Shrawan Starting from 18/19th July.

The usual timings for Baba darshan is 4:00 AM to 4:00 PM and again 6:00PM to 9:00PM. But in crowded day (like each SOMWARI (Monday) this could be quite early and delayed for late night)

To the first time comer to Deoghar, just want to convey a message, don't worry come in a free mood. The mela is controlled by PRASHASHAN people ( Govtt. Employees ). Nothing to worry. Lots of hotel for accommodation ( varying to all rates may be 100/- to 700/- ), nothing to worry about food - as so many restaurants are here. Apart from the facility provided by Deoghar Govtt. there will be huge number of SANSKRITIK SANSTHA/SANGS/Political Parties which are gonna help you in 24x7 including the medication if require.

One advice to the parents of small kids, just keep a complete adress chit in their pockets, so that if they are lost in crowd, the concern authorities (Yes prashashan cares a lot for such events and are ready to make things perfect in your ways) can announce/handover the kid to you using the address slip in their pocket.

No problem of drinking water, whether will be bit rainy, almost no cold, bit sunny.

There are very less chances of misguiding from other people upon asking for few queries like where to stay, how to go to X place etc.. but still advice able to ask the traffic people, use sign boards across the roads.

Shivganga is the holy lake/pond for you bath and then go to temple for pooja.

Yes please do carry a torch light with you, although there will be electricity in 24x7 manner.

As a prasad you may take Chuda, Elaichidana, Peda, and mala(Baddhi).

Deoghar is famous for PEDA, Rasagullah. So can be enjoyed very well.

Samosa and few types of chats are could be an excellent spicy food here.

Finish the pooja and can go many places to visit in deoghar or nearby deoghar like Nanadan pahar, Satsang, Tapovan, Trikut Pahad etc.

Railway station/ Bus stand is quite nearby ( 10-15 mins walkable from Mandir).

Autos(Tampoo)/Jeeps/Rickshaws/Tanga(horse)/State Bus/Private Bus etc for transportation.

Anything that you want to ask or add, just comment here.

Hope for a pleasant coming and stay in our lovable Deoghar.

BOL BAM KA NARA HAI, BABA EK SAHARA HAI

You may get almost all info on http://www.babadham.org/

Lord Shiva As Natraj(King of Dances)

The Nataraja (King of dances) posture depicts the moment of his dynamically. Here, the creator aspect is signified by the drum in the upper right hand, standing for the primordial sound. The preserver aspect is indicated by the posture of benevolence and fear not, of the lower right hand., standing for the granted consequent on the kindling of the fire of wisdom in the aspirant's heart, the fire that is held in his upper left hand. The fire is lighted with one's total surrender at the feet of the Lord as suggested by the lower left hand pointed to the feet. The dance itself and the fire encircling the image stand for thee destruction of evil propensities once we open ourselves up to him, for in destruction lie the seeds of regeneration toward the state of divinity. At he base of the image evil personified is shown as equilibrium that the primordial elements - sattva, rajah and their base. The crescent moon on his forehead signifies the gradual awakening of divine consciousness in us. The snake means the awakening of the divine energy, as has already been indicated. The vehicle of Shiva is the bull which stands for our animal nature that has bee brought under his total control.

God Shiva Meditating Statue

The most abstract depiction of Shiva is in the form of a linga which stands for the principle of absolute changlessness around which all changes occur. He is the culmination of all our activities, right or wrong, which ahve a natural direction toward him.

Para descargar y leer en formato carta hacer click sobre la imágen

I’m holding a scissored and revolved version of what I think of as Crow Pose – an arm balance – in an asana room of Cosmic Dog Yoga, a Livermore California studio that’s under construction but nearly finished. Sunlight streams in from the west-facing windows.

“Come forward about three feet, and face this way.” She gestures. I come out of the pose, back to my feet, and move forward. I resume the pose. Now I can’t see her, but I hear.

“Extend your foot from the ankle.”

I adjust the foot.

“Now holding the foot-ankle extension, draw your toes back toward the shin.”

My peripheral vision notes that she’s lying on the floor nearby, propped on her elbows. She begins taking pictures.

The heels of my hands press into the floor. The right, unweighted, forearm begins to tremble.

“Lift the forward foot slightly, the light angle’s wrong.”

I shift. Another picture.

“Can you draw your spine and neck into alignment?”

I try lifting my neck into alignment. Maybe the neck moves a half inch, but no more.

* * *

In the world of yoga, the word bhakti is Sanksrit for devotion. It is a path toward liberation through devotion – encountering the divine as You. Not an impersonal third-person Independent Divine that we perceive as a Deist might the Kosmos. Not a first-person manifestation of Divinity as Walt Whitman conceived of Self. But rather second person – You – a relationship – a friend.

St. Teresa of Ávila wrote that her form of contemplative prayer, oración mental, “is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us.” This is also the essence of bhakti yoga – a relationship of worship. It is the path described in the Bhagavad Gita: “One can understand Me as I am, as the absolute, only by devotion. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God. (B-Gita 18.55). It was Jesus’ message to his disciples: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends…”

* * *

Laurie climbs the construction scaffolding, and I hand up the cameras.

“Let’s see Triangle.”

I move through the eight or nine actions involved in building a Triangle Pose: ground back foot heel-to-toe, angle foot out 30˚; place front foot four feet ahead, align heel and toes to the front. Lift the arches of the feet, engaging the groin muscles. Extend torso and abdomen, draw front arm forward…

As I move, from above the camera clicks.

* * *

In the political circles I frequent, devotion isn’t at the top of the agenda. It does not affirm or fortify the independence of a soul, but rather the discovery of spirit in the utter interbeing of each with the other. It is not the clear, structured rationality of logic and formalism, but rather the discovery of freedom through submission, of liberation through discarding insistence on self, of coming to life by uprooting the individuality-hedgerows we’ve planted and watered and groomed. It does not bear the hallmarks of scientistic objectivity. It is, instead, a path into and through subjectivity. Not so much a “moving toward” as a self-surrender.

* * *

“Let’s try uttanasana.”

I stand, big toes touching, side by side, heels parted an inch or so. I raise my arms and gaze up to the ceiling, then bend at the waist, bringing my hands first to the floor, then to the backs of my calves, my face to my knees. I extend my spine. My face presses into my shins.

“Rotate slightly to your left.”

I shift to the left.

* * *

Part of the modern objection to self-surrender is rooted in historical recognition of Jim-Jones style cultism, “just-following-orders” war crimes, and perversely co-dependent pathologies. Those problems are painfully real, and I’m not entirely sure how to describe and contour my sense of how they differ from bhakti yoga. I suppose one could avoid those problems by confining the scope of one’s devotion to bounds set by rationality, but that very constraint seems inconsistent with the whole-hearted connection and liberation that characterizes bhaki. Perhaps there are more and less mature ways of engaging in bhakti, just as one can engage in a variety of non-rational ways of being, some pre-rational, unaware and dismissive of all that rationality has to offer, others post-rational, incorporating all that rationality offers, but wider and deeper than rationality, not confined by its limitations.

