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Dear friends
After a lot of celebrations there were quite quiet weekdays, which on Sunday interrupted the celebrations of Republic Day. The first pictures are from Saturday, when I went on a bike trip, it was about 45 km long pradakshina around Arunachala and several other mountains. Unfortunately, there was little visibility, so Arunachala disappeared after about 10 km. In the photos you can see snapshots from the trip. The whole road is led along quiet lanes, but everywhere is perfect asphalt and so the road goes very nicely.
Everywhere are beautifully cultivated fields, after this year's good rains it is everywhere green and somewhere already harvested, you see a cucumber field and some peppers. When Arunachala was about 10 km away, she began to emerge from the haze. Above Kanji road rises such sharp rocks.
On Sunday I planned to climb the summit of Arunachala. After a few years of ban, the mountain is likely to be accessible again. So I set out at 6 in the morning from Sri Ramana Ashram. By that time it is slowly dawning and at Skanda Ashram there is a first sight of the early morning sky at the great temple. On the rocks above Skanda Ashram there is already a solar disc, and as I rise, so does the Sun. Green overgrown rock is a rock formation on the very top of the mountain. Usually I don't go there, only on my first ascent from a pilgrimage under the Mountain. I'll take a few pictures, smudge my feet from the burned butter left over from the Deepam. I end the other ascents with a view of the top rock, where I sing Upadesh Saram to Arunachala-Shiva and go down again.
In the top photos you can see about 35 km distant Parvati with the temple above, which also protrudes from the haze, pyramidal shadow cast by Arunachala, engravings and paintings on the rocks below, the second is the second peak of Arunachala, also called Parvati. Thus the phenomenon of both the male and female parts of divinity is in one body. The next picture is from the descent, it is a fresh yellow painted Skanda Ashram where Sri Ramana spent six years of his life.
Then I go to breakfast, the road leads around a small school, which is celebrated Republic Day. India celebrates two major national holidays, the Independence Day of the British Empire and the Independence Day. It is Sunday and it is not normal to attend school on Sundays. But on a public holiday, children wear their school uniforms and teachers have speeches about the importance of this holiday. Three more photos are from the big high school where there is also a speech and they are all in a festive atmosphere.
Have a nice day, the crescent of the moon and Venus reign in the sky, announcing that another full moon night is coming.
Josef Fric
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