Excavation

I stopped by this evening at the site of the controversial land grab at Pavala Kunru, a small hillock spur of Arunachala. I took lots of photographs, which I hope to post over the next few days, but for the meantime a few to get started. The below photograph is of the rock on which Paramahamsa Nithyananda reports to have experienced his realisation while still a young boy. This is the site which is the centre piece of the envisaged 3 acre ashram infrastructure that some hope to develop but which is currently causing alot of local controversy.

The below is taken from the 3 acre site and shows part of the adjacent unspoilt Hill.

The last photograph is of part of the current exacuvation of the proposed 3 acre ashram site.

Apart from the overriding spiritual and aesthetic senstivities of the opponents of the proposed ashram at Pavala Kunru, Arunachala, there is also the serious consideration of soil erosion and mud slides during monsoon because of the disruption of boulders and rooted trees. Some years back, before the current Arunachala reforestation programmes, parts of southwest Tiruvannamalai was endangered by falling rocks from the Hill resulting from soil degradation.