Or perhaps, though, bhakti is just stepping through a darkened doorway.

* * *

“Deepen the twist.”

“Now lift your head.”

“Draw your chin back a bit.”

I comply.

* * *

Bhakti is the part of yoga that most resembles religious practices. Consequently, it is the part that can make those devoted to a particular religious practice –and equally those opposed to religious practice altogether – distinctly uncomfortable.

In bhakti, I find joyful, whole-hearted connection. Some bhaktis love the embodiment of that connection in imagined images of divine. For me, I find it in the twisting wisps of smoke rising from a smoldering incense stick, in chanting.

Now in fairness to my specific-religion friends and to my specific-no-religion friends, if I chant Jaia Ganesha Jaia Jaia Ganesha Jaia intending to curry special favor with an invisible, portly-human-bodied, elephant-headed god named Ganesha who is particularly inclined to remove obstacles from human endeavors for those who worship him repeatedly, then yes, I’m engaged in a kind of pre-rational worship that may well conflict with a belief in a different deity that is appeased or approached through a different set of practices or with a “no-deity-no-way” policy. I get those ways of looking at the world. I lived versions of them myself for a long time. And I don’t criticize anyone who finds them useful or good or important. There is neither point nor good in rejecting what is.

But there’s a way of devotion, a tao, that is more immediate, that is neither petitioning of an independent Other, nor simply empty ritual, but that is intermeshed with consciousness in the very act of devotion itself, whatever form that devotion might take, whether burning incense or paying tithing or feeding the hungry or cleaning toilets or weaving flower garlands or painting the Sistine Chapel. And that tao dissolves everything but the devotion, both lover and beloved, both teacher and student, both subject and object.

* * *

“Navasana.”

I sit. Balance. Grasp my toes. Extend my legs. I lift my heart toward the ceiling.

“Hold it there.”

I hold.

* * *

My first experience with bhakti was singing. My earliest memory in life is sitting on my mother’s lap in a rocking chair, singing with her before bedtime. I was, I think, about 3 years old at the time. The memory remains, I’m sure, because it was the first time I recall singing dissolving into harmony – perfect fourths, if such a distant memory can be trusted. As I grew up, I sang in children’s choirs at funerals and church meetings. I sang in school choirs throughout grade school. I spent more hours singing in college than I spent in course work for either of my majors.

Singing – an activity made of breath, vibration, and mind – can be entirely self-focused concentration. But it can also be bhakti – devotion. It takes all kinds of forms, ranging from Protestant hymns in 4/4 time with rhyming lyrics sung in well-lit chapels, to textured drum-beating, tabla-droning, body-swaying kirtan chants in Sanskrit to Ganesha in a half-dark yoga studio, to Gregorian plainsong chants intoned in stone cathedrals, to OM continuously chanted in a circle of friends sitting on the floor of an office, converted for a time into a sacred space.

Or, as happens most mornings of my life, an invocation sung quietly to the field above my yoga mat before I step into that sacred space.

Really, we don’t sing to communicate information. We sing to embody feeling. We sing to embody ideas. We sing to vibrate in a harmonic dance with the universe.

When I sing, I open my heart, not to myself, not to I, but to You.

* * *

I’m in hurdle pose – balanced on my hands, arms bent at elbows, my left leg angled forward, resting on the back of my left tricep, right leg extended into the air behind me.

“Can you draw your left leg forward a bit?”

I press. Not sure whether anything moves or not.

“Engage your toes.”

“Now lift the left leg a bit.”

I lift.

* * *

As I said, for a variety of reasons –some pre-rational, some quite rational – not everyone finds the path of bhakti to be particularly appealing, so many yoga studios scale back the overtly bhakti aspects of the yoga they practice. The studios where I practice most of the time tend toward the austerity of postures, heat, and breath. But for a person inclined toward bhakti, the lack of a Shiva statute or a Buddha mural isn’t really an impediment. The basic elements of bhakti yoga are still always present: there’s the devotee, and there’s the teacher.

Exactly what it is about working with a gifted teacher, I truly don’t know. There isn’t much about the western practice of yoga asana, breath, and meditation that makes obvious the need for a teacher. Lots of people practice their yoga based on a few books, a video or two, in the solitude of their own homes. I have a home practice, myself. But nonetheless, many of the most profound experiences I’ve ever had have come through yoga, and almost always have come through teachers.

…love is the vehicle through which you can much more quickly learn the language of your own True Self. Precisely because this learning is driven by love, it happens more rapidly than sitting alone, in the corner, on your meditation mat, counting your breaths.

Ken Wilber, One Taste, pg. 209

* * *

“Do you have a standing backbend?”

I position my feet.

“Come closer to the scaffold.”

I move toward the platform.

“Face away from me, and bend back toward me.”

I turn 180˚, lift my arms to Mountain Pose, then widen the pelvis, rotating the femurs inward, creating space for the sacrum to descend. The tailbone rotates down and under, the pubic bone rotates up and forward, bringing a stretch to the quads. Spine lengthened, the shoulder girdle begins its motion up and back.

“Relax your arms – bring your hands to heart center, anjali mudra.”

I press my palms together, just above my heart. The back bend deepens. My eyes gaze upward, but now up is back. I breathe slowly, each exhale taking me more deeply back, the entire front of my body from knees to pelvis to ribcage to sternum to chin is bow-string taut, vibrating with fatigue.

“A bit more.”

I exhale again, the backbend deepens, my gaze travels across the ceiling and suddenly, I’m seeing into the inverted eyes of the photographer above and behind me in the air.

Looking into Laurie’s eyes, I feel the prana of devotion to the presence above me, and I see that the next stage of the backbend is constricted not by the limitations of muscle or sinew, but by fear and self-protection. I release them and trust the pose, the teacher, the photographer, the alignment of existence, the internal point of singleness, Shiva.

Ishvara pranidhana indeed.

The spine arches more deeply, the abdominal and diaphragm muscles release slightly, and my gaze moves from the photographer’s eyes, to what is beyond them.

* * *

Eye-to-eye, we connect: the unity, the dance, the connection, the not-two-ness of the experience – bhakti – a way of relaxing the attachment to self.

It is momentary freedom, beginning as one, discovering another, and each disappearing, leaving only the twining.

[For more pix, go here.]

Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Eksta, Gotland, Mini, Midi, Maxi, Familj, Zodiac, Shiva, Simon, Bons, Schabrador, Blommor, Egoorienterat, Sommar, Sol, Grönt

Então, este é o Sangre Verde!

un evento lleno de sorpresas místicas.
La inscripción cuesta $2.000

y con eso tienes derecho a consultar al tarot o las runas; además de una rica copa de vino con un mensaje individual de los ángeles, hecho especialmente para tí.

Además habrán distintos oráculos que puedes adquirir una vez en el lugar.

