Happy 2007

BLESSINGS OF GANESHA FROM ARUNACHALA

WISHING ALL OUR FRIENDS,

A WONDER-FILLED 2007.

New Time

Hesitant light glows, shaded in hues of crimson
Purple strands wrap around rosy fabric
Shining whispers gaining strength with each passing moment
Growing courage and covering the haloed heavens
With a splendid legacy of auspicious hope
Billowed vapors coalesce, gathering to bloom
Fields of mystic blossoms bending low to breezes
Sensitive, each responsive flower turning its face
Into the brilliance of the morning sun
To float away and meet the distant horizon
Feathered friends of angels soar on cushioned air
Singing songs of glorious restoration
Hopeful joy lands delicate, tenderly embracing
Uniting memoirs of yesterday with the promise of today.

[unknown]

Arunachala Ashrams

After Ramana Maharshi's mother Alagammal died on May 19th, 1922, Sri Ramana would often walk from Skandashram to her tomb, which was located on the banks of Pali Tirtham, a tank at the foot of the southern slope of Arunachala. It was at that point in time that Ramana came down permanently from Skandashram to settle at the base of the Hill.

A lot of the land that is now Ramana Ashram was originally part of a burial ground which slowly was acquired by his devotees and then amalgamated into the developing Ashram.

[In the above picture you can see the the Pali Tirtham and the Shrine built around the samadhi of Sri Ramana's Mother, Alagammal]


Coincidentally the spot that Ramana spontaneously selected for the shrine of his deceased Mother, was at a site which is almost directly South of the Hill. One can observe that it is no coincidence that most of the Ashrams and residences of holy personages and saints are located South of Arunachala.

Ancients, who perhaps had a stronger more developed connection with planetary and other worldly influences, believed that the cardinal directions of Arunachala correspond to certain qualities. The South is meant to be the most conducive to a spiritual life, the north to healing, the east to commerce and successful business enterprises and the west to strong earthly energetic influences.

In 1929 what is now Seshadri Ashram started to develop in a location next to Ramanashram. When Sri Seshadri Swamigal died that year in his small room near the main Gopuram of Arunachaleswarar Temple, it was originally planned to cremate his body until devotees intervened who wished to preserve it in the traditional method of entombing a saint in a samadhi shrine.

Thus his body was brought out in procession from his humble room near the Big Temple in town. The procession was said to have been so splendid that the entire stock of camphor in Tiruvannamalai shops was exhausted and all incoming buses were full and over crowded. The streets were jammed with devotees, the air was filled with devotional songs and the music of instrument players. At Agni Tirtham Sri Ramana Maharshi joined the procession and nearby a samadhi was constructed and Sri Swamigal's body interred with devotees purchasing the land bit by bit, much in the same way as Ramana Ashram. The Seshadri tomb is now enshrined within what was developed to become Sri Seshadri Ashram on Chengam Road, Tiruvannamalai.

[Sri Seshadri Swamigal Ashram, with his Samadhi enshrined in a small Temple in the Ashram which has frequent pujas and rites]

Both Ramana Ashram and Seshadri Ashram are popular places for pilgrims to stay and both have functions connected with the samadhis of their respective Saints that attract many visitors other than just those being accommodated at the Ashrams.

[The photograph is of the samadhi hall of Sri Ramana. At the top of the photograph is the Lingam which is directly above the samadhi of Sri Ramana Maharshi].

The Guru

In this day and age when there is a great multiplicity of teachers, methods and choices it is very helpful to read Sri Ramana's remarks regarding the Guru, particularly his remarks about the role of Arunachala as Guru.

Q: What are the marks of real teacher (Sadguru)?
A:Steady abidance in the Self, looking at all with an equal eye unshakeable courage at all times, in all places and circumstances.

Q: There are a number of spiritual teachers teaching various paths. Whom should one take for one's Guru?
A: Choose that one where you find Shanti (peace).

Q: Should we not also consider his teachings?
A: He who instructs an ardent seeker to do this or that is not a true master. The seeker is already afflicted by his activities and wants peace and rest. In other words he wants cessation of his activities. If a teacher tells him to do something to do in addition to or in place of, his other activities, can that be a help to the seeker? Activity is creation. Activity is the destruction of one's inherent happiness. If activity is advocated the advisor is not a master but a killer. In such circumstances either the Creator (Brahma) or the Death (Yama) may be said to have come in guise of a master. Such a person cannot liberate the Aspirant, he can only strengthen his fetters.

Q: How is one to decide upon a proper Guru? What is the swarupa (nature or real form) Guru?
A: He is the real Guru to whom your mind is attuned. If you ask 'How to decide who is the Guru and what is his swarupa?', he should be endowed with tranquility, patience, forgiveness and other virtues; he should be capable of attracting others even with his eyes just as magnet attracts iron; he should have a feeling of equality towards all. He who has these virtues is the true Guru . . .

Q: Maharshi did not have a human guru.
A: I might have had one at one time or other. Did I not sing hymns to Arunachala. What is a Guru? Guru is the God or the Self. First a man prays to God to fulfil his desires. A time comes when he will no more pray for the fulfillment of material desires but for God himself. God then appears to him in some form or other, human or non-human, and to guide him to himself in answer to his prayer and according to his needs.

[Compilation of Ramana Maharshi's talks on the Role of the Guru]

Tiruvannamalai Facts

The hub of Tiruvannamalai is the Annamalai hill with a height of 2,472 feet, which is regarded as Lord Shiva himself, the path along the hill called the 'girivalam' is a stretch of road 14 kms., which circumambulates the Hill. The Arunachaleswarar Temple is situated on the eastern side of the Hill in an area of approximately 24.32 acres. About 4 kms of the 'girivalam' pathway falls within the limits of the Municipality, while the remaining 11 kms., falls within the control of five different panchayats regional assemblies).

