Richard Clarke and Carol at Arunachala

April 5, 2009

Harsha . Advaita and Yoga, LIFESTYLE . Arunachala, Carol, Richard Clarke

The exploration of Arunachala by Richard Clarke and his wife Carol and gracing us with their gift of writing from India are being celebrated by lovers of the holy mountain of Arunachala. Our brother and friend Richard has been writing on luthar.com off and on for several years now. He also has his own blog “Living in the Embrace of Arunachala” at richardarunachala.wordpress.com.

We wish Richard and Carol continued happiness at achieving their goal of being at Arunachala where Sri Ramana spent over 50 years. We all also express our gratitude to them for their generous and wonderful sharing of pictures and stories from Arunachala and letting us have a glimpse of their joyful living.

Source: http://arunachalaheart.blogspot.com/

Arunachala – On the Inner Path: Southwest Side

October 17, 2008

Harsha . Advaita and Yoga . Arunachala, girivalam, inner path, Pradakshina, Richard Clarke, Tiruvannamalai

This posting is the second in a series in which I will show some of the experience of walking Arunachala’s ‘Inner Path.’

The first posting shows the start of the walk from Sri Ramanasramam.

This posting continues with the walk where the initial posting ended, from the path near the access point where Perumpakkam Road meets Bangalore Road. This is the place where many walkers enter onto the Inner Path. This part of the Inner Path goes by the path up to Aum Amma’s and Papaji’s caves, by the Sadhu Tank, and ends at the Arunachala Reforestation station.

Previous postings show areas that can be reached while on this part of the Inner Path. Postings about Papaji’s cave can be found here and here. Aum Amma cave is shown here. A posting about the ‘Holy Feet of God’, Tiruvadi, South of the Sadhu’s Tank, can be found here.

A map of Arunachala and the Outer Path is below. I have marked this map with a few landmarks we use, and with an approximate map of the first two sections of the Inner Path pradakshina (girivalam in Tamil) shown in this series.

The Southwest section of the path is in blue.

The path starts after you go through the stone ‘gate’ leaving the first section. There is a ditch you walk through on the other side where the path starts. If it is full of water, there is an alternate to the right.

Looking to Arunachala through the trees before we start walking on this section.

Most of these photos were taken on a Sunday, and there were a few other people walking the path, including an elderly Indian couple that have lived for the last 30 years in Saratoga California, near where I lived, and who have heard of my spiritual teacher, Nome.

Many times during the week we will not see another person walking the Inner Path.

The path start winding through an area where trees provide a canopy.

The path branches to the right here. Do no go straight here; you will go back to Bangalore road.

Arunachala, the peak enshrouded in clouds.

The path in gentle here, winding through trees towards the mountain.

Now the path has turned East. The tall trees on the right were planted I think 10 – 20 years ago. There were many of this kind of tree planted in this area, and on the Northeast side of the hill.

Winding through this countryside. The red and white paintings are trail markers painted on stones. These are found all the way around the mountain to mark the Inner Path. Following these one should not get lost – just keep Arunachala to your right and keep walking.

Now the path has turned back towards the mountain. It is more rocky here.

Carol walking ahead of me.

Arunachala from the Inner Path, clouds at the top.

Here is a marker for the path to Aum Amma’s and Papaji’s caves. Follow the path up the hill. Have good shoes, this is rocky and steep in parts.

Continuing along the Inner Path. Now Parvati Hill, the small hill on the East end of Arunachala, with its two small peaks, is visible.

Note the stones lining both sides of the path. These are common in this section of the path. You will see them in many of the photos.

Parvati Hill, looking of one of the several small lakes found in this section of the path. These are behind earth berms, and I think are intended to help bring water back into the underground water table. It is early monsoon season now, and there is some water in this tank, which has been dry for the summer months (starting in April).

Again Arunachala in the clouds. This is from the berm shown above. Part way up the mountain, on the left side of the photo, a big rock formation is visible. This is where Aum Amma’s and Papaji’s caves are found.

The path is pretty here, and lined with stones on both sides.

Now winding through more trees. When the sun is out, these trees are much appreciated. Any shade is welcome. White and red trail markers are visible in the distance.

Coming out of the trees, Parvati Hill is again visible.

Back into the trees.

Now to the right of the trail is a big rock. Often, in the tourist season, you will see groups, sitting on this rock.

Early in the morning, you also may see a Sadhu, meditating.

Walking through more trees.

And finally we come to the Sadhu’s tank. This tank is, I am told, spring fed. What I have seen is that it has water all through the year, while most other tanks will dry out.

It is early in the morning, and there are Sadhu’s bathing, washing their saffron cloths and spreading them out to dry.

On the other side of the tank, there is a picturesque masonry arch, and a falling-down building. This is where we saw the Sadhu bathing in the photo above.

Now we follow the path once more through some trees.

And we get to one of the Reforestation Project’s tree nurseries.

Here is another stone gate, which marks the end of this section on the Inner Path.

The next part of this series will start from here.