Lectura de Tarot, Caracolas, Runas:

4 preguntas: $ 3.000

8 preguntas: $ 5.000

Lectura de Manos y Café: $ 4.000

Lectura del Puro: $ 7.000

Combo A: $ 8.000

3 preguntas a las caracolas + 2 tarot + 2 mensajes del I Ching + 2 runas

Combo B: $ 10.000

1 lectura de manos + 1 pregunta a las caracolas + 1 mensaje del I ching + 2 tarot

El encuentro se realizará en: La Gioconda 4355 en el Salón de Eventos del edificio.
Contacto: Carolina García.
Teléfono: 09-8248521

It is believed that Hindu gods and goddesses are at rest. This period is referred to as Chaturmas - four months. Since gods and goddesses at rest can get enraged if disturbed during this period, it is customary not to organise auspicious occasions like weddings, moving into a new house, establishing a temple, organising a community prayer or other auspicious activities. These activities are renewed only after the gods and goddesses have completed their rest on the 11th day of Kartik

Katha (Story):
You may wonder how did this Vrat come about and what is the significance of Devashayani (When the God sleeps) and Devprabodhini (When the God wakes)? It is explained in the Bhagavata Purana.

The Asuras and Devas, bitter enemies though they maybe, are brothers. Their father is Maharshi Kashyapa and their mothers are his two wives Diti and Aditi respectively. Who are also btw sisters the daughters of Tvastr Prajapati. Although Prajapati is properly the name of Brahmaji, his mind-born sons such as Tvastr, Kardama, Daksha etc. are called Prajapati because the actual work of creation was done by them. Thus another name of Brahmaji is Pitamaha or Grandfather as the entire creation is the children of His children. Only the youngest, Narada refused to take part. He realized that as vast and magnificent as this Brahmanda is, it is insignificant and momentary compared to Bhagavan. Enraged, Brahmaji cursed him to wander forever through the worlds but Narada Muni took it as a blessing, the chance to meet all the various Bhaktas and watch them praise Shri Hari.

Because their mothers are Dit and Aditi respectively, the Asuras are called Daitya and the Devas are called Adityas (Especially Suryadev who is the oldest.) The difference between the two can also be explained by their mothers names. Diti is what is finite and Aditi is infinity. It is explained in the Chandogyopanishad and elsewhere that both the Devaraja Indra and the Asura raja Virochana had an opportunity to study Brahmavidya. But Virochana thought it meant "There is nothing but the self so one can do whatever one likes." Indradeva on the other hand was able to understand the true meaning, that the self is beyond the limits of the petty whims and desires that make up the mortal body. For this reason, Bhagavan favours the Devas over the Asuras.

But the good guys don't always stay good and the bad guys don't always stay bad. Sitting in Amaravati his palace in Swarga, Indradeva became puffed up with pride and forgot the true source of his power. Meanwhile in Naraka, Bali the son of Virochana was thinking. Realizing the error his father had made, he resolved to purify himself of all evil and engage in rigorous tapa. Because of this the Daitya were able to overcome the Devas and Indra was dethroned. For all its exaltation and power, to be Indra is just an office. Just as through had work one can hope to be promoted in ones job, through earning much Punya one can hope to be promoted to the post of Agni, Surya, or even Indra. But the converse of that is that through the accumulation of paapa, one can lose that position again. In the Vishnu Purana there is a story of how once Bhagavan showed Indradeva a line of ants winding their way at the foot of his throne all of which had once been an Indra in a former life than sunk all the way down to the condition of an insect. Thus a wise man should realize the ultimate futility of karma and seek Vairagya alone.

Accompanied by the Devas, Indra went to Goloka and begged Vishnu Bhagavan to save him. Bhagavan who is ever merciful to his Bhaktas agreed. He took the form of Vaman a Batuk or 8 year old Brahman boy. Shiva Bhagavan takes a similar form in his Batuk Bhairava rupa. Bhagavan went to see Bali who received him cordially and offered him a gift. Bhagavan in his Vaman rupa asked him for enough land to cover three steps. Looking at the little legs of the boy in front of him, Bali burst out laughing and urged him to ask for more. But Bhagavan was adamant so Bali granted the strange request. Immediately, Bhagavan grew to collossal size. With one stride he covered the Earth and with a second, the heavens. Laughingly he asked Bali "I have covered everything and still have one step to go. Where shall I put it?" This btw is why one of His names is Vikram or Trivikrama. "Who takes (three) wide steps." Bali realized who he was dealing with and immediately offered up his own head for the third step. This is the sign of true nobility. When he was left with nothing Bali gave up his own head rather than break his word. Bhagavan took the third step and crushed Bali back down to Naraka again.

Pleased with this display of devotion, Bhagavan went to visit Bali and offered him a wish. Bali replied "As I provided the third step, I request that you together with your wife Lakshmiji should come and live with me one third of the year. Bhagavan agreed and since then we have observed the Chaturmas Vrat. During this time, Bhagavan is considered to be asleep. Thus the start of Chaturmas is called Devashayani Ekadashi and the day Bhagavan wakes up and Chaturmas ends is called Devprabodhini Ekadashi.

Whomsoever will hear this Katha (story) of the great Bhakta Bali and practice the Chaturmas Vrat will have the blessings of Vishnu Bhagavan forever.

Rituals & Importance:
Swami Sahajanand (Swaminarayan Sampradaya) in his Shikshapatri has given 8 ways of performing this Vrat and even though he was a Visishtadvaita, his advice is suitable for Smartas too.

Vishnoh kathayah Shravanam vachanam gunakirtanam
Mahaapuja mantrajapah stotrapaathah pradakshinah 77

Saashtangahpranatishcheti niyama uttamaa mataah
Eteshvekatamo bhaktayaa dhaaraniiyo visheshatah 78

To listen attentively to the stories of Vishnu Bhagavan, or to recite them, or to sing (bhajans) in His praise. To do Maha puja to His Murti, to chant his mantras (explained by the commentator as his names as in i.e. Vishnu Sahasranama.) and stotras. To do Pradakshina and bow down to His Murti, these are regarded as the most fitting additional duties. One or more should be observed with Bhakti.

The four months is of great importance to Lord Vishnu devotees as this period is believed to be the night of Vishnu. Vishnu devotees listen to his stories and spend time in helping the poor and in cleaning and maintaining Vishnu temples.

Most people decided to read the Mahabharata or Ramayana or Gita or Srimad Bhagwat Puran during the fourth month period. Some people make it a point to visit temples daily and indulge in spiritual activities.

In the Padampuran, Srimad Bhagwat Puran and other religious texts, this rest period is referred to as Yognidra, a term that describes the rest Vishnu took after annihilation of the world. This term is also used when Vishnu is in deep meditation and cannot be disturbed. The inability to be available to devotees is termed as sleep or rest.

The Vrat ends on Kartik Shukla 11 or Devprabodhini Ekadashi. (But Swami Sahajanand (Swaminarayan Sampradaya) notes that if a Bhakta is too physically weak to maintain the Vrat for four months, he may observe it for the month of Shravan only.)

Shravan month is of great importance to Lord Shiva devotees. The Mondays in the month are highly auspicious.

Importance is given to maintaining a healthy body during the four months, as the first two months are the peak monsoon season. Due to this reason, in some regions people avoid green leafy vegetables in the Shravan month. Curd, or yoghurt, is avoided in Bhadrapad month. Milk is avoided in Ashwin month. Pulses are avoided in Kartik month. Again there are no strict codes regarding food. It all depends on the person how he/she wants to observe the Chaturmas Vrat.