The life of the town's people centres on these deities and structures. The Temple itself, which is situated on 24.32 acres of land, has four main entrances called 'gopurams' built in the 16th century, the highest being 217 feet.

[Some amazing details on one of the Temple Gopurams]

Within the Temple precincts, there are water tanks, an orphanage, cow sheds to look after the Temple cows and Temple elephant and notified areas for collecting used flowers and other offerings made by the devotees.

The Temple is administered, controlled and regulated under the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments Act, 1959.

Book Store

You can now select and purchase online Vedic Books by visiting the link on the left hand column of this Blog. The Vedic Book section is a comprehensive one and includes a large inventory of International and Domestic spiritual books on such categories as; biographies, architecture, arts, astrology, ayurveda, inspiration, meditation, music, jyothish, tantra, vaastu, vedic culture, novels, philosophy, nature and religion.

Arni Silk

The silk industry of the town of Arni, Tiruvannamalai District, which is famed for its embroidered silk saris and garments business is in the process of building a skilled labour force to tap National and International markets. The Arni silk industry is already getting its saris embroidered in Kanchipuram however there is not enough skilled labour available to even complete existing assignments.

The Textile and Handloom Department in association with three non governmental organisations (South India Trust, RWCDS, and the Tiruvannamalai and Annai Kasthuriba Handicraft Development Association for Rural Women) are conducting a free training programme on embroidery design on silk saris for thirteen ladies of Tiruvannamalai.




After the initial programme, the women will have to undergo further phases of training (under the supervision of technicians from Kanchipuram) in; computerized designing tools and colour combination and marketing. It is hoped that by the end of their training, the qualified ladies will be capable of training subsequent candidates.

Four to six women could simultaneously work on a sari on its embroidery frame bed. The immediate aim is to install at least 10 frame beds, with adequate skilled labour power, in the Temple town. It is believed that silk embroidery will help revitalise the Arni silk industry and at the same time open up new avenues of employment for women.

Driving Licences

Officials recently warned that stern action would be taken against people found possessing fake driving licence reportedly being fraudulently prepared by some computer centres.

Regional Transport Offices have been issuing driving licence in a particular format since 1996 and each Regional Transport Office (with a distinct jurisdiction), has a unique code number, which should be on the driving licence.

Holograms on licences should contain three English letters followed by a four digit number. The symbol of the Tamil Nadu Government is perceptible when the licence is looked at either downward or upward, thereby making it possible to identify original licences provided by the Transport Department.

In my opinion, the crucial matter is not driving licences but peoples' observance of the 'rules of the road'. The death and accident rate in all parts of India is horrific; for the reason that no-one obeys traffic regulations! In some strange way I believe legislators will always be shy of implementing the draconian regulations needed to bring greater road safety, because somehow they feel it would be impinging on letting people 'do their own thing'.





Perhaps the only way the road culture will ever change is if petrol becomes too expensive and people are forced back to bicyles and oxen drawn carts!

Christmas Day

On Christmas day I decided to do giripradakshina around Arunachala as it had been quite sometime since I last walked around the Hill. I live in the countryside and am surrounded by fields and an agricultural landscape and also have a wonderful view of Arunachala. Because I live in such idyllic surrounds, I usually prefer quiet solititude to the more energetic rounding of Arunachala. But being that it was a such a special Holiday, and the sky was almost violet in its intense blueness, the sun bright and warm and the Holy Hill glistening in its shimmering efflugence; it seemed the perfect time to get re-acquainted with the ritual of giripradakshina.


I took my camera to record some of the sights of the afternoon. Here is a young boy in front of the Anjaneya Temple (Anjaneya is the monkey God famous for being a great devotee of Lord Rama). The lad's mother and father are close by, involved in the same pursuit i.e., the making of Tulsi malas. The aroma of Tulsi is very sweet and when one handles it, it leaves a strong, sweet scent on the skin. As its Christmas, schools are out for a week, so the young lad is helping his family for the day.

Below is one of the rest-a-while parks that are dotted around the fringe of the pradakshina pathway. Unfortunately the parks nearly always seem to be locked, maybe the park caretakers don't trust us enough to keep the park clean in their absence! A Bonnet Macaque monkey is hanging around in front of the park. At the beginning of my walk I bought a large bag of rusk bread for the monkeys and dogs but ran out of supplies quickly and had to purchase more on the way.

Please do remember if you feed the monkeys to throw the food off the road. Even though it is easier for them to pick up food from the tarred roads, doing so makes the monkeys lose their fear of the street and so leads to accidents. The monkeys are tame and generally very well mannered.

These two kids are visiting Tiruvannamalai for the first time with their Mother. They hail from Chennai and were particularly proud of their nice, new tonsures from the Arunachaleswarar Temple.

Unfortunately nobody keeps to the recommendations either regarding the use of the horn or speed restriction. Hopefully when the ring road finally gets built heavy traffic will no longer use the giripradakshina pathway.

What you see below is becoming increasingly common on the giripradakshina road. About 10 years ago the pathway was unlighted and in a narrow and poor, rutted condition. Even though the intentions were kind hearted, the consequences of widening the road and providing bright lighting, has had unfortunate consequences. Because now pilgrims do not have right-of-way and are consistently pushed to the side of the road by speeding trucks and buses. This situation unfortunately doesn't improve during the evenings and nights because sadly, as the lighting is so excellent, heavy traffic constantly travels on the road.

This decorated tree is a new item. In India ladies like to ornament special trees (specially located at shrines or holy spots) with personal items like bangles or auspicious threads in performance of a vow. I think this particular tree has been helped along by some enterprising folk who thereafter take up a nearby perch and sell items such as camphor and small clay plates, so that pilgrims can perform aarti (the waiving of light) to the tree.

