Tiruvannamalai, India - Travel Diary

This video is about a group of Russian pilgrims (male and female) arriving at Tiruvannamalai in a coach, which documents their experiences over the course of a couple of days.

The video is about 55 minutes long. Below I have listed a guide to specific parts of the video, and depending on how much time you have, you might want to directly access your preferred interests.

Video Sequence

Beginning: Coach to Tiruvannamalai. Stopping at village for visit with Swami Velliananda Swami. Journey continues. Looking at Kolams.

Minute 13: Visit to Ramana Ashram, including VERY beautiful coverage of puja at the Ramana Samadhi 

Minute 16: Group walks to Skanda ashram, sitting there

Minute 23: Shopping in Ramana Nagar and walking about streets

Minute 25: Visit to Pachaiamman Temple, footage taken inside the Sanctum Sanctorum

Minute 26: At water tank, having bath with nearby housewife washing clothes

Minute 28: Visit to Virupaksha Cave

Minute 29.30: Sadhus on street. Walking on roadway.

Minute 30: Agreeing rickshaw price. Visit to x-ray clinic. Visit to Doctor

Minute 38.30: Evening at Car Street at Big Temple. Procession passes by.

Minute 40: Lunch at Ramana Ashram

Minute 42: Walking on Chengam Road in Ramana Nagar, stone cutter lingam order.

Minute 43: Evening Puja at Ramana Ashram Samadhi. Spending time in Samadhi Hill

Minute 46: Ironing Man

Minute 47: Taking food

Minute 50: Evening Ramana Ashram—chanting in Samadhi Hall

Minute 53: Coach on girivalam roadway. Stop for tea. Leaving.

Words about this Video from the Russian Video Producer

“Without words, without explanation, without voice-over this is a spotless actual flood of reality that takes you instantly to this place. Using a live documentary camera, I tried to just watch and as much as possible not interfere. I did not make any specific movie to necessarily fit into the expectations of a clean, bright sacred place. 

Tiruvannamalai is a city which is located around one of the most sacred and revered places in India - Arunachala hill. There are Temples of Shiva, an ashram of Sri Ramana Maharshi, and a multitude of Shrines, Temples and sacred place—it is a Holy city with life around it.

India is a very photogenic country and while shooting the video, one slowly seizes this Indian stream and watching this you begin to disappear and you're not here, you're back there somewhere at Arunachala. 

It does not seem abnormal that the local folk work in their shops and in the evening go to Puja at the Arunachaleswarar Temple. Waking up early in the morning with a cotton dhoti wrapped around the waist, dressed appropriately for the unbearably hot day ahead, and yet wearing a shawl over the shoulders because it is early morning and still cold. Performing giripradakshina around Arunachala and in the evening visiting Ramana Ashram to listen to the chanting in the Samadhi Hill, seems just like a day in a normal life.”

Language of Silence

Swami Abhishiktananda

“India only reveals herself to those who are prepared to be still and over a long period to listen humbly at close quarters to the beating of her heart; only to those who have already entered sufficiently far into themselves, into their own depths, to be able to hear in the inner chamber of the heart that secret which India is ceaselessly whispering to them by means of a silence that transcends words. For silence is above all the language through which India reveals herself .. . and imparts her essential message, the message of interiority of that which is Within.” 

[Swami Abhishiktananda] 

Swami Abhishiktananda had a long history with Arunachala and spent a number of years living in various caves on the Hill's slopes. To read earlier posting on Arunachala Grace about this great soul, go to this link here. 

Vintage Photographs

Right Click on all photos to view enlargements


Below are a set of vintage photos taken in Tamil Nadu which show the lives of ordinary people at the end of the 19th Century.

Fishermen, Madras, c1870

House Servants, Madras, c1870

Priest Kotagiri Temples, Nilgiri Hills, c1870s

The next four vintage photographs are taken in the late 1940s and show spiritual Tiruvannamalai.

Sacred Grove Shrine, c1940s

Arunachaleswarar Temple, c1940s

Ramana Ashram Gate, 1940s

Sri Ramana, c1940s

Lunar Eclipse from India

The Lunar eclipse on June 16th which will be partially visible in India, is a rare central eclipse where the Moon passes in front of the center of the Earth's shadow. The timing of this eclipse in India is as follows:

June 15th, 2011 23.56 IST – June 16th, 2011 03:04 IST







During a lunar eclipse, the moon moves through the shadow of the earth. Which means, that the earth is positioned quite exactly between the sun and moon and casts its shadow onto the moon. This is only possible at full moon and if some other requirements are met, depending on whether the moon passes the partial or the core shadow of the earth, we speak of a partial or total lunar eclipse.