Arunachala – On the Inner Path: Southside from Ramanasramam: By Richard Clarke

August 1, 2008

Harsha . Advaita and Yoga, LIFESTYLE . Arunachala, photos, Richard Clarke

This posting is the first in a series in which I will try to show some of the experience of walking Arunachala’s ‘Inner Path.’ The Inner Path is a pradakshina path that has been maintained by various volunteers for many years. This path is close to the Holy Hill, much less traveled, and many find it to be the most quiet and peaceful way to walk around the mountain.

To give a good sense of the Inner Path, there will be a number of postings, one for each of what I see as ‘sections’ of the path. For many of these sections I will have one or more postings of what we have found near the path. I will call these postings, “Off the Path.” I think this provides a good framework to show you what we are finding as we continue to explore Arunachala.

This first posting covers the path from Sri Ramanasramam to the location near where Perumpakkam Road meets Bangalore Road, and there is a popular walkway from the road to the Inner Path.

This is shown in the map view below, marked in green:

Starting from Sri Ramanasramam

Arunachala from Ramanasramam

The to back gate

Through the gate

Starting up the Path

First, a few steps from the start of the path. Often there are one or two ‘mountain guides’ sitting here who can be engaged to assist newcomers and make sure they can find their destinations.

We started out this day about 7:15 AM, and none were there yet.

Up the path

Take the left branch of the path here.

Starting on the Inner Path

Looking up the hill.

Looking away from the mountain. Here we are looking west from the path. A small hill can be seen. This hill is off Bangalore Road, before the turnoff to Girivalam (“Hill-Round”) Road.

Following the path.

Looking up at the hill, the first view of the peak.

Ahead is one of the ‘arms’ of Arunachala. In the map above, you can see this to the left of Ramanasramam, jutting out from the mountain. This arm is one of the main landmarks of this part of the path.

Trail markers line the path so walkers can be sure they stay on the path. These markers remind me of the fire in the cauldron at the top of Arunachala each year at Deepam.

The peak is more visible now.

Walking the path.

This type of cactus is found in many places around Arunachala. They remind me just how hot the weather is here most of the year. This cactus is about eight feet high.

There is a stone wall. Cross it and turn left, down the hill.

We turned right once, to explore a rock formation up the hill here. We found a tribe of Langur Monkeys up the hill. As we approached, the young monkeys and their mothers scampered higher up the hill. The king of the tribe held his ground, and as we approached bared his fangs several times. We “pranamed” him to show that we do not want to give him any trouble, and we turned around.

A bit more about these monkeys can be found at this link to ArunachalaGrace.blogspot.

We come to a stream, with a water catchment basin. Both are dry now. Sometimes you will see people sitting here.

Onward on the path.

Arunachala from this location.

Carol and Richard, with Arunachala as backdrop.

We follow the path along the stream. Bear left. The right fork is a shortcut. I will show this in a later posting.

Following the path.

The streambed is to the right.

Another view of Arunachala …

And we keep walking the path.

We are approaching the area where one of the major Arunachala Reforestation efforts operates from. Here we get the first view of the Museum/Visitors Centre at the Mountain of Medicine, currently under construction.

Here is a close up.

And another view.

Walking through the area, you can see all the seedlings being grown up to planting size.

And workers.

The gate out, to Bangalore Road, and the Children’s Park.

Govind, the Westerner that is behind all this good work.

Arunachala, from the Mountain of Medicine.

Leaving the Mountain of Medicine, to continue on the path.

To find our more about this wonderful effort, view this posting by David Godman.

One of many paintings on rock slabs of local birds and animals.

Back on the path.

Looking towards the Hill.

Looking towards the street. Here a housing development can be seen.

Tree planting, recently done.

Views of Arunachala.

More holes are dug, waiting for rains before doing more planting.

The view away from the mountain. If you do a close-up of this hill, you will see an ancient altar at the top.

One last look at Arunachala. Notice in the foreground another of the types of cactus that are to be found around the mountain.

Then the gate that marks the end of this section of the Inner Path.

Looking out to the road.

Looking forward to the next section of the Inner Path.

Indian Village Life – Samuthiram Villages Prays for Rain: By Richard Clarke

July 25, 2008

Harsha . LIFESTYLE . India, Photographs, Richard Clarke

This week we were invited to another Indian Village function–an annual ceremony where they ask the gods to bring rain. This is always held on the same day of the year. So on June 23, 2008 we went into Samuthiram Village to see the ceremony.

The rain is particularly needed this year. There are two monsoons that bring the bulk of the rain to the area. The Northeast Monsoon in October and November, and the Southwest Monsoon in the summer. The Northeast Monsoon failed to come last fall, and so far the Southwest Monsoon has failed to arrive as well.

Tamil Nadu has vast agricultural areas, much of which are rice fields farmed as small plots by village farming families. The rice fields can grow three crops each year, but they use lots of water. The English, when they came to India, said that these South Indian fields were the most productive in the world. They depend each year on the monsoons. Now we may have had two monsoon failures in a row.