Parents love to dress their children up like dollies. This little girl looks adorable with her bangles, flowers and necklace. The Mother, who was standing next to the child as I took the picture, was delighted that her beautiful angel was being admired and photographed.

These gents are devotees of the God, Iyyapan. They are on their way to the famous Iyyapan Temple at Sabrimala. The journey to the Iyyapan Temple is almost as important as what happens once the pilgrim arrives. It is traditional that the journey itself is a pilgrimage, and devotees on their way to Sabrimala will stop off at designated shrines, holy places, saints or sadhus to perform different worships. A unique aspect of Sabrimala, is that there is a sex restriction. Gents are allowed, but as to ladies, only girls or older ladies are allowed to visit and ladies of childbearing age are not welcomed.

Just a few snaps to remember my Christmas Day walk around the Hill.

Mooji Satsangs

Now that Mooji's silent Retreat at Arunachala is over, he will be available for satsangs in January 2007 which will be open and free to all. Satsangs will take place daily at 10am January 10th to 14th. Location:

Sri ARUNACHALA IWAY
(near SivaSakti Amma Asramam)
289, ROA Colony, Ramana Nagar, Tiruvannamalai
phone: 0091 (0)4175-238591

Mooji was born Anthony Paul Moo-Young January 29th, 1954 in Port Antonio, Jamaica. In 1969, he moved to the UK and is presently living in Brixton, London. Mooji is a direct disciple of Sri Harilal Poonja, the renowned advaita master, or Papaji, as his followers call him.

"Mooji is a direct disciple of Sri Harilal Poonja, the renowned advaita master, or Papaji, as his followers call him. In 1987, a chance meeting with a Christian mystic was to be a life-changing encounter for Mooji. It brought him, through prayer, into the direct experience of the Divine within. Within a short period, he experienced a radical shift in consciousness so profound that outwardly, he seemed, to many who knew him, to be an entirely different person. As his spiritual consciousness awakened, a deep inner transformation began which unfolded in the form of many miraculous experiences and mystical insights. He felt a strong wind of change blowing through his life which brought with it a deep urge to surrender completely to divine will. Shortly after, he stopped teaching, left his home and began a life of quiet simplicity and surrender to the will of God as it manifested spontaneously within him. A great peace entered his being, and has remained ever since."

Since 1999, Mooji has been sharing satsang in the form of spontaneous encounters, retreats, satsang intensives and one-to-one meetings with the many seekers who visit him, from all parts of the world, in search of the direct experience of truth. Mooji shares satsang in Brixton, London, where he lives. He also travels regularly to Ireland, Wales, Italy and India where he conducts satsangs and retreats.

http://www.mooji.org/

Happy Holidays

WISHING YOU A JOYOUS CHRISTMAS

AND A PEACE-FILLED 2007 FROM

ARUNACHALAGRACE

Newsletter, Jan 2007

Arunachala Grace News, January 2007, is being sent out this week. The newsletter is completely free and is sent directly to your inbox. This month there is a report from Apeetha Arunagiri of the Arunachala Kattu Siva Plantation, a narrative from Govinda Bowley of the Mountain of Medicine about the Hill Fire on Arunachala during this year's Maha Deepam on December 3rd. We have news of the innovative work being done at the 'Singing Heart Ashram', a 'Tidbit Section' including a round-up of the latest news at Tiruvannamalai, information about the upcoming January visit of Swami Nithyanananda and also, reports on the herbs of Arunachala, poems and a wonderful satirical report on local 'building regulations'.

If you wish to receive a copy of Arunachala Grace News, please click at the 'subscribe' function at the left hand margin of this Blog, underneath the Email Icon.

Michael James

Whilst travelling in India in 1976 Michael James, an Englishman, heard about the teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana and as a result decided to visit Tiruvannamalai in order to learn more. In his own words:

"Fortunately, after I had been just a few weeks in Tiruvannamalai, I was lent the book 'The Path of Sri Ramana by Sri Sadhu Om'. In this book, Sri Sadhu Om clearly explained that 'self-enquiry' is simply the practice of self-attention, that is, the practice of turning our attention or power of knowing away from all thoughts and objects, towards our fundamental consciousness of our own being, which we always experience as 'I am'. So clear and convincing was this explanation of Sri Sadhu Om that I was left in no doubt that this was the real meaning of the term atma-vichara or 'self-enquiry' used by Sri Ramana.

[photograph of Sri Sadhu Om in front of Arunachala]

Soon after reading his book, I met Sri Sadhu Om, and I found that he was able to answer in an extremely clear, simple and convincing manner all the questions that I asked him about the philosophy and practice of the teachings of Sri Ramana. For the next eight-and-a-half years, until his passing away in March 1985, I was fortunate to be able to spend most of my waking life in the company of Sri Sadhu Om, and to imbibe from him a clear understanding of the philosophy, science and art of true self-knowledge as taught by Sri Ramana."


Michael James ended up living at Arunachala for the next twenty years. He has now launched a website and hopes to continue adding more content to his site in the form of e-books, articles, translations and explanations of all the original writings of Sri Bhagavan.

At present the main content of the site is a PDF version of his new book, 'Happiness and the Art of Being', which is intended to serve both as a layman's introduction to the philosophy and practice of Bhagavan's teachings and as a detailed and in-depth exploration of the core elements of those teachings. To find out more about the life of Michael James, his teacher Sadhu Om and the teachings of Self-Enquiry please visit: www.happinessofbeing.com

Cows for the Blind

An NGO (Non Governmental Organisation) which has been working for the uplift of blind people, has come up with a scheme entitled 'Nethradhenu' that would lend a helping hand to the visually impaired. The project, introduced six months ago, has members from Tamil Nadu Districts including Tiruvannamalai and is based on a Government scheme created to help elderly people in villages. In the case of 'Nethradhenu', the beneficiaries are visually-impaired illiterates in their 40's who are dependent on others. Under the scheme a Jersey cow and calf is given free of cost to a visually impaired recipient. The cow will be insured and it's milk will be procured by a private milk company.

