Hello beings of this beautiful planet. Thanks for stopping by!
The next temple on our map was Annamalaiyar Temple at Thiruvannamalai.
Fire symbolically represents a state of consciousness expressing willpower, the energy of life that animates everyone and everything, the prime energy behind creation itself. It represents the right motivation and the will to exercise one’s authority in a just way. A person who is warm, gentle, and has a kind and luminous aura. Source:Kaya. Dictionary, Dreams-Signs-Symbols.
I was cautioned by someone when attending a family function in Chennai: “Do you have any contacts at the temple? Else brace yourself for a long waiting time”. That said, our good intentions were still supremely tested when we found ourselves in the serpentine queue outside the sanctum sanctorum (garb greh).
Sometimes in life, even if there is a forewarning, you still expect things to work out as least painfully.
The temple has 4 entrances, and I was serious about the serpentine queues. I couldn’t see where Rahu began and where Ketu ended. Bad joke. All we could see was a sea of people, everywhere. I couldn’t even figure out the queue I was in, or in which direction it was going. All I knew was, like other things in life, there was no going back (hell, there was a serpentine line behind me as well!! *faint moment*)
In the chaos i began questioning myself – “Darling, God is everywhere. Do you really want to struggle like this?” That said, there is something about the energy in these temples that makes you want to stay. Temples are built with Vastu to attract and store positive, divine energy, like spiritual power banks.
Located at the foot of the sacred Arunachala hill, representing Shiva as a pillar of fire (Agni), is the Annamalaiyar Temple (aka Arunachalesvara Temple) in Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu. Every stone, every pillar, withstanding all the years, silently whispers the craft and the sweat of the artisans and invokes a deep sense of awe. I believe the temple has been mentioned in various poems by renowned Saivaite saints and poets from Tamil Nadu.
In rust orange @Thiruvannamalai, the Fire Temple.
The sanctum Santorum is super small. The multiple queues finally culminated and entered the main temple as one queue. I understood why there was such a long waiting time.
The temple celebrates many festivals throughout the year, of which the most renowned is Karthigai Deepam, when a massive ghee lamp is lit atop the Arunachala hill, and devotees flock to the city in massive numbers. During the full moon nights, the numbers multiply when people walk the famous spiritual 14 kms walk around the Arunachala Hill, which is believed to be a manifestation of Lord Shiva. Also, the Girivalam or Giri Pradakshina is a 5 hr walk (approximately) and is considered a spiritual journey to achieve liberation.
No, we skipped the Girivalam for this trip. There was no time and most importantly, no energy for the walk. Instead, we chose to visit the Ramana Maharishi’s ashram the next morning.
Before exiting the temple, we plonked ourselves for some rest and moments of interiorization. Did you know that it is a practice that I have observed in South India, where people sit at the temple before transitioning into the outer world? It’s a good practice, I feel. It gives us those few moments to internalise and integrate the realisations about ourselves that could have popped up.
The most famous dialogue from Morgan Freeman as God in Evan Almighty is about prayer and divine intervention, where he asks: “If someone prays for patience, do you think God gives them patience? Or does he allow them to be patient?”
Shivohie and I are very intense people. We know that. We feel life deeply. We wished to transcend this intensity and bring balance. So, God put us in the longest queue surrounded by exasperated and tired people. We had a hearty laugh about this later, guffawing away, thinking about God’s sense of humour. We get it, God, we get it!
At every temple, we found someone who walked upto us offering help or nuggets of advice. God-sent, truly. This time, that angel arrived after we were out of the temple. We were tired, hungry and lost when Mr Vijay appeared from thin air. It was late, and time for the temple to close. He spoke to our driver and figured out that we had entered from the North gate, and even showed us a shortcut to go out. He told us that his daughter’s name was also Priya and to call him if we visited the temple another time, as he worked there. We were grateful for his kindness. God had not forgotten us after all.
Next destination on cards – Chidambaram (literally, the stage of consciousness). Among the five pancha bhoota temples, Chidambaram denotes the space. Even when you empty everything, space will still exist.
More about the Thillai Nataraj Temple, Chidambaram, in my next blog.
Travelling inward, wandering outward.
With travel stories that go deeper than what meets the eye
Priyaa
P.S – The city of Thiruvannamalai attracts various foreigners, who are attracted to the spiritual energy that India represents. Embodying the principle of Advaita and getting enlightenment at the age of 16, Ramana Maharishi and his ashram are popular. We found the opportunity to meditate in the room where the sage took samadhi.
At Cafes in Thiruvannamalai, you are most likely to find spiritual decor with quotes and pictures of sages. We visited one such cafe called Auro Usha Cafe for no particular reason. We chose this cafe as it was open and was on the way back to our hotel.
