TO THIRUVANNMALAI – 20TH JULY TO 22ND JULY – 21ST JULY IS THE DATE OF BIRTH.
20th July – The trip to Tiruvannamalai started on Friday 20th july at 1.30 by road after Vaageesh came back from his school. The family had been planning this trip for quite some time. Now Vaibhav had come to some age for travel and Archana’s health was on better grounds, we decided to undertake the trip on the occasion of my 60th birthday- the Date of birth
The distance of 180 km was done by 3 hrs with halts in between . We checked in a cool , well designed resort called `Sparsh a little away from the main town.
The resort had about 30 cottage like housing, with piped music along the stone and grass pathways, swimming pool, a spa for massage and beauty treatments, meditation and yoga place,a well set play room with table tennis, caroms, `pallanguzi’ and toys for small children, a gym and a restaurant. It’s a good get away place with its laid back stone architecture etc, if the tarrif is comfortable. We got a off season tarrif as one it was a time of amavaysa when locals don’t prefer to go to Thiruvannamalai and the place in a way designed for foreigners , for them too it was off season.
Some note about Thiruvannamali – It’s the abode of Arunachaleswar - `for the uninitiated – it’s a Shiva temple. It is said among the 275 sacred Lord Shiva temples told in old puranams and Tevaram – well known hymns of Lord Shiva, Thiruvannamali is one of the most sacred, leading the souls to salvation- the ultimate goal of life.
It is one of the most ancient temples of Tamil nadu, magnificient huge structure having six praharams. The temple is at the foot hills of Annamali hill where the hill itself is a holy place. There is a very good pathway around the hill to go round the hill by foot. The distance is 14km. People with great faith do `giri valam’ going round the hill mostly on a full moon day
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Myself and Venkat decided to do the walking around the hill on 21st morning. The weather was pleasant, cloudy with drizzles the previous days. We started from our resort around 5,00am and reached the path by car which was just a few kms away. Our walk started at 5.30 am. The initial stages were very pleasant with out much traffic and with predawn coolness. We were walking at the speed of 4 to 4 1/2 km an hr. By the time we reached the temple which was 10 km away from our starting place it was 8.00 am. However by then our tempo had decreased what with traffic and congestion for last 2 to 3 kms nearing the temple. We took an hr to go inside the temple and have dharsan as it was a huge structure with many praharams before we reach the main diety.
As we were walking the path- giri valam, the place is steeped with religious fervor. There are many baba’s staying there spending their life around the hill- having deep faith in the salvation theary!. Then there are asta- eight linga( shiva) temples signifying the pancha boothas and different important gods. They are Indra Lingam, Agni lingam, Yama lingam, Niruthilingam, Varuna lingam, Vayu lingam, Kupera lingam. They also signify the Navagraha like Sun, moon, Rahu, Kethu etc.
On return from Girivalam at temple visit by 9.30 am ,we had a in house breakfast in Sparsh.Jn the meanwhile Ravi and vaageesh had a good splash in the pool and ready for a sumptuous breakfast. After the breaker we all relaxed for a while, my muscles were real aching having gone on a punishing mode of 14km walk but I think such shocking exercise will shake the body to work better in a long run. The rest of the day we were getting ourselves entertained in the sparsh atmosphere. I went to the spa in the afternoon a got a good massage of the legs done by the young massager Geetha there.
Late afternoon it was celebration time. Ravi and Archana gave a surprise. They had ordered a birthday cake to be cut for the occasion. Then there were birhtday cards of three category. One by the sons Ravia nd Raghu, one by the daughter in laws Archan and Prerna , and other by the grand sons Vaageesh and Vaibhav.
Then it was pottery making session by Archan and Vaageesh in the pottery wheel in the premises with the help of a potter.
Venkat and Ravi settled for a game of table tennis . Evening we went to Ramana mahrishi Ashram, a famous and much visited place at Thiruvannamali.
Thiruvannamali attracts lot of foreigners as it as twin spiritual attraction, one the sacred abode of Lord Shiva, `Arunachaleshwar’ and the place where Ramana Maharishi got his salvation.We found in the Ramanaashram like Indians routinely lot of foreigners come and sit for arathi and bhajans, take houses around and live there.
We retired to bed early as the next day Ravi and Archana were planning there Girivalam early morning. They too left at the same time 5.00 am in the morning and returned by 9.30 am after the temple visit. We were initially apprensive about Archana taking up the 14km walk with her recent health set back. However she was determined and felt that may end her troubles too. She did make it without much difficulty.
While Ravi and Archana were resting with the kids we, self and Venkat went to Ramanashram to meet two of my old patients who were now living in Thiruvannamali. One a French lady Marthna who had come all the way to Chennai to learn Acupressure from me about a year back. She had made Thiruvannamali as her place of residence for few yrs now. Another one Krishnaswami , an 82 yr old artist who makes beautiful oil paintings of puranic themes. He gets assignments like temple, institution to do the murals. He is also a great translator of the works of Ramana maharishi from English to Kannada. I had known him in Bangalore where he usd to come form Malleshwaram to take Acupuncture treatments. Both people by appointment had come at 11.00 am to the Ashram. We met them there and went to the residence of Krishnaswami. He lives there by himself for the last two yrs or so. Looks happy, healthy, cheerful for his age. The place definitely has a pull for the spiritual seekers.
We returned back and it was time for us to pack up.Bade good bye to Sparsh and Thiruvannamali and drove back to pavilion – Chennai and reached the place by late evening. Both Vaibhav and Vaageesh stood the travel well, while Vaageesh positively enjoyed the out doors.