Social Climate

There is no doubt that the improvement in communications is leading to the increasing empowerment of many of the local populace. As recently as 10 years ago STD facilities at Tiruvannamalai were rare and the waiting list for a home phone (if one could afford it) was often over 6 months. Few Trade Unions had active wings in the area and the term 'social welfare' was synonymous not with Government aid, but 'being looked after by the family'. As well as the below there have been other recent agitations regarding; improving conditions of work, wages, welfare benefits and the disbursal of funds.

Demonstration

The construction workers wing of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) staged a demonstration at Tiruvannamalai on Thursday (21st December) demanding the implementation of welfare measures promised by the Welfare Board established on their behalf.

Participants of the demonstration protested that 5,200 pension applications of aged workers have been rejected and thousands of claims, seeking assistance for education, marriage, maternity and death of workers or family members have also been rejected. Demonstrators also protested about the inordinate delay in processing applications seeking various welfare measures.


Arts College
Students of Tiruvannamalai Government Arts College boycotted classes on Thursday (21st December) urging Authorities to hold Student Union elections. They also demanded immediate disbursal of scholarship amounts.

To press their demands, students congregated on Chengam Road near the Government Arts College but police quickly rushed to the spot and dispersed the students. The students then boycotted classes and left the grounds of the College Campus.

Permaculture

Permaculture Course at Arunachala:

Annamalai Reforestation Society,
Permaculture Demonstration Farm
Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu
Jan 21-26, 2007
Facilitator John Button

Permaculture is a design process for recognising, utilising and harmonizing the individual characteristics of landscape (landform, soil, water, vegetation, animals) with the needs of the people involved with it, to create a system that is both productive and sustainable in the long term.

John Button, an Australian, has been working with Permaculture for over twenty five years, first in Australia, and for the last 15 years in India, South East Asia, continental Europe, Russia and the Canary Islands, including 8 yrs in Tiruvannamalai working with greening Arunachala and establishing various land use regeneration models, including the Demonstration Farm.

Permaculture is an attitudinal shift in our relationship with the environment, with which we can consciously design our living space into productive, practical, and not least, beautiful places that enhance our lives, as well as support the lives of others, including all species of plants and creatures. Harmony with abundance.

All courses and workshops are intended to provide participants with both the theoretical and philosophical background to make well informed decisions in their specific intentions, and the practical applications on which the information is based.

Consultancy and Design
John Button will also be available for consultancy and design at Arunachala from December 14, 2006 until February 2007

Enquiries:
email: johnnaturedesigns@yahoo.com

New Time

There is a story in the Puranas where the male aspect of the Divine i.e. Shiva merges with the shakthi aspect i.e. Parvati, and combines to create the new form of Ardhanareeswara. This is symbolic of the Divine manifesting in the totality of every aspect of the male-female principles i.e. consciousness-energy.

It is believed certain power places affect men more strongly while women resonate with others. The different energetic characteristics of Arunachala were recognized by the ancients, and this knowledge was encoded metaphorically into the myths and legends told about it. In this respect my own experience is Arunachala has been very much a male power site in most of its mythology and history.

Now things are changing and a more distinctly female ambiance is beginning to permeate Arunachala. Shakti (Mother) Temples are opening, huge crowds of fervent pradakshina pilgrims come to Arunachala each full moon, there is focus on reforestation and ecological nurturing of the Hill, female saints are setting up their stalls at Arunachala and also there is the arrival of a different sort of pilgrim. As well as the previous intellectual attracted to core advaitic disciplines there is now the arrival of earth types; mystics, shamans, healers and psychics.

The effects of Arunachala can either begin while one is here or may manifest weeks after one has departed. It bodes very well as now a different type of energy is coming to town and people will be thereby influenced in many new extraordinary ways.

Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice
December 21

In any given year, the winter solstice, the still point, is the most powerful time of the solar cycle. It is the conception point, the moment in which the plans for the entire year are generated from the sun to the earth impregnating her with expanded consciousness and possibility. It is the parallel point to each new moon which carries and expands the original solar wave's energy seed through the thirteen succeeding cycles of the year.

There are four points during the year in which the archetypal energies of the sun "come through" to us to bring consciousness along step by step. These four points are the solstices and the equinoxes.

Each of these moments, which last three days, are "neutral force" channels of tremendous power. They are literal doorways to the infinite, alchemical cauldrons in which we can bathe ourselves with unconditional love and pure spiritual energy, and into which we can place our intentions. They are "time-outs" from normal reality.

Whatever gets cooked in the winter solstice cauldron becomes the blueprint for the entire year which is reaffirmed and brought along to completion by the other three central points. If we carefully align with the intentions of the universe during the winter solstice we can be picked up by the rising tide of spiritual energy and carried forward, supported by the power which spirit has brought to earth at the moment of the "rebirth of the sun" when it joins with the earth.

The sun and moon are always in changing relationship with each other and the earth, the cauldron in which we are always being alternately "cooked" and "cooled" by them. At the winter solstice the sun/yang/spiritual/masculine energy is at its lowest ebb, pausing before it pulses forward just like the tide having flowed out to sea pauses and then begins to aggressively move out toward shore once more. This alignment of the sun with the most inner and contracted (yin) point in its cycle is the same as the moment of the new moon in which the sun's yang and moon's yin move into perfect alignment with each other and the earth, joining and harmonizing their energies as one to impregnate the planet with their combined force.

This year's winter solstice takes place on Thursday, the 21st December, and there is a New Moon the day before. This is a powerful alignment to take advantage of - a truly still point.