We were invited to the ceremony by Dakshinamoothi, a man in the village whom we assist with his local organization, Quality of Life Trust. He told us to arrive at 1 PM, thinking that this celebration, like all such events, would start late. He then called us about 12:30 and said that we should be there. When we arrived a few minutes later, we found that it had already started.

It was being help at the village temple, a small building by the road that we have gone past many times. When we arrived, people were already gathered at the temple, the puja was over, and the next part of the rites had started.

The villagers were gathered under the awning put up for the day.

There were three cones, decorated with flowers, several priests, and an open space in the middle of the crowd.

Much work was done decorating these cones.

In the circle there were drummers, beating out a rhythm, and someone dancing in the circle, an elderly lady. It is not usual at village functions to see women dancing, it is usually just the men. The ‘dancing’ seemed particularly energetic and expressive, and not any formal dance at all.

After she left the circle, a young man, seen above in an orange shirt, stepped into the circle. Before he started moving, he spent some time, in what seemed like working himself up into some state. I wondered if perhaps he was drunk.

Then he started to move wildly.

I think his eyes were closed, and there is an expression on his face, almost, I thought, of pain.

There was another man in the circle as well, in a white dhoti.

The man in the orange shirt dropped to the ground, and was writhing around. I could not get a good picture of him. The view was blocked by a drummer.

After this was over, he was exhausted, and had to be helped walk to where he could sit down.

I found out later that these people were, in this ‘dancing’, surrendering themselves to God, and probably asking for something from God.

After this, the crowd broke up, and the next part of the rites got underway. We went to the Satya’s Cafe in the village to wait.

First came the drummers, who seem to lead all these village processions.

Then after the drummers, came the cones, each carried by a man. We had seen similar cones walking through the village where we lived, and we wondered what they were about.

They stopped across the street, and the occupants of the house came out with puja items to offer, and received blessings from the priest who walked with the group.

Then they walked to Satya’s Cafe, where we were waiting. There were some boys walking with the group, too, naturally.

At Satya’s, the owner, our host, Dhakshinamoorthy, had three malas ready and waiting to offer. He gave them to three western women who sometimes help our his trust, Vishni, Shivani, and my wife Carol, who in turn placed them onto the cones, after puja items were offered.

First the puja offering.

Then the malas were placed.

then off to the next house.

One man stopped for a photo.

Here are shots of the temple, the next day.

All the ritual items were still there, waiting to be cleaned up, which was to happen soon. Boys played among the cones.

Temple gods watched the unfolding of the whole event, remaining silent and full of peace.

Adi Annamalai Temple – North side of Arunachala: By Richard Clarke

July 12, 2008

Harsha . Advaita and Yoga, LIFESTYLE . Annamalai, Arunachala, Richard Clarke, Tiruvannamalai

Adi Annamalai is the oldest temple around Arunachala. It was built hundreds of years before Arunachaleswarar Temple, which per Wikipedia, “The earliest known record of the temple is in the works of the poet Nakkirar of the third Tamil Sangam period. At that time, the temple might have been a simple wooden structure. The present masonry structure and gopurams (temple towers) date back approximately 1200 years.”

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.

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 (dak?i?a)’ 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

North side of Arunachala – Under the loving gaze of The Elephant: By Richard Clarke

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.

Samuthiram Village – A Night at the Movies: By Richard Clarke

July 7, 2008

Harsha . BUSINESS & SOCIETY, LIFESTYLE . India, Richard Clarke, Samuthiram Village

We are working with village leadership in Samuthiram Village. This village is right next to Tiruvannamalai, at the foot of Arunachala Hill, about 2 KM from our house. We go though it almost every day going to and from Tiruvannamalai and Ramanasramam.

Samuthiram Village has many of the problems from this growing region without receiving much of the benefit from the growing region. These problems include increased crowding, increased disease, urban pollution and greatly increased land and living costs. Like most villages in India, there is much poverty with all its related problems. The additional problems from nearby growth just makes the village issues more severe.

This village is one that gets many westerners as temporary residents during the winter season, when people from around the world are coming to visit Ramanasramam. Contact with westerners has helped village leadership see that more is possible for the village. With the help of some of these western visitors, Quality of Life Trust was organized in 2006 as a means of accomplishing this work. Quality of Life Trust has since put in place a small village elder support project, funded by donations, which provides food and housing to abandoned elders, and an Eco San Toilet (a composting toilet) construction program, funded by BLESS, an NGO in Cuddalore.

I have written a bit about the Trust, see

Quality of Life Trust – India: By Richard Clarke

. My wife Carol posted about a ceremony that Quality of Life held. This can be seen at http://infinitepie.wordpress.com/2008/05/19/our-vip-night-at-the-quality-of-life-trust/. See also their web site, http://www.qualityoflife.in/.

The photos below are from a village meeting, where they gathered around my laptop for a show. It was set up on a table outside. Power was strung from a nearby house so we could power the external speakers.

