Thiruvannamalai History
Published on July 29th, 2010 @ 06:35:18 am , using 1364 words, 244 views
Going around the Mountain (Girivalam distance : 14 kms): Arunachala is a manifestation of the God wearing the crescent moon upon his head who is lord shiva himself. The manifestation of sambhu in ancient times appeared as a column of fire in order to settle a dispute between Brahma and Vishnu.
Both became haughty and once argued as to who was the Superior of the two. The dispute led to the danger of disruption. To resolve the dispute the two gods, lord Shiva appeared as a column of fire and make the two realize their folly. Both the Brahma and Vishnu set out to find bottom and top of fire effulgent, but could not find. Their ego – sense completely destroyed in the effort they became humble and pious.
Then the Omnipresent Being who transcends space and time, the Sambhu (i.e Shiva), told them he had taken this form to solve the dispute and make them know who the actual superior was. On the request of Brahma and Vishnu, Lord Shiva took the form of a Hill, “Girivalam” which inturn looks like the shape of lingam, by withdrawing the blazing effulgence and abide as the lingam with the name of Arunachala for the welfare of the world. Lord Shiva said that he will remain back in the form what they requested for. And also told let those who worship the Linga attain prosperity and Liberation. Worshipping the Arunachala Hill with a tranquil mind expiates our sins and regain our position in life, wishes get fulfilled.
The Sun god abides on eastern side of the hill, Visvamitra on southern side, Varuna on the Western side, Trisula on northern side, On northern slope, a banyan tree throws shade all around. The great Shiva abide under it in the form of Siddhapurasha (Shiva). There are eight lingas at eight cardinal points round the hill. The holy river Sona flows near as a clear stream.
The people circumambulate the hill, take a bath, put on clean clothes smears the body with sacred ash and put a garland of rudraksha beads. One should walk slowly with a serene mind remembering Siva all the time. Going round the mountain, one can attain liberation there through gifts, austerities, Sacrifices and worship. The Culmination of the festival occurs two days later, when the deities are carried around the holy hill in magnificent borne palanquins on the shoulders of Male devotees. Along the fourteen kilometer long road there are, at intervals, sacred tanks, small shrines and scared resting places where the Gods will stop to bestow blessings and receive offerings offered by the devotees. The procession always starts from the eastern Gopuram with lord music from big trumpets.
Drummers dominate the group for the way, then the dances from the temple who express in their rhythmical way and do accompany only part of the way. The procession itself keeps moving forward to the sound of the drummers and chanting of the devotees. On the way pilgrims and local residents stop the procession near shrines of near their houses to offer flowers, betel, bananas sugar candy. The priests place these gifts on a tray illuminated by a small camphor flame before offering them to the Gods.
They even have meals and rest for the strength to continue the day long procession. The sacred resting places are called "Mandapams" with three enclosed sides and a wide opening in the front. Arriving on these the deities are placed in the middle, fruits, flower garlands, fine dhotis and costly sarees, and rose water to refresh the Gods. The priests unfold the clothes and drape them over the dieties on their return they will store them in the temple. The devotees who have made the offerings receive as prasadam along with sacred ash.
As night sets in the procession returns to the temple. The going around the sacred hill on a normal poornima is also very sacred. But for once in life times going on a Karthikai Deepam day is equal to whole life going round the hill on every po6rnima day. This will surely bless us, by the Lord Shiva, for the salvation and make our janma “punya". Circumambulating Arunachala: This holy pilgrimage at Tiruvannamalai is as ancient as of the 16th Century. The temple at Tiruvannamalai was well-known to us by 1845 itself.
The glory of Arunachala, Lord Shiva is very enthusiastic as it is pertained to the universe, Supreme power whose darshan make our janmam Sarthakam. Lord Shiva himself is told Gautama about how and when the devotees have to circumambulate the sacred hill. He has told that, He is abided gloriously on Earth as Arunachala all the devatas, munis circumambulate them. At every step that one takes on the path, round Him all the Sins committed in one's past lives are expiated. By circumambulating the sacred hill, one obtains the merit of performing thousands of horse sacrifices innumerable vajapayas, bathing in all the tirthas.
