Sight of Tiruvanamalai
The circumambulation route takes one past of of the most amazing temples in India, the Shiva-Parvati temple called Arunachaleswar, as well as possibly the largest temple. There are 11 gopurams (towers) on the temple grounds, the tallest, seen here being 13 stories high. There is also a 1000 pillared hall inside and an elephant mascot. Going inside, one feels like one has reached the heart and soul of Indian Hindu religion. It was in an underground inner sanctum here that Ramana Maharshi was discovered by the temple priest in samadhi, with ants and bugs eating into his skin. He was immediately recognized as someone extremely special, and was taken care of from that point on. |
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As many repeat visitors have noticed, Tiruvanamalai, once a small village, is turning into a good size, noisy, polluted city,
something to be avoided. This is a street in the downtown area. The large colored pyaramid
structures are leftovers from a huge Shiva festival on the full moon called Kattika, in which hundreds of thousands of
devotees crowd into the town. I had to wait till this festival was over before I could book a room at Ramana Ashram. The car in
the forground is a "Tata Sumo" the jeep/van /SUV of choice in India.
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