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! 

Legendary Birds in Hinduism

Today I made a posting on Arunachala Birds, on the locally found Pied Crested Cuckoo. A bird which in Hindu mythology is reputed to be also the Chataka bird – a bird unwilling to drink water found on earth and instead choosing to drink only fresh rain water as it falls from the sky. There are many animals and legendary creatures in Hindu Mythology, and below is information on certain birds that hold a prominent position in such mythology, namely: Chataka, Hamsa, Chakor and Garuda. 

Chataka (Pied Crested Cuckoo) 

The Pied Crested Cuckoo is also known as the Chataka. In Hindu mythology this bird is unable or unwilling to drink water found on earth and instead chooses to drink only fresh rain water as it falls from the sky. Legend has it that this bird never drinks water off the ground. And that however thirsty it may be, it supposedly drinks only rain water as it falls from the heavens. For this reason it has come to symbolise a true spiritual aspirant. 

Sri Sathya Sai Baba refers to the Chataka bird in a discourse during Shivarathri 1991: 

“The Chataka bird endures many ordeals to secure unsullied raindrops from the clouds. The moment it espies a dark cloud in the sky, it embarks on its adventure. There is water aplenty on the earth in lakes, ponds and rivers, but the Chataka bird has no use for these polluted waters. It waits for the pure raindrops in the month of Karthika and does not seek any other water. It is undaunted by thunder and lightning. It seeks only the pure raindrops falling from the clouds, without fear or concern. It sings in joy as it drinks the raindrops. 

The Chataka bird is an example of pure love. The true devotee should perform a similar penance (to realise God). He must have the same determination. He must go through similar ordeals to experience the ultimate ecstasy. He must not succumb to the wiles and attractions of the world. The golden life of man should be tested on the touchstone of the Lord's name.” 

Hamsa (the Swan) 

Hamsa, or White Swan, is the vehicle of Lord Brahma and Goddess Saraswathi. 

In Hinduism, Lord Brahma performs the act of creation and Goddess Saraswati is the Goddess of art and learning. Hamsa (i.e. the Swan) is reputed to eat pearls and be able to separate milk from water and drink only the pure milk. This particular capacity of making fine distinctions is an essential requisite of creation. Therefore Lord Brahma is shown as riding on a Swan. 

The Goddess Saraswati also has the Swan as her vahana (vehicle). Here again the Swan’s capacity to make fine distinctions is symbolically used – creative power, knowledge, inner realization and outer glorification of the Lord are all products of the discriminative power. 

The Hamsa is seen as a symbol of purity, detachment, divine knowledge, cosmic breath (prana) and the highest spiritual accomplishment. It is supposed to transcend the limitations of creation for it can walk on the earth, fly in the sky and swim in the water 

Chakor

The Chakor is described in Hindu mythology as a bird that thrives only on moon-light for its food.

Deep into the full moon night, the Chakor sheds its tears in longing, releasing the song of unrequited passion, for its alluring beloved (i.e. the moon) is unattainable high in the skies. The bittersweet pain of the fullness of its love makes life worth living, for on this occasion of the full moon night, it can see the beloved from afar, undisturbed, in her full glory. 

The great ascetic guru and philosopher of Advaita, Adi Shankaracharya, describes the divine glory of the Goddess Tripurasundari as Amba, revealed in the face of the Full Moon. The Goddess rises from the ocean, clad in the luminescent jewels of the spray of the surging tide. High above in the sky, the luminous sweep of her full light releases waves of chaitanya – cosmic consciousness – dripping with the nectar of immortality. And the Chakor, thirsting for the charm of her enchanting smile, drinks in this nectar, which brings the fulfillment of his life’s purpose!

Adi Sankaracharya refers to the Chakor as a bird that is supposed to have drunk to the brim the moonlight of Goddess Amba’s smile, which is so sweet that it benumbs the bird’s beak. To counteract this numbness, the bird drinks moonlight, which in comparison to the smile of the Goddess, is termed  ‘sour gruel’.

Garuda

“The Garuda is regarded as the King of Birds. Its name derives from the root Gri, to swallow as the Garuda devours snakes.