Devashayani Ekadashi. For Grihasthas it is the beginning of the Chaturmas Vrat. There is also a Sannyasi Chaturmas which starts on Ashadh Poornima which I won't describe here.

There are no hard and fast rules regarding the Chaturmas Vrat. It is often left to the devotee to decide how he/she wants to spend the four months.

Many people avoid non-vegetarian food during the four month period. Some people observe flexible fasting – eating just one meal or two, or just one meal on particular days in the month. Certain food items like jaggery or oil is avoided during the period or in any one of the four months. Some people avoid salty and sweet preparations. Those people who plan to undertake serious vows and fasting avoid garlic and onion as it can stimulate unnecessary excitements.

Chaturmas Vrat is very ancient as evidenced by the fact that Jains and Buddhists (at least in its Sannyasi form) also practice it.

I have been looking at the way various different worshipers view Shiva as God. This is only one aspect of the differences, worshipers may have different practices, traditions and emphasise worship, medditation or jnana (learning and understanding). In trying to prepare this post I have discovered one thing, wordpress does not do tables well. I have therefore put the table into this post as an image, and made it available as a pdf file. The table looks at various groups worshiping Shiva and how Shiva relates to various Hindu views of God. These views are explained as follows:

Ishwara

Ishwara is God as the great lord. This is God the supreme controller, but is a personal God.

Brahman

Brahman is God in the absolute, omnipresent form of God, often described as the Cosmic Spirit, or Paramatman (Supreme Soul). Brahman can not be related to by bhakti or devotion but reached and experienced through meditation.

Shakti

Can be seen as the female principle of God. This is viewed differently by different groups, but can be seen as either a personal Goddess or as an impersonal transcenant power.

Ishtadeva

This is the form of God chosen for worhsip and devotion by a devotee. Hindus may acknowlege other Gods (or views of God) and worship them at certain places and times, but the ishtadeva is the main channel for bhakti. This is often, though not always, the same as the Ishwara or Great Lord.

Jivatman

This is an individual person or creatures soul, the true self. Not all Hindus identify the jivatman as God but most (all?) see it as of substance like that of God or of the same nature, as a drop of water is to the ocean.

Worshipers

Worshipers Listed below include two groups of worshipers that are not traditionally seen as Shaivite Hindus. These are Veera Shaiva (also known as Lingayatas) and Smarta. I included specifically smarta who chose shiva as their ishtadeva - as they certainly are worshipers of Lord Shiva. This does not apply to all smarta. Lingayatas are sometimes not counted as Hindus as they reject the teachings of the vedas.

The table

Well here is the table as an image. If you are unable to view images or would like this in text form then follow the pdf file link.

The information in this table was compiled mainly from information on the Wikipedia Shaivism page and sub-pages, and from the online copy of Hinduism Today March 1994. If you see any errors please leave a comment.

Adi Annamalai clearly predates Arunachaleswarar Temple, so is older than 2000 years. I suspect the gopuram is also about 1200 years old, from the same period as Arunachaleswarar Temple.

"The name of this Temple, Adi Annamalai means 'first' or 'ancient' Annamalai (Arunachaleshwarar). Its size is small and it occupies only 1/2 acre in size – compared with the 25-26 acre size of Arunachaleswarar Temple on the Tiruvannamalai side of the Hill. The legend of Adi Annamalai recounts that Brahma, after His dispute with Vishnu about the fiery column, made a lingam and went to the other side of the Hill to worship Shiva. Thus, this lingam is supposed to be the first, ancient and original lingam of Annamalai and hence the name Adi Annamalai." This quote is from Arunachala Grace Blog. Here is a good article from them on Adi Annamalai.

There are many legends about this temple. The one I like the best is of a secret cave that goes from the temple to inside Arunachala, where all the Siddhis are.

You can see the temple in Google maps, click here.

Turning off the Hill Round Road, going through the small village of Adi Annamalai, you come to the temple, with its tower visible from far away.

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And enter through the gopuram.

If you look closely at the gopuram, you will see images that illustrate many ancient stories of the gods. A repeated figure is that of a man, straining to hold up the tower. Since the wall has its own support all this effort is not needed. This image is to illustrate the futility of ego-driven action, 'trying to hold up the universe' when it is really God, Siva, Brahman, your Self, that is doing 'all the work.'

We are not allowed to take photos inside the main shrine. The photos below were taken walking around within the temple walls.

First is Ganesh, the remover of obstacles. This is the first god seen in the Siva temples. Here Ganesh is enclosed in a small shrine that is locked when the priest is not there.

Walking in the usual clockwise direction, here is a hall of pillars. Note all the statues on top of the wall. Similar statues are on all four sides of the temple.

Here is a close up of one on this wall:

Looking to the back of the temple, we can see the Dakshinamurthy shrine protruding from the wall.

Here is Dakshinamurthy, the Southward-facing god. From the Wikipedia entry, "Dakshinamurti literally means 'one who is facing south (dakṣiṇa)' in Sanskrit. South is the direction of Death, hence change. In every Siva temple the stone image of Dakshinamurthy is installed, facing south, on the southern circumambulatory path around the sanctum sanctorum."

Dakshinamurthy has a special place in our hearts. Dakshinamurthy is said to be the primordial Guru. He is pictured as a young man, with four older disciples sitting with him. Dakshinamurthy taught only in silence. Sri Ramana Maharshi is spoken of comparing him to Dakshinamurthy. It is also said that Arunachala is Dakshinamurthy. Certainly both teach in silence. Ramana says that real silence is when no ego-'I' arises.

Looking back from Dakshinamurthy, one can see Arunachala. Here is the face of 'The Elephant.' I wrote an entry about Arunachala in this area, see http://luthar.com/2008/06/13/north-side-of-arunachala-under-the-loving-gaze-of-the-elephant/.

Behind the shrine, behind the pillars on the back wall of the temple, there are quite a number of statues, I think of various local gods, and gods of local significance. You can see, looking at the wear on some of these, just how ancient they must be, hundreds of years, certainly, thousands of years, probably.

Most of them I do not recognize. They have names, written in an archaic Tamil, above each statue. As I find out these names, I will add them to this post. Some are small, just a few inches tall. Others are several feel high.

Here is one of three Nandis, guarding several ancient lingams behind the fence.

Here are the first two lingams.

Here is the third. Note the additional carving on the upper part. Someone thought this was special. It is the only one that has a flower placed on top of it.

Here is the fourth. Notice that it has a face, surely Siva's face, carved into it.

I love this one. Is that Siva on the elephant?

Notice how old this elephant must be. The top of the statue has been rubbed away by countless hands touching it, probably over hundreds of years.

Looking back at the hall of statues.

We walk back toward the front of the Temple.

Another statue. This god has three faces (that I can see).

The gopuram, seen from within the temple walls.

The main entryway, from the North side. To the right is the inner temple. To the left, back outside.