As we step into the solstice cauldron we should not carry into it with us anything from the past and instead stand naked for a few days letting the purity of the Oneness fill us and letting spirit decide what is in our highest good. As human beings we have goals, things we want to create, states we wish to experience. All that can be placed into the cauldron with great passion as our hearts' desires and released in trust. We can hold the intentionless intention of allowing spirit to "take us where we need to go and show us what we need to know."

[By Alexander]

Bus Accident

Two persons were killed and eleven others, including a pregnant woman, sustained injuries when a State Transport Corporation town bus overturned on Tuesday night.

The bus travelling along the Tirukoilur Road was on its way to Perumanam Village from Tiruvannamalai. While taking a turn near the Panayur Tank, the driver lost control of the bus, which veered off into a roadside gully and overturned. Two passengers died on the spot and 11 others, out of the 47 aboard, sustained injuries and were rushed to the Tiruvannamalai Government Hospital.

English Language

The State (Tamil Nadu) Planning Commission, in an Approach Paper to the 11th Five Year Plan, has sought a strong push to ensure fluency in English (which is regarded as an essential prerequisite in the modern world) among school students.

While pointing out impressive showings in respect of enrolment in Elementary Education and availability of school infrastructure, the Planning Commission lists areas of concern as being: Inter-District disparities in enrolment, dropouts at the post-Primary level, access to Higher Education and the quality of education in general.

It was recommended that the State should take steps for maximising secondary enrolment. Gross enrolment ratios at the High School level continues to show disparity (including gender disparity) between Districts especially in regard to Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram, Cuddalore, and Dindigul. The Commission also reported a large urban-rural, rich-poor divide in the quality of education offered in schools.

The Planning Commission's Approach Paper implied Industrial Training Institutes and Polytechnics should be made first-level Vocational Training Centres that should develop courses and curriculum suited to the needs of the economy.

In regard to Higher Education, the paper reports that the quality of teaching in basic sciences and humanities in Institutions of Higher Learning have been slipping as a result of falling demand for the courses compared to professional courses such as Engineering.

The Approach Paper pointed out that given the continuing high poverty levels in the State in both rural and urban areas, the public sector model in health and education have a continuing relevance. It recommends that the strategy to improve human development indices should be to concentrate on reaching most vulnerable sections and those excluded from the progress achieved in the State.

Travel Posters

During the annual auction of Rare and Important Travel Posters held in November at the Swann Gallery, 104 East 25th Street, New York, a selection of posters of colourful and intricate images promoting travel in India were offered. M.V. Dhurandhar's posters for the South Indian Railway's Pilgrim Line, "Tiruvannamalai on the Pilgrim Line," 1925; "Srirangam on the Pilgrim Line," Bombay, 1925; "Madura, Bombay," 1935; and "Mistri's Rameswaram for Holy Bathing & Shraddhas," Bombay, each sold for $6,240.

www.swanngalleries.com

Advocates Meeting

Last week during its General Body Meeting, the district organisation of The All India Advocates Association passed a resolution, demanding the Government give a stiped of Rs.3,000/- (USD 70) per month to junior Advocates during the first five years of their career.

Other resolutions passed for the District were related to filling vacancies of vacant Judicial Officer posts and the setting up of a Commercial Crime Investigation Wing Court, Workman Compensation Court and Essential Commodities Act Court.

The Association also demanded the Government appoint members and activate the Tiruvannamalai Consumer Court, weekly sessions for Labour Court, set up a Sub Court in Chengam, construct integrated court complexes at Tiruvannamalai, Arni and Cheyyar and also build new court buildings at Chengam, Polur and Vandavasi.

Arunachala

I sought to devour Thee:
Come now and devour me,
Then there will be peace, Arunachala.

You bade me give all for you;
Take now the giver too,
Survive alone, Arunachala!

Let now the deception end.
There was no lover or friend
Apart from Thyself, Arunachala!

Now that at last I know
All this a magic show,
Let it dissolve in Thee, Arunachala!

[By Arthur Osborne]

Parvathamalai

Parvathamalai, a mountain which is part of the Javadhi Hills, is becoming increasingly popular with trekkers and climbers as a pleasant daytrip excursion near Tiruvannamalai. The mountain, which is located in this District, is about 25 kms distant and can be reached by a four-hour trek from Kadaladi or through Thenmadimangalam.

The hike starts from Pachiamman Temple through a thick forest of medicinal herbs and lush greenery. After about 3 kms trekkers reach Gadapparai, from whence begins a ladder of metal steps with iron chains on either side.

At the next incline one has to hold on to iron rods planted on each side of the track until arriving at Mandapam. At this point travel becomes more difficult and trekkers have to walk sideways by clinging to a boulder under an abutting cliff.

From the top of Parvathamalai there is a breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside. A proposal has recently been drafted in consultation with the Collector of Tiruvannamalai for strengthening the infrastructure and facilities throughout that area.

Farming News

Maize Cultivation

Maize cultivation has now started in Tiruvannamalai District through the efforts of the Agriculture Department who wish to improve the production of coarse cereals. In this regard maize promises a high return for farmers compared to other dry land crops.

In order to promote the cultivation of maize, the Agriculture Department is providing interested farmers, with 2kg of hybrid seeds named 'Maharaja-10'. Officials report that these seeds are being treated with fungicides in order to prevent seed-borne diseases and thus ensure a good yield.

Some farmers feel the seed variety to be unsuitable for the production of food stuffs such as corn flakes or puffs and that are preferable varieties which would be more profitable. They have thus requested officials to supply such improved maize seed varieties. Currently maize cultivation has started up on 330 acres in this area



Free Land

Some 453 farmers have now each received two acres of free land in the second phase of the DMK Government's land programme in Tiruvannamalai District. In the first phase of the programme 780 farmers received land.

