Garbhagrha

The Sanctum (Garbhagrha) of the sacred Annamalaiyar is reached by the main entrance in the east of Arunachaleswarar Temple. Within the sanctum Annamalaiyar, Personified, is present in Linga form:

Eleventh 5-Year Plan

The State Planning Commission (SPC) recently announced that the Eleventh Five-Year-Plan (2007-12) of Tamil Nadu would address economic disparities among Districts. In this respect Districts such as; Tiruvannamalai, Villupuram and Dharmapuri are lagging behind in population, education, public health, infant mortality and agricultural growth.

Taking these factors into consideration the State Planning Commission proposes devising techniques to boost growth in the above-mentioned Districts. Efforts would be taken to achieve an overall 8.5% economic growth in the State, during the eleventh 5-Plan period (2007-2012). Since there was a slump in the growth rate of the agricultural sector during the last two five-year-plan periods, pains would be made to ensure a 4% growth in this sector during 2007-12, thus ensuring long term food security.

Currently 14,000,000 people are living below the poverty line in Tamil Nadu and it is proposed that the State Planning Commission should come up with effective measures to mitigate poverty in its final proposal for the Eleventh Plan, which would be available in two months. To read the working committee approach papers subsequent to the upcoming final proposal of the eleventh 5-Year Plan please refer to:

http://www.tn.gov.in/spc/eleventhplan/

Arunachala Live

The below photograph of Arunachala is a freeze frame from a live image taken from a camera positioned on the pradakshina road. The live image of Arunachala is refreshed every minute during daylight hours.

To view the live image please check:

http://www.arunachala-live.com/

Land Redistribution

The third phase of free land distribution scheme of two-acre plots to poor and agricultural labourers will be launched at Chennavaram village, Tiruvannamalai District on March 17, 2007.

The State scheme, one of the major poll promises for the DMK government in its first two phases released 50,077 acres amongst 50,189 families. An official release said that about 2,500,000 acres would be distributed across the State in the third phase.

There are 640 acres in one square mile. Thus If the above official figures are correct, the Statewide total of all phases of the redistribution of land will come to approximately 4,000 square miles. Which is a sizeable chunk of the total area of the 50,215 sq miles total area of Tamil Nadu.

The Department of Agriculture will develop the land before handing it to the farmers. Works including land reclamation, contour bunding, clearing of bushes and wild growth, agronomical practices, removal of stones, sinking of deep borewells, soil testing and establishment of pump sets are to be done by the Department of Agriculture free of cost for the benefit of small and marginal farmers.

Temple News

Trust Board Chairman
It was recently announced that the new Chairman of the Temple Trust Board, would be selected by the recently appointed five Trustees of the Board who would choose the new appointee from amongst themselves.

This method of selecting the Chairman of the Temple Trust Board would over-ride the previous convention of the sitting Government arbitrarily appointing a person for the post. It was believed that formerly when the Government considered an appointee for the post of Chairman of the Temple Trust Board, invariably locals would be overlooked in preference to bringing in someone from outside Tiruvannamalai District.

Archakar Training
The archakar training for candidates from all communities to make them eligible for appointment as priests in Temples, as guaranteed in recently enacted State legislation, would begin soon in six centres, including one at Annamalayar Temple. Each centre would train approximately 40 students in Sanskrit Ahamas and Tamil Tirumurais.

There would be separate teachers for the two disciplines but it was decided that the Tamil Thirumurai teacher would be the head of the Centre.

Baby Girl Abandoned
Apparently a baby girl estimated to be about 10 days old, was recently abandoned at the gateway of Arunachaleswarar Temple. The child was fortunate to be abandoned live and at such a well visited site. In the case of other unwanted girl babies, their fate is often not so blessed.

This reminds me of a posting I made about a baby girl in similarly dire straits and her adoption by a remarkable, elderly Brahmin woman. You can read the full story at:

http://arunachalagrace.blogspot.com/2006/06/nataki-meets-bhavani.html

Lord Venkateshwara

The Balaji murti (Lord Venkateshwara) in this shrine-room is an exact copy of the Balaji black marble 6 foot statue statue at Tirupati. In front of the statue there are murtis of; Sri Ganesha and Sri Devi and Bhu Devi. This is the first major Vishnu Temple to be built at Arunachala and many people, with a love of Tirupati Balaji, are now coming to this Lord Venkateshwara Temple here at this place. To pray to Balaji is regarded as very auspicious in connection with the answer of worldly prayers.