For more than 257 years now,every year on the second day of Gangaur, Hella Khayal Sangeet Dangals are held in Lalsot. Every year thousands attend the event.Relatives of the villagers come from all over India. Consequently there is a Deepawali like atmosphere during these two days.

Presently about six groups are performing the art through which they inform the public about current affairs and issues, put forth their problems to government officers ,or comment on social, political and economic issues.(In old days, religious and folk themes were popular with the public.)The program is performed according to the Turra Kalangi Khayal singing of Karauli and Sawaimadhopur area.

Every year after Holi ( The festival of Colors),Gangaur is celebrated with great fanfare in praise of the Goddess Gauri.She is the goddess of purity and unmarried girls.She is generally considered to be the unmarried Parvati who underwent great penance to attain the glory of marrying Shiva.

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/331960.html

" As you are well aware, troubling questions have emanated from the ongoing hearing in the Bombay High Court in the Jalgaon murder case. It pertains to the killing of Prof V G Patil, the then president of the Congress in Jalgaon, your home district, on September 21, 2005. The slain leader’s widow, Rajni Patil, has filed a petition contending that her husband’s murder was the result of an intra-party political conspiracy, hatched by his rivals — Dr G N Patil (your brother, who had been defeated by Prof V G Patil in the election for the office of DCC president, and into whose alleged corrupt practices Prof Patil had started an investigation) and Dr Ulhas Patil, a former Congress MP. She has also contended that the duo worked through two intermediaries, Damodar Lokhande and Leeladhar Narkhede, to hire two contract killers, Raju Mali and Raju Sonawane."

"Taking cognizance of “the alleged complicity of influential political leaders”, the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court transferred the case from the state CID to the CBI in February 2007. Soon, thereafter, Mali, whom the police had named as the principal assassin, died mysteriously while in judicial custody. Since July last year, the CBI’s investigation is being monitored by the High Court in Mumbai. In almost every single hearing, the court has rapped the CBI for its tardy and unsatisfactory progress. Reacting to the agency’s dogged refusal to subject Lokhande and Narkhede to narco tests, the court even remarked, “If the CBI can conduct such tests on suspects in the Arushi Talwar case, why not in this case? Why are you adopting double standards — one in Delhi and another in Maharashtra? Or are you doing so only in this particular case?”"

"Then there is an eye-witness statement by one Rambhau Pawar, who tried to intervene when the crime was being committed but had to flee when Mali shouted at him: “Yahan se bhag nahin to tera bhi yehi haal karenge. Hamare peechhe netaon ke haath hain. Bharosa nahi hai to jaan le ki hamare peechhe Ulhas Patil, G N Patil, Ramesh Chaudhary (a local Congress MLA) ke haath hain”. Pawar’s diary, in which the whole incident has been described, is now with the CBI."

"This, Respected Rashtrapatiji, lends credibility to what Mahesh Jethmalani, counsel for Rajni Patil, has stated in his written submission before the court last week: “There is a conspiracy at the highest levels of power to suppress the truth and protect those guilty of conspiring to murder. The criminal justice system has obviously failed in the instant case. The petitioner, already widowed by a pernicious conspiracy to commit murder, will be further widowed in her attempt to seek justice if the courts of this country abandon her and permit powerful politicians; protected by even more powerful ones, to get away with murder.”"

the article does the job- i cannot put it more eloquently than that. i do exhort you to read the whole article-what I've given is super short excerpts

there is another death connected to Pratibha Patil thatI want to write abt but that's for another post...

I understand (before all those who thrive on politics jump down my throat) that Kulkarni has had strong connections with BJP but I still think political affiliations notwithstanding, the issue is super valid.

what's our mythological story 4 the day? Bhasmasura and the Comic interlude between Vishnu and Shiva.

what u say? there's a comic interlude in Indian mythology n that 2 between 2 super gods?

hmmmm...actually a long time ago I came across an article that descirbed this episode and how exasperated Vishnu was about Shiva's naivete when it came 2 granting boons... it was sidesplitting , am not sure if the author meant for it be that way. i searched fot it a lot so that I can provide a link here but could not find it.

am lying through my teeth. didn't look for it all..... gotcha!

so how is that tale related to this murder I've written abt? absolutely not related at all. no connection whatsoever.

This is Sandy Tenneti's blog and there are never any rules.

we all need humour in our lives- we spend too much of time in depression, worry and stress. I am of the firm opinion that comedians and AR Rahman get a free ticket to heaven. the rest of us have karma to worry about.

so there is the dude, Bhasmasura (did u catch the asura hidden in his name? smart ppl!) does severe penances n shiva pleased,grants him a boon. As usual, as predictably as a Hindi Movie formula film, the dude asks for total invincibility etc etc and the capability to reduce ppl to ashes. shiva agrees n the dude promptly decides to try the boon on him. The gravity of the situation then dawns on Shiva who with no other solution in sight, takes to his heels. There are diff versions but since this is my blog , i'm going to go with the one i want.

Our man meets\prays to vishnu for help.

Vishnu exasperated gives him the whole dude-are-you-serious-he's-an -asura-how -many-times-do-we-need-to-go-down-this-road-will-ground-your boon-making power-now lecture.

how do they stop bhasmasura sweetheart? by vishnu morphing into Mohini. Enticed, enthralled (obviously, he's never heard of Angelina Jolie) the dude starts dancing with Mohini, who says she can only marry a person who beats her in a dance (again multiple versions. what can i say... indian mythology is like clay and there have been a whole lot of potters...)

then Mohini, dancing puts her hand on her head and our besotted Asura copies her (oh-ho so that's where we desis got the copying and pasting gene from!) and lo! is reduced to ashes!

like the story. love vishnu's exasperation with shiva.

still giggling.

was trolling youtube for clips from bujjigadu (gasp!yes!i am one of those- pseud-intellectuals-with nose in air-closet-Bollywood\Tollywood\Kollywood\Jollywood\Zollywood.... fan) n came across this:

whaaa....uhmmmm.....i don't.......seriously......nevermind.

have updated my blogroll page. added two new hilarious links- recommend every1 to check them out.

oh..yeah.... still giggling.

Questa è la mitologica storia dell'unione fra Shiva e Parvati. Si dice che Shiva rappresenti il Sè universale, l'eterno, sempre immerso in profonda meditazione sulla cima del monte Kailash.
La sua Shakti (dal sanscrito significa "energia") è Parvati.

La prima moglie di Shiva, Sati, si era immolata perchè non poteva sopportare che suo padre non apprezzasse suo marito. Da quel momento, Shiva, addolorato, aveva abbandonato ogni mondano interesse e si era completamente dedicato alla meditazione.
Proprio vicino al bosco dove Shiva meditava, viveva il re della montagna, Himavat. Egli sposò la celestiale ninfa Menaka e dalla loro unione nacque Parvati.
In realtà, Parvati era proprio l'incarnazione di Sati, ma stavolta, sicuro, suo padre avrebbe adorato suo marito.
Parvati era una fanciulla vivace e amabile e quando raggiunse l'età adulta, i suoi genitori si preoccuparono di trovarle marito. Suo padre, Himavat, voleva per la figlia qualcuno veramente degno, ma non sapeva proprio chi; fino a che un giorno il saggio Narada andò a far visita a Himavat.
Narada che, come molti saggi aveva capacità profetiche, predisse che Parvati era destinata a sposare nientemeno che il potente signore Shiva.
Himavat sapeva che le profezie di Narada si realizzavano e così desiderava di tutto cuore che sua figlia realizzasse il suo destino e decise di mandare la figlia, con alcune ancelle, a servire Shiva per i suoi rituali. E fu così che Parvati si dedicò a servire Shiva con estrema dedizione perché, pur senza conoscere il suo destino, riconosceva nel suo cuore la grandezza del signore Shiva.