To start, we played a slide show of photos taken at the recent village celebration. First the children, then their mothers and other adults gathered around the computer to see photos of themselves and their family and friends. Then we played a Tamil movie. Finally, we played a video of the celebration (mainly of a meeting with different people talking).

Before we came to live in India one thing we did to give us a tiny bit of flavor of India is to watch Indian movies. These photos remind me of one movie we saw where villagers gathered around a sheet, strung up as a movie screen, to watch a movie. One big difference, though, is that while viewing my laptop, no one broke out in song and dance, as they did in the movie.

Carol had the camera, and the village children love to have their photos taken.

Some of the girls climbed on a nearby truck to get a better view. The girls were not at all shy about climbing around on the truck, even while parents were trying to get them to stop.

Here is Carol sitting in a chair, surrounded by children. (They made sure that they brought chairs for us to use.)

Here the children are seated in front, with mainly village women standing behind.

The children naturally, once the movie was over, got bored and entertained themselves. There is construction going on nearby. (This is the case over much of this area, where many people are busy adding rooms that they will be able to rent to westerners during the next winter ‘season.’) So the children started carrying bricks over to where we were and finding different ways to play with them.

The first game seemed to be ‘chairs.’ You can see to the right of the photo below girls sitting on chairs made from piling bricks, with different kids making different designs. Most of the time they got bricks by bringing them from the construction site. Sometimes, while their neighbor was not looking or busy doing something else, they would quickly grab bricks from an adjoining ‘chair.’

After a while, one girl changed the game from ‘chairs’ to ‘houses.’ After this, they all started to build houses.

The performance was over. We all went home and went to bed. Now I hear that the villagers want to do it again. Only this time, just a movie, not a boring video of a bunch of adults talking. I sure wish these Tamil movies had English subtitles.

Arunachala – New Access to Ramana Sites Below Virupaksha Cave: By Richard Clarke

July 3, 2008

Harsha . Advaita and Yoga, LIFESTYLE . Arunachala, Ramana Maharshi, Richard Clarke

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.

Song of Ribhu, Chapter 14 – Inquiring Into the Undivided Nature: By Richard Clarke

July 1, 2008

Harsha . Advaita and Yoga, ART & POETRY . Richard Clarke, Song of Ribhu

1

Listen, in this exposition,

To the gist of the secret of all the settled conclusions.

There is not duality or nonduality, which are talked about.

Only the peaceful Brahman is ever existent.

Brahman, which is the One that exists

Without defect, always, everywhere, is you and I.

All are of the nature of that Supreme Brahman.

Hence, you should start inquiring into this.

2

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Brahman.

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Siva.

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Self.

I am ever of the nature that is higher than the highest.

I am ever of the nature that is pure.

I am ever of the nature that is perfectly full.

I am ever of the nature of the undivided Supreme.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

3

I am ever the imperishable Existence.

I am ever the shining Consciousness.

I am ever the peerless Bless.

I am ever the one undivided essence.

I am ever the all pervasive.

I am ever the One that is all.

I am ever the undivided Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

4

I am ever the Supreme denoted by the word “That.”

I am ever the Supreme denoted by the word “you.”

I am ever the Supreme denoted by the word “are.”

I am ever the one undivided essence.

I am ever the innermost of all.

I am ever the exterior of all.

I am ever the undivided Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

5

I am ever of the nature of the eternal.

I am ever of the nature of the attributeless.

I am ever of the nature of the taintless.

I am ever of the nature of the sheathless.

I am ever of the nature of the partless.

I am ever of the nature of the unafflicted.

I am ever of the nature of the all-pervasive Supreme.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

6

I am ever of the nature of the infinite.

I am ever of the nature of the undecaying.

I am ever of the nature of the imperishable.

I am ever of the nature of the blissful.

I am ever of the nature of liberation.

I am ever of the nature of the liberator.

I am ever of the nature of the undivided Supreme.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

7

I am of the nature of the cause of all.

I am of the nature that is completely full.

I am of the nature of all the individuals and the Supreme.

I am of the nature that is not even an atom.

I am of the nature of the ever peaceful.

I am ever of the nature of the One.

I am of the nature of the undivided Supreme.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

8

I am of the nature of all activity.

I am of the nature of the doer of all.

I am of the nature of the protector of all.

I am of the nature of the destroyer of all.

I am ever of the nature that is not anything.

I am of the nature that is established as myself.

I am ever of the nature of the undivided Absolute.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

9.

I am of the nature of all the elements.

I am of the nature of the composites of all elements.

I am of the nature of the witness of all.

I am of the nature of the evidence of all.

I am of the nature that has nothing ever apart from it.

I am ever of the nature of nonduality.

I am of the nature of the undivided Absolute.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

10

I am ever of the nature of “you.”

I am ever of the nature of “I.”

I am ever of the nature of others.

I am ever of the nature of the Self of all.

I am ever of the nature of the motionless.

I am ever of the nature of the connectionless Supreme.

I am ever of the nature of the undivided Absolute.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

11

I am ever of the nature of full of Consciousness.

I am ever of the nature of a mass of Consciousness.