When the moon touches the core shadow of the earth, the first parts of the moon surface begin to darken. If one was to stand on the moon, one would experience a total solar eclipse. As soon as the moon immerses completely in the core shadow, the surface of the moon begins to glow copper red. Towards the centre of the core shadow, the light fades and turns dark red to brownish grey.

NASA explains the Lunar Eclipse

To read the legend of the eclipse in Indian mythology, and for more information about what to do and what not to do on these days go to this link here.

Happy Earth Day -- April 22, 2011

Earth Day was founded on April 22, 1970 and now is celebrated on that day throughout the world. It is intended as a day to promote awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. To learn more about the history of Earthday go to this link here.







To find out more about earthday and also to measure your ecological footprint on the planet go to this link here.

Chant for Peace


May the Goddess Waters be auspicious for us to drink. May they flow, they flow, with blessings upon us.

May the Earth be pleasant and free of thorns as our place of rest. May She grant us a wide peace.

May the Divine Waters which grant us blessings, may they sustain us vigor and energy, and for a great vision of delight.

May we partake of that which is their most auspicious essence, as from loving mothers.

May the Heaven grant us peace, and the Atmosphere. May the Earth grant us peace, and the Waters. May the plants and the great forest trees give us their peace. May all the Devas grant us peace; may Brahman grant us peace. May the entire universe grant us peace. May that supreme peace come to us. May that peace dwell in me.

Take this firm resolve: May all beings look at me with the eyes of a friend. May I look at all beings with the eyes of a friend. May we all look at each other with the eyes of a friend.

Shukla Yajur Veda (36.12-15, 17-18)

Vintage India

The below vintage photographs from the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, show an India, that in many places outside the metro areas, is even now not that unfamiliar.


Right Click on photographs to view enlarged versions:

Four Ascetics 1862

Bullock Cart Outside Hut 1863

Vegetable and Fruit Vendor (date unknown)

Rural People Outside Huts, 1870

Five Women Dressed with Jewellery, 1870

Village Well, 1900

Fascinating Movie about India

Even though I am living in the spiritual centre of the world at Arunachala, that doesn't mean that I am not a person with ordinary interests. In this respect I love animals, gardening, nature and MOVIES (but generally not musicals). Even though lots of folk have multi-channel cable TVs in Tiruvannamalai, I have elected not to have a TV and instead watch the occasional movie DVD on my computer. But even when I don't watch them, I keep up-to-date with new movie releases. One that I am very eager to watch, when it becomes available on DVD, is a movie currently on general release in the States entitled "Slumdog Millionaire". I am below posting a fascinating review of the movie which currently appears on an International movie website.

For those who love India or are interested in learning more about this country, I believe this movie will be truly insightful.

"Slumdog Millionare" Review

“Bereft of original ideas, Hollywood has been self indulging in tiresome sequels and mining old TV shows and comic books to ensure sure takes at the box office the past several months. So what a relief it is to take in Danny Boyle's visually stunning Slumdog Millionaire. The director of Trainspotting and “28 Days Later” borrows heavily from Bollywood tradition to deliver a real crowd pleaser set in the slums of Mumbai, India. Although the film approaches the genre's schmaltzy melodrama, Boyle's dynamic camera angles and lively pacing memorably tour the Indian landscape and introduce its remarkable culture.

Having recently visited India, I found Boyle's adaptation of Vikas Swarup's bestselling “Q and A” delightfully authentic. Sixty years after independence, India remains a study in contrasts—amazing architecture thriving alongside garbage strewn streets ... extreme wealth arising from abject poverty ... unmistakable beauty adjacent to stomach turning filth. Slumdog Millionaire juxtaposes these contradictory images naturally throughout the narrative.

A deceptively simple Dicksonian story, Boyle begins as 18-year-old orphan Jamal (Dev Patel) wins the top prize in the Hindi version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire—20 million rupees (a little over U.S. $400,000). Illustrating the still existant caste system, the show host (Anil Kapoor) ceaselessly condescends to the unflappable youth as a tea server and remains incredulous that an uneducated boy from Mumbai's slums can answer the multiple choice questions. Immediately after coming within one question of winning the top prize, Jamal is arrested and tortured by the police to discover how he is cheating.

