Adopt-a-Pup

The Animal Shelter at Tiruvannamalai is doing amazing work undertaking sterlisation operations on both male and female dogs and cats. The Shelter helps injured and sick animals and is also a sanctuary for animals who are unable to survive in the World by themselves.

The Shelter takes in street dogs for sterlisation operations and after convalescence from surgical procedures, dogs are released back into the same area from where they were originally taken. But sometimes young puppies end up at the Shelter.

This is a very sweet orphaned family of young pups waiting for a loving Master to come along and adopt them.

Cute just isn't a strong enough word to describe these little angels!

It's easy to see that the Shelter is well run and that all residents receive lots of loving attention from a dedicated Shelter staff.

The below blue cage is this puppy family's private residence. A Shelter worker has just let them out, in order to take out the straw bedding and replace it with fresh, clean straw (a procedure repeated daily).

A giant person looks down at one of the young puppies, who is of course, fearless in its secure and loving environment.

In the below photograph, the man holding the pup is called Iyyapan. He comes from a local farming family that has land next to Samudram Lake. I was surprised to see him looking for a dog to adopt at the Shelter because usually in the countryside there are plenty of roaming dogs to choose from. But Iyyapan was particularly interested in adopting a black coloured dog - as black dogs are regarded as lucky and auspicious. Well Iyyapan really must believe the folk lore because he ended up adopting two black puppy brothers. Excellent news for the Shelter and also good news for the two puppies as they will be ending up at a very pretty area.

The below photograph is of an Indian squirrel - of which the area abounds. This little chap got separated from his Mum and has been officially adopted by the Animal Shelter. He has a very nicely equipped cage but spends alot of his time away from his snug little home, running up and down welcoming arms.

Adult, sterlised dogs are available at the Shelter for adoption to good homes. Dogs and puppies receive all relevant innoculations and are in excellent condition. So if you live in Tiruvannamalai and want a dog, come by the Animal Shelter and check out some of the canine friends waiting for a loving Master and snug home.

Nakshatra Dhyaan Temple

The new 'Sri Arunachala Dhyanapeetam' at Tiruvannamalai now offers a 'Nakshatra Dhyaan Temple'.

During Vedic times, sages and saints identified 9 planets, 12 rasis (rasi refers to the sign in which the moon is placed at the time of a person's birth) and 27 stars. The positions of these planets, rasis and stars at the time of a person's birth, is believed to affect the whole course of their life.

Based on the birth date, astrologers fix the birth star of a person and based on the birth star, the traditional system of astrology assigns a specific tree mentioned in the Vedas to it. These specific trees are named Nakshatra Shanthi. Each zodiac tree is said to have medicinal, social and aesthetic values that correspond to the characteristics and ethos of the particular star.

Sri Arunachala Dhyanapeetam offers the opportunity to access one's particular nakshatra tree. Whenever necessary, the Nakshatra Dhyaan Temple will also help calculate a person's birth star and identify the relevant star tree.

As an example of the various Nakshatras trees, below is information of the Banyan whose Nakshatra is Magam(Maka).

The banyan, Ficus benghalensis, is a large fig tree belonging to the mulberry family, Moraceae. It grows in India and Bangladesh and is held sacred in both places. The tree begins life as an epiphyte on a host tree, gathering its nourishment and water from the air. As it grows, its lateral branches send down aerial supporting roots that become absorbing roots when they reach the ground. Eventually, the host tree is smothered as the banyan continues to send out more branches and roots. The mature banyan's canopy may cover an area more than 300m (1,000 ft) in diameter. The leathery, evergreen leaves are up to 20 cm (8in) long. The reddish figs are eaten by birds and bats.

For fuller information on all the nakshatra trees and of the services offered by the Nakshatra Dhyaan Temple please check this link.

Quo Vadis Website

To keep in touch with Quo Vadis Interfaith Dialogue Center, Tiruvannamalai, check out the Center's website, listing information about its facilities, activities and future plans.

Sri Nannagaru Visit

Sri Nannagaru of Jinnuru, Andhra Pradesh arrived at Tiruvannamalai this week followed by many of his Andhra devotees.

While here he will be stationed at Sri Nannagaru Ashram at Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, a short distance west of Ramana Ashram off the Chengham Road. Sri Nannagaru is expected to remain at Arunachala until the morning of the 15th August. Following his usual practice, Sri Nannagaru is expected to be available to his devotees and visitors while at his Ashram. To find more about this Advaitic Master, please check this website.

A Wedding

On August 3rd I attended a Christian interracial wedding at the Protestant Carmel Church (of the Arcot Lutheran Church) here at Tiruvannamalai.