I am ever of the nature of Consciousness alone.

I am ever of the nature clothed in Consciousness.

I am ever of the nature of the space of Consciousness.

I am ever of the nature of Consciousness.

I am ever of the nature of Consciousness-Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

12

I am of the nature of the substratum of all.

I am of the nature of the form of all.

I am of the nature that has not an atom apart from it.

I am of the nature that is only myself.

I am ever of the nature of the bodiless.

I am of the nature of the pure space.

I am of the nature of the pure Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

13

I am of the nature of the Guru of all.

I am also of the nature of all the disciples.

I am of the nature of all the means.

I am also of the nature of all the ends.

I am of the nature of all the Vedanta.

I am of the nature of what is to be comprehended through them.

I am of the nature of the pure Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

14

I am ever of the nature of the ancient.

I am ever of the nature of the complete.

I am ever of the nature of the imperishable.

I am ever of the nature of the indestructible.

I am ever of the nature of That which alone is.

I am ever of the nature of the sorrowless.

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

15

I am ever of the nature of the undivided, Supreme God.

I am ever of the nature of the blemishless Supreme Knowledge.

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Existence.

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Bliss.

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Light.

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Abode.

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

16

I am of the nature of the innermost of all.

I am ever of the nature of the Self of all.

I am of the nature of the all-auspicious.

I am of the nature that has not an atom of impurity.

I am of the nature of the supreme fourth state.

I am of the supreme nature transcending the fourth state.

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

17

I transcend all time.

I transcend all space.

I transcend all objects.

I ever transcend everything.

I am of the nature that has not an atom of conceit.

I am of the nature that has not an atom of attachment.

I am of the nature of the immaculate Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

18

I am ever of the nature of Existence alone.

I am ever of the nature of Consciousness alone.

I am ever of the nature of only the good.

I am ever of the nature of the middle path.

I am ever of the nature of the nondual.

I am of the nature of the Self of all.

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

19

I am ever the unfading Bliss.

I am all pervasive and motionless.

I am ever volitionless.

I am the Supreme and cannot be comprehended by anything.

I am ever without intellect and such.

I am ever the abode that transcends the intellect.

I am ever the Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

20

I am of the nature that is without an atom of delusion.

I am of the nature that has no attributes of illusion.

I am of the nature that is that is without mind or such.

I am of the nature that is without desire or such.

I am of the nature that is without form or such.

I am of the nature that is without any modifications of these.

I am of the nature of the immaculate Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

21

I am of the nature without any waker and others.

I am of the nature without waking and such.

I am of the nature of the Knowledge of the fourth state.

I am of the nature of the Supreme Siva.

I am of the nature that is defectless.

I am of the nature of Consciousness, devoid of worldly misery.

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

22

I am ever of the nature of the Lord.

I am ever of the nature of Supreme Knowledge.

I am ever of the nature of the all pervasive.

I am ever of the nature of empirical knowledge.

I am ever of the nature of being all.

I am of the nature of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

23

I am ever Brahman, the taintless.

I am ever Brahman, the partless.

I am ever Brahman, the afflictionless.

I am ever Brahman, the pure.

I am ever Brahman, the attributeless.

I am ever Brahman, the peerless.

I am ever the pure Supreme.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

24

I am the world with all names and forms.

I am of the nature of the substratum of all.

I am the front, the back, the sides, the top, and the bottom.

I am of the nature of the undivided Knowledge.

I am of the nature of the Bliss that is myself

Without an atom apart from it.

I am ever of the nature of the undivided Supreme.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

25

I am of the rare nature unattainable by the ignorant,

Who have no Knowledge of the Self.

I am of the nature of the Supreme, easily attainable

By those with Knowledge of the Self.

I am of the nature of the Supreme,

The all pervasive, undivided Space of Consciousness.

I am of the nature of the pure Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

26

I am ever of the nature of the undivided Absolute,

Without the sextet of modifications. (birth, growth, death, etc.)

I am ever of the nature of the undivided Absolute,

Without bondage and ever free.

I am ever of the nature of the complete Bliss,

Remaining undisturbed.

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

27

I am ever of the nature of the peaceful Brahman,

Without a trace of sankalpa (fixed idea, concept, volition) or delusion.

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Brahman,

The undivided Light without day or night.

I am ever of the nature of the undivided Supreme Bliss,

With an atom of an ego or such.

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

28

I am ever of the nature of the Supreme Brahman,

The undivided Knowledge without an ego.

It is the ego that is ever the misery of worldly existence.

The great Truth is that there is no ego

And that these is not an atom apart from me.

I am the undivided, complete, and full.

I am ever the Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

29

You are “I”; I am “I”; all else that is, is “I.”

There is no doubt about this.

Without any duality, be continuously immersed in the meditation

That the pure “I” is the Supreme Brahman.

There is no delusion, no consequences of delusion,

And no difference of any kind whatever-nothing at all.

I am the Supreme Brahman.

Inquire steadfastly into this every day.

30

Without me, there is nothing that is the meaning for the term “That.”

Without me, there is nothing that is the meaning for the term “you.”