Medidating on this great Lingam one should circumambulate it slowly. One will not be born again and will certainly become eternally one with Lord Shiva. At every point one should meditate and being the palms together in praise and reverence. One should walk carefully, slowly and noiselessly. Before setting out a bath should be taken clean clothes should be put on, sacred ash applied on the body and rudraksha beads worn.
While circumambulating one should meditate on Shiva. Thousands of invinsible manus, devtas siddhapurushas others accompany a devotee who circumumbulates in this manner. One may walk in the company of devotees singing the sacred names of Siva and dances. This hill is incomprehensible being beyond speech and thought. It is unapproachable, being a mass of fire. It is the absolute and therefore called the Supreme. One should remember the Siva in the heart with love and devotion while circumambulating.
A devotee who circumambulates the Hill on a Sunday penetrates the region of the Sun and attains liberation. He gains the world of Siva. He who circumambulates the Hill on a Monday lives free from the afflictions of old age and death. He who circumambulates the Hill on a Tuesday is released from all debts and becomes an emperor. If Pradakshina is done on Wednesday he becomes omniscient and wise.
On Thursday he is worshipped by all the devas and attains fame as a guru. Circumambulating on a Friday brings prosperity and takes him to the abode of Vishnu, a Saturday Pradakshina brings worldly success and averts the ill-effects threatened by the planets in one's horoscope.
If those who suffer from physical and mental ailments, as well as those who are weak and emaciated, circumambulate Him, their ailments are cured.
Meaning of Pradakshina (Circumambulation):
PRA – rooting out sins
DA – granting desires
KSHI – obliterating the fruits of Karma
NA – bestowing liberation.
Even Lord Shiva Himself circumambulates Arunadri, the div5nely efflugent Linga in the company of ganas, devas, rishis at the time of the which the holy season of uttarayana commenses is an auspicious day for men. When the Goddess Gowri requested sage Gowthama to kindly explain to her the greatness of the festival of light at Arunachala at Tiruvannamalai he described the glorly, which liberates people from all sins and bestows all prosperity.
In the month of Karthika, on the day of the star Kritika during pradosha (13th day counting from new moon / full moon) the fortunate ones who perform giri prada2shina are not born again. All Karmas are destroyed on performance of circumambulation. It is customary to circumambulate the Hill for a mandala i.e forty days. One who is not able to do this may perform giri pradakshina atleast for eleven days.
If even this is not possible, the one should go round the Hill on the day of the Deepam. This is equivalent to performing crores of yagnas. He who worships the Deepam lit atop the Hill derives countless blessings. A person residing elsewhere may light lamps in front of any shrine of Siva, a top his temple towers along peaks of other hills and he will be blessed. The mere lightning of the lamp on this day with any type of oil available confers great merit on them.
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Published on August 28th, 2010 @ 05:43:24 am , using 39 words, 17 views
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Who is Yogi RamSuratkumar
Published on August 19th, 2010 @ 06:07:40 am , using 272 words, 25 views
Yogi Ramsuratkumar, the Greatest saints of this age was born in a village near Kashi on the first day of December,1918. He loved very much to meet the yogis and monks in his childhood. He was made friends with a number of holy men who build their huts on the Ganges shore or simply wandered nearby.
In search of His spiritual father, his spiritual mission started in the year 1947, when he determined to visit the well-known sage and patriot of India, Sri Aurobindo Ghose. He expressed his wish to the old monk Aurobindo then asked yogiram to meet another holy man the sage of Arunachala, Sri Ramana Maharishi.
Later on he moved to Kerala at the ashram of Swami Ramdas. Sri Aurobindo gave him Jnana, Sri Maharshi blessed him with tapas and Swami Ramadas gave him the nectar of Bhakti. Swami Ramadas started him into the holy mantra : " Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram ", by pronouncing it thrice in his ears.
After an extended spiritual journey, Yogiji finally arrive at Thiruvannamalai in the Southern India. He was seen near the Temple chariot, at the corners of the Road, under the trees of the Temple. Swamiji then started living in a small house in Sannadhi Street underneath the Temple. He continued to bless the devotees who thronged at thousands to His house at the Sannadhi Street. The devotees desired Him to have an Ashram which He gently accepted. The YogiRamsuratkumar Ashram is constructed at Agrahara collai with a total area of 3.5 Acres.