Carmel Church, which has a large congregation, is located in a central part of Tiruvannamalai. This Church originates from 1898 when a mission station was built in Tiruvannamalai by DMS (the Danish Missionary Society). In 1905 the name of this mission station started to be called "Carmel".

The Church is bright and welcoming and had been nicely decorated for the upcoming ceremony with fresh flowers.

I like all the old fashioned touches, from the ornate wooden pews, to the very handsome rafter roof.

All the light fixures throughout the Church are decorative and aesthetic.

In the below photograph the flower decorated Church waits for the guests and wedding party.

As in all functions in India, the upcoming ceremony was heralded by traditional musicians.





The Church has filled and the congregation awaits the wedding party. And here comes the bride, Esther Deva Priya, youngest sister of Arcot's Pastor and Coordinator of Quo Vadis, Rev. Joshua Peter. Esther is accompanied by bridesmaids, some of whom were selected from the family and friends of the groom, Morten Skrubbeltrang (from Denmark).

Inside the Church, preparations are complete and all await the arrival of the bride and groom (who will be entering together).





Below the Bride from India, Esther Deva Priya stands with the Groom from Denmark Morten Skrubbeltrang in front of Bishop, The Rt. Rev. Dr. Gideon Devanesan R.J.

The service includes various Hymns and Prayers including the following:

O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
Lowly we kneel in prayer before thy throne,
That theirs may be the love which knows no ending.
Whom Thou for evermore dost join in one.
O perfect Life, be Thou their full assurance
Of tender charity and steadfast faith.
Of patient hope and quiet brave endurance
With childlike trust that fears not pain nor death.

Grant them the joy which brightens earthly sorrow;
Grant them the peace which calms all earthly strife,

And to life's day the glorious unknown morrow,

That dawns upon eternal love and life.

*************************

After the service the usual photographs were taken outside the Church.

In the next photograph, the Groom is accompanied by his father and mother who came from Denmark for the celebrations. At the other end of the line are the Bride's father (in the white shirt) and (behind him) the Bride's mother.

Now that the beautiful marriage ceremony is complete and photographs have been taken, the flower-decorated car awaits to take the Bride and Groom to the Arunai Anantha Hotel for the reception and dinner.

Morten Skrubbeltrang will continue in Tamil Nadu for at least another year, pursuing his theological studies, afterwhich he and his new bride will spend some time in Denmark.

Its extraordinary just how many couples have met and joined up at Arunachala. And this is particularly true of interracial marriages of which there have been numerous. Many believe that at Arunachala (and other sacred sites) one will meet those with whom one shares strong karma with; so destiny will often take a hand in reintroducing friends (and enemies!) from past lives.

The Meaning

Ayers Rock, Australia

"Since prehistoric times, sacred places have exerted a mysterious attraction on billions of people around the world. Ancient legends and modern day reports tell of extraordinary things that have happened to people while visiting these places. Different sacred sites have the power to heal the body, enlighten the mind, increase creativity, develop psychic abilities, and awaken the soul to a knowing of its true purpose in life. While contemporary science cannot explain, and therefore disregards, the seemingly miraculous phenomena which occurs at the holy places, they continue to be the most venerated and visited locations on planet earth. What is the key to the mystery of the sacred sites and how are we to explain their power?

Mount Rinjani, Lombok Island, Indonesia

There is a global socio-cultural phenomena occurring which is the awakening and vitalization of an eco-spiritual consciousness. Among the wonderful aspects of this global awakening is the realization of the interdependency of all living things and the earth. Deriving from this realization is the understanding that each human, man or woman, white or black, western or eastern, rich or poor, is a child of one spirit, one energy, one god, one love. This sublime state of consciousness is the promise of each person on the planet. There are many paths to this consciousness, many methods of inner work which each of us will use during the course of our lives.

Stonehenge, England

There is also an earth-based energy available to human beings, concentrated at specific places all across the planet, which catalyzes and increases this eco-spiritual consciousness. Before their prehistoric human use, before their usurpation by different religions, these sites were simply places of power. They continue to radiate their powers, which anyone may access by visiting the sacred sites. No rituals are necessary, no practice of a particular religion, no belief in a certain philosophy; all that is needed is for an individual human to visit a power site and simply be present.

Chaco Canyon, Arizona, USA

As each of us awakens to a fuller knowing of the universality of life, we in turn further empower the global field of eco-spiritual consciousness. That is the deeper meaning and purpose of these magical holy places: they are source points of the power of spiritual illumination."

[Martin Gray]

Giza Pyramids, Egypt

To find out more about the sacred sites in your own country, as well as throughout the world, please visit Martin Gray’s inspirational and excellent website at here:

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]