The snake represents the subconscious or hidden aspects of the mind; the feelings and thoughts which crawl underneath the surface. The Garuda can perceive these tiny snake like aspects and fall upon them. Similarly, by practising awareness we can develop wisdom which can perceive the workings of our mind in the most beneficial way.

The Garuda is represented with a human upper body, big eyes, beak, short blue horns, yellow hair standing on end, bird's claws and wings. However, sometimes, he is represented in human form with wings.

The Garuda which comes out of its egg fully grown symbolises the space element and the power of the sun, which dries up water. He represents spiritual energy which devours the delusions of jealousy and hatred. Because of his large wings, he represents openness and freedom of mind unaffected by emotional conflicts. Garuda symbolises the wise mind which reaches everywhere and brings about growth and wisdom.”

To read more go to this link here.

The Brahminy Kite  (Tamil: Krishna Parunthu) is found at Tiruvannamalai, and there are several Brahminy Kite nests by Samudram Lake. 

Where the nests are known, the birds are worshipped as representative of Garuda (the sacred Eagle), but this bird is actually a Kite. To find out more about the Brahminy Kite go to this link here.

Urchava Maha Rudrabhishek, Big Temple

Right click on all photographs to view enlargements 

 

Temples have various types of idols. One type of idol is fixed, and are generally referred to as Moola Vigrahams (Moolavars) or primary idols. Another type of idol are known as Urchavars or Urchava Moorthies, and are generally smaller and meant to be taken around the Temple and town in processions during Festivals. Most Urchava Moorthies are crafted in Panchaloha – which is a composite of five types of materials: gold, silver, copper, brass and bronze. 

Below is a series of photographs of an elaborate puja at Arunachaleswarar Temple, which took place this May 2012 Sivaratri (new moon night)  performed on the Urchava Moorthies. 

Indian Railways Vignettes

Below is a selection of humorous vignettes from the Indian Railways, including stories of rats, bulls and pythons and one story of a rather inebriated engine driver!

Have you seen rats who drink tea regularly? I have seen it at Shoranur(Kerala) station Thousands of rats belonging to all generations infest the numerous holes just below PF2 which are made for drainage purpose. 

As soon as a train leaves, these rats virtually scramble hither thither in the PF, and if the tea vendors are away for a smoke and if tea is pouring out drip by drip from the pot, they raise their bodies on hind legs and drink tea fearlessly whilst hundreds of passengers watch the scene. 

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In the late 40s, 4UP Frontier Mail was hauled by an H Class locomotive, driven by Speed King, K. 

An inebriated K was stung by a local train overtaking him. He ripped open the Regulator, and hurtled past Mahalaxmi. Too late, he switched off Power and applied full Emergency brakes. The train crashed into the Platform Dead End, and the Bombay Central station roof caved in. The saloon of the then Regional Mechanical Engineer (RME), H, was attached to the rear of 4 UP. 

K was immediately suspended, and the RME contemplated dismissing K. Somebody whispered into the RMEs ear,”Sir, if you take disciplinary action against K, you are also responsible.” The saloon was equipped with braking equipment. 

The RME was also required to ensure the safety of the train by operating the brakes. The result was that K was permanently demoted to Goods Driver Grade C’ till his retirement. 

Till the end, he retained the awesome notoriety of the Speed King who brought the house, or rather, Bombay Central station roof down.

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The increasing frequency of attacks by some rogue bulls in Varanasi has forced the temple town's Railway authorities to remove them from the Railway station premises. The authorities have received a number of complaints by visitors to the railway station about the bulls' nuisance. 

These bulls have made the Railway platform their abode and will now be removed with the help of the local Municipal corporation workers. They will be rehabilitated in neighbouring forests. 

Vinod Singh, a railway ticket examiner said that the bulls were causing a lot of trouble to passengers on the Railway station. "The bulls snatch food from the passengers and cause difficulty in walking around on the platforms. The passengers face inconvenience as these bulls stay on the platform and make the station dirty. Keeping all this mind the area manager (Railways) has called for drive against the stray bulls," he said. 

The drive, however, has met with adverse reactions from certain residents of the holy city who revere the bull and consider such action as disrespectful. 

"The bull has a lot of importance here as it is Lord Shiva's ride. The administration is sinning against God by behaving so wrongly with them. Bulls are extremely calm animals, they don't harm anyone. They never cause destruction. They do so only if you instigate them," said Badal Jaiswal, a Varanasi dweller. 