This Temple, dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara, which was only inaugurated about two and a half years ago, is quickly becoming one of the busiest Temples in Tiruvannamalai. It is fortuitously situated right behind the Kubera Lingam on the Northeast side of Arunachala.

On Saturdays, the day particularly loved by Sri Balaji, crowds nearing the thousand are beginning to attend the elaborate pujas and bhajans. The crowds will only get bigger as the Temple construction gets closer to completion.

Westerner's View

. . . Tiruvannamalai is a holy city; a dense huddle of temples, ashrams and housing gathered at the foot of a small sandstone mountain. Though small, the sacred mountain Arunachala rises majestically from the dusty plains and glows a warm red in the morning light.

An area overflowing with the ashrams of various gurus, dead and living, and their spiritual devotees. The main street is an absorbing spectacle, lined with stalls selling pooja (offering) flowers, chalks, coconuts and bananas. Cows with decorated horns mingle with the traffic. Conscientious Westerners in crisp white pyjamas hurry past beggars, sleeping pilgrims and wild-bearded Sadhus (religious wanderers who have forsaken all relations and possessions) hunched over cooking stoves in their necklaces and dirty orange robes. As I stood, gaping, a funeral procession, all drums and trumpets, went past leaving a trail of colourful flowers trampled into the road. The woman, only hours dead, was strapped to an improvised taxi-float preceded by howling relatives. While most people here are vistors of a sort, we, the uninitiated, felt like the only tourists.

There's a real 'goldrush' energy about the town, with so many people believing they are on the cusp of discovering some divine secret of the universe or at the very least, salvation from their suffering and existential insecurity. As a heathen, I can only compare it to the street preaching scenes in 'Life of Brian'!

In Western-orientated cafes and coffeeshops we eyed up the busy noticeboards to find out what was going down: four different kinds of yoga class, satsangs with gurus from India, Australia, UK and Germany, classes in meditation, astrology, palmistry, strange dance and 'movement' classes with names like 'Somatics' and soul clensing mass blessings from visiting saints.

. . . We paced respectfully around the ashram temples, viewing the enlightened at close quarters and doing our best to imitate them. The Westerners, perhaps out of an earnestness about their quest, perhaps mysticised by the foreign and the ancient, appear to take things more seriously. Spines are straighter, lotus positions more athletic, eyes always closed, sublime expressions willing nirvana to come. The Indians, running the show on their home turf, effortlessly breathe life into the ceremonies in much the same way they do the markets or the street outside!

[Extract from Morgalogue]

Advaitic Master

Today Sri Nannagaru arrived at his ashram, Sri Nannagaru Ashram at Arunachala for a short three day visit. He was accompanied by some of his older devotees on his unannounced visit and is expected to spend most of his time at Arunachala quietly at his Ashram.

Swamiji first visited Arunachala in 1957 after connecting with Sri Ramana Maharshi when reading and experiencing Bhagavan's blessings in a dream. Sri Nannagaru realised the Self soon after the beginning of his connection with Arunachala-Ramana but nonetheless continued to perform his dharmic householder's duties at his native place of Jinnuru, Andhra Pradesh. He usually visits Arunachala four times a year at which times he generally performs pradakshina, visits Ramana Maharshi and the Arunachaleswarar Temple and the homes of devotees and also allows visits of devotees and seekers to his Arunachala ashram.

"There is only Self and Self alone. It is Reality. It is Pure Consciousness. The world manifest is not real. Self is its substratum. It is Immortal It is Knowledge. It is Eternal Peace. It is Bliss. It is Light. It is Omnipotent, Omniscient. There are no divisions in the Self. It is Non-Dual. It is Indefinable. Water cannot wet it. Fire cannot burn it. It has no birth, no death. It shines in Our Heart. What the Jnani calls Self, a devotee calls as God. Silence alone is the best way of expounding it.

The nature of Self is Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss. That is the way we aspire for happiness, love, beauty. It does not depend upon any other object. Our fondness for independence is an off-shoot of it. Just as the screen is the base on which figures are projected, so also this variegated world is a projection of It. The sense of ego masquerades as the Self. Our selfish nature covers it.

To know the Self is our goal. Constant hearing of it. Remembrance of it, and establishment in it snaps our egoistic ties. The seer of the Self alone gets himself extricated from entanglements." [Words of Sri Nannagaru]

To find out more about this living advaitic master, check: www.srinannagaru.com

Consciousness

You simply cannot deny that you are Consciousness.

You dwell in the Lotus of the Heart as Joy in Bliss.

Keep Quiet and you will reveal your Self to your Self.