This provides the framework for a series of flashbacks to see Jamal and his older brother Salim over three significant time spans. The police inspector (veteran Indian actor Irfan Khan of “The Namesake”) plays back clips of the show and insists that Jamal explain how he knew the answer, giving the youth opportunity to go back in time to tell his life story, ranging from the fateful day his Muslim mother was killed by rioting Hindus, to the terrifying time he and his brother escape a despicable creep who wanted to mutilate him for monetary gain, to how they survive by scamming western tourists at the Taj Mahal. A life of hardships endear Jamal, and we're clearly drawn in to his story and long for him to succeed at his true life's ambition to re-connect with his love interest Latika (Freida Pinto).

The rags to riches story offers no real surprises, but Boyle delivers big time on insights into the Indian lifestyle and culture. Dazzling visual sequences akin to "City of God" follow young Jamal darting through Mumbai's colorful shantytown—striking overhead visuals panning over colorful tin roofs. More than anything, Jamal's serious steadfast character acts as metaphor for India as a whole. He is a survivor, and even if he fails to become the latest TV celebrity by answering the final question, he remains content because his greatest wish will be fulfilled regardless.

Certainly the narrative itself remains sentimental, but we don't care. Those who've grown to appreciate traditional Bollywood fare may question the lack of a choreographed song number, but fear not. Boyle delivers that as well at the close of the film with a lively sequence over the film's final credits, making Slumdog Millionaire a great cross-over film that will introduce a much larger audience to India's very real charms."

http://oldschoolreviews.com/rev_2000/slumdog_millionaire.htm

Vintage India

The following photographs are of 19th Century India and around the time that Ramana was born. Its interesting to see how everything has changed so much, yet so very little!

Cows relaxing



Grinding flour



Hindu cemetry



Palmyra tree avenue



Cloth weavers

Water Sustainability

Extract from Report on Rain Fed areas by Planning Commission, New Delhi

“About 12 per cent of India suffers from the threat of desertification in the arid northwest and in a broad semi-arid zone from the Punjab in the northwest to Tamil Nadu in the south. There is an estimated 1.7 million km2 of arid land in India and Pakistan.”

With the huge increase of private borewells being sunk in Tiruvannamalai, the below extract from 'Report on Rain Fed areas by Planning Commission, New Delhi,' is very relevant and definitely something that needs to be considered by local Government.

“The most important aspect of groundwater is that it is a common property resource, the means of access to which is privately owned. We generally access groundwater through private wells and tubewells. But withdrawal of water from our source can adversely affect the water in our neighbour’s water source. Depending on the hydrogeology of the watershed, the question “who is my neighbour?” gets answered. If the watershed is in an alluvial tract, for example, my deep draw of water can affect a farmer even hundreds of metres away. Thus, how farmers decide to collectively manage the groundwater resources of the village could have a deep bearing on how long groundwater survives. It could actually determine the entire efficacy of the watershed programme. Indeed, one could go as far as to say that sustainable and equitable management of groundwater could be the key area of rural governance in the 21st century

The unique aspect of the situation is that water below my land is not "mine". Groundwater is a non-stationary, "fugitive" resource that merges into water under another's land in a fluid sort of way. By lowering the depth of his tubewell, my neighbour can squeeze all water out of my well. Without proper collective arrangements for groundwater use, there tends to be an infinite regress of competitive extraction, with farmers outbidding each other in depths of drilling. Competitive extraction of groundwater leads to disastrous outcomes, the worst of which are observable in coastal areas of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, for example. Here, saline ingress of sea-water poses a virtually irreversible environmental hazard for farmers who have engaged in competitive pumping of groundwater.”

Animated Videos

Check out this great link here to watch many beautiful, animated videos on the mythology of India. The videos do not have an embed facility so you have to go to Rajshri site direct to watch them for free. You can also download them for a small charge.

I have no idea whether the videos are specifically targetted to children, but I can tell you they are absolutely great. Most of the animated videos are in English with a couple in Hindi. Just watched a very sweet video on the life of Shiva - check it out at this link or at this You Tube link.