English.
But I had trust. I knew this journey would unfold the way it was meant to,' she says.
The following day, she stepped into the famed
Temples of Humanity
. She shares, 'It's hard to explain. This isn't just a place — it's a calling. Something ancient inside you stirs. It feels like coming home. The temple was built entirely by hand, a vision brought to life by a man named Falco. To me, he is no less than a saint.'
What moved her most was the spiritual inclusiveness.
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She shares, 'There were references to Indian deities alongside symbols from other cultures. It felt like every belief system flowed together in harmony. All honoured, none diminished.'
Lakshmi Manchu in Italy
On the professional front, Lakshmi has intentionally avoided speaking about The Traitors. 'I haven't really spoken about it because it gave me PTSD,' she reveals, adding, 'I don't know how people keep doing reality TV. Even pros like Raftaar, Jasmine Bhasin and Karan Kundrra — they've done several shows, and still found this one hard.
And it was my first.'
She continues, 'I'm so grateful I left when I did. Just those two days affected me so deeply, I had to go to therapy three times a week for a while. And as a producer, I started questioning why this kind of content is being made and consumed. Yes, it's exciting for the viewer, but for the people involved — is it really worth it?'
As she eases back into life post-show, Lakshmi holds on to the stillness Damanhur gave her.
'I know now that I will return. I must. Not just for myself, but for the greater mission being built there — one that belongs to all of us,' she concludes.
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