New Style Blog

Finally made a change to the colour and style of Arunachala Grace Blog and hope that this version is easier to read. The old Blog looked nice, but was actually quite difficult on the eyes and some people suggested I change it. I'm still experimenting with this new version but personally find the colours much more cheerful and pleasing and also the photographs stand out nicely.

This last week at Arunachala has been really cold as we are in the midst of a weather front that has brought with it, chilly weather and lots of rain. The weather forecast has promised us relief by Thursday and I will be delighted to see the back of this freezing cold drizzle.

I visited some newly built houses today to check rents on behalf of friends and was amazed when I heard the prices. Definitely Arunachala has finally moved into modern times! That also applies to land, but curiously it is the foreign visitors who are more shocked by land prices than the Indians. When people come from Chennai or Mumbai and hear the price of an acre, they immediately say, 'Wow, thats cheap!". However, overseas visitors are staggered by land prices at Tiruvannamalai and say, 'That's twice as much as I would pay in my own country!' A wonderful irony that the Indians think the land is cheap and the overseas visitors think it expensive!

Animal Shelter Vets

Tiruvannamalai Animal Shelter:

Dr Milind Mhatre who is 29 years old and a resident of Maharashtra finishes his one month tenure at the Animal Shelter, Tiruvannamalai on August 3rd. Dr. Mhatre, a graduate of Bombay Veterinary College, specialised in internal medicine for his Postgraduate Studies at Gujarat Agricultural University.

This is Dr. Mhatre's first time in Tiruvannamalai and although he did not have enough the leisure in which to explore the area as much as he would have wished, he was able to at least climb to the top of Arunachala at the beginning of his stay. Dr. Mhatre who is a small animals veterinary specialist proposes leaving Tiruvannamalai on August 4th at which time he will return to his own clinic, 'Complete Pet Care', (0)9850465201 at Pune, (near Rajneesh Ashram).

Permanent Veterinary Doctor:

Dr. Pushpa Latha, who is 25 years old, joined The Animal Shelter, Tiruvannamalai on July 22, 2007 as the Shelter's permanent Veterinary Doctor. Dr. Latha originally hails from Tanjore but relocated to Chennai where she undertook her veterinary studies. She studied at Chennai Madras Veterinary College (Asia's Premier Veterinary College) where she undertook her Bachelors Degree and later her Masters Degree specialising in surgery studies. Dr. Pushpa Latha worked as surgical assistant to Professor Jayaprakash at Chennai College for 3 years.

From Chennai she moved to Coimbatore to complete a 6 month tenure as Research Doctor at a 2,000 bird Poultry Farm facility. To take up the post of permanent senior Veterinary Doctor at Tiruvannamalai Animal Shelter, Dr. Pushpa Latha recently relocated with family members to this area. Although a native of Tamil Nadu, this is Dr. Latha's first time to Tiruvannamalai.

Guru Poornima

Each year the full moon day in the month of Ashad (July-August) is the auspicious day of Guru Poornima, which in 2007 falls on July 29th. The day of Guru Poornima originates with the ancient sage, Bhagavan Sri Vyasa. Who it is believed edited the four Vedas, wrote the 18 Puranas, The Mahabharata and The Srimad Bhagavata.

In honour of this divine personage, spiritual aspirants and devotees either perform Vyasa Puja on this day, or worship their own spiritual preceptor. Saints, monks and men of God are honoured and entertained with acts of charity by householders with faith and sincerity. The period Chaturmas (the "four months") begins from this day; Sannyasins stay at one place during the ensuing four rainy months, engaging in the study of the Brahma Sutras and the practice of meditation.

The day of Guru Poornima is supposed to herald the settling in of the rains and is thus a time that aspirants commence or resolve to intensify their spiritual disciplines. The Srutis say: "To that high-souled aspirant, whose devotion to the Lord is great and whose devotion to his Guru is as great as that to the Lord, the secrets explained herein become illuminated".

To find out more about Rishi Vyasa click here.

Universe Song

A FUN, light hearted, musical cartoon on the size of the Universe.

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Rajarajeshwari Shrine

In an earier posting I mentioned a few details of Rajarajeshwari Temple on the hillround roadway and its location at Parvati Hill. Below is some more interesting information about this small, fascinating Temple.