The devotees who attained Siddhi on 20.2.2001 at Tiruvannamalai in the Ashram premises affectionately called him "VISIRI SAMIYAR"
Arunachala
Published on August 2nd, 2010 @ 06:24:47 am , using 2065 words, 54 views
Tiruvannamalai Shri Arunachala Temple Elements :
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Tiruvannamalai is the capital of Saivism and saiva cult is a world apprehended. The South Indian The nature of a god Siva is the God of all countries. Annamalaiannal is the most sacred of the names of the manifestation of Lord Siva. The earth is formed by five basic elements namely 1.LAND 2.WATER 3.FIRE 4.AIR 5.ETHER. Our ANCESTORS these are called as "Pancha Boothas" and associated them with five sacred places for worshipping Lord Arunachala Siva. And the Thiruvannamalai is the most sacred of these twenty two Called (Ninaithale Mukthi Tharum Thiruthalam). Place for Salvation
and so on have visited Thiruvannamalai They are the famous purnic Saint poets and all of them prayed Lord Arunachala and have composed divine poems: Saint Manickavasagar had lived at Thiruvannamalai for long period and had composed: There are 275 sacred places (Lord Arunachala Siva Temples) which were praised by the hymns of Thevaram and were Mahan and Siddhars Thiruvannamalai is the "Manipooraga Sthalam", which is one among six athara sthalams. Thiruvannamalai is
and so on have worshipped here. Saints and Scholars Thiruvannamalai has been the abode of Siddhars. Idaikkattu Siddhar, one of the eighteen Siddhars, Mahan Seshadri Swamigal Thiruvannamalai has the honour of providing an abode for saints such as:
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Tiruvannamalai Shri Arunachala Temple seen from the hill : |
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The view of the temple from the hill slopes is really contemplating.The courtyards surrounding the central shrine where courtyards built of stone tall gourmands seen very dominatingly and other buildings being scattered in the courtyards under the shade of big trees. The other shrines are also present within this big courtyard.The God Shiva is associated with each of the five elements namely Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Ether in five different holy places with Tamilnadu. As we already know after hearing the story of how Lord Arunachala Shiva attained the mountain roopam and enlightened as a dense volume of fire here in Thiruvannamalai. The Lord Shiva is Fire here in Thiruvannamalai. The temple is the result of more than nine centuries of building process.Enlargements and alterations have been succeeded one another, can find the dates of work from the inscriptions engraved on the walls since the 10th century. The engravings tells about kings, donors.It is also said that the actual places of worship of temple was merely a small isolated temple.This temple for over so many years rebuilt and altered many times is the major total part we see now. The courtyards increased as building and started to include new buildings within the existing walls started to get included thus taking many years of construction. The outer area is 465m long and 225 metres wide as per the dating from the 16thCentury.x |
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The alterations have continued up till now inside the walls and can expect more to come in future also. This temple of Lord Arunachala Shiva is the holy place for one to attain Salvation and get the full grace of Lord Shiva. The rules over this premises and that is why people from over far distances come in thousands to thousands, year after year to make their janmam punya of this janma. |
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The Grand Entrance of the temple (Raja Gopuram): |
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The eastern entrance gopuram is the main entrance of the temple. This tower is situated in the outer wall and this tower dominates the eight other towers which crown the gates made in the walls at the four cardinal points. This gopuram (tower) is 54m high with pyramid shaped made of stucco-coated bricks has massive stone at its base. Inside and outside of the temple The eastern gopuram is the main entrance to the temple inside. The inner most shrine opens to the east and accommodates the main deity, Lord Shiva. The courtyards are counted, starting from the centre. There are said to be seven of them. But it is said five were built, first one disappeared in the course of nine centuries of extensions and alterations the sixth is represented by four "Chariot Streets" around the temple seventh by the road surrounding the hill. |
