Showing posts with label arunachala countryside. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arunachala countryside. Show all posts

8 February 2015

Visit to a village shrine


On our way back from a recent visit to the ashram of Sri Siva Siddhar Mona Swami, we stopped briefly at a small shrine set off the Nallan Pillaei Petral village road. The Goddess is represented at that place in the form of an uncarved stone and both the Shrine and surrounding area had a serene, peaceful atmosphere. 


On returning home I read up on Village Goddesses and am posting the below fascinating information. 



Despite the number and variety of gramadevatas (village deities), several typical characteristics of these local deities have been noted. First they are usually female, second these deities are usually not represented by anthromorphic images instead they are usually represented by uncarved stones, trees, or small shrines . . . third, these deities, goddesses for the most part, capture the primary interest of the villagers and tend to be worshipped with more intensity than the great gods of the Hindu pantheon . . . the village goddess engages the villagers directly by being associated with their local, existential concerns. She is perceived to be their deity and to be concerned especially with their well-being and that of their village. 


Goddess as manifest in the form of uncarved stone


“Many Indian villages have Brahmanic temples within them, however the religious focus is mainly on the shrines of the village's goddess and god. Rural Indians inhabit a world full of divine and semi-divine beings; tree spirits (yakshas), ghosts (bhootas), puranic, local, personal and ancestral gods who co-exist in a complex hierarchy. . . . Unlike in orthodox puranic Hinduism villagers have direct access to the local gods and do not require the intercession of a priest. The Goddess also plays a larger role in local religion, and rural religion is centred on specific places of perceived spiritual power. The shrines themselves are relatively simple affairs. 

Guardian of Shrine

In parts of South India Goddess shrines are located to the north of the village. This is significant as the north is associated with spiritual knowledge and disease and so emphasises the innate duality of the Goddess. 



An unpaid priest and his assistants have the duty to maintain the shrines (at the community's expense) and to propitiate the deity to ward off communal bad luck and disease. Individual villagers, regardless of caste, can approach the village deity directly as and when they have a need. At specific times of year and during crisis a festival is held in honour of the Goddess. Generally main feature of these festivals is the sacrifice of an animal, at one time buffalo sacrifice was widely practised, nowadays the victim is more likely to be a goat or chicken.” 
[By Rowan] 

Painted terracotta horse


At this particular shrine, the Tamil words are written under the shrine which translated specifically declare: ‘Don’t kill animals in the name of God.’ 



3 September 2014

Greenland Ashram -- Ganesh Chaturthi 2014


Greenland Ashram set in the Arunachala countryside near Periyapaliyapatu Village is nearing completion. The below photographs are of a function held on Ganesha Chaturthi (August 29, 2014) at the Ashram to celebrate completion of several of the accommodation buildings. 


Greeland Ashram has been started by a married couple who are devotees of Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Their aim is to create an Ashram in the Arunachala countryside which offers support and order for visitors to concentrate on sadhana and spiritual enquiry. 


Cow puja and homam celebrated on Ganesha Chaturthi, 2014



Sri Sathya Sai Baba, Sadguru of Ashram Founders



Ashram calf who attended with its Mother for the Cow Homam

Several of the Ashram buildings have been completed

Siva Siddhar Mona Swami

Swami in attendance to give his blessings

Darshan of Arunachala from nearly completed Greenland Ashram

8 August 2013

Bamboo Wall Completed


In an earlier posting at this link here, I uploaded photographs of bamboo work going on in my compound. At that time the work around the house had just been completed, and also bamboo and metal sheeting for the first part of the outside wall had been fixed.


The already completed work on side of house


As I have 6 dogs plus the occasional doggie visitor/s to my home, knew that without a metal bamboo sandwich, my fence would last but a few moments, so decided to make a more elaborate dog-proof arrangement in the garden. 


Outside bamboo with inner aluminum sheeting

Below are photographs of the now completed bamboo wall on the outside of my compound. 


The now completed inner bamboo

Dog proof Bamboo-Aluminum sandwich



Now that the work is over, and the bamboo men have left, birds and wildlife have returned to my garden. Below is a White Breasted Kingfisher, a long term resident in our garden, who has happily returned to us and has just had a nice soaking in the birdbath. 


