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Its late afternoon and I am at Sri Nannagaru Ashram to watch and celebrate the lighting of the Deepam flame on top of Arunachala, with my Guru and his devotees. As is the custom at this Ashram, a ghee lamp is waiting in the courtyard, to be lit after the Deepam on the Hill.
In the below photograph, my guruji -- Sri Nannagaru.
And we all sit waiting for the Deepam on top of Arunachala to be lit. And there it is.
Its dusk and it gets dark quickly.
As soon as the light appeared on top of Arunachala, the jyothi at the Ashram was lit by Sri Nannagaru. In the below he is circumbulating the light.
Its my preference to enjoy Deepam at the Ashram, but all over Tiruvannamalai there are celebrations, fireworks, ceremonies, functions and masses of people enjoying the evening in their own special way. Many homes like the one below have lighted ghee lamps stationed on their balconies and by their front doors.
The girivalam road is packed with pilgrims performing circumbulation of the Hill -- it will be like that through the night and well into tomorrow morning.
HAPPY DEEPAM TO ONE AND ALL
HAPPY DEEPAM TO ONE AND ALL