Self Knowledge is That

and is worth sacrificing anything for

because everything else is just a miracle

rising out of Consciousness.

Self is the indweller of all beings

so Love of others is Love of Self, your Self.

Self is the greatest Love and the dearest of Lovers.

Love is the attraction of Self to Self in Self.

There is nothing besides this Love, this source of Joy.

See your own Beauty

and you are this Indweller, this Love,

and the Beauty Itself.

[Sri H W L Poonja]

Gecko Magic

Geckos are a type of lizard, that tend to be small, active at night, and have a short stout body with a large head. They can survive anywhere from house to jungles to deserts. They are common throughout India including Tiruvannamalai. To hear the clicking noises the Gecko occasionally makes is regarded as very good luck.

A gecko has four feet. Each foot has about half-a-million tiny hairs at its end. To give you an idea of how small the hairs are, a human hair is about 70 microns across compared to a hair on the end of a gecko's foot which is approximately 7 microns across, and 30-130 microns long. If you examine each one of these tiny hairs with an electron microscope, you'll see that each have several hundred smaller hairs coming of them; each one being about 0.2-0.5 microns across and called 'spatulae'.

Geckos stick to the surface they are on, thanks to atomic forces called "Van Der Waals Forces", named after a 19th century Dutch physicist who first described them. The hairs on a Gecko's foot are so minute that they stick to the surface (be it a ceiling or wall) by direct atomic or molecular force. In effect the Gecko becomes physically bonded to the object he is on. Apparently if a tiny Gecko had every one of its spatulae in contact with a surface, it would be capable of holding aloft a 120kg weight.

I believe something similar happens to us at Arunachala. And as it permeates our being, we literally bond to it on a sub atomic level in every aspect of our body-mind organism.

AGN: March Issue

The March issue of Arunachala Grace News will be sent out in the next few days. This month we have an article on 'sphinxes' at Arunachala, the herbal properties of Cassia Fistula, the meaning of 'true pradakshina', and news of the 3 star hotel being built in this area.

As well as the above we also have a short story entitled 'The Carrot', poems, sayings, and informational tidbits of local news. To receive your free copy of the monthly Arunachala Grace News, please subscribe at the facility on this Blog underneath the Email banner on the left hand margin.

Hotel Arunai Anantha

Don't like eating out much, much prefer to eat at home, but was invited to lunch at Arunai Anantha by a dear friend who is about to move North. I brought my camera to snap the garden and landscaping

The Hotel is a favoured venue for overseas Retreat groups as it has specially designated 'quiet areas' for the various functions and activities of Retreat groups. Now that Ramana Nagar and the area surrounding Ramana Ashram and Seshadri Ashram have become so cluttered and noisy, a lot of folk who would have otherwise preferred to stay near the major ashrams, are now deciding to choose the quiet of the outlying countryside. In this respect there are several ashrams and centres scattered around the Arunachala area.

And here is their pool with an absolute perfect darshan of Arunachala. The pool has been kept intentionally uncluttered so as to not interfere with the spectacular view of the Hill.

Karuna Society

On February 19th in Delhi, the Karuna Society recieved the prestigeous annual Venu Menon National Animal Awards as the "Special Organisation Award."

The Karuna Society, founded at Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, recently opened an animal shelter here at Tiruvannamalai. While at Delhi the representatives of the Karuna Society met with people from the Wildlife Trust of india, the Central Zoo and lunch with the Society's Honorary Chairman Mrs. Maneka Gandhi.

One aspect of animal welfare that the Karuna Society has been increasingly involved is the protection, rescue and welfare of animals being cruelly transported on their way to slaughter. This problem also exists in Tiruvannamalai and hopefully now that Karuna Society is involved in Tiruvannamalai, we can begin to address the animal welfare problem we have right here.

Presently, Karuna Society at Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh are providing sanctuary for 400 cattle most of them rescued from illegal transport and slaughter. 200 of these are bulls which we have given for caretaking to the local farmers who keep them for work. These animals are still under Court Order and have been given to Karuna Society in custody.

Here are buffaloes being cruelly transported for slaughter.




And these are the same buffaloes, rescued and happily taking a swim in the buffalo pond at Karuna Society, Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh.

Happy endings really do happen!

Quarry

This stone quarry has been in operation for many years. The area in which it is located used to be designated 'rural', however now that Tiruvannamalai is quickly developing, the quarry is now very much in a increasingly 'urban' area. For safety reason there is the definite possibility that the work of dynamiting and quarrying stone at this quarry will be permanently halted. I have taken this rather surrealistic picture to show Arunachala in the background and the quarry with some of its machinery, situated on a spur of the Hill, in the foreground.