What is now the Rajarajeshwari Temple on the Girivalam pathway has been at the same .25 acre site in some form or another for the last 100 years

The family who maintain the Trust of this independent Temple is that of A.Valagurumudaliar Annaporni and comprises 7 brothers and 2 sisters, all of whom are actively involved in the running and development of the Temple. The family, who come from a merchant tradition, are Mudaliars, a sect famous for their support of Temples and Religious endeavours in many area throughout Tamil Nadu.

Of the seven brothers of the Valagurumudaliar Annaporni family, Arul Arasu, who trained as an engineer, is currently the priest and manager of Rajarajeshwari Temple.

Rajarajeshwari is held as the first God of the Devi Mahatmyam, in which all others are centred.

In the shrine room at the feet of the goddess is a Koorm Pristhiya (Meru) Sri Yantra of which you can more details at this link:

Below is the statue of Sri Ganesha which is stationed at the doorway of the Inner Shrineroom.

The next photograph is of the statue of Rajarajeshwari which is located outside the Shrineroom and is used for various other kinds of puja and processions around the Temple.

The metal carving of Gaja Lakshmi is positioned outside the Shrineroom.

Facing the Shrineroom, instead of the usual Nandi one always associates with the Shiva Lingam, is the Simha (lion) associated with the Goddess aspect, particularly that of Durga.

Below one can get a better idea of the Simha dais facing the Shrineroom inside the Temple.

The blue panel at the back of the outside of the Shrineroom is the back of where the Rajarajeshwari statue is located.

When this Temple was established a 100 years ago by the ancestors of the current A.Valagurumudaliar Annaporni family, the small pink structure was the whole of the original Temple. As time progressed what is now the current Rajarajeshwari Temple grew around the original Shrineroom below.

The next photograph is of the Goddess, in another of her aspects, located inside the Compound but outside the Shrineroom.

Currently a small Shiva Temple (i.e. Rajarajeshwaran) is being constructed adjacent to the current Goddess Shrine. The Lingam in the below photograph will get moved into its own small Temple when complete.

The Nandi below is also awaiting completion of the new Temple, afterwhich it will be positioned facing the Shiva Lingam.

A view of the small garden surrounding the Rajarajeshwari Temple.

This lovely Amman Temple is becoming increasing popular for people performing Girivalam. It is estimated each month during the day of Poornima over 50,000 people visit this Temple. The number increases to 100,000 on the day of the annual Bharani Deepam (which this year is celebrated on November 24th, 2007).

For full information of Poornima and Deepam dates please check this link.

Shiva, Shakti

Only if Shiva is united with Shakti does he have the power to act, otherwise the God is not even able to quiver.

Thus having been lauded by the creator, preserver and destroyer of the world, how can a man without virtue like myself be able to sing or to praise you?

[Shankaracharya, Saundarya Lahari 1]

I am Manifest, Unmanifest and Transcendent Divinity,
I am Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva
As well as Saraswati, Laksmi and Parvati
I am the Earth, The Sun and the Stars
And I am the also the Moon
I am all animal and birds,
And I am the outcast as well, and the thief
I am the low person of dreadful deeds,
And the great person of excellent deeds
I am Female. I am Male and I am Neuter

In the Devi's Supreme Cosmic Form,
The Satyaloka is situated on the topmost of Her head;
The Sun and Moon are her eyes;
The quarters of the sky are Her ears;
The Vedas are Her words;
The Universe is Her heart;
The Earth is Her loins;
The space between earth and sky is Her navel;
The constellations are Her Thighs;
The Maharaloka is Her neck;
The Janarloka is Her face;
Indra and the Devas of the Svarloka are her arms;
Sound is the organ of Her ears;
Fire is within her Face;
Day and Night are Her wings;
The mountains are Her bones;
The rivers are Her veins,
And the trees are the hairs of Her body.
Childhood, youth, and old age are Her finest modes;
The two twilights are Her raiment;
And the Moon is the mind of the Mother of the Universe.

[Devi Bhagavata Purana, VII.33.1-21]

Arunachala Land

Arunachala Grace Network will often post news of land for sale, in the hope that the land will be acquired by a single owner (or independent group) who intends using the land for his/their own purpose. Our belief is land at Arunachala is sacred and we need to revere and protect it. PROPERTY DEVELOPERS OR SPECULATORS NEED NOT REPLY TO THIS POSTING.

In this respect we would draw attention to a very beautiful 7 acre piece of land available on the Northwest side of Arunachala. The land is well maintained agricultural land belonging to a local, independent owner who wishes to sell. This is the view of the mountain from the land.

