Arunachala Aspect

This is a very unusual view of Arunachala which I took from the Polur road near to the turning off going to Pachaiamman Koil. Hope to bring you some nice snaps and a report of Pachaiamman Koil over the next few weeks, as its certainly one of the most colourful and fascinating Temples at Tiruvannamalai.

But for now this rather spectacular view of Arunachala.

Sparsa, Tiruvannamalai

Auromatrix, Operators of Days Inn, India; are currently constructing their new 3-star Eco-centric Heritage Resort at Tiruvannamalai. The Hotel will be called 'Sparsa, Tiruvannamalai', and construction is expected to be completed in the upcoming months.

The Hotel, which will occupy 2 1/2 acres of land is ideally situated just off the pradakshina road on its northside and the NH-66 Highway (to Bangalore) on its southside. The view of Arunachala is unobstructed and the area is peaceful and undeveloped.

To begin with 7 individual cottage units are being built with 4 room units in each cottage comprised of 2 units upstairs and 2 downstairs. The buildings in the complex will be of rough hewn granite locally procured at Adi Annamalai. The facade of the cottages will be completed in red brick and all roofs will be thatched.

There will be an Ayurveda Treatment Centre, a multi-cuisine restaurant, shops, gymnasium, internet cafe and swimming pool all located within the Hotel Complex.

In the above photograph you can see the beginning of the excavation of the Hotel swimming pool.

For myself I've never equated austerity or suffering as a necessary pre-requisite of spiritual life. Personally I think its excellent that different facilities for visiting pilgrims/tourists now exist at Tiruvannamalai. In this respect its very encouraging that the new Hotel will be introducing such features as an ayurvedic treatment centre at their new Hotel. I will keep you informed as to progress of the construction of Sparsa, Tiruvannamalai.

Pradakshina Days

Walking around Arunachala on particular days of the 7-day week is reputed to bring different benefits. It is beneficial doing giripradakshina (walking clockwise around the Hill i.e. 14 kms) anytime, however it is thought to be even more beneficial to walk around Arunachala during Full Moon, especially if the Full Moon falls on a Monday:

What each day means for performing pradakshina:

Sunday
The day of the Sun. The Sun rules the life force and physical body. Doing pradakshina on Sunday is beneficial for gathering the forces of Light.

Monday
The day of the Moon (Chandra) and doing pradakshina is particularly helpful if one wishes to start a new project, whatever it may be. It will also help the person attain a high elevation and rid themselves of fears of death.

Tuesday
The day of Mars, which rules self expression and personality. Pradakshina on Tuesday is good if one requires answers to personal questions. One will also be relieved of all kinds of debts and enjoy Imperial powers.

Wednesday
Mercury is the planet of commerce and communication and a good day for Pradakshina for the thinker and communicator. As a result of going around Arunachala on Wednesday, the person will become highly knowledgeable.

Thursday
The day is ruled by Jupiter, the Guru Planet. Walking around Arunachala on Thursday is beneficial to promote harmonious situations and relationships. Also auspicious day for connecting with ones teacher and guide.

Friday
Venus and Love rules Friday. Friday is an auspicious day for all matters related to love, marriage and attraction. It is also a good day if a person wishes to acquire wealth.

Saturday
Saturn rules Saturday and rules our philosophies, growth and recognition. Doing pradakshina on Saturday will help lead one to greater understanding and enlightenment. Walking around the mountain on Saturday will inspire a person to become a great conqueror.

Dam Project

The livelihood of tribal people of Keel Shenbagathoppu village, whose lands have been acquired for the construction of a Dam across the Kamandalaru near Polur in Tiruvannamalai District, is in limbo, as many of them have already spent the compensation paid by the Government, even before the construction of the Dam has been finished.

Government authorities, who visited the village to acquire the land for the project 5 years ago, reportedly promised the villagers to provide alternative land, but the only thing they offered was Rs.430 per cent of land (i.e. U.S.$10 with one acre coming to U.S.$1,000). Around 100 families, whose land had been acquired or whose land would be submerged in the rising water, were stripped of their livelihood and homes with no guarantee of reasonable rehabilitation.

Petitions have been submitted to the Collector of Tiruvannamalai District, seeking a halt on the Dam project. Apart from the land acquired, pieces of land of many others would be submerged or become unsuitable for crop cultivation once the water level rose in the Dam. Besides the loss of actual land many people would be also losing their homes.

Having Fun

One of the first thing people notice when they come to Tiruvannamalai is the number of sadhus and sannyasins around the Hill. The vast majority of the sadhus and sannyasins are men and can be easily identified as they generally wear predominantly orange clothes. This particular Swami is having a nap outside a very peaceful shrine.