Without me, there is nothing that is the meaning for the term “are.”

Without me, there is nothing undivided.

Without me, there is no reality or unreality.

Without me, there is no intelligence or insentience.

Without me, there is not a thing, ever.

Be ever immersed in the meditation that I am Brahman.

31

Without me, there is no difference as “this man.”

Without me, there is no difference as “this woman.”

Without me, there is no difference as “this thing.”

Without me, there is no difference as “that thing.”

Without me, there is no difference such as “is here.”

Without me, there is no difference such as “is not here.”

Without me, there is not an atom of difference.

Be ever immersed in the meditation that I am Brahman.

32

What is seen as “this” is Brahman only.

What is seen as myself is Brahman only.

What is seen as “that” is Brahman only.

What is seen as manifold is Brahman only.

What is seen as stable is Brahman only.

What is seen as unstable is Brahman only.

Whatever is looked at as “What is this?” is Brahman alone.

Be ever immersed in the meditation that I am That.

33

The primal ignorance is Brahman alone.

The emerging thought is Brahman alone.

The body with a form is Brahman alone.

The individual senses are Brahman alone.

Time and space Brahman alone.

All things that are seen are Brahman alone.

All is only Brahman, the abode, and that is myself.

Be ever immersed in the meditation that I am That.

34

Space and other elements are Brahman alone.

All that pertains to nature is Brahman alone.

What is thought of as “I,” “I” is Brahman alone.

What is thought of as “not I” is Brahman alone.

What are thought of as “you” and “I” are Brahman alone.

All thoughts are Brahman alone.

The originless Brahman alone is real, that That is myself.

Be steadfastly immersed in this inquiry.

35

There is no such things as the words or the sentences they constitute.

There is not Gita or other treatises or their authors.

There is none of the unreal world or jiva-s.

There is no Iswara who bestows desired things.

The Supreme Brahman, which is drossless, attributeless,

Timeless, blemishless, intersticeless, all pervasive, and motionless, is all.

I am that Brahman.

Be steadfastly immersed in this inquiry.

36

I am Brahman; I am Brahman; I, indeed am all.

I am Brahman; I am all.

Daily and continuously be immersed in this inquiry

Until this mode of “I am Brahman” becomes stabilized.

After this “I am Brahman” bhava (conviction) is stabilized,

Cast this off, too, and, becoming Brahman,

Be established changeless

In the undivided, blissful Experience.

37

Those who sincerely practice (the Knowledge)

That I am the Supreme Brahman—

Of the nature of the eternal, partless, delusionless, taintless,

Afflictionless, blemishless, motionless, ancient mass of Bless,

The Reality, the utterly peaceful Consciousness—

Will have the awareness of Nonduality

And thereby become the undivided Supreme.

There is no doubt of this.

38

Hence, until all differentiation disappears, one should always remain

In this beneficent bhava (conviction)

That all is Brahman

And I am, indeed, that Supreme Brahman—

With love, with ardor, and without differences

Until all uncertainty and confusion disappear totally—

And, unmindful of anything else,

Be in repose in Bliss.

39

In this exposition thus given to me by the Supreme Siva,

The4re is not an atom of doubt.

It is the Truth, the Truth. There is no doubt about it.

Whoever listens to this, and understand this—even once—

Will be liberated and become

The one Supreme Brahman.

I have graciously told you this true meaning,

Which is extremely rare to find anywhere.

40

Son! Only those who

Smeared with holy ashes,

Decked with rudraksha, and devoted to Siva,

Are ever in meditation upon the Supreme Siva

Will be rid of the sorrowful bondage of worldly existence

And become of the nature of that one Supreme Siva.

This the great sage Ribhu explained to Nidagha

The mediation of Oneness.

41

It is the perfectly full form of our Lord in a state of joyous dance that tells

Of the meditation that the wonderful beings that appear, the mysterious world that appears as if dual, and the ancient Lord (Isvara) who is eulogized

Are all the perfectly full Absolute and nothing apart,

And I am ever that Absolute; I am all.

______________________________________________________________

For more on the Ribhu Gita, go to

The Ribhu Gita: By Richard Clarke

Published by SAT – http://store.satramana.org/

Also Published by Ramanasramam and available in the bookstore.

Arunachala Pradakshina – June 2008 Full Moon – Part One: By Richard Clarke

June 20, 2008

Harsha . LIFESTYLE . Arunachala, Ramanasramam, Richard Clarke

After walking ’round Arunachala in April in the moonlight, amidst a crowd said to be 1.5 million people, we celebrated THIS month’s full moon by walking around in the morning. We found this to be much more harmonious, and easier to take pictures than during the crowded night walk.

Shown below are photos taken June 18, 2008. They are all on the ‘Pradakshina road,’ from the junction with Bangalore (Chengam) Road to where this road meets the main road back into Tiruvannamalai, so from the viewpoint of Arunachala, from the South West, to the North West sides of Arunachala.

I have tried to put in names of temples, shrines, etc. I am unsure of the spelling of some of them, so if there are errors, let me know and I will correct them.