Madurai Hills

Deepam
Madurai Hills
Sri Subramaniaswamy Temple Hill

In an earlier post I wrote that it is customary to celebrate Deepam in all Shiva Shrines at the same time that Deepam is celebrated at Arunachala, however the legend for these Siva Shrines is different to that of Arunachala. You can read more about the origins of Deepam on this Blog.

The Deepam festival follows the moon calendar so each year the date is different however it always falls when the star Krittika is in conjunction with the Moon in the month of Karthika (November-December). To find out the dates of upcoming Poornimas (full moons) and Deepams through to the year 2009, please check the following link:
http://www.arunachalasamudra.org/fullmoon.html

But Deepam is not only celebrated at Siva Shrines in Tamil Nadu. In this respect the Deepam Festival is also celebrated at the famous Subramanian Temple in the Madurai Hills, Tamil Nadu. I am currently trying to get information about the history of the Deepam at this Temple.

But for now I am posting a narrative of the Deepam function celebrated there this year and also a picture of the Temple and its Hill.

"Amidst tight security, thousands of people offered worship as the 'Karthigai Deepam' was lit atop the Tiruparankunram Sri Subramaniaswamy Temple Hill, near the Uchipillayar shrine, at 6 pm today.

Earlier in the morning, hundreds of people participated in the Car festival when the Lord Subramanian and goddess Deivayanai were taken around the Hill. The Deepam festival is part of the Karthigai festival which began on Nov 24th last.

Police had made elaborate security arrangements, and arrested 70 Hindu Munnani volunteers who tried to take out a procession to the Sikander Dargah atop the hill where the ancient Karthigai Deepam mast of the temple was located.

The Hindu Munnani volunteers had been demanding that the Deepam be lit on the original mast. However, as the area was disputed, the Temple Authorities were lighting the Deepam near the Uchipillayar Temple.

Earlier, after special 'Pooja Deepams' were lit in the main temple and all the sub shrines after special poojas. Later, 'Mahadeepam' was lit.

Simultaneously, people living around the Hill illuminated their houses with oil lamps and offered prayers."

Organic Farming

The Confederation of Tiruvannamalai District Farmers Association has urged the Government to promote organic farming by creating avenues for export.

A resolution to this effect was adopted at a meeting of the confederation held at Tiruvannamalai recently. It also urged the Government to take steps to protect land resources from getting eroded by the use of chemical fertilizers and to give training to farmers in producing and using natural alternatives like vermi-compost (worm compost) manure and Panchakavya*.

Another resolution urged the Government to open natural fertilizer sales centres. It was suggested that the Government should give farmers valuable tree saplings like Sandal and Pathimukam (Caesalpinia sapans) to enhance their livelihood and that bankers should be sensitized to give loans to farmers. It was also decided at the meeting to institute an award to honour farmers practising organic farming.



* Panchakavya is a traditional method, used to safeguard plants and soil micro-organisms and to increase plant production.

In Sanskrit, Panchakavya means the blend of five products obtained from cow. It contains ghee, milk, curd, cow dung and urine. Based on detailed discussions with organic growers of Tamil Nadu, experiencing indigenous technical knowledge, the following ingredients were used to prepare approximately 20 litres of Panchakavya stock solution for scientific evaluation. BGS/cow dung (5 kg), cow's urine (3 litres), cow's milk (2 litres), cow's curd (2 litres) and cow's ghee (1 litre).

Andhra Red Rose

A major part of rose cultivation has been limited to Hill Stations and other places having a cool climate, however a rose variety called Andhra red rose is becoming popular with farmers in Tiruvannamalai. There is a demand for more of such flowers, particularly those that are grown organically.

Fresh flowers are mainly used to make garlands and market value products such as rose water, attar and other perfumery materials. Organically grown flowers have a longer shelf life and retain their freshness for more than a day after being plucked, compared to flowers grown chemically.

The flowers come in three different colours; dark red, light pink and white, but farmers mainly prefer the dark red and pink colours for cultivation. The ideal season for growing this variety, mainly propagated through stem cuttings, is April-May.

Guhai Namasivaya

A few hundred feet away from Virupaksha Cave is a compound which contains a cave that was, several centuries ago, occupied for many years by a yogi called Guhai Namasivaya. The cave and the few buildings that surround it now bear his name and are set in a beautiful, tranquil compound on the Hill slope.

Guhai Namasivaya is known to have been born around the year AD 1548 in Karnataka to a pious Saiva couple. His spiritual nature became evident at an early age: he was virtuous in his conduct, adept at his studies and evinced no attachment to worldly matters.

He practised his system of yoga for many years and as a result of the dream guidance of Lord Mallikarjuna, the presiding deity of Sri Sailam, Guhai Namasivaya came to Arunachala and remained as a Guru, giving teachings to mature disciples who approached him.

There is a famous story concerning Guhai Namasivaya that seems to show that although he had great devotion to Arunachala, he was still capable of displaying bursts of extreme anger. One day, according to this story, he took pity on a poor man whose only goat had been killed by a snake just before it was about to give birth. Guhai Namasivaya asked the man to leave the goat's body with him and to collect it the next day. When the man returned to pick up the corpse, he found that not only had the goat been restored to life, it had also given birth to two kids.

As news of this miracle spread around the town, some boys from the local weaving community decided to play a joke on him. One boy, pretending to be dead, was carried into the presence of Guhai Namasivaya by his friends. The boys claimed that their friend had died of a snake bite and asked the saint to restore him to life. Guhai Namasivaya, who could see that they were merely making fun of him, cursed them with such vehemence that the boy who was pretending to be dead actually did die.

Then Guhai Namasivaya cursed the whole weaving community, saying that they would never prosper or flourish in Tiruvannamalai again. The curse took effect: all the weavers were forced to leave town or take up other occupations because none of them could make a living by weaving in Tiruvannamalai. In the years that followed, all attempts to re-establish weaving businesses in the town failed.