Even though I think its tragic that people with decision making powers should have even sanctioned quarrying a hillock spur of Arunachala, when I stopped by to take some photographs the lads working there were at least friendly and jolly.

It gets very dirty and dangerous when the machines are in operation crushing the stones. But, as always in India, no-one bothers to wear protective clothing.

The below picture is a very good view of the extensive quarrying of the hillock.In the top left corner of this photograph is a bonnet macaque monkey colony.

The next picture is a larger one of the monkey habitat. Also just behind the colony there is a Murugan shrine that is visited by pilgrims. So its even more amazing that the authorities have not yet closed down this quarry.

As the grinding machines were not working during my visit, the area was very peaceful. One hopes soon that the area will be allowed to return permanently to its natural condition.

As I was leaving the quarry a small boy in the house next to it stopped me and asked me to take his picture. Even though he looks thin and forlorn, he is a nice boy going to a nearby school and living a quite ordinary life. Sadly now processed food is becoming more popular, one is beginning to see fat, unhealthy children. This little fellow still has his thin genes passed to him from many generations and will probably live a healthier, more disease-free life than many of his contemporaries from wealthier families who can afford to buy more expensive processed junk food.



He seemed to be a sweet little boy and I have no doubt he will now target me everytime I go by until he finally gets a copy of his photograph.

Call of Arunachala

'If you hear the call to Arunachala, you must go! It is the most silent place on the planet.' Sri H.W.L. Poonja (Papaji)

Annamalai Swami

[The words of Annamalai Swami who lived and worked with Sri Ramana Maharishi until 1938]

Arunachala is not an ordinary hill. It is spirituality Itself. It has a powerful, magnetic pull to the Self. Seekers who come to this place with the intention of realizing the Self will have untold benefits to do pradakshina on a full moon. There is water everywhere under the ground, but there are some places where it is easier to get to. Likewise, the Self is everywhere; there is no place that is without it, but it is also true that there are certain places, certain people, around which the presence of the Self can be more easily felt. In the proximity of this holy hill the presence of the Self is more powerful and more self-evident than anywhere else.

Indian mythology speaks of a wish-fulfilling tree. If you find this tree and tell it what you want, your wish will be granted. Arunachala also has this reputation. This is why so many people come here on a full moon night and walk around it. But very few people come here and ask for their complete freedom, for undisturbed peace. All beings are ultimately searching for undisturbed peace, so it is surprising how few people ask directly for it.

Arunachala is a light. It shines whether or not you believe in it. It is the light of the Self, and the light of the Self will continue to shine on you whether you believe it or not.

Bhagavan Sri Ramana himself said that Arunachala is greater than all other religious places. There are other holy, powerful places in the world, but none have the power of Arunachala. Bhagavan has continued to write about this. There is a huge amount of shakti, or spiritual energy, here. We can take as much as we want, but no matter how much we take, the original amount is never diminished.

Even before Bhagavan came here, there were innumerable sages who discovered the power of Arunachala's liberation for themselves. Many came here, realized the Self and attributed their realization to the power and grace of the mountain. Bhagavan always maintained that the power of this mountain was not a matter of belief. He said that if you sit in the shade of a tree, whether or not you believe in the shade, it is a physical fact. He said, "If you go around this hill enough times, it will give you grace, even if you do not want it."

Water Problem

Tamil Nadu is likely to face a severe water crisis in the next half century. According to experts, what will contribute to the crisis is the fast-depleting groundwater table, and the increasing pollution of water sources. The crisis in the making in Tamil Nadu would be as much about the quality of water available as its shrinking availability. Experts want Tamil Nadu to reduce its dependence on water from neighbouring States and formulate alternative plans.

As well as the concern that many rivers are already badly polluted in the State, another area of concern is the general over-exploitation of groundwater. According to experts, too many farmers are cultivating water-intensive crops and are indiscriminately exploiting groundwater for irrigation, which has led to a steep fall in the water table. In this respect agriculture accounts for 85-90% of the total use of water in the State. Even by the juidicious planting of less water intensive crops and gaining a 10% reduction in the agricultural sector, would considerably ease the impending water shortage situation.

[To read an excellent a full report on the Tamil Nadu water problem please check this link]

Motorbike Loaded

This is a great picture of the common site of a loaded two wheeler. On this particular bike there are 4, but with a bit of adjustment the folks on board probably could have squeezed in another small 'un! When overseas visitors come to Tiruvannamalai they are first amazed at the apparent lack of driving restrictions and regulations and once over the shock; jump on in at the deep end! In this respect I have only ever seen an overseas visitor just the one time, wearing a protective crash helmet whilst operating a two wheeler.