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Temple Daily Life and activities: |
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There is a Brahma tank after the Long chain of steps which leads to this purifying tank where devotees perform their ablutions. The shaving of men's and women’s head is done by barber in the fifth courtyard. The shaving of head is said to be an offering to God. There is regular worship, pooja four times a day. Food and flame offering are made through the priest, who is well known of the mantras and officiates at the statue. The ceremonies are numerous which takes place according the lunar calendar and even performed at the request of devotees. The devotees who pay special offering or offer absishekams, pujas are always accompanied with music called 'Maryadham" by the temple musicians and also is blessed by the priest with vibuti and a big garland of "Lord Shiva" after the darshanam. |
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Temple Dance |
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The Grand Celebrations of Festival, Karthikai Deepam: |
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One can be dazzled by the incredible sumptuousness of the gold and precious stone jewellery with which they are adorned. One can inhale the fragrance of the huge garlands decorating them and the healthy aroma of the camphor and incense that are being burnt everywhere in their honor. And lastly, one can thrill to the vibrant music of the oboes and drums which accompany all the ceremonies. Thus, this festival takes place every year and is more or less unchanged inspite of the centuries |
The location of the Shrines dedicated to the deities and the buildings used for rituals are strictly laid out so that they are oriented to the east. In the corner of a courtyard, to the Southern-Eastern side are the kitchens where the Brahmins prepare the offerings consisting of cooked food. Trees inside are considered to very scared. The tanks and wells are also sacred which is used for the purification rituals. The inner most shrine called garbha graha, a house of small square room which is cramped to dark insides the sellai, the image of Lord Shiva. It is always in the form of "Lingam". This is an upright stone, square at the bottom, Octagonal in the middle, then cylindrical with a rounded top. The base is embedded in a circular or oval plinth. The devotees watch the worship from the hall in font of it in the form of queque The outside of the temple covered up by many vendors stall holders, florists busy people going round the temple which is said to be "Maada-Veedi", the path around the temple, in which the Lord Shivamoorthi is taken for procession on the festival occasion of Karthikai deepam. So this path around the temple out is said to be sacred for going around which is also equal to going round the mountain as well. This path is indeed blessed and used by Lord Shiva on his procession on the occasions successfully.
This big temple symbolises a religious locality of a city inside. People keep moving on their work from here to there within the courtyards and buildings inside the temple. The people inside the temple performing Godly, work and duties are always a "Hindu a Brahmin” who has the right to nomad anywhere, anyhow, anytime. These people are mainly at the work of performing duties to God, cooking food, cleaning Singing for God, decorating the God etc. many things wordless to say indeed. Others are the devotees who go to pray, meditate or even rest for peace and even abide themselves to the service of God. We can also see an "Elephant" which is sacred stays within his mahout under the pavilion supported by columns near the hundred pillared hall. He gives his blessings by placing its trunk over the heads of the devotees who, in turn given him an offering as a coin or some eatables to eat. The people associated to the temple are all Brahmins. The men are of high caste with a dhoti and a "Sacred thread" across their chest over left shoulder. Only they have the rights to perform the rites. These men pass on the knowledge and responsibilities to their sons as they are married. The daily evenings the mahout washes the elephant with the help of other temple servants near a well in the fifth courtyard. The people who come to pray can also can also rest and have meal in the third courtyard or anywhere else after this courtyard.