Outside the same Shrine, Nirudhi Lingam, is a very nice painting of the circumference of Arunachala with all the famous Asta Lingams marked.

In 2006 the Supreme Court in Delhi made a final judgement of the status of land around Arunachala. As a consequence of the judgement, construction has started in many places by the side of the girivalam road. All construction was actually halted for years whilst land owners waited to hear the definitive Supreme Court ruling. You can read the Judgement in full to find out more about the future development of this area.

Well this looks like a happy and healthy dog and also a nicely garlanded one too. Its always heartening to see the animals around Tiruvannamalai being spoilt; sadly there is not enough of that going on!

A beautiful photograph of Arunachala taken from the girivalam pathway.



A monkey in the foreground walking around his terrority. The species is Bonnet Macaque and there are many large size communities of Macaque monkeys both on the Hill and around the pathway.



In the below photo is the statue of the second Simhla around the girivalam pathway. This one is not as in good condition as the statue on Chengham Road. If you want to learn more about the history of these statues check out this previous posting.

There is a beautiful 8 km stretch of the Giri Valam pathway around Arunachala that goes through serene, unspoilt countryside with a wonderful darshan of the Hill. Until a few years ago, this stretch of road was unspoilt and empty of encroachments and disturbances. However nowadays new tea shops and restaurants seem to be appearing overnight. I asked a retired Government official why these encroachments were being allowed on the ringroad. I was shocked when he told me that these tea shops and restaurants are actually being encouraged to open on the pradakshina pathway in order to provide security for pilgrims against robbers!

I've definitely lost the plot here as I can't understand the reasoning of destroying the beauty and serenity of the pathway by opening shops that act as magnets to hordes of beggars, wastrels and bogus sadhus thereby making it impossible to go around the Hill peacefully without being importuned each time one passes one of these numerous, dreadful little rest stops.

The below is a Vinayaka shrine (Idukku Pillayar) which is very popular with pilgrims. One has to enter from the back doorway and slide through the narrow opening and emerge through the front. If successful, it is meant to be good luck. The shrine is also popular with people stopping by and hoping others will get stuck in the opening!

Once the passageway is navigated all that remains is to go through the hustle and bustle of town. And here near the junction of Car And Big Streets is one of the flower sellers selling indigenous, fragrant blooms.

Puthirai Vannars

Tamil Nadu's Puthirai Vannars are lower than the lowest in caste's hierarchy. They are an invisible people, outcastes even to the so-called untouchables of the country. Washermen to the Dalits, they live on the fringes of Dalit colonies, condemned by birth to eke out their lives in a state worse than slavery. This is a community that was once held to be 'unseeable'; traditionally, the Puthirai Vannars were not to leave their homes during the day and could go about their work only by night. When they went outdoors, they had to tie coconut leaves around their bodies to sweep away their footprints as they walked. The other castes considered even such minimal traces of their existence 'polluting'.

This practice was abolished in the 1930s by the Justice Party (renamed the Dravidar Kazhagam by Periyar in 1944). Perhaps the most visible manifestation of this is the custom that requires that they beg for their meals; in Tamil Nadu's villages, the Puthirai Vannar who attempts to grow or buy his own food risks grave social consequences. A Tiruvannamalai-based activist, puts it, 'They are at the bottom of the caste ladder, there is no caste lower than theirs.' That the Dalits themselves live in colonies separate from the settlements of caste Hindus, and also suffer the worst forms of discrimination, makes their treatment of the Puthirai Vannars harder to understand.

In Thachampattu Village, about 14km from Tiruvannamalai, Chinnapayan, a frail-looking man of about 55 years old, has nothing to call his own, except a small hut that resembles a cow shed. The hut fronts onto the village street, but to enter it one must go through a side-alley; Chinnapayan and his kind cannot be permitted unhindered access to a public road. His father left his three sons an 'inheritance' to divide among themselves; the right to serve 30 Dalit households with work that includes washing clothes, giving haircuts, carrying the processional torch during weddings, and preparing the dead body and making the bier (padai), when there is a death. In return for all this, Chinnapayan and his family are allowed two meals a day, leftovers that they must beg for from house to house, morning and evening.

Chinnapayan now looks after all the 30 houses his family once served, after his brothers moved out of the village. One of them opened a laundry in Tiruvannamalai, and the other found a low-paying job at a hotel in Velankanni. Of Chinnapayan's two sons, one has also moved to Tiruvannamalai, where he makes a living ironing clothes. The other son still lives with him. His daughter, Lakshmi, is with her husband's family in Ayyampalayam, near Tiruvannamalai. Lakshmi's in-laws also perform the Puthirai Vannars' duties in their village.