For a fuller biography of this famous saint please check link:

http://www.arunachalasamudra.org/guhainamasivaya.html

Reforestation Video

Between 1985-1989 the regeneration of Arunachala was something of Apeetha Arunagiri's (an Australian living at Arunachala) personal commitment and passion. However in 1989 the scheme gained official status when ARS (Arunachala Reforestation Society) was formed with her at the helm; a position she would occupy till about 1993.

In 1989 substantial funding started to come after Apeetha contacted RIC (Rainforest Information Centre Inc) for support to regenerate Arunachala to its former forested state. Some of this funding came via the Australian Government aid agency, AusAID and the Threshold Foundation. After initial visits from RIC representatives, an Australian John Button, a permaculture technician and tree planter, remained with the ARS project at Arunachala for eight years to help with the work.

Apart from planting and seeding the barren slopes of Arunachala, the project has focussed on environmental education, establishment of nurseries, skills training, credit schemes in villages, and the refurbishment of traditional gardens in the main temple. Also on temple lands, ARS has regenerated wastelands into productive food, fodder and timber forest.

On the Mountain itself, since 1991, the Arunachala Reforestation Society has been responsible for planting around 5,000-20,000 trees a year. Initially survival rate for the trees was 30% but now that figure stands at the much improved 60-70%.

As a result of a land donation, the ARS has developed a Permaculture Demonstration Farm and Educational Centre. Training and demonstrations in permaculture are held there and surrounding villagers are taught how sustainable land-use patterns can provide food, fuel, fodder, herbs and medicines in the process of the restoration of even severely degraded land.

Rainforest Information Centre

The Rainforest Information Centre Inc., (RIC) is a non-profit, volunteer organisation dedicated to the protection of the Earth's rainforests and the indigenous people who depend on them.

The RIC was born out of a successful struggle to save the sub-tropical rainforests of New South Wales, Australia in the early 1980s. Since then the Organisation has been involved in campaigns and projects to protect rainforests and recognise the legitimate development aspirations of rainforest peoples.

Project Arunachala has been supported by RIC since the late 1980's. The afforestation and environmental regeneration project was initiated in 1988 by Apeetha Arunagiri. She contacted RIC with an outline of the situation and a plea for support for the Annamalai Reforestation Society (ARS) which she established to regenerate the mountain to its former forested condition. In spite of the fact that the district is classified as semi-arid (thus far from the category of rainforest), the decision to work with the project was taken.

http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/

In the below video John Seed of the Rainforest Information Centre talks of Arunachala and about the association of the Rainforest Information Centre with the Arunachala Reforestation Society.

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Reweaving Shiva's Robes

Walkabout

Last week I went on a walkabout of the southside of Arunachala Hill. It had been sometime since my last visit, so very much enjoyed my time exploring, chatting and investigating what was happening. There are several pathways leading up to Virupaksha Cave that start from across the West Gate of Arunachaleswarar Temple. The path I took is what is regarded as the main thoroughfare up to the caves.

At the beginning of the pathway are huddles of houses, which are in actual fact encroachments that will probably be allowed to remain. As I got further up, the houses thinned out but occasionally spotted a small forest dwelling just off the pathway. This one rather reminded me of the tree dwellers in one of the Star Wars movie!

On the southeast slope across from the Temple is a profusion of caves, small shrines, temples, hutments and tirthams (water tanks).

The shrines are beautifully maintained as they receive many visitors and pilgrims who, in the Indian way, give generously whilst on pilgrimage.

The below photograph is of the inside of the Mango Cave. A famous cave that has been occupied by many saints and sadhus. It was also one of the caves that Sri Ramana Maharshi lived in whilst on the hillside. During his time at Virupaksha Cave, Ramana would (during the hot summer months) generally move to the cooler Mango Cave which also had an ample water supply.

One of the tirthams near the caves.

There is always lots of activity at the tirthams. In the below photograph you can see sadhus in the background and in the foreground, pilgrims with shaved heads. The pilgrims probably had their tonsures done at Arunachaleswarar Temple in performance of a vow. After the head is shaved the pilgrim will often cover the head with sandalpaste which is both cooling and also a protection against the sun. It is regarded as very auspicious to take a bath in a water tank around Arunachala. And in this respect some of the specific tanks and the merits accrued from bathing in them are mentioned in the Skanda Purana.

Here is a sadhu colony on the slope.

Statue carvers are quite common around Arunachala. Previously they were content in selling their wares off the Chengam Road and near the Temples. But now, due to the huge increase of visiting pilgrims on the pathways surrounding the caves and tirthams on the slope of Arunachala, they have sensibly decided to station themselves where the business end is!

Alot of them are very talented and you can purchase beautifully carved religious icons for a lesser price than in the shops. But remember you are expected to bargain!

After a pleasing trek around the slopes I take a different pathway back into town.

Sacred Grove

Like many countries throughout the world, India has a long history of nature worship, and that practice continues today, especially through the veneration of forest groves. These sacred groves, which are dedicated to local deities or ancestral spirits, are protected by local communities through social traditions and taboos that incorporate spiritual and ecological values.

Thousands of sacred groves remain and many villages continue to observe traditional practices.

Each sacred grove has a residing deity and folklore associated with it. They are usually dedicated to one of the following:

Village gods and/or ancient spirits;
Snake gods and/or an incarnation of Vishnu,
Shaivite gods (located in dense forests);
Vaishnavite gods (located in dense forests).

The village sacred groves are generally dedicated to Amman, the goddess of fertility and good health.

From time immemorial, certain trees and plants in India have been invested with divine attributes. Hindus have been taught to worship and revere trees and plants in the belief that it would influence their own personal well-being. Evergreen trees were regarded as symbols of eternal life and to cut them down was to invite the wrath of the gods. Groves in forests were looked upon as habitations of the Gods.

