Heading back toward Bangalore, we spent two nights in Thiruvanmalai, the holy abode of Lord Arunachaleswar, the Agni (fire aspect) of Lord Shiva. Here we visited the Maharishi Tamana Ashram and attend the ritual and abhishekam at the Shiva Temple, which sits at the foot of the sacred mountain Arunachala.
We also shopped (say it isn’t so!), hiked the mountain in the rain, and then took a rickshaw tour around the mountain.
The road to Thiruvanmalai
Arunachala mountain from a distance
In Thiruvanmalai
At the Kashmiri’s shopMalas Tight squeeze in the rickshaw including Gopal, our new friend and driver (L-R Gopal Gloria Peg Joanne Me Leela Mimi)
Climbing the mountain we saw lots of monkeys.
View of Thiruvanmalai from the mountainThe hike warranted chai
And then there were more monkeys.
This one looks pregnantHow many monkeys can you find in the above photo?Cow in the road
When we arrived at CGH Earth Mantra Koodam resort in Kumbhakonam, I found it to be a jungle oasis. We stayed two nights here where we enjoyed the peace and quiet, nature hikes, Indian food and Ayurvedic treatments. The grounds are so beautiful I decided to dedicate this post to the resort.
Our cottageLooking out the door from our cottageBegging peacock at door of restaurant
Our room was very nice with one exception. The bathroom was pretty big and it had two showers. One was a “normal” shower. The other one was what I guess you would call a “natural” shower where natural water came down through a spout like a waterfall. Above this portion of the bathroom there was no roof. Thats right, a great big opening to the sky. At first I thought it was pretty cool, but then came the part when it rained (think “rain forest”) and the clothes we had hanging to dry got soaking wet. And not to overlook the part where we were in the jungle where there are lots and lots of mosquitoes. Needless to say, we had to take great care to keep the bathroom door closed at all times and limit our time in there.
Tuesday we got up early and boarded the bus in Bellur to take us to the Bangalore airport. After a long check in process, we boarded the plane to Chennai where another bus awaited us to drive us to Kanchipuram. It was a long day!
After check in at our hotel, we met in the lobby where our bus was waiting to take us to Ekambaraswara Temple (one of five Shiva temples associated with fire element). It was late in the day when we arrived at the temple.
The monkeys
There were renovations being done on one of the temples which made for a good jungle gym.
I know this is a bit out of chronology but thought it would fit in here. The notice below was sitting on the night stand in our hotel room. Evidently monkeys pose a nuisance.
Food, city sights and more temples
Typical lunch consisting of more than I can eat… with no utensils of courseEkambaraswara Temple (Kanchipuram)Wall around the templeMy favorite photo – NandiEkambaraswara Temple (Kanchipuram)Ekambaraswara Temple (Kanchipuram)My preferred breakfastDoorway along the street in KanchipuramOn the building outside our hotel in KanchipuramThis one’s for Bruce!Front of Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple in KanchipuramVery old tree actually consisting of 2 trees that have fused together – Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple in KanchipuramSnakes – Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple in KanchipuramGanesh – Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple in KanchipuramAdishesha – Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple in KanchipuramAnother Ganesh – Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple in KanchipuramEntrance to a temple in KanchipuramJust outside Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple in Kanchipuram (I got a wave)Street market outside Kanchi Kamakshi Amman Temple in KanchipuramFresh lime soda sweet – yum!
Blogged on Amma’s iPhone from CGH Earth Mantra Koodam Resort in Kumbhakonam (check this one out online!) with Love.
Practice hall platform viewPractice hall set up for lectureReflection sunset on marble floor of practice hallWe start with a banana leafSavita’s youngest son looking onOne by one they served various foodsNote the cellphone tucked in at his waistFood kept coming
This was our final lunch in Bellur. The Brahmans started preparing Guruji’s favorite meal very early in the morning. The food was Ayurvedic, vegetarian and delicious. No utensils, no napkins. A bit messy, but when in Rome …
I took the following photos on campus while we were taken on tour.