Many Puthirai Vannar families have sent their children away to nearby towns in search of other occupations while the parents continue their customary work, to avoid being ostracised. At a Colony in Tiruvannamalai, Arumugham breaks into tears as he narrates the ordeals his family suffers. 'I just want people to respect me as a human being. That's all I want from life. I think everyday of our shameful existence and shed tears in my heart,' he says.

In Tiruvannamalai, a Puthirai Vannar social organisation, says: 'The Government has not done anything for us. In 75% of the villages in Tiruvannamalai District, our people still beg for their food, but no politician is willing to help us. Most officials are not even aware that the Puthirai Vannars exist as a caste, and they refuse to give us caste certificates. Instead, we are listed as the majority Dalit community in the region . . . Nobody seems to understand, or want to understand, our problems.'

Tidbits

Orphanage Unrest

Three inmates of Anbu Illam, the orphanage functioning inside the Annamalaiyar Temple were recently attacked by a Temple worker. The worker who was drunk attacked three children aged between 12-13 who study at a local school, on the excuse that they did not obey the orders of the school's female cook. After the incident, the relatives of the children took them away to their villages. The worker has been suspended from service.

According to sources, conditions inside the Illam are bad because inmates are forced to do their own maintenance work,including; preparing vegetables, cleaning utensils and scrubbing floors. Conditions are chaotic as there is no-one to take care of residents in case of illness and problems are created by beggars inside the Temple using orphanage toilets and quarrelling with residents.

Embroidery Work

Women, who underwent a free embroidery training programme on silk sarees, have received their first work assignments. The work entails embroidery on cotton saris, which will be exported to Nigeria.

As the first training programme was so successful, an NGO association, RWCDS, has started another free training programme.

Evening at Home

This is the view of Arunachala from the fields at the back of my house. This photograph is taken from the Southside and is commonly known as the 'fully reclining Shiva'.

Throughout the area paddy (rice) is planted up to 3-4 times a year. First the rice is densely grown in one field and thereafter transferred to larger fields where it is planted in thinned rows. The rice in these particular fields was sown in its thinned rows about a week ago.

Below is a new addition to my family and his name is Muffin. He is about 8-10 weeks old and as you can see from the photograph is probably going to grow into a stout little boy.

Currently I have 5 dogs but am always open to the possibility of enlarging my family. In the below photograph, Muffin (black puppy), Holly (little brown girl 2 years old) and Casper (white boy also 2 years old).

Every year during the rainy season the reservoir gets filled and then slowy and gradually throughout the hot summer shrinks into a tiny muddy puddle. The reservoir occupies around 600 acres and when it is flooded is a delight for many migratory water birds who come hunting for shrimp and crab.

And so the end of a beautiful day as the sun graciously descends into the horizon.

Republic Day

The Constitution of India came into force, and India declared itself a 'Republic' on January 26th, 1950, a date thereafter celebrated annually as Republic Day in India. The Constitution had been prepared by the Constituent Assembly which was set up upon India gaining its independence from the British in 1947. This, in fact, was a deliberate act: the 26th of January was initially India's; 'Independence Day', one of Mahatma Gandhi's many symbolic acts during India's Freedom Struggle against the British rule, and the adoption of the Constitution on this date was felt able to strengthen its initial meaning, one calling for Indians of all ages to declare their freedom from the British Raj.

In the capital Delhi, there were the usual military processions. Here at Tiruvannamalai, the best we managed was giving the kids the day off school!

Kaathu Kutthal

As I was going around Arunchala in an autorickshaw, I stopped to check out this function being held at the Muneshwara Temple near Adi Annamalai on the Northside of Arunachala. Outside the Temple I noticed another small shrine which seemed to be well maintained.

Here on the left side is the entrance to the Temple and on the right side, the temporary shamian erected for the function.

The folk celebrating over a very nicely prepared lunch kindly invited me to stay and eat meals with them. However, not wanting to intrude in what seemed to be truly a family affair, I declined.

The function being celebrated was the Kaathu Kutthal; the ear piercing ceremony. Below this nice three year old child has already had a tonsure (i.e. hair shaved off) and now looks like a little egg as his head has been smeared with cooling sandalpaste. He looks relieved and happy, sadly he has yet to suffer through the ear piercing ceremony which still awaits. Definitely a day to remember!