Carol Getting Ready – Removing her shoes

It is the tradition that Arunachala is a temple, and the path around the temple, for good punya (merit) should always be walked barefoot. IF you look closely you will see that most Indians do this. Carol frequently walks barefoot, as she can. I still hold more to shoes or sandals. Even with this, I have had several blisters and foot sores that caused restricted activity for a while as they healed.

Jyoti Vinayaka Shrine

This shrine is right at the intersection of Bangalore Road and Pradakshina road.

Carol is getting blessed by the priest.

Along the way

Much of the road is lined with vendors and stalls. There were still many people making pradakshina this morning. In the photo below there is a group of young women walking. You can tell they they are young because they are wearing ‘punjabi’ or ‘salwar’ suits, instead of saris, which is what are worn by most Indian women.

Here is Richard. Note the vibuthi, placed on my forehead by the same priest that blessed Carol.

Another Temple

I am not sure of the name of this shrine. To its left is a big building that says it is a ‘Free marriage hall.’ I believe they let sadhus sleep there overnight.

Om Namo Sivaya

We often meet this sadhu in the morning when we go up the trail to get to the Inner Path. This goes past what we call the Sadhu Tank. I think this is called “Kattu Shiva Hermitage” on some maps. Usually he gives a big smile and says “Om namo Sivaya” as we pass on the trail. This morning he was out on the road, on his way back to “the tank.” We walked together for a bit.

Here he is with Carol. He put on his Siva dhoti for the picture instead of the plain saffron one.

Chalk figure of Hanuman

Note that the artist put cloth boundaries on the pavement, trying to prevent walk-overs.

Selling Hammocks

It took some time before we know what the red and green strings were, hanging in this photo. They are hammocks!

Dourvaas Nama Siva Shrine

Here they usually used to ask us for ’20 Rupees’ for a “wish bag” to tie on a tree behind the shrine. These wish bags are a common feature in a temple. For example, when a woman wants a child, she will tie a bag onto a tree at a nearby temple.

This is right across the road from where we usually go onto the trail to the Inner Path. This is described in the posting

Working on a path across Arunachala: By Richard Clarke

One of many Nandis

There are many Nandis along the road. Nandi the Bull is Siva’s attendant and gate keeper. In a temple, Nandi will face the lingam. Around Arunachala, most face the mountain.

Women visit images of Nandi, bringing floral offerings, and touch the stone. Their prayers are usually for fertility.

Clean-up after Full Moon night

Empty coconuts, after a night of drinking coconut juice. Cleaning up after the full moon night is an issue. Some vendors do this with care. Many do not. And many of the people will throw trash anywhere.

Supplies from a drink stand, going back on a bullock cart.

Another Nandi, by Soma Tirtam (Soma Tank)

CD and DVD stand

Across from Soma Tirtam. There are a number of these stands, usually blasting out some Siva chant or song.

Mahashakti Shrine, covered with ‘wish bags’

Sadhus

Sadhu with begging bowl

Sitting on bench

Elderly Sadhu. Just walking seems like a big task.

Vendors

Man whispering secrets into Nandi’s ear

He spent some time whispering to Nandi. Must have had a lot of wishes.

Babies

Young couple with babe in arms. Mother says proudly, “38 days old.” They were very pleased to be taking their new baby on pradakshina around Arunachala.

Another baby watching the first baby. You see many babies in the arms of their parents, being carried around the mountain.

One of the nine Lingams, Nirudhi Shrine

Carol getting blessed

Sadhu taking morning bath in Nirudhi Tank

More vendors

Food stand with thatched roof

Man sleeping on table after a long night

Vallalar Temple with Sadhus

Vallalar Temple features the Nine Planets

Sadhu in tea stand

Brightly colored Rudraksha pendants

For the rest of this article, go to

Arunachala Pradakshina – June 2008 Full Moon – Part Two: By Richard Clarke

Arunachala Pradakshina – June 2008 Full Moon – Part Two: By Richard Clarke

June 20, 2008

Harsha . LIFESTYLE . Arunachala, Richard Clarke, Temples

More Temples

Unnamalai Amman Mandapam. The green objects on each pillar are frogs.

New temple, I do not know the name.

Hanuman Temple

More Sadhus sitting on bench

This is how I saw most sadhus today, sitting by the roadside on a bench watching all the people going by.

Another Nandi

More Temples

Palani Andavar Temple

Paramansa Nityananda Peedam, with 1008 Lingams

Ancient Shrine, near Echo Temple

Raja Rajeshwari Temple, opposite Kannapar Shrine

Waiting to go to School

Though Full Moon night is a big event, with people traveling from all over India to participate, for the local children, life goes on as usual. Here there is a group. I guess they are waiting for a bus. Different schools have different colored uniforms. The older girls wear ‘punjabi’ or salwar suits. Younger girls wear things like the little girl in the front right, a shirt and a dress (she has a white shirt under a tunic).