Nel frattempo, le deità erano in difficoltà, perchè il demone Taraka era diventato una minaccia e niente riusciva a placare la sua sete di potere e dominio.
Persino Brahma (il Dio creatore) era impotente: infatti il demone era diventato potente per virtù delle benedizioni che il Dio stesso gli aveva concesso. Ma ad un certo punto ebbe un'idea: il figlio di Shiva e Parvati sarebbe stato il guerriero in grado di sconfiggere il demone.
Così, per assicurarsi che Shiva e Parvati s'innamorassero, incaricarono Kama, il Dio dell'amore, di scoccare le sue freccie e far centro nei loro cuori.
Kama eseguì il suo compito alla perfezione: sia Shiva che Parvati cominciarono a sentire profondo amore l'uno per l'altra, ma ... Shiva riuscì a controllare i suoi sentimenti e si accorse del trucco. Senza esitazione, lanciò un occhiata al povero Kama, che fu ridotto in cenere e si allontanò.

Però, Parvati era davvero profondamente innamorata del Signore Shiva e non poteva darsi pace per il fatto che lui non la degnasse.
Ritornò a casa del padre e annunciò il suo desiderio di ritirarsi in preghiera e penitenza: se Shiva non la considerava per la sua bellezza, ma sicuramente avrebbe dato valore a questo suo sacrificio.
E così lasciò dietro di sè gioielli e agi e si ritirò nella foresta dove visse in penitenza per alcuni anni.
Dedicava ogni giorno alla preghiera e di notte giaceva sulla nuda terra. A mala pena mangiava qualcosa e in seguito anche smise di mangiare quel poco, ma la sua fede e la sua devozione mai vennero meno.

Alcuni anni passarono, quando un giorno, mentre Parvati eseguiva i soliti rituali, un giovane eremita l'approcciò. Parvati s'inchinò umilmente a lui.
Al chè lui l'apostrofò: "Come può la tua tenera ossatura sopportare un così arduo compito spirituale?"
Tutta la sua austerità, aveva solo arricchito la squisita bellezza di Parvati.
Lui continuò: "Veramente tu hai provato al mondo che bellezza e purezza non si annullano l'una con l'altra. Le tue azioni hanno coronato tuo padre con una più grande gloria di quanta già non ne avesse. Nobile fanciulla, perchè hai intrapreso tale severa penitenza? E' comune per una persona sola angustiata e addolorata vivere una vita da eremita.
Ma com'è possibile che tu, così pura, amata e apprezzata da tutti fai questo?
Ah! E' forse per un amore non corrisposto? No questo sarebbe davvero impossibile! Una gemma inestimabile come te è ricercata e non cerca..."
"Va a casa bella fanciulla! Ti darò metà dei meriti che ho guadagnato se interrompi questa penitenza. Ma per favore dimmi qual è la ragione."
Parvati chiese soccorso ad un sua ancella, che si rivolse all'eremita dicendo: "Lei ha offerto il suo cuore per vincere l'amore di Shiva. Ella ha fallito nel conquistarlo con la sua bellezza, così ha deciso di dedicarsi a penitenza e austerità. Ella lo invoca spesso, ma Shiva rimane sordo ai suoi appelli."

Al chè l'eremità rispose, rivolgendosi a Paravti: "E' vero? o la tua amica sta scherzando?"
Parvati allora disse: "Sì, è vero! Io adoro il grande Shiva. Sono sicura che vincerò il suo amore con la penitenza e la devozione"
E l'eremita: "O mia signora, io conosco Shiva. Egli è coperto di cenere e serpenti decorano il suo corpo, che è coperto di pellame dal cattivo odore. Come può il tuo dolce e tenero Sè diventare sua moglie? Egli è deforme, rozzo e povero. I suoi antenati sono ignoti. Egli non va bene per te. Lascialo perdere e cerca qualcuno più degno di ..."
"Basta!!!" lo interruppe Parvati piena di rabbia "Ci vuole una grande anima per conoscere una grande anima" e così, piena d'adorazione, parlò in onore del suo amato Signore.
Improvvisamente il giovane eremita si rivelò essere proprio Shiva e a quel punto non c'erano dubbi: Parvati era riuscita a vincere il cuore di Shiva!

*****************************************************************
Ogni storia mitologica ha un suo significato profondo.
Io vedo in questa storia, la dedizione del ricercatore (Parvati) che ardentemente desidera risvegliare il proprio Spirito (Shiva) ed è disposto ad ogni sacrificio pur di raggiungere questo obiettivo.
Vedo anche che la purezza e l'innocenza sono virtù inestimabili e sono la vera bellezza del nostro essere. Lo Spirito è attratto solo da ciò che è puro e neanche degna di uno sguardo ciò che è mondano.
A proposito, Kama viene riportato in vita il giorno delle nozze ;)

Anyway I think I am going back to writing a paper journal just for peace of mind. I cannot wait to get started. But one of the things I MUST do is to find the perfect journal. I cannot write if the journal does not look or feel inspirational. I like journals that are not too small (my handwriting is rather big) nor too large. Something pretty, inspirational with a nice pen to go along with it. I've always been a bit of a snob when it comes to writing implements and stationery.

Vandaag samengevat: Niet afgezet, veel gewandeld, gezwommen en Varanasi op een toffe manier gezien!

"Soundarya Lahari ("waves of beauty") -- that seductive composition of short and poetic praise of Shakthi (the feminine form of spiritual power, per Indian thought) consists of two parts namely, Ananda Lahari ("waves of happiness," first 41 stanzas) and Soundarya Lahari (the next 59 stanzas).

It is believed that Lord Ganesha himself has etched the Ananda Lahari on Mount Meru(Some people believe that Sage Pushpa Dhantha did the etching).It was read from there by Sage Gouda Pada who taught it to Adhi Sankara. Adhi Sankara himself added the rest of the 59 stanzas and completed it.

These 100 stanzas are supposed to be the foremost among Manthra literature. It is also believed that by making suitable yanthras and reciting particular stanzas and worshipping the yantras almost anything can be obtained in the world .There are more thn 36 commentries to Soundarya Lahari written in Sanskrit itself."