Bus Region

A new State Transport Corporation (STC) region at Tiruvannamalai has recently been inaugurated. As well as buses operating on old routes, many additional services have now started to such places such as; Madurai, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Thanjavur and Karaikudi.

Begging for Food

At Arunachala there are many opportunities for sadhus and sannyasins to eat at various Shrines and Ashrams, throughout the day. During Poornima (Full Moon) many Temples and Shrines offer free food not only to sadhus but also to the huge number of visiting pilgrims. Its fascinating to know that Saints too sometimes have to skillfully organise themselves to ensure God remembers to feed them each day.

In this respect Ramana Maharshi once described how they used to go about begging in the streets for food and bring it up the Hill. Each day when leaving their cave, they would blow on their conches as an announcement to the people in town that Bhagavan's party was coming on their begging mission. The group would blast on a conch two more times on their way to Town so by the time they entered, residents would be ready with food as the group marched along singing Siva songs, collecting food offerings. The food gathered was ample for all (including monkeys and dogs) at the cave with Bhagavan.

Ramana Maharshi's famous poem 'Marital Garland of Letters' at link:

http://www.arunachalasamudra.org/ramanahymns1.html was specially composed for use by the begging party. Bhagavan once humorously remarked, 'Martial Garland of letters' fed us for many years.

[Extract from Day by Day with Bhagavan]

Arunai College

Recently, CyberMedia's BioSpectrum released its Top Biotech Colleges listing of India. In these listings Tamil Nadu contributed 10 Institutions. CyberMedia said:

"Biotech is an emerging technology area where India can play a leadership role like IT. About 5000 engineers graduating annually from 200 Biotech Colleges in India is grossly inadequate to prepare manpower for this high growth high potential opportunity that lies ahead."

The ranking parameters was done based on measurable and quantifiable data pertaining to faculty; infrastructure (library, lab equipment, lab consumables and dedicated PC per student); placement track record and industry academia interaction.

The four ranking parameters were composed of several sub-meters. For faculty the sub-parameters included faculty per student, faculty qualification and experience, technical publications in national and international journals and patents filed and granted nationally and internationally. Industry interaction scores were arrived at based on track record of products developed, sponsored projects from industry and governments and royalty inflows. Placement scores were based on number of companies visiting for placement, jobs offered during placement, percentage of students placed and starting salary.

A short list of 38 Top Public and 30 Top Private Biotech was ascertained using four identified parameters with assigned pre-specified weights; Faculty (32), Infrastructure (32), Placement (18) and Industry Interaction (18).

As relates to Tiruvannamalai, Arunai Engineering College, was designed among the Top 10 Private Biotech Schools, 2006 by infrastructure.

February Newsletter

If you wish to subscribe to the free monthly Arunachala Grace News sent directly to your inbox, please go to the left hand column under the 'email banner' and right-click on 'Newsletter, click subscribe'.

This month we have an article on the Shantimalai Trust, information on Arunachala Internet Resources, a short story by Apeetha Arunagiri, [Co-ordinator of AKSP; Arunachala Kadu Siva Plantation], statistics of Tiruvannamalai District, a short story entitled 'The Frog Prince', extracts from the Skanda Purana about the value of Arunachala Service and not crossing the summit of the Hill. As usual we have given indepth information about the properties of local herbs of the area, this month we talk about Cynodon Dactylon. In addition we have part 2 of the satirical 'Building Works' in this month's Arunachala Grace News which also features a collection of poems.

Animal Hospital

The Animal Care Centre on the Chengam Road named 'Karuna Society for Animals and Nature' is now officially open and is daily performing sterlisation operations on local female dogs. The facility is located in Ramana Nagar and close to Ramana Ashram, an area frequented by foreign pilgrims; so very convenient for a visit to check out the excellent work at this facility. The organisation is the Tiruvannamalai Brank of the Karuna Society, Puttaparthi started by Clementien Paus. For more information about Karuna Society, please check out:

http://www.karunasociety.org/

At the top of this photograph is the reception and operating room areas of this Tiruvannamalai facility.

Below is the operating theatre and the gent at the right (in the yellow shirt) of the photograph is Srinivasan who works at the Karuna Society at Puttaparthi but has been working as locum for the last week at Tiruvannamalai until the organisation's veterinary doctor arrives from Holland. The man on the left is Venkateshan and is a permanent employee at the Animal Centre.

Below, some nice puppies waiting for adoption. The organisation does not plan on acting as an adoption agency for puppies; but in the case of emergencies is always prepared to help out. In the past week already 7 dogs have been adopted by local residents in the area.