The next photograph is the view of Arunachala from infront of the land's tree lined perimeter boundary.

The below photograph shows some of the land which is currently under cultivation.

Another view of some cultivated acres of the land with a range of Hills (Government controlled) at the back, which fall under 'protected land' category and cannot be built upon.

The land from another vantage point.

Water is in plentiful supply throughout the land.

Below is a photograph of the agricultural well and pump house on the land.

Below a picture of the land currently under paddy (rice) cultivation.

As previously mentioned the above land is approximately 7 acres and is currently owned by a private individual who wishes to sell. The area is very silent, secluded and perfect for a Retreat Centre or Ashram.

If you wish to find out more about this land please get in touch with:
arunachalameenakshi@rediffmail.com or call +91-944-3964710

Sri Meru Yantra

In a recent posting I mentioned visiting one of my favourite Temples at Arunachala; the Temple of the Divine Mother, Rajarajeshwari. Although a small Temple set off the girivalam pathway, its quite perfect and I will be posting more information on it in future but for the time being would mention the beautiful Sri Meru Yantra located at the feet of Rajarajeshwari inside Her shrine room.

There are three kinds of Sri Yantra, Bhuprastha, Kurma Prastha and Meru Prastha. A plain Sri Yantra is called Bhuprishtha (back of the Earth), one which is raised on a tortoise back is called Kachchhap Prishtha and that which is raised fully like the Sumeru Mountain is called Meru Prishthha (like a Mountain).

The 3-Dimensional Meru Sri Yantra is a multi-Pyramid Cosmic Grid signifying unlimited abundance and positive powers. In the cosmos there are three states; Creation, Establishment and Destruction and these are represented by the three circles in the Sri Yantra which in itself is the symbol of the Universe or Cosmos.

Sri Yantra is the worshipping place of the form of the Mahatripura Sundari (Rajarajeshwari). It is Her divine abode. All Gods and Goddesses are worshipped in it and all other religious adorations are done there as it includes all conducts, learning and elements.

Koorm Pristhiya (Meru) Sri Yantra is one of the oldest, rarest and most precious Yantras and believed to have been created by Adi Guru Dattatreya for the welfare of the world. The name, Sri Yantra, which means mounted at the back of tortoise upwards is also significant because in Hindu mythology, it is believed that the tortoise lifted the weight of the earth on its back. The tortoise is particularly relevant as it is a very powerful, protected being that can live in either water or land. It is also non-violent and Nature has provided it with a strong cover or jacket to protect it from danger.

Sri Yantra designed over the back of the tortoise has eight petals as in the case of the original Sri Yantra where the Lotus flower (Kamala) has eight groups with sixty four Lotus dal. The reason the lotus flower was chosen for the base of the Yantra is that the lotus is the only holy flower believed to have originated from the navel (Nabhi) of Lord Vishnu.

The Sri Yantra designed on the mount over the back of a tortoise looks similar to the dome of a temple which is slightly mounted. It also depicts one of the fundamental of Vastu Kala which says that any residential house, palace or temple must be mounted at the centre to the top, so that the person residing in it should get more energy radiation and solar reflections from the Universe in order to ensure a life of abundance.

This particular meru inside the shrine of the Rajarajeshwari Temple on the Arunachala girivalam pathway has an interesting recent history. In 2000 Swami Nithyananada performed a homam (puja) at the Temple (on their behalf) for the purpose of expediting the successful completion of ongoing Temple construction work. In lieu of the puja, the Temple presented the then exisiting meru to Swami Nithyananda and replaced it with a new Sri Meru Yantra for the Rajarajeshwari shrine room. Thus the current Sri Meru Yantra at the Temple only dates from the year 2000.

Hail to Thee, Part 7

Hail to Thee! O'Arunachala!

Verses 1-9
Verses 10-20
Verses 21-31
Verses 32-50
Verses 51-70
Verses 71-91

Concluding verses to this devotional poem:

92. Good it is to chant the Holy Sound
Better it is to whisper it around
Greater still is the mental chant
Yet supreme is it to Be the Chant

93. Seeking the sound of the chanted mantra
Using Self Inquiry's method as the tantra
Ask whence from the chanter springs forth
Rejecting all mental forms as of little worth

94. Diligently seek thee the source within
And on finding it, do subside therein
Only by such effort shall true Tapas reign
So promises Ramana of Virupaksha fame