Patanjali
We toured the hospital Guruji had built for the villagers. I especially took note of this sign, making sure I obeyed all the rules. Or else …
There are many old photos of Guruji. The next two are photos I especially like.
L-Krishnamacharya; R-GurujiSuch a great photo of Guruji
Blogged in Amma’s iPhone (on the busride to Kumbhakonam) with Love.
Today was our last full day in Bellur. The bus will be here to pick us up at 6:30am to take us to the Bangalore airport to begin the second leg of our trip. From there we will fly to Chennai.
Since my night time is your morning, I have already had a full Monday. You may be having breakfast, but our last dinner starts soon. I’m already packed with the exception of the toiletries I’ll need before leaving.
Today the Brahmans got up very early and came to cook us a feast for lunch. I took some photos, but you won’t get to see those until my next post because I’m trying to keep my writings and photos chronological. I will say this, the feast was incredible.
We are currently having a thunderstorm, which has been an almost daily occurrence. The weather app is telling me we’ll have more of the same as we continue our journey. Fear not. I brought an umbrella.
The first picture, below, is a view of the practice hall from Salamba Sarvangasana (aka shoulder stand). Because in this pose you balance on your shoulders with the back of the head/neck on the floor looking up to the ceiling, this is what the view looks like. The ceiling has things hanging for acoustic purposes, but it’s really quite abstract and I thought it would make a good photo. I was right.
Salamba Sarvangasana view of ceiling in practice hallInside practice hall looking from the platformVery small Adishesha temple outside the practice hallBus to take us to the Patanjali and Hanuman templesMan in village along the wayBats hanging from trees next to the Patanjali templeGitte’s son, Daniel, and our little friend Linkhan outside the Patanjali templeInside the Patanjali templeLinkhan and meHanumanBoys in the villageThe top of this structure holds a flameNavaratri displays depicting the story of Hanuman and SitaHanuman and SitaOne of the twin Brahmans inside the templeBrahman twins who performed the pujasHanumanMe with the twinsStreet dogsVillage woman (from bus)
I will share the final Bellur photos, including the feast, in my next post.
Savita Iyengar, Guruji’s youngest daughter, invited us to her home on campus to check out and purchase sarees if anyone needed one for the pitru paksha ritual. I didn’t need one but attended anyways.
Savita looking on
The next morning we had to be up early and ready to go. It was arranged for us to have a woman arrive at 8am to help put our sarees on. It’s a very complicated process. A saree is basically a long “sheet” of material that is wrapped around, pleated to shorten the fabric and then a remaining portion which is prettier, sometimes with tassels, is draped over the right shoulder.
I thought I was clever by putting my own saree on without assistance. It looked great until I was told the sash goes over the left shoulder, not the right.
I was one of the first people to the lobby and instead of waiting for the woman to help, I stopped one of the working ladies headed to her job in the kitchen. She got me all fixed up. By the time she was done, a long line had formed, so she began helping the next person in line, then the next, and the next, and the next, etc.
This lady fixed ALL our sarees! The other lady who was supposed to do it never showed up. The following photo is our new friend taking care of one of the ladies’ saree. You can see how long the saree is before it’s wrapped.
At the Pitru Paksha Ritual
My friend Mimi was on my left, and Bonnie, my roommate, was on my right.
The celebration was wonderful. We had a plate of prasadam (rice, black sunflower seeds, bananas, etc.) for offering to the pitris (ancestors) for purification of the lineage. I was limited in the photos I was able to take, so this is all I can share. There are also a lot of details I will leave out, but I can say that it was very auspicious.
Typical afternoon
These two men serve our breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, always with a smile on their faces. The orange food on the plate was deep fried plantains. It was the best treat!
And here’s a typical spread of food. This was lunch. Dal is served at every meal. Delicious freshly made yogurt is served every day with lunch and dinner for digestion. I don’t know what the name is for most of the foods I’ve eaten, but it’s all been really good. Everything is made fresh and according to the Iyengars’ strict Ayurvedic diet – no meat. Sometimes a bit spicy for me, but still very good.