Many saints have well known connections with animals. At the reception centre of the facility there are pictures of Sri Sathya Sai Baba with his elephant Sai Gita, Yogi Ramsuratkumar with a dog, Sri Ramana Maharshi with Lakshmi the Cow, and a now deceased local female saint of this area who was known to love animals.

The organisation has already done sterling work in stopping the cruel street killings of stray dogs by people hired by the Muncipality and paid per 'kill'. Now that sad chapter is over, the organisation hopes that by performing sterlisation operations the stray and street dog population will be humanely maintained at an acceptable number.

Arunachala Herbs

It has been reported that:

'The herbs growing on the hill sides are supposed to possess the power to satisfy hunger, slake thirst, cure diseases, bring the dead back to life and turn base metals into gold. However a search for these herbs by people with base motives will be futile and they can be espied only by the most devoted. Devotees walking round the hill are benefited by the breeze wafting over the herbs.'

Arunachala Hill abounds in medicinal plants and herbs and practitioners of traditional Indian medicine roam about its slopes in search of leaves.

Often animals possess intuitive knowledge about local herbs and their use. In this respect it is fascinating to watch the behaviour and habits of monkeys. One may often see groups of them, particularly during the evening, gathered round munching away at the leaves and seeds of specific plants. The elders of the monkey family often coax the youngsters of the group, sometimes by pulling and pinching, into consuming the leaves.

Each month in our newsletter, Arunachala Grace News, we write a report on an ayurvedic herb or shrub found on Arunachala. In the next issue of the Newsletter we will be featuring; Cynodon Dactylon (Tamil name: Arugampul).

Cynodon Dactylon is a hardy perennial grass which flowers throughout the year, grows abundantly all over Arunachala and has remarkable healing properties.

To subscribe to the free monthly Arunachala Grace News please go to the subscribe facility under the email banner on the left hand column of this Blog.

Arunachala Shiva

"One day I was walking on Arunachala with the Maharshi when he stopped and picked up a small stone from the path and held it out to me saying:

'Someone from abroad has written asking for a stone from the most sacred part of the Hill. He does not know that the whole Hill is sacred. It is Siva Himself. Just as we identify ourselves with a body, so Siva has chosen to identify Himself with the Hill. Arunachala is pure Awareness in the form of a hill. It is out of compassion to those who seek Him that He has chosen to reveal Himself in the form of a hill visible to the eye. The seeker will obtain guidance and solace by staying near this Hill.'"

[Dr. T.N Krishnaswamy - Ramana photographer]

It is reported that Ramana would answer robustly when a devotee failed to understand the nature of Arunachala. Reportedly he would say something to the effect: 'When I speak of Arunachala you keep thinking I am talking figuratively. No, I am speaking literally; Arunachala is the actual manifestation of Shiva.'

Pradakshina

'Pradakshina (the Hindu rite of going round the object of worship) is All is within me. The true significance of the act of going round Arunachala is said to be as effective as a circuit round the world. That means that the whole world is condensed into this Hill.

The circuit round the Temple of Arunachala is equally good; and self-circuit (i.e. turning round and round) is as good as the last. So all are contained in the Self.

Says the Ribhu Gita: I remain fixed, whereas innumerable universes becoming concepts within my mind, rotate within me. This meditation is the highest circuit (pradakshina).'

[Talk 212; Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi]

Water Shortage

As the storage level of the Sathanur reservoir, built across the river Then Pennaiyar, is low, 45,000 acres of land in Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram Districts, fed by the right and the left bank canals of the reservoir, will not get water for irrigation this year. In this respect it has been decided to release water to only 89 irrigation tanks connected to the right and left bank canals.

The District Administration has decided to recommend to the Government to open the sluices of the dam on February 15 and release 200 cusecs (cubic feet per second) of water for 24 days.

Currently there is 3,351 million cubic feet (mcft) water in the dam against its capacity of 6,821 mcft. So, after deducting water required for basic operations and drinking needs, only 849.94 mcft will be available for irrigation, which would be only enough to fill 49 irrigation tanks fed by the right bank canals and the 40 tanks fed by the left bank canals.

With Mooji

Mooji's Arunachala satsangs, originally scheduled for 10 a.m., January 10th to 14th, will now continue until the end of this month on each day EXCEPT FOR 27th January. All are welcome. Mooji is a direct disciple of Sri Harilal Poonja, the renowned advaita master, or Papaji, as his followers call him. The venue for Mooji's satsangs remains the same:

Sri ARUNACHALA IWAY

(near SivaSakti Amma Asramam)289,

ROA Colony, Ramana Nagar,

Tiruvannamalai

phone: +91 (0)4175-238591

http://www.mooji.org/