95. All scriptures are but maps of the way
into the state of Being lying in thee within
Erudite fools argue and contest the map
While the simple sage drinks Being's sap

96. The scholar lost in libraries under the sun
Spends his days relearning the number one
His years of erudite effort rank not above
A single moment of self-dissolving Love

97. Varna's, ashrama's, castes and creed
Are but divisions of the mental breed
On knowing Brahman a Brahmin is he
Knowing all else a Chandaala he be

98. Yet without a teacher's Grace
Impossible it is to see His Face
Verily the teacher as the Guru
Is the Self known as "Ulluru"

99. But for the ardent seeker struggling with fate
The Guru will arrive and guide him to His State
This is an incontestable Truth, have faith my son
Indeed the Guru and the Self are but one

100. Pushing him from without as the Self pulls him in
Never doubt the Guru is the Self's inseparable twin
Ego's destruction is assured in the Guru's maw
As the fate of the prey caught in the tiger's jaw

101. Blessed is he on whom falls the Guru's Gaze
He has received the key out of Maya's maze
Surrender your all at the Sat Guru's Feet
Hurry my son, reclaim your Heavenly Seat

102. Gentler by far than the mother that bore me
Is my Guru Ramana standing before me
Radiant as a million suns, cooler than the full moon
His Gaze has stolen my heart, my ego's in a swoon

103. Having crazed me with love He sends me to roam
In lands of the lost and blind far from home
Cloaked in a healer's garb, I now stand at the post
While residing beneath, it is He who heals the host

104. Who but Ramana of Patala Linga fame
Residing at Arunachala in Guha's name
Speaks today in me in the English tongue
As this verse bubbling forth to be sung

105. O' Lord perfumed by Vaachakar's lilting prose
Wreathed by the garlands of Muruganar's verse
I offer Thee this crazed rant with heartfelt devotion
O' Wearer of Kannappan's spittle as a body lotion

106. Praise be the Blessed Feet of Guru Ramana
That crowns my head, standing as Vaamana
Praise be the Holy Hill of Arunachala
Hope's Eternal Beacon called Sonachala

107. Praise be Mother Allagama's holy shrine
At the feet of Aruna Hill, forever Thine
Praise the Divine Effulgence of Karthikai's Beacon
The Eternal Light that to all seekers does beckon

108. To Thee I offer humbly my faltering praise
With trembling voice and tears on my face
Fathered by the sun, this moon child stands
As Ravichandran bowing with folded hands

Modernization

Last year we also experienced a period of 'wrecking' as bull-dozers and men razed to the ground all illegal encroachments from roads and pathways throughout the township. Now that Tiruvannamalai is undergoing extensive modernization one expects much of the same will be a recurring theme. This week the main Chengham Road was the current area to be overhauled. In the below photograph one of the very many bulldozers assigned to the task.

Below is a lovely local dog belonging to a sadhu who has his berth outside one of the walls of Ramana Ashram. The dog is very curious as to what all the activity and noise is about.

To the left is part of an ancient shrine and to the right recent stores (which have been emptied out by the owners) that are waiting to be demolished by a wrecking crew. The shrine stays and the shops go.

Its really not as bad as it seems as it is amazing how quickly the area recovers. The pink area at the front of this shrine used to be a small restaurant with a very nice bamboo roof protruding onto the sidepath with lots of tables and chairs for customers. I have no doubt that within a few weeks, when the coast is clear, things will be cleared up, the bamboo roof will be back up and the restaurant will be in busy again.

Sadly the trees won't recover as quickly. Supposedly for the reason of street widening lots of beautiful, old trees were either cut down completely or trimmed back. Well I suppose that's what urbanisation is all about!

The pink house below with the bamboo shell used to be home for a family of 4 (at the back) and their place of business i.e., a tea shop at the front. Sadly most of the house is regarded as an encroachment and is slated for demolition. This evening I was talking to a local resident about this and she is very concerned that people who had been living in homes for sometimes up to 30 years should all of a sudden be out on the street. Another way of looking at this could be that alot of folk had a free place to live for years, in which they didn't have to pay rent or rates.

The boys in the below photograph are probably on their way home from the nearby Arts College. They don't seem too concerned with the wreckage all around.

Below a photograph of more houses regarded as encroachments (illegally built on Government land) and slated for demolition. As I was passing by some men were bringing out statues from a house which used to be the home and workplace for a sculptor of religious icons. It was nice passing by, checking out what he was working on.