To read a funny, satirical related article please check out an earlier post on this Blog: Indian Rules of the Road.

Arunachala-Sai Baba

Sri Sathya Sai Baba's history and love of Arunachala is very well known amongst many that visit Him or study his works. In this respect the first spiritual teaching Sri Sathya Sai Baba is reputed to have given to the world was at the age of 14 years when he left his home and took a seat on a great boulder outside his Puttaparthi village. It was at the boulder (which would later mark one of the boundaries of Prashanti Nilayam; his vast desert Ashram), that Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai sang:

Manasa Bhajorey Guru Charanam

Dusthara Bhava Sagara Tharanam

Guru Maharaj Guru Jai Jai

Sai Natha Sad Guru Jai Jai

Om Namah Shivaya, Om Nama Shivaya,

Om Namah Shivaya, Shivaya Namah

Om Arunachala Shiva, Arunachala Shiva,

Arunachala Shiva Aruna Shiv

Om Omkaram Baba, Omkaram Baba,

Omkaram Baba,Om Namo Baba

'O mind, worship the Lotus Feet of your God and Supreme Teacher that will take you safely across the ocean of life and death. Victory to our Lord and supreme Teacher, Sai Nath!

Mind, also chant and worship; the Divine name of Lord Shiva and Arunachala mountain (which is no different to Shiva) and Baba whose form is OM.'

In the bhajan, Bhagavan exhorts devotees to worship the feet of the spiritual perceptor and explains that there is no difference between the Pranava Om (the sound which pervades the Universe), Arunachala and the Lord. Bowing to one is as bowing to all.

As well as his love of the Holy Place Arunachala, Sri Sathya Sai Baba often guides people (as did Ramana Maharshi) in the method of Self Enquiry. He has been reported to have said:-

"All agitation will cease the moment one enters on the enquiry. 'Who am I?' This was the sadhana that Ramana Maharshi achieved and taught to his disciples. This is also the easiest of all disciplines." [Sri Sathya Sai Baba]

Sparsa Hotel

I first mentioned construction of the new hotel, Sparsa Tiruvannamalai, a couple of weeks previously. Recently I went back to check on progress and see whether the Hotel was on target to open up within the coming months. There is a huge amount of work to do, but substantial progress has been made. Its particularly helpful that there are several Companies involved in separate projects. Most of the construction work is being done by a Company from Kerala, the thatched roofs by individuals from Tiruvannamalai, and the swimming pool is contracted out to a private Company. As always in India, workers on sites do not wear protective clothing. Here is a lovely young girl labourer wearing her pretty pink blouse.

The day I visited the site, the sky was overcast, which I expect was a welcome relief to many of the labourers who would be otherwise toiling under a harsh and hot sun. Here is a view of the swimming pool and in the background the multi-cuisine restaurant with attached Conference Hall.

Below is the master thatcher; a local man who has brought his own crew to thatch all the roofs of the new 3-star Eco-centric Heritage Resort at Tiruvannamalai being built by Auromatrix, Operators of Days Inn, India. All thatching material, including the long grass, is local, and comes from around Arunachala. In the background you can see a roof shell over one cottage, thereafter a layer of bamboo leaves are tied on top of the shell and the whole thing is finally covered with a tight thatch, which I was told was expected to last for around 7 years. The thatched roof is not only aesthetic, it is also functional as it will help regulate the temperature in each unit, thereby conserving on air conditioning.

Here is a finished thatched roof and very nice it looks too.

Below gives an idea of the look of the cottage units. This roof has its primary bamboo leaves and is awaiting thatching. The granite all comes from Adi Annamalai (which is northside of Arunachala). I was curious as to exactly where at Adi Annamalai the granite comes from and in this respect spoke with the friendly master mason who comes from that area and who is in charge of all stone work. I look forward to soon visiting his quarry and checking out operations there.

I couldn't resist taking a photograph of the sink in one of the bathrooms, mainly because I would very much like a similar sink with its nice,rustic look, in my own home.

As the day outside was so overcast and electricity in rooms not yet operational, the below picture didn't come out too clearly but it gives some idea of the atmosphere and rustic ambiance of the of the rooms. I thought the sample room charming and the greens and browns set off by the indigenous granite blocks, very restful. Of course the rooms will be completely up-to-date with air conditioning and room fridges.

I will check back at Sparsa Tiruvannamalai construction site in a few more weeks to check up on progress.