Bharadwaja & Indra

The sage performed rigorous penance with the wish of learning more about the Vedas. Indra appeared
before him and created 3 mountains. He took 3 handfulls from the mountains and said "Bharadwaja the learning you have is like the handful of mud and the Vedas are like the three mountians. This doesnt mean you know very little. In fact you know more about the Vedas than the Devas. As much as it is important to learn, it is more important to spread what one has learnt. Pray to Almighty Shiva to bless the yagna"

Bharadwaja & Shiva

Sage then went to see Lord Shiva in Mount Kailas. There Shiva and Parvati were budy in the divine dance. Parvathi saw the sage and smiled. The dance continued for many days. The Sage was paralyzed and fell. Shiva and Parvati then revived the Sage and blessed him

Bharadwaja, Abhyavarti & Divodasha
Once the Vaarshikas invaded the kingdom of Abhyavarti. Divodasha also arrived to assist Abhyavarti. The Vaarshika demons interrupted religious ceremonies and destroyed dweellings and killed the people of the kingdom. Abhyavarti and Divodasha fought the Vaarshikas but the demons had the upper hand. Abhyavarti and Divodasha fled from the battlefield and arrived at Sage Bharadwaja's ashram.
Hearing about what had happened the otherwise embodiment of calm, the Sage was extremely angry. The Sage said " By your diffidence  you are bringing disgrace to the warder race. Like cowards, you fear a war! Get up, Abhyavarti, arm your bow, and chase away the -  unrighteous demons. For once, remember your people who are suffering like orphans. For their safety, sacrifice your body!" The Kings replied " You are our Guru who teaches us the path one has to lead. Save us from this unfortunate situation".  Sage Baradwaja then defeated the demons and restored the Kingdom to Abhyavarti and Divodasha.

Drona's birth

Once when Rishi Bharadwaja saw the Apsara Ghritachi rising from the river after abulations, his vitality emerged from his body. The Rishi stored this vitality in a pot. Drona was born from this pot. The meaning of Drona is Pot-born.

Shiva and Parvati were leading a quiet life on Mount Kailash, Shiva's habitual abode. In fact, life was too quiet and sedate for Parvati, who had nothing much to do all day as her chosen lord was mostly either immersed in deep meditation or obfuscated by the fumes of ganja (marijuana). For company there was Nandi, Shiva's bull, and his host of ghosts, who are said to inhabit Kailash and give Shiva company, especially when he smokes ganja and wants some song and dance to liven things up a bit. Of course, Parvati was feeling bored and wanted someone she could be more involved with. So she began to call upon Vishnu in prayer to grant her a son. Vishnu soon granted her wish and Parvati gave birth to a beautiful boychild she named Ganesha.

At birth, Ganesha was a perfectly normal boy, with perfect features and body parts, as befits one conceived by a goddess. How he got an elephant's head is another story. Parvati was so pleased at his birth and so proud of his beauty that she invited all the gods and goddesses to come to Kailash and admire him. All the celestial beings came and admired and blessed the boy except Sani (Saturn), Parvati's own brother. This was because Sani had been cursed by his wife and the impact of the curse was that as soon as he looked at someone that person was instantly reduced to ashes.

Naturally, Sani was somewhat reluctant to cause the incineration his own sister's newborn baby but Parvati was feeling so elated that she threw caution to the winds and pleaded with Sani to at least cast his eyes once upon the boy. Sani, perforce, to please his sister, came and, holding his newborn nephew in his arms, hesitatingly gave him one look. That was enough to do the damage. Ganesha's head flew off as soon as his uncle looked at him. Parvati started crying bitterly but Brahma, who was present at this time, comforted her and said that if the head of the first creature that was found would be cut off and transplanted on Ganesha's neck he would live. So Vishnu, who was also present, set off on Garuda in search of any animal he may find. He had to travel all the way down Mount Kailash before, at the foothills, he found an elephant dozing on a riverbank. He immediately cut off the elephant's head and came back.Thus, this is how Ganesha got his pachyderm head. That he is pot-bellied is not a sign of any particular ugliness. The Hindu idea of beauty portrays both men and women with pot-bellies as these are signs of well-fed prosperity.

The elephant's head that Vishnu brought for Ganesha was perfect in all respects, with two tusks, but the pot-bellied god is habitually shown with only one tusk. The story behind how he lost one tusk makes interesting telling.

Shiva was in the habit of intruding upon Parvati while she was bathing. This was rather infrequently, only when that god was not under the influence of ganja. Anyway, Parvati found this habit of her forgetful lord rather annoying. One day, when the beautiful goddess was about to get a bath in the water of a pool inside a cave, she took the precaution of positioning Ganesha, her favorite son, at the entrance of the cave. She strictly instructed him not to let anybody in while she was inside. So it was that Ganesha stood guard while his mother bathed inside till he spied his father ambling towards the cave. Coming up to the cave entrance, Shiva demanded admittance but Ganesha stood his ground bravely and refused to allow his father in.

Shiva was astounded at this. He protested that no-one had the right to keep him away from his rightful wife but Ganesha did not budge from his post saying that he would not disobey his mother's instructions. Shiva, hot-tempered as he was, flew into a terrific rage and attacked his own son. Ganesha parried his father's attack and both fought for quite some time. All this while Parvati unwittingly went on bathing inside, unaware that her ablutionary precaution was causing unforeseen dissension within her family. Son and father fought till, at last, Shiva hurled his trident, his supreme weapon, at his son. Ganesha would not parry this as, to do so, would be to show great disrespect for his father. So he took the blow from the trident on one tusk, which broke off. At this point in time, Parvati emerged from her bath and, perceiving what has been going on, hastened to bring amity back to her family. Since then Ganesha, benevolent initiator, has had one tusk.

There is another interesting story pertaining to Ganesha and his brother Karttikeya. Both wanted to marry Buddhi and Siddhi. So, at last, they decided between themselves that the first of them to circumnavigate the earth entirely would get their hands in marriage. Karttikeya set out on foot to circle the earth but Ganesha sat at home studying the scriptures. After long years of travel Karttikeya returned, only to find that his brother was already married to the two ladies. Ganesha had stayed at home and studied the scriptures and, through his studies, had gone round the earth in much lesser time than his more physical and less astute brother, Karttikeya, had on foot.

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]]> http://luthar.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/arunachala-new-access-to-ramana-sites-below-virupaksha-cave/ Fri, 04 Jul 2008 03:38:29 +0000 richardclarke http://luthar.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/arunachala-new-access-to-ramana-sites-below-virupaksha-cave/ A group of local Tiruvannamalai people have organized themselves and are doing wonderful work to clean up, repair and open up an area on Arunachala that is near to the popular Sri Ramana Maharshi sites of Virupaksha Cave and Skandanasram.

They have organized as a part of "Global Watch Trust." You can see more about this organization at http://www.globalwatchtrust.com. This site is not yet updated to include this project.

In this area, this project is cleaning trash, clearing brush, repairing and improving paths, planting, and building benches and meditation areas. It improves access to Guhai Namashivaya Shrine and an ancient Ganesh shrine, and provides a way to reach three hillside caves that are said by local villagers to have been frequented by Sri Ramana. The Trust has been given permission to do this work by The Forest Authority, Arunachaleshwar Temple and Sri Ramanasramam.

The Approach

To get to this area, start like you are going to Virupaksha Cave. Below shows where this 'road' meets the street, at the northeast corner of Arunachaleshwar Temple.