 A very wet White Breasted Kingfisher
Kingfisher perched high in the tree overlooking fence


Close-up of bamboo with Frangipani Plant foreground


Frangipani is a very common plant all through the Arunachala area. It thrives on the hot weather of this area and is a beautiful and fragrant plant to have in one’s garden. I recently wrote a narrative in Arunachala Land about this beautiful plant, and also included mythological stories of the Frangipani as below.

“Many stories are associated with this beautiful plant. In “1001 Arabian Nights” there is a story of this plant which involves the tale of two sisters jealous of their younger sibling, check this link for the story.

Another story related to this beautiful plant appears in the Vishnu Purana; it is entitled 'The Seven Princes,' and the story goes thus . . . "click on this link to continue reading. 

9 February 2013

By-Pass Road, Arunachala Countryside


Today I walked at the back of the Samudram Eri from the Annamalai Reforestation Society (ARS) to Rangammal Hospital. It was only about one kilometre, but as that area is very beautiful countryside with a wonderful darshan of Arunachala, I was curious to view and assess the damage the bypass road will have upon the area. To begin with, the bypass road will be two lanes, but will be increased to four lanes as traffic increases. The distance of the bypass road will be around six kilometres and bifurcate the countryside with a road leading from NH66 (Bangalore Road) to the Sathanur Dam Road. 

You can make your own mind up after scrolling through the below photographs as to the difference the road will make to the Arunachala countryside. It’s difficult to understand why the sanctity of Arunachala is being further desecrated by the construction of yet another highway. Tiruvannamalai has always been strategic as an arterial access from west to east and north to south, but perhaps Tiruvannamalai deserves better than being relegated into something which seems to be regarded by commercial outsiders and non devotees as a restaurant and accommodation facility on the side of an increasingly invasive highway system. How do these highways actually benefit Tiruvannamalai and preserve the sanctity of Arunachala? At times like this I wonder, "Would this happen at Tirupati?" Why aren't we more responsible custodians of our own Arunachala?


Land compulsory purchased being developed
Local Rustic Farmer
Pristine Countryside

Highway cuts through this lovely area

Arunachala darshan, marker post for Highway



Highway bifurcates this 10 acre farm
Life continues during construction
Arunachala darshan from Highway

Pretty tranquility of the countryside

Two sections of new highway will be linked by bridge

Previously this area was deep countryside

New Highway leading to NH66




23 May 2012

Creating an Agricultural Well



In March, 2012, I made a posting entitled Haven in Arunachala Countryside, about the development of a large parcel of land set 5 kms from the Hill. This week I was near the land and stopped by to check on progress on the agricultural well. 

Work on the rocky land is slow and tough but definite progress is being made. The eventual depth of the well will be 40 feet -- so still a substantial amount of digging to go! 














21 March 2012

Haven in Arunachala Countryside

Today I made a trip to the countryside to visit friends who have just purchased a parcel of 5 acres some 5 kms from the Arunachala girivalam roadway. After making sure that my own dogs would be well looked after in my own compound, I set off on my adventure.

The land is located at Periyarpalliyapattu, a small rural, unspoilt area with darshan of Arunachala. The purchasers a married couple (Philippe from France and Kiran from North India) are now busy overseeing the development of their land. A large crew spent a few weeks unearthing and breaking up large stones, more workers set up posts on the land boundaries which later will be fitted with barbed wire and another group of specialist workers have been busy digging an agricultural well. The well which is supposed to be 40 feet deep is already beginning to fill at only 10 feet, so the workers will have to be inventive in how they continue their dig. Only another 30 feet to go.

Next month work commences on a house, cottages and several other structures. All buildings will be made with local ecologically friendly material according to traditional South Indian designs and concepts.

Philippe and Kiran, who are devotees of Sri Sathya Sai Baba have already been given permission by local authorities to designate the area Sathya Sai Nagar. Their wish is to create a haven in the Arunachala countryside where pilgrims can concentrate on their sadhana in the shadow of the great Hill. I will be giving regular updates on progress on the development of their haven “Greenland”.




Arunachala from Land





Area surrounded by Hills





Beautiful Expansive Area





Vinayaka has Already Arrived





Nearby Pond





Babysitting my Friends' Dogs





The Well Crew





Hot Work on a Summer's Day





Well is Already Over 10 feet Deep





Checking out Workers' Hut





Their Ingenious Outside Cooker





Philippe with Doggies





Posts Marking Land Boundary





Kiran and Phillipe
with doggies Jodhaa and Akim