A journey to Thiruvanamalai (Ramanasramam)

New Year was spent on a pilgrimage trip to Thiruvanamalai to visit Ramana Maharishi Ashram. There are numerous buses leading from Madras or Chennai with a bus frequency to Thiruvanamalai every 15 minutes. Buses start from Koyembedu where the Mofusil Bus Terminus is located as early as 5.30 am all day through and roughly takes 4 hours for the journey to reach Thiruvanamalai. The cost of the ticket is roughly $1 (55 Indian Rupees) and takes you through some breathtaking scenary filled with lakes, rocky mountains, paddy fields and village life all the way through. You are dropped off on a crowded busy market from where it would be 10-15 minute walk past the thiruvanamlai temple. Everyone from the shopkeeper to a street biy would know of the ashram and can direct the way easily.

The ashram was in a very serene place, where a statue of Ramana lay in the center along with the inscription of what led to his enlightening experience at age of 16. There is a mini book shop inside the ashram campus and office at the entrance who take care of the day to day administration. Close to the main ashram is the room where Ramana Maharishi attained his samadhi, the room contained the bed and his items with the calendar last torn on 14th Feb 1950 and time in the clock having stopped at 8.47 pm. There were also the samadhi of some his close followers along with jackie the dog, the crow and Lakshmie the cow are laid to rest. There is also a large meditation hall with a nearby well, inside the hall is the statue of ramana meditating and is advised to take three rounds around the altar inside, in case Giri VALAM (walking around the huge arunachala mountain) cannot be done, whicht akes roughly around 4 hours.

There was a gate at the back of the ashram leading to the Virupaksha Skanda cave where Ramana meditated for 7 years from 1915 - 1922. It was a good steep climb for about 40 minutes with rocky path all the way to the mountains from where a beautiful full landscape of city of Thiruvanamalai can be witnessed, along with the complete ariel view of the temple. The steps lead to the samadhi of Ramana's mother and the next main entrance to a small 20 X 40 meditation room , whose entrance has numerous photos of ramana himself. Still further inside the meditation room is the small shiva linga and ramana photo. The 20 x 40 room has a mat laid and lot of westerners meditate there eventhough could be constantly disturbed by visitors presence . Unfortunately even at the top of the mountain the noise pollution could be heard with increasing traffic almost increasing year after year.

The profoundness of the travelling experience was that, there was never even a moment of boredom and the mind could constantly pull back the wandering thoughts in the NOW which was very pleasant.