Walk up the road until you see, to the left, this street. Notice the blue Global Watch Trust sign on the wall.

Continue walking up the hill.

Here they have made a small shrine at the base of a tree.

Entering the area of the Project

Part of the work done is to clean up trash and clear brush away from the paths. This path is marked with stone borders and shows the effects of trash and brush removal. Keep walking up this path.

When you get the this banyan tree, this is the 'hub' for the improved paths that access the various caves and shrines on this part of the hill.

IF you look closely you will see a man reclining on a branch of the Banyan tree. This is one of the key people behind all the activity, a young man who grew up around this part of the hill, Saravan. I think this project is largely Saravan's vision. Saravan guided us through this area and showed us the work that had been done.

To Guhai Namashivaya Shrine

Turn left at the Banyan tree, and take this new path just a few meters to go to Guhai Namashivaya Shrine. I am told this shrine is about 500 years old.

Here are Saravan and my wife, Carol, outside Guhai Namashiva Shrine. This shrine is an important locale in the history of Sri Ramana Maharshi. This is where he provided answers to questions on slips of paper that became the second of his small books, "Who am I?" This is probably the best known of Ramana's works.

More information can be found about Guhai Namashivaya at http://www.arunachalasamudra.org/guhainamasivaya.html

Up to the Caves

Returning to the Banyan tree, looking up the hill, to the right, outside this photo, is the stone path to Virupaksha cave. Directly up the hill is the path to the caves.

When finished, this area will have a nice stone path in the middle, surrounded by flowers and planting on both sides. There will be benches to sit and meditate and to enjoy this place.

Take the path to caves and a part of the hill that is mainly unseen by visitors.

Looking from the path, Arunachaleshwar Temple can be seen, with gopurams rising above the trees.

One of the Caves

On the path, we pass by a small cave, big enough for perhaps two or three people to sit in.

Old Ganesh Shrine

The next feature is an old Ganesh shrine, with this water tank. This shrine has been vandalized and the Ganesh idol taken. The Global Watch Trust plans to replace this idol.

Here you can see the back of the shrine and the tank.

Another small cave near the Ganesh Shrine. This cave is big enough for a person to lie down and sleep, but not big enough to stand up.

Up the hill to the best of the caves

Climbing further up the path we will get to the crown jewel (I think) of this area.

I would recommend good shoes or sandals and strong legs for the next part of the journey. The path is a bit steep in a couple of places.

Below Carol and Sarsvan are crossing a rock face. Note that they each have clippers in their hands, to work on a bit more brush cutting on the path.

As the path gets higher, the view of Arunachaleshwar Temple is breathtaking. I think the big rock in the midground is a part of Guhai Namashivaya Shrine.

The path continues up the hill. Here it is dirt and pretty easy walking. After this there is a section up through more rocks. This is the only section that I think is tricky. The biggest trick right now is that there is a place where the path goes up the hill and to the left. Take the left. This is not presently marked. Hopefully, this will be done.

Some of this path is a 'fire road' up the hill.

Now the cave entrance is visible.

I think this cave is a special place. The people who live on the hill below here say that Ramana stayed in this cave, I guess during what are generally known as the 'Virupaksha days.'

We have been here just two times and already it is one of our favorite places on Arunachala.

Here is the cave entrance. Saravan and a helper, over the last few months, have put in the concrete walls, floors and benches, and painted them. Flowing water has left stains that make the walls look older than they are.

Behind me on the path, Saravan and Carol have pruning clippers and are cutting back brush from the path.

View from the Cave

Here we are looking east from the Cave across Tiruvannamalai.

Arunachaleshwar Temple view.

Looking up from the cave, we see Arunachala. If you look closely maybe you can see about 3/4 up the photo, on the right, a coconut palm. This is Skandanasram.

If you look closely in the foreground, you will see red oleander flowers. Saravan planted these bushes three years ago. These flowers are used as puja flowers, and he wanted them to be available for those who use this cave for worship.

In the Cave

In the cave, an oil lamp has been lighted.

Carol sits in the cave, meditating.

We think this is one of the special places on this hill. Peaceful and serene, it is a great place to open your heart to Arunachala.

Working on the Mountain - Global Watch Trust

Community Development

The first part of this project was a vision from Saravan as to what could be done in this area, with encouragement from the founder of Global Watch Trust, Sathya. Together they put together a plan and a team to clean up and enhance this part of the Arunachala hill to properly respect the sacred heritage that is here.

An important part of the process has been involving the villagers who live on this part of the hill. This started with a ceremony and a 'gifting.' School notebooks were gifted to the children in an evening ceremony that included the local villagers. The purpose of this was to educate the villagers on the importance of this area so they might not use it as a trash dump, and to enlist their help in the work to clean up the hill.

Below is a photo of the books that were to be gifted, and the team from Global Watch Trust.

Here the gifting is being done. Many locals are gathered together here.

As work started, local officials came to the group. Each interaction was similar, starting with "What are you doing?" and "No, you cannot do this." After some discussion, permission was granted. First were officials from Arunachaleshwar Temple, then the Forest Authority, the Sri Ramanasramam.

The Crew

One big part of the effort was done with a crew consisting of local volunteers and the Global Watch Trust team, shown below. Together they worked to do the major cleanup of the hillside.

So much cleaning and clearing to do

For many years this area has been used for trash. The first thing needed was to clean up the trash.

Brush has overgrown the paths and area around the Banyan tree. All this needs to be cut away, and cuttings disposed of.

While the brush cutting is going on, a part of the team gathers to discuss the details of path repair for this area.

More trash to be cleaned.

The path cleaned and cleared, ready for repair

Here is the approach path with trash cleaned and brush cleared. Now work must be done to repair the path.

Clearing around the Banyan Tree

The ancient Banyan tree is to the left, with rocks built up at its base. In the surrounding area, brush and small trees have grown up, crowding each other for space and sun. They need to be cut back so the area can be opened up and a new path built.

Here they are clearing brush from the base of the Banyan tree.

Results of the Team's work

The path is repaired

Here is a part of the path shown above that needed repair. Now it is easy and pleasant walking.

Standing proudly by Old Tree

Saravan stands by the Banyan tree. Now it is cleaned up, brush cut back, trash picked up, etc.

What has been shown here is just a part of the job. to continue the job, Global Watch Trust has been sponsoring a small team to work with Saravan to continue with the path building, planting, and improving these areas by adding cement benches to sit and meditate, etc.

There is a need for financial support

Work has stopped for now. Global Watch Trust needs to find people who are able to provide some support for this work.

Global Watch Trust has funded the effort that you see in these pages out of their own funds. Those funds have run out, and for work to continue donations are needed. Evan small donations are a big help. Rs 1000 ($25 or 15 Euros) pays for one day's work on the project. 40 days work have been done so far, and so much has been accomplished.

If you are able to help, donations can be made through the Global Watch Trust web site. Go to http://www.globalwatchtrust.com/ and click the 'donate' button. Credit Cards and PayPal are accepted. Also they ask, until their site is updated, that you also send an email to ceo@levicent.com and let them know that this donation is to be used for the Arunachala Hill project.