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An adult python was found inside an air conditioned compartment of Puri-Guwahati Express today creating panic among the passengers. The snake, which was hanging from a hook near the roof of the compartment, was caught at Balasore station by Railway Protection Force, who were informed about it by the passengers. 

“When the train arrived at Balasore station at about 7 pm today passengers complained to the RPF personnel patrolling the platform and we immediately informed the guard of the train and managed to catch the snake,” said officer-in-charge of RPF at Balasore Amulya Biswal. The snake was found near the toilet and it was suspected that it had escaped while some person was trying to smuggle it, he said.“ 

The Guwahati bound express had to be detained for about half an hour at the platform here to catch the 5 feet-long python,” he added. The local forest officials have been asked to take possession of the snake. 

Indian Railways - Tiruvannamalai Station

In connection with my recent posting on Arunachala Grace about the development of Tiruvannamalai Railway Station, I think it might be interesting to give some history on Indian Railways and information on the conversion of Metre Gauge tracks to Broad Gauge at Tiruvannamalai Station and its surrounds. 

The first railway built in India in 1852 covered a distance

of 34kms between Bombay and Thane and the first passenger

train started to run between these two stations, on April 16, 1853.

Indian Railways, a Department of the Government of India, under the Ministry of Railways, operates the Indian rail network which is one of the largest and busiest rail networks in the world. Each day it transports 17 million passengers and 2 million tonnes of freight. It is also one of the largest employers in the world with a workforce of 1.6 million employees. 

Railways were first introduced to India in 1853. By 1985, steam locomotives were phased out in favour of diesel and electric locomotives. In 1951 the diverse railway systems were nationalized and became one unit with six zonal divisions, which for administrative purposes, were subsequently divided into seventeen zones. 

One of those zones is Southern Railways, which in its present form, came into existence on 14th April 1951 through the merger of three state railways; Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, South Indian Railway, and Mysore State Railway. 

Southern Railway's present network covers 5,235 kms of track and extends over a large area of India's Southern Peninsula. Headquartered at Chennai, the Southern Railway comprises six divisions; Chennai, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Palghat, Trivandrum and Salem, and has a total staff strength of approximately 105,000. 

The work recently undertaken at Tiruvannamalai has been the conversion of Metre Gauge tracks to Broad Gauge and the development of Tiruvannamalai Station and its surrounds. Metre gauge is still found on about 17,000 km of the Indian Rail network. It is said that metre gauge was chosen by Lord Mayo (then Viceroy of India) based on calculations to allow four persons to sit comfortably abreast; it would have been 3'3" except that there was a push (at that time) to move to the metric system and so the gauge became one metre. However, the metric system was not adopted until nearly a century later, so the railway track gauge was the only thing in India that was 'metric' for a long time. 

Another reason for narrow gauge railways is that it was substantially cheaper to build, equip, and operate than standard gauge or broad gauge railways, particularly in difficult terrain. However the problem with narrow gauge railroads is they lack room to grow and their cheap construction is bought at the price of being engineered only for initial traffic demands. While a standard or broad gauge railroad could more easily be upgraded to handle heavier, faster traffic, many narrow gauge railroads are impractical to improve. Speeds and loads cannot increase, so traffic density is significantly limited. An additional reason for the conversion of rail tracks to broad gauge is to ensure stability in the face of the cyclonic winds of Indian weather. 

Fires on Arunachala

The summer in 2012, has been bad for fires on Arunachala. The first major fire occurred on April 20th and became particularly serious because of fierce winds fanning the flames. The area of the fire is marked on the below map. 

First Fire

Second Fire

Some two weeks later, after the biggest fire in almost a decade, another large fire broke out, this time on the North Side of Arunachala. See below map. 

 

To read a full report of the fires at Arunachala during this summer and to view photographs showing the devastation they caused,  go to Richard’s narrative at this link here. 

Chitrai Poornima 2012 Photographs

Below in this posting are some more amazing photographs taken yesterday on the day of Chitra Poornima, at functions on Car Street, in front of the Arunachaleswarar Temple. 

One can get a good idea of the size of the crowds from these latest photographs. 

