Tiruvanamalai

On the road from Pondicherry to Tiruvanamalai. The more we drive, the greener it gets, enfinnnnnnnnnnnn some nature! A bit of nature. Arrived 3 hours later. Surprised, expected the ashram to be in a secluded place,it’s sooooooooooooooo busy yet again. First things first, I sit under the tree and have a fresh coconut. I look up and see Arunchala, the sacred mountain towering over the Sri Ramana Maharshi (a great hindu spiritual master) Ashram.

A very warm, calm welcome. There’s a room for me.  I booked back in November. My room is very simple, yet another hard bed, but perfect. Small window with wooden shutters. A picture of Ramana hangs on the wall. Like in  the other places communal showers and toilets and cold water.

100s of people line up for warm, spicy lunch, served on a banana leaf.  Skinny strong men go around dishing out the food. The quantities are always huge. I wonder where these thin men put it all? I believe the secret  may be in the spices that keep the agni, digestive fire going! I watch the young boy next to me and see how he balls up the food and then “clock”, pops it into his mouth with a swift thumb movement. Monkey see and monkey do. Suddenly I don’t feel so awkward and start enjoy eating with my hand.

I’m very eager to climb the mountain, grateful to be here. What a wonderful place to be! Walked  around the mountain barefoot one day to suss it out. The next day set off at 530 am and climbed to the top of the hill of fire, light, dawn- Arunchala! Slow, sure barefoot steps on the cool slabs of rock. Half way up, more light. Big rocks needing big steps and flip flops. Crouching, hugging rocks so as not to fall back. Scary. On top, black and greasy from all the ghee that has been burned. The ritual is to kiss the feet of shiva. Some fella built a cave up here and runs up and down the mountain everyday! He offers tea. yuuuuuuuuuuuuuh. I offer to pay him and he says this is not a tea shop but I can make a donation to his guru. However when I do place some rupees in front of the shrine, he keeps a very close eye and I can hear the cash register cccccchi chinging in his eyes.  Suppose the fella has to live. May not be a tea shop but he checks the “donation” like a spoilt child on communion day doing his accounts. Walk down the mountain and end up in another part of town! Quelle surprise! Beautiful kollams for “poongal” the harvest festival. A 40 rupee rickshaw takes me back to the ashram. I ask for Shiva shakti and get dropped at Shivashanti! I feel calm, the same calm I felt yesterday when I came down off the mountain.

This ashram is perfect for meditation, reading and reflection. I read “the Living Words” by  Sri Aurobindo and La Mere and “ Effortless Meditation” by Swami Madhurana, a student of Shri Ramana Maharshi.He recommends self-enquiry as the fastest path to Moksha, freedom.