After lunch a few of us went for a walk around campus. This first photo is for the grandkids. (They’ll understand)
Small temple near campus entranceGanesh in small templeGroup of trees along the side of the roadEntrance to Bellur High School (one of the schools on campus that Guruji built for the local children)Treasure trove we came across at the high school – lots of photos, gifts and awards given to Guruji during his lifetimeCow (lots of cows on campus)Caretaker of cows with baby calfThis little boy was so sweet!
One of the ladies in our group was feeding bananas to this monkey. Evidently she didn’t understand what a nuisance monkeys can be! The next day, my roommate was sitting on the veranda of our room and a monkey came right up and sat on the ledge! She said she looked out and there were about 14 monkeys hanging around! Then we found out that our neighbors had a monkey come into their room while they were in there and rummaged through their trash can!
Monkey near dining hallParrot outside the dining hall.
That’s it for today. It’s 2:30pm here (2am where you are). We’re given a two hour break every day, so I’m going to take a small nap before going back into the practice hall for lecture.
Oh! Tomorrow is our last full day here in Bellur. Tuesday morning we will get up, eat breakfast and head to the Bangalore airport and begin the second leg of our journey, first to Chennai by plane, then travel through southern India by bus. Hopefully I’ll have time to keep you updated along the way.
The schedule here has been quite demanding and the weather hot and sticky. However we had a reprieve late yesterday afternoon and evening with lots of thunder, lightening and rain. Fortunately the rain didn’t interfere with our activities.
To be in the place of our Guruji’s birthplace and to be practicing such an auspicious and ancient YOG is quite an honor.
Here are some photos of the campus grounds (more of these to come).
Elephant outside practice hallPractice hall entranceA peek inside the practice hallFamily and staff living quartersMore family and staff living quartersBananas right outside our roomAnother view from our windowBurrowing owl looking from dining hall
Preparation for pitru paksha ritual
The biggest highlight of this leg of the trip was the pitru paksha ritual, which is done every year on the last day of pitru paksha.
We were required to bring and wear sarees (pronounced “sorry”) to the ritual.
I arrived at the Bangalore airport at 5:15 am Sunday. A driver took me to Bellur, along with two others who arrived on different flights.
I have had rides with a lot of crazy drivers in India but this one takes the prize!. He was not only the craziest driver, but about half way to Bellur he decided it was necessary to blast his stereo system for 3 over-50s women, showing off his incredible woofer system. The bass was so loud the whole car was shaking.
Backseat view on drive to Bellur.
I took a video but my phone’s WiFi is not allowing it to download.
The Yoga Center is surrounded with beautiful views of the countryside. I haven’t taken many photos yet, but here are a few.
Patanjali outside the entrance View overlooking the countryside from the premises.View overlooking the countryside from the premises.Covered patio dining hall.
While in Pune, 2019, I attended a Sunday morning “Learning the yoga sutras with clarity and rigour” group with Prashantji. Because Srineet was delayed in traffic, Prashantji changed the topic and spoke about the present moment. He spoke about how the past brings regrets, the future brings anxiety and while the present moment is now, it is gone the very next moment.
This came to me so vividly today during my morning sadhana. Are you able to sit quietly long enough to witness that moment in time between the past and future where you truly get a glimpse of yourself?
Gitte Bechsgaard has shared many times Mantriji’s quote: “You aren’t who you think you are.” A visit to that moment in time that is neither the past nor the future can unlock that door and bring clarity to the moment.
Last week I visited Robb, Alo and Kando in the Bay Area. As I was sitting on the floor next to the heater (where I parked myself much of the time), Kando plopped down in front of me with his feet like this. In Light on Yoga, Guruji shows this as the first (easy) stage of Virasana (plate 85). Perhaps a yogi in the making!
Virasana, easy stage
I hadn’t seen the boys in person for a very long time. Because of the rain, we spent most of the time inside playing games with a couple walks squeezed in when the rain stopped. I had a great time with them!
Blogged on Amma’s iMac after two years of silence with LOVE!