The sacred dance as a religious ceremony is attributed to the gods. It is well liked by the Gods also. The South India is well known for the temples tradition, music, poojas and dance also. Among them, well known and familiar dance of South India is "Bharatatanatyam". Lord Shiva himself is well known as, a great dance performer a scholar and is called under the name of Nataraja. It is said that Goddess Parvathi taught this art to humans. The temples of South India have had great dancers from century to century in the temples to which they belong. Like that those great dancers, the temple of Tiruvannamalai also had one great devadasi a servant of God. Her name was Nalini. She was dedicated to God of this temple at the time of birth by her family to the service of Lord Shiva. Since the age of six for more than seven years, he was taught and trained in the ultimate techniques of attitudes and gestures, which had a very perfect precise meaning. She had learnt to read and write and had studied the religious tests which provide the inspiration for her dances. She was educated, which was a quiet a big thing for the girls in 1845. The tapping of her bare feet on the ground and the tinkling of small bells adorning her ankles set the rhythm of the skillful play of her gestures and poses. Nalini could express all the nuances of the story she was telling with her body. She was really a great dancer of the temple at tiruvannamalai
The festival of Karthikai Deepam is a great religious festival of the lunar month of Karthikai which is between November-December. The celebration of the Karthikai Deepam is very important for Tiruvannamalai as per the legend, Shiva manifested Himself in the form of a column of fire which for the sake of mankind. He later transformed into the sacred Hill Arunachala. The hill is still worshipped as a manifestation of Shiva and the Karthikai Deepam Festival has been held from time immemorial to commemorate this event. For ten days, numerous ceremonies take place in temple and in the town also. On the tenth day, when the constellation of Karthikai is in conjunction with the full moon, the fetival reaches its climax and the Holy Beacon is lit on the summit of the hill. The buzzing crowd of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world swarm in the courtyards to ardently fellow the worship performed in various shines of Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha, Muruga. The people follow the deities as they are taken out and carried in procession with great pomp and show with lightings, dance, Music, Chanting, doing artist and poojas and mainly decorate the shrines with good clothing, costly jewellery loving and charming flower work of garlands and carry the shrine in great grand and lofty chariots. On there occasions only the heads and hands emerge from the shimmering skills and glorious flowers that the deities are draped in.Tiruvannamalai college,
Published on August 2nd, 2010 @ 06:17:45 am , using 25 words, 32 views
SKP Engineering College
Arunai Engineering College
Kamalatchi Pandurangan Pharmacy College
Kumaran Polytechnic College
St.Peter Medical Acadamy
Al-Ameen Nursing College
Ramana Maharshi,
Published on August 2nd, 2010 @ 05:54:36 am , using 1440 words, 36 views
Sri Ramana Ashram is located in Thiruvannamalai. Bhagvan Sri Ramana Maharshi is considered as one of the greatest spiritual personalities of the 20th century. Lots of people visit this ashram from different parts of the world. The life of Maharshi was a perfect example of straightforwardness, purity, impartiality and equability. Books and CDs are available on his life and teaching.
Phone: +91-4175-22491
He was a very young man in his early twenties, yet Sri Ramana Maharshi had a peaceful countenance and a radiant eyes of a sage. He lived in a cave in a sacred mountain called Arunachala beside the town of Thiruvannamalai in Chennai. He sought loneliness and silence to discourage the guests. Yet disciples gathered round. He was already known as Maharshi, which means ‘Great Sage’ but the devotees addressed him in the third person as ‘Bhagavan’ which means (Lord).
After some years the cave became too small so the Maharshi and his disciples moved to Skandasramam which is located little higher up to the mountainside. This was also a cave but it was an enlarged one. This gave more accommodation. His mother forsake the world and join him there. She began to cook for the little group but previously they ate only what was given in charity by the pious people when someone begged for the food daily in the town.
The mother died in 1922 achieving the liberation at the moment of death, through the persistent attempt equipped by the concentrated grace of her son. As the tradition require in the case of a liberated being, the body of mother was not cremated but was buried. Because the burial was not allowed in the holy mountain, she was buried at the foot of the mountain, the southern most point where a burial ground already exists. It was only less than half an hour’s walk from Skandasramam. Maharshi would go there daily. One day he stayed there and it is the place where Ramanasramam came into being. Sri Ramana Maharshi was forty at that time and spent twenty-six years at Thiruvannamalai as a self-realized sage. However he was not widely known outside South India. He had stayed away from publicity and had nothing spectacular to impress people like curing or doing miracles. There were no Ashram office, no association, no facility for visitors and no publicity.
An Ashram did not came into being immediately. At first there was only one shed with bamboo and a roof of palm leaves. The Maharshi himself maintained the unapproachable attitude and he continued to live in simplicity. He asked none to go or come.
If any one wanted to come there, they could and if any one wanted to settle down there, they could but each one should make his own arrangements. It was not his concern to have the Ashram organization. If rules were made then he would be the first to abide by them, but he himself did not made any rules. His work was merely spiritual. He was silently directing the ever-growing devotees who where gathered around him and also shining his grace upon them. To all, he was indifferent but his love was all acceptable and overwhelming. All of the devotees felt the charming, ever-attentive power and the grace of his guidance.
