Thiru Travelin'

Although I know I'm incredibly, incrediblylucky to be here...in India...in Tamil Nadu...in Auroville...in the present moment...I feel particularly blessed to have visited the ineffable city of Thiruvannamalai (pronounced Tiru-vana-malai). "Annamalai" means an inaccessible mountain (I guess because of it's ineffableness...it's intensely divine energy that emanates from its presence) and "Thiru" is a prefix to signify its greatness. The name of the city is named so due to the great mountain that dominates the horizon and which seems to tower over the great temples erected here in worship of Shiva (the mountain is an embodiment of Shiva in the fire element...). The mountain's name is known as Malai Marunthu (medicine mountain) as the mountain itself is like a medicine cure. It's also known as Arunachalam (anchala means red), which is the far more common term. Now, the question as to why this mountain is so significant for Tamil Nadu and India must first start with a general summary of the Great Triad of Hindu deities (for those who aren't particularly versed in Hindu mythology. The Great Triad is also known as Trimurti in which the eternal "cosmic functions" of life (as well as the universe) are personified by the great gods: Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Shiva, the destroyer and transformer. Now, one day (if you can call the cosmic, eternal wanderings of the gods days) Brahma and Vishnu were quarreling as to who should respect the other. Brahma argued that if he wasn't there to create the universe, Vishnu couldn't maintain and preserve it. Vishnu countered, "Well, if I wasn't there to maintain it, anything you created would surely die off." And so they argued and argued until Shiva intervened and posed a solution to their problem (Shiva was undeniably the most respected god--his followers argue--as he contains all aspects of the Triad inherent in his destructive force-you can't have creation without destruction/transformation and you cannot maintain without creation). Anyway, so Shiva transformed into a column of fire and said that whoever found the beginning or end of Shiva, they would be the one to shower respect upon.

With arrogance and pride, both gods took up the task. Vishnu took the form of a boar and dug, dug, dug deeper and deeper into the ground to try to find the bottom of this luminous massive seemingly endless column of fire. Try as he might, he couldn't find it and so came up to admit his defeat and the overwhelming power of Shiva. Brahma, on the other hand, took the form of a swan and flew flew flew higher and higher into the sky to find the top of the fiery column. And just like Vishnu, he couldn't find it. But instead of admitting defeat, he came across a lotus flower on his way and so, lotus in hand, flew back down and proclaimed, "I have found the top", thereby giving Shiva the lotus. Shiva knew that Brahma was lying and so chastised him, announcing that Brahma would no longer be worshipped. Thus, there are no temples devoted to Brahma in India.

To make a long story seem pertinent, the light form that Shiva took became the mountain of Thiru. Thus, that is why it's very name means "inaccesible" for Lord Shiva was out of reach for both Brahma and Vishnu. We can also see why it's also named Arunachala (red for fire).

The actual town probably dates to the early Chola period (AD 871-975). It is definitively a pilgrimage site and is associated with many sadhus and yogis. This town is considered one of the panchabhootasthalas, which are five sacred towns in Tamil Nadu (the province of India I'm in), each one corresponding to a different element. Obviously Thiru represents fire. The most particularly interesting aspect of this town is on the evening of Karthigai Deepam (a festival of lights celebrated by Tamil Hindus on the full moon of Karthikai month (Nov/Dec). This specific day is also interesting since it occurs on the day when the moon is in conjunction with the Pleiades constellation and purnima. ANYWAYS, so on Karthigai Deepam, they light the entire top of the mountain on fire! This specific rite has been going on for 3,000 years since it was mentioned in the oldest text of Tamil Nadu (written in Tamil). On the specific day, they take this huge cauldron up the mountain to the top and fill it with ghee (type of clarified butter). Almost a thousand kg of ghee are used and the flame is up to seven feet and can be seem from up to 35 km away.


There is another ancient rite to this town which is circumambulating the mountain (Arunachala Purana). This is usually done after bathing, smearing the sacred ash (puja), with feet bare, and with lips muttering the sacred mantra. The road around is 8 1/4 miles long. The legend states that anyone who makes a circuit of the mountain, while maintaining these rites, will gain liberation (attaining shivahood after piercing through the Sun's cosmos).


phew. that was a lot to get through. I think I'll wait for another day to actually write about what we did in Thiru (the background info was desperately needed for all of that!) Anyways, until then....sendin' love out in cyberspace to y'all!