The banyan tree occupies the pride of place amongst the sacred trees of India. It has aerial roots that grow down into the soil forming additional trunks. It is, therefore, called bahupada, the one with several feet. It symbolizes a long life and also represents the divine creator, Brahma. It is invariably planted in front of temples. The numerous stems of the banyan tree are even regarded as the home of gods and spirits. It was under a banyan tree that the Hindu sages sat in a trance seeking enlightenment and it was here that they held discourses and conducted holy rituals.

The trees generally associated with sacred groves are the Banyan, Peepul and Neem trees.

In Tamil Nadu there has always been a strong tradition of nature worship and animism. Adjacent to the land of Rangammal School for the Hearing Impaired, there is a small, perfect grove with a beautiful banyan tree and a stone icon representation of Kali Ma. This sacred site has been revered by local villagers for an indeterminate time.

I was fortunately able to be present during a puja at the Sacred Grove and was able to hear about a fascinating experience one of the local teachers had at the shrine.

She told me that years back, after hearing about the Sacred Grove, she decided to visit it and pray to the representation there of the Divine Mother in the form of Kali Ma. When she arrived at the Grove there was a live cock hanging upside down from the metal frame on the left hand side of the stone icon. (The frame actually says OM in the Tamil language).

The frightened confused cock severely hurt himself on the protruding metal prongs and it got messy and nasty at the shrine. Frightened and distressed the teacher ran back to the school leaving everything as she found it. She was to learn that a black magician had tied the cock upside down at the Kali Ma icon as part of a magic ritual that he was performing for a client. For the teacher things were getting worse and worse. First the cock and now a black magician! So, believing that the place was cursed, she vowed never to go back to Kali Ma at the Sacred Grove.

Unexpectedly a mysterious, unknown stranger went to the teacher and told her not to be frightened and that he had 'spiritually cleansed the Sacred Grove and Kali Ma wanted her to come each month and perform puja there.'

Since that time now many years ago, the teacher regularly goes to the Sacred Grove. Also once a month, as commanded by the Divine, she performs worship at the Kali Ma shrine. She told me that she has found answers to all her prayers at the Sacred Grove and she knew it to be an extraordinary and powerful site where wishes come true.

Fire Starter

The greatest danger to all reforestation programmes being undertaken at Arunachala is the possibility of fire. The fires are mostly man-made. In previous years wood cutters would raze dry existing grass on the Hill to promote new growth. Sometimes the fire was caused by people out of the superstitious believe that setting the Hill alight would somehow benefit their health or prospects.

What previously was shrugged off by the Municipality as high jinks is now being taken very seriously. In this respect a 52-year-old man of Thenimalai, a suburb of Tiruvannamalai, was arrested by forest department officials for allegedly causing a fire in the Tiruvannamalai hills on Saturday, December 9th.

According to sources, unidentified miscreants set grasses and woods in the hills on fire, causing damage to the area and particularly to trees developed by the afforestation programme carried out by the Forest Department and various Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs).

Fire-fighting squads and a team of volunteers helped extinguish the fire. The miscreant Palani, who was detained for allegedly causing the fire, is said to have confessed to his offence, saying that he committed the arson, driven by the superstition that setting the hills on fire would cure stomach ache!

State Transport

P Lokanathan has been appointed as special officer for the upcoming new region of State Transport Corporation (STC).

During the last assembly session the Government announced the formation of a new State Transport Corporation region based at Tiruvannamalai.

Though Tiruvannamalai District was formed nearly two decades ago, there is no separate State Transport Corporation division for this District. As buses from the Vellore, Villupuram and Kancheepuram divisions are operating their buses in certain parts of this District, the Government decided to form a separate region based at Tiruvannamalai to bring the entire District under one administration.

Wasteland

It was recently announced that the Government would help farmers improve their waste lands. In this respect if a small farmer wishes to get wasteland improved by the Government, they need first apply to the respective Tahsildar (local land official) with details of the land.

The Tahsildar would in turn, send a report to the Director of Agriculture with full details about the land and then Department officials would decide on the nature of improvement and take up the work after consulting with the farmer.

Levelling of the land, removing bushes, setting up bunds, conducting soil tests, digging bore wells and providing pump sets would be some of the general improvements. Only lands which have been uncultivated for more than five years would be considered for improvement.

Deepam Security

Now that the day of the lighting of the Deepam flame is over and the crowds have receded we can look back and be grateful at how orderly the huge function proceeded.

Everything changes with time. Procedures at airports are becoming increasingly long drawn out, CCTVs are now a way of life in most major Western cities and ubiquitous passes and permissions become ever increasingly divided into more exclusive and security-rated categories.

The last few years have not been happy ones in some Temples here in India and it is only appropriate that proper security was observed at Tiruvannamalai during this important and busy Festival. And yet, it seems so strange compared to just a few years ago, when everything was simple, relaxed, spontaneous and stress free.

This year nearly 6,000 police personnel (including reserve police, Tamil Nadu special police force and regular police from various State zones) were deployed at this year's Karthigai Deepam to ensure the safety of a million pilgrims during the climatic lighting of the Maha Deepam at dusk on December 3rd.

For the first time this year all Temple Staff, including priests had to wear identity cards. All entry points to the Temple were monitored by Close Circuit Television (CCTV) and by crime experts (from all 30 Tamil Nadu State Districts) and designated entrances were allocated to visitors to Temple.

During the Maha Deepam Festival 16 criminals were arrested for their involvement in various criminal activities including theft. And 41 people, who became lost in the huge crowd, were reunited with their families with the help of police. Traffic was well managed soon after the Deepam festival concluded and no traffic congestion was reported.

One could say COMPLETE SUCCESS.