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Arunachala – hill of fire
Arunachala Hill stands tall behind the massive temple wall in Tiruvannamalai
Arunachala hill, in the pilgrimage town of Tiruvannamalai in South India, has long been a sacred place for Saivite Hindus. The 800m tall hill is located about 100 miles away from Tamil Nadu’s bustling capital of Chennai.
Each year during the Tamil month of Kartigai (October-November), the festival of Kartigai Deepam is celebrated. During this auspicious time a big fire is lit on top of the hill. A a giant wick about 30 meters long is immersed in hundreds of liters of ghee and then set alight. The fire symbolizes God Siva’s light eradicating darkness.
The hill is also where the great Hindu mystic Sri Ramana Maharshi lived and meditated for over 20 years.
View of the Arunachaleswar temple, from Arunachala hill, which covers almost 25 acres.
Each full moon, countless pilgrims circumambulate the base of the hill. Men, women and children make the 14km (9-mile) walk barefoot, worshiping at the many small shrines along the way in particular the 8 small temples to God Siva, each one associated with the 12 moon signs. The walk begins at the temple, with an intention held strongly in mind, the pilgrim walks the path as he works with his inner nature with the help of the gods.
We’ll be in Tiruvannamalai later this month for 2-nights during our Festivals and Temples spiritual adventure to south India and Malaysia. A little less than 4-weeks away we welcome anyone who would like to join this journey.
One of four massive towers rising to 66m (13 storeys) stand tall at the entrance to the Arunachaleswar Temple at the base of the hill.
Happy New Year
Wishing you good health and a spiritually rewarding year. Happy new year!
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Photographic Review of 2011 Part 3
Here are a collection of photos from my visit to the state of Rajasthan in Northwestern India. It’s my favorite place to photograph in India. This makes up part 3. Hope you enjoy them.
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Photographic Review of 2011 Part 2
Today’s photographic reflections of 2011.
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A Photographic Review of 2011
As the year comes to a conclusion I thought I’d share, over the remaining days, some of the photos that I took this year that stood out in my mind. Here’s the first set. Four photos taken during our most recent spiritual adventure to north India. More photos to come tomorrow.
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Happy Pancha Ganapati
Happy Pancha Ganapati everyone! We continue with our five-day celebration of Pancha Ganapati. Today, is the final day of the celebration, and Gurudeva shares from his book “Loving Ganesha” DECEMBER 25, ORANGE The family sadhana for the final day of Pancha Ganapati is to bring forth lo...
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Day 4 of the Pancha Ganapati Festival
We continue with our five-day celebration of Pancha Ganapati. Today, day 4 of the celebration, Gurudeva shares from his book “Loving Ganesha” DECEMBER 24, GREEN The sadhana of day four is to draw forth the vibration of joy and harmony that comes from music, art, drama and the dance. F...
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