It was his younger brother Sri Niranjanananda Swami who oversaw the construction of the Ashram. He became its manager. As the Maharshi became popular, donations flowed in and the whole complex of building arose. He built a temple as the Mother’s place of pilgrimage, a large meditation hall which is called as the new building near to it.
The focus of all mind was the meditation hall where the devotees gather with the Maharshi. There were a settee where he sat in the morning and sleep at night. Devotees would sit in front of him in the floor, men on one side and women on the other side. During the early years the doors were never closed and people could come even at night to lay their troubles at his feet. But due to the age and failing health, the Ashram management decided that hours of privacy would be necessary to him.
Sri Bhagavan never left the Ashram except for his daily walk on the mountain and for palakothu morning and evening, concerning that he should be accessible to all comers at all hours. And in the early years, he had an occasional walk on the nine mile road around the mountain which is said to be particularly praiseworthy and should be ideally done in barefoot as a pilgrimage. The Maharshi always encouraged it. People would sit in meditation while the Maharshi watched over them, guiding them wordlessly. However there was no strictness about it. There were no rules that everyone must meditate at a given time or in a certain manner. Sometimes the accommodation was difficult to find. It was never a residential ashram in the usual sense. However a large dormitory was constructed where men could spread their bedding in the floor. There were also few private rooms for the guests. But all these proved insufficient and was no help to women. They were not allowed to stay overnight in the Ashram premises. Number of devotees built their houses round about and thus a housing estate grew up. Sahdus made a colony near the Ashram and lived in caves and small cabins. A Maharaja donated a guesthouse. In spite of all this, the difficulties in finding the accommodation continued.
All of this suddenly changed in 1950. After a long and wasting illness the Maharshi attained Maha Samadhi. The crowds of devotees detached from the Ashram and it seemed for a while that the Ashram might come to an end or survive only as a leftover. On the contrary to what was feared there was no feeling of void. It never had that atmosphere.
The power of his presence was not seemed to have been withdrawn but became more powerful than ever. The grace was such that the people who were there didn’t felt any sadness. There was nothing to lament for or no sense of loss, privation or poverty. More and more people came to know and feel about Maharshi’s continued presence at Sri Ramanasramam. Those devotees who had left revisited. The flow of the visitors restarted. It was recalled that Maharshi himself had given many signs of his prolonged presence. In approving a will that is drawn up, he stated that the ashram would continue as a spiritual centre. Shortly ahead of his death, he said, “they say that I am going, but where could I go? I am here”.
On the other hand this was purely metaphysical statement. The sage who has realized his identitywith the universal self, there is no coming or going, no chance or becoming, no here or there, only the changeless here and now. And yet his words had physical connotations as well. They applied to his Ashram at Thiruvannamalai. Maharshi had often said that only body travels but the self remains motionless. This was one aspect of the truth which comfort those who have not destined to go to Thiruvannamalai. But the other phase is not false that it is a great blessing to be able to go to sri Ramanashramam at the foot of the sacred Arulnachala mountain and those who come there will find the powerful spiritual help from there. While Sri Ramana is universal and always present in the hearts of the devotees who dedicated their lives to him, there is at the same time, that there will not be denying of the power to be concentrated at his Ashram at Thiruvannamalai.
There were other verifications of Sri Bhagavan’s continued presence. When some devotees complained about his leaving before his death, he answered cryptically: “You attach too much importance to the body”. The inference was obvious. The body was leaving them, but he was not. He would remain the Guru as before.
There is no spiritual head of the Ashram, no ancestry successor to Bhagavan in human appearance. The presence of the Maharshi is so deeply powerful. It was clear to all the devotees that the mighty impersonality that Ramana was the eternal Guru and presiding deity here. The spiritual instructions that he had left behind is absolute in every way and spiritual support comes from him. All that is needed is practice.
sarvadhikari died in January, 1953 and his son, T. N. Venkataraman, took over the management of the Ashram as President. In 1994, T. N. Venkataraman retired and, as enjoined by Bhagavan’s will, entrusted his eldest son, V. S. Ramanan, to serve as the Ashram President.
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