To look at earlier postings on Chitra Poornima postings, with details about the legend of the Festival click on this link here, and to view photographs of Chitra Poornima girivalam, click on this link here. 

Tiruvannamalai Railway Station, May 2012

A dear friend and yearly visitor from Malaysia, asked me to check out the railway timetable for Tiruvannamalai for Deepam 2012. 

I have also had several requests from readers, to post up-to-date photographs of Tiruvannamalai railway station. 

Thus, in order to get information and photographs, I visited Tiruvannamalai railway station yesterday morning. While there I learnt that there will shortly be a new rail timetable schedule for Tiruvannamalai. Thus the schedule below may not be in operation for a long time. In addition a train schedule for Deepam, will only be published a short time prior to the Festival. 

Regular Train 

06842 (North) Villupuram to Katpadi arrives 05.45 departs 05.50 

06841 (South) Katpadi to Villupuram arrives 19.35 departs 19.40 

Weekly Train 

16779 Tirupathi to Madurai - Sunday/Friday arrives 18.25 departs 18.30 

16780 Madurai to Tirupathi - Sunday/Friday arrives 03.55 departs 04.00 

Weekly Train 

22603 Kharagpur to Villupuram - Thursday - arrives 20.25 departs 20.30 

22604 Villupuram to Kharagpur - Monday - arrives 12.10 departs 12.15 

Weekly Train 

22605 Purulia to Villupuram - Tuesday - arrives 20.25 departs 20.30 

22606 Villupuram to Purulia - Saturday - arrives 12.10 departs 12.15 

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The first photograph is the view of Arunachala when coming out of the Tiruvannamalai Railway Station. The road of the second photo, is the driveway up the Railway Station. 

Glad to see in the newly modernised Railway Station, that they kept the name board the same nice bright yellow as before. 

Although there is a brand new bridge connecting the platforms, while I was at the station I saw NO-ONE using the bridge. All seemed to prefer scampering across the tracks. Hope that changes when the tracks are electrified when the next phase of the development of the Railway Station takes place. 

The station is being maintained very well, and it was spotless on the day I visited. They even had a lady walking the tracks picking up the ubiquitous plastic from the lines. 

The new platforms are inordinately long, so glad that there is a helpful sign displayed for the engine driver! 

 Track Maintenance 

 View of the lines and station from 

the railway crossing in town. 

 The railway crossing in town. 

Chitra Poornima Girivalam

To view enlargements of below, right click on individual photographs. 

I was very eager to perform girivalam this month, as Chitra Poornima, the first full moon of the Tamil year is so very special. I set off at 5 p.m. and expected to complete the full round of the Hill by 9.30 p.m. 

Many devotees had arranged the feeding of pilgrims. And the first place I stopped at was a puja being conducted by a group from various spots in South India, on behalf of their Guru (who had attained samadhi). 

A member of the group told me that they had arranged enough provisions so that they could feed 70,000 pilgrims. The provisions included: 4,000 kg of rice, 500 kg of dhal and 1,000 litres of curd. This is the sixth year (during Chitra Poornima) that this group has arranged such a puja and feeding. 

A huge crowd was expected for this poornima, and huge it was. As so many pilgrims had arranged prasad all along the girivalam roadway, many of the roadside restaurants had little business throughout the 24 hour poornima. Though it seems like tea shops did a roaring business.

Roadside artists were in attendance. And there were beautiful coloured drawings throughout the edges of the roadway. 

 

 You could get your palm read and future foretold. 

Or just stop for a moment and enjoy a 

refreshing green coconut. 

Or even a cooling glass of sugarcane water. 

The little boy in the below photograph, is whispering his secrets and wishes into the ear of Nandi, the mount of the great Lord Shiva. By the time I reached the next statue of Nandi, I too was ready to do my own whispering! 

The mood of the pilgrims was happy, and the crowds seemed to be enjoying their girivalam enormously. Many of the pilgrims I spoke with, mentioned that it was their first time at Arunachala. 

In this respect the Arts College Car Park was filled with out-of-State cars, mostly from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

 

It started to get quite dark, and time for me to put away the camera, and continue on my walk. Which did in fact take the expected time and I arrived home almost on the dot of 9.30 p.m.