Roadside Altar

If you look closely you will see, on the tines of the tridents, bangle bracelets that have been left behind as an offering by earnest women passing by this altar.

Sugarcane Juice Stand

These sugarcane stands are common here. They will crush the sugarcane and give you a glass of cane juice, for a nice sugar lift.

Building Another Ashram: Babuji Guru, associated with Sai Baba

I wonder if more temples and such are needed along the road. Still they are still building more. This will be another Ashram.

Village woman sitting by house

Village life goes on, unfazed by all the people walking past.

The Feet of Sri Ram to worship

You will see these feet carvings in many places. Once, when we were walking in the forest near the Sadhu Tank, we came across a flat rock, with feet like this carved in the rock.

Arunachala from the road

Parvati hill is to the right, The Elephant in the center.

Altar made around Ant Hill

Another of the Nine Lingams – Varuna Lingam

Fruit Juice Stand

Note the boys in the back posing for the picture.

Into Adi Anamalai Village

Adi Anamalai Temple is to the right, not visible from the road.

Making our coffee at a Tea Stand. We sat for a bit and had Indian Milk Coffee to energize us for the rest of the walk.

Kaliyama Temple, opposite Manikkacachakar Shrine

Notice the tables with ceramic statues and other items to sell to the walkers.

Looking into the shrine.

On the other side of the shrine were food vendors. And the tree that is usually associated with each temple. This tree is where local people will perform part of the Shraddha ceremony, after a person dies. See Indian Village 13-day ceremony for more on this.

Another Ant Hill Altar

More Temples

I don’t know the name for this. Arunachala is behind the temple.

These horses are often seen associated with a temple. I am not sure of the significance. Perhaps someone can tell me.

Vayu Lingam (Gas Lingam). The meaning of two of the lingam names was given to me be a friend. I am not sure of the significance of “Gas lingam.”

The One and Only Deathless Art Center

This is a small store we saw where the road to Kanji intersects the Pradakshina Road.

Views from the road

This stretch has few temples and vendors.

Here is an attractively painted building. You can see how the Indians love color.

People having breakfast at a food stand beside the roadway.

Small houses line the street in this section. Arunachala is behind them.

This brightly painted sign for Ramraj cotton underclothes is painted on many roadside buildings. Also you will see similar signs for Poomer underclothes and cottons.

Small rustic roadside Temple

There is a photo of this lit up at night in

Impressions from Full Moon night pradakshina around Arunachala – April 19, 2008: By Richard Clarke

Chandra Lingam

Chandra Lingam, now with a tree growing from it.

One more of the nine Lingams – Kubera Lingam

This is the money lingam, per my friend.

In front of the lingam is a camphor fire. People will put their hands into the camphor smoke and use this smoke the bless themselves, drawing it to their face and head. They will also bring more camphor pellets and add them to the fire, so that it stays lit for all to use. Vendors sell camphor all along the Pradakshina route.

This is as far as we got on foot this day. This is maybe 1 KM from the junction where the road to Velore comes into Tiruvannamalai. One of my heels felt like it was ready to blister, so we hailed an autorickshaw, and went to RamaKrishna Hotel for a great India Breakfast and Indian Milk coffee. Then back to home.

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Starting from Sri Ramanasramam

Starting up the Path

Starting on the Inner Path

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The Approach

Entering the area of the Project

To Guhai Namashivaya Shrine

Up to the Caves

One of the Caves

Old Ganesh Shrine

Up the hill to the best of the caves

View from the Cave

In the Cave

Working on the Mountain – Global Watch Trust

Community Development

The Crew

So much cleaning and clearing to do

The path cleaned and cleared, ready for repair

Clearing around the Banyan Tree

Results of the Team’s work

The path is repaired

Standing proudly by Old Tree

There is a need for financial support

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Carol Getting Ready – Removing her shoes

Jyoti Vinayaka Shrine

Along the way

Another Temple

Om Namo Sivaya

Chalk figure of Hanuman

Selling Hammocks

Dourvaas Nama Siva Shrine

One of many Nandis

Clean-up after Full Moon night

Another Nandi, by Soma Tirtam (Soma Tank)

CD and DVD stand

Mahashakti Shrine, covered with ‘wish bags’

Sadhus

Vendors

Man whispering secrets into Nandi’s ear

Babies

One of the nine Lingams, Nirudhi Shrine

Sadhu taking morning bath in Nirudhi Tank

More vendors

Vallalar Temple with Sadhus

Sadhu in tea stand

Brightly colored Rudraksha pendants

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More Temples

More Sadhus sitting on bench

Another Nandi

More Temples

Waiting to go to School

Roadside Altar

Sugarcane Juice Stand

Building Another Ashram: Babuji Guru, associated with Sai Baba

Village woman sitting by house

The Feet of Sri Ram to worship

Arunachala from the road

Altar made around Ant Hill

Another of the Nine Lingams – Varuna Lingam

Fruit Juice Stand

Into Adi Anamalai Village

Kaliyama Temple, opposite Manikkacachakar Shrine

Another Ant Hill Altar