A farmer going past on his bicycle checking out some of the trees that have been felled.

A huge amount of rubble, bricks, plaster, and other bits and pieces are laying strewn around the sides of the road. Just hope its all over quickly and peacefully.

In the below photograph, right on the side of the road is one of the busiest and most popular Temples in the Ramana Nagar area i.e., the Kali Temple. From what I've heard the Temple has already started construction at a new site and will move shortly, thereupon the current Temple will be demolished in order for the highway to be widened.

I took these pictures a couple of days ago and from what I've heard the wreckage was even more dire today. Certainly not interested in going in town until the worst of it is over. On the bright side, this is India, home of the extended family, so most of the people affected by the demolitions will have lots of local relatives to turn too.

Parvati Hill

This evening I visited one of my favourite Amman Temples at Tiruvannamalai, the very beautiful Rajarajeshwari Temple on the girivalam pathway. I went to meet one of the Trustees of the Temple to get some details and history of this small but significant Shrine. I will be posting information of the Temple on this Blog in upcoming days and also posting a short descriptive narrative of it in Arunachala Grace News, which will be sent to subscribers at the end of this month.

While at the Temple, I learnt several signficant details but the one that surprised me the most was the fact that there is one area of the 14 km girivalam pathway from which the Deepam light at the top of Arunachala cannot be seen during the Karthika function.

In the below photograph I am standing in front of the gate of the Rajarajeshwari Temple compound looking out at a spur of the Mountain called Parvati Hill.

There is a stretch of about .5 kms, including this Parvati Hill, out of the 14 km girivalam pathway starting at Palani Andar Shrine and ending at Surya Lingam from which Shiva's light during Deepam cannot be seen.

The Trustee told me that it is believed that this short part of the Girivalam pathway is regarded as particularly Amman's and in ways subtley different to the rest of the pradakshina path.

For people who are not yet subscribers to the monthly Arunachala Grace News, you can sign up for a free subscription to the Newsletter at the left hand margin of this Blog underneath the Email Logo.

Mountain Connection

In the case of Arunachala one does not find a sacred shrine at the summit of the Hill as is generally the case at other Hills of South India where a Temple down below is united with a Temple high above, by means of path or staircase.

In the case of Arunachala, the Temple is connected to the circuit of the mountain. In the myth of Tiruvannamalai, the inselberg, considered as linga is found at the Centre of a ritual circumambulation. This route was made solely for religious purposes, a sacred way determined by the density of the super natural. The pathway is well-made, bordered with sacred tanks and stages and replete with important shrines of which some date from the same period as those of the inner sanctum (Shiva Sannidhi) of Arunachaleswara Temple.

This itinerary of devotion commences from the East side of the Mountain at the Temple, which is the point of departure and arrival. In this place of encounter, where people would periodically meet and from which point the giripradakshina originated and completed was thus the central ritual at which pilgrims converged, and was to become the embryonic seed of the city of what is now Tiruvannamalai.

[Jean Oeloche]


“Inselberg is an isolated hill, knob, ridge, or small mountain that rises abruptly from a gently sloping or virtually level surrounding plain. The word inselberg is German for "island mountain"; the name was originally coined to describe the abundant such features found in southern Africa.

Inselbergs are typically, though not only, formed in tropical areas. Volcanic or other processes may give rise to a body of rock resistant to erosion, inside a body of softer rock such as sandstone which is more susceptible to erosion. When the less resistant rock is eroded away to form a plain, the more resistant rock is left behind as an isolated mountain.”

[from Wikipedia]

Monkey Munch

I just love the Bonnet Macaque monkeys that live all around Arunachala and Tiruvannamalai. Of course its easy to be relaxed and mellow about them, when the rascals don't come to my house, ransack rooms or raid the kitchen; as they do in popular spots throughout the area! But luckily I am some distance from their thieving runs.

However, I find it impossible to go around girivalam pathway without purchasing food and snacks to give to both monkeys and dogs. This particular monkey was hanging out on a tree watching me feed hard crunchy bread rolls (a big favourite) to a couple of hungry dogs in the compound of the Temple I was visiting. Once the dogs had departed, the monkey followed me inside the Rajarajeshwari Temple looking for his share of 'goodies'.

The Temple Trustee chased the feisty monkey out into the compound, where finally it was united with its 3 hard earned crusty, crunchy bread buns!

If you want to find out more about these adorable and smart monkeys check out this link Bonnet Macaques.

Such a tidy little 'un.