TIRUVANNAMALAI VISIT - STAY IN RAMANASHRAM AND VISIT TO OTHER AHSRAMS

TIRUVANNAMALAI VISIT - RAMANASHRAM

I had booked the accommodation at Ramanashramam during the 1st week of March 2014 and was there for 2 days.   The experience had been one of bliss with the meticulous following of the timings for meditation, recital of Arunachala Aksharamalai and veda parayanams by the ashram and total involvement of devotees in these.  The book depot and the centenary library add the required time to be spent on publications of ashram as well as others on all religious subjects.   The nicely kept rooms for accommodation with the surrounding trees and the Arunachala Hill at the background further enhances the stay.    It was a memorable experience of two days and I also took time off for having darshan at the Ashrams of Seshadri Swamigal and Yogi Ram Surat Kumar and the Arunachaleswarar temple.   Both the ashrams are very near to Ramanashram, the first just a 100 Metres away and the other about 10 minutes walk.      All the ashrams have facilities to stay with prior booking of the rooms online.

The Meditation hall in Ramashramam is kept open from 4 AM to 12.30 PM and  2 PM to 9 PM and the meditation is done before the Bhagavan photo in a sitting posture placed on a sofa.  About 60 people can do in this room at a time.  

The bhagavan's samadhi on which a Lingam has been installed has been exquisitely covered in a mantap before which the vedaparayanamas are done in the morning and evening and also recitation of Arunachala Aksharamalai and panchgam etc.,    I have no words to describe the serene atmosphere prevailing during all these parayanams and recitations. Next to the bhagavan's samathi is his mother's samadhi on which Mathrubootheswarar is installed.   This is a temple of Mathrubootheswarar and in the prakara Lord Vinayakar and Lord Subramanyar are installed.   The entry to this temple is a statue of the bhagavan and also large picture before which daily at 6AM, Arunachala Aksharamalai is recited with great fervour by the devotees.  The Bhagavan's and Mother's shrine are open from 05.30 AM to 12.30 PM and 2 to 9 PM.

Some of the photographs taken in Ramanashram and also on the way to Virupaksha cave and Skandashramam.    I did not complete the trip to the cave and skandashramam as it was 3 PM and was not able to bear the heat of the hills with bear foot.  The skandashramam and Virupaksha cave on the Hill are kept open from 8 AM to 5 PM.  

There were several friends of Bhavan who had regular discussions with him and were with him whether in the early days when bhagavan was mingling with the local people and meditating in the Virupaksha caves and in Skamdashramam.    Each had contributed to bring out the message of Bhagavan in their own ways and a few who could be recalled are  and the samadhis of these great devotees are also found in the ashram.    Bhagavan was deeply attached to some of the animals both when he was in the caves as well as in the ashram that was built in the year

That Bhagavan had treated the animals also as souls of reverence could be seen from the  small temples built for a deer, cow, crow and a dog.  Even today the ashram is full of dogs and peacocks.  

The inmates of the ashram and the guests staying in the ashram accommodation are served food free with breakfast, lunch and dinner and an evening tea/milk.   The accommodation is also free and donations can be made for poojas, annadhanams etc., which are exempt for IT under sec 88 ( ). I had the fortune of participating in all the activities atleast once as I stayed for 2 days and also had been to Arunachaleswarar temple and had darshan peacefully, as it was not a girivalam day.

Been to The ashram of Seshadri swamigal also on a morning and had darshan there.                                          

The ashram of Yogi Surat Kumar is in a larger area compared to seshadri swamigal where the temple precincts and adjoining hall are maintained extremely well.   Very impressive quotes of Yogi are found at all corners besides the ashram has provided a small foot path to do girivalam within the ashram.   Both the ashrams office have books connected with the ashram and other religious publications.    

The following photographs are taken in the Yogi Ramsuratkumar ashram.

This ashram office has the publications on Yogi and also annadhanam in large scale is being done in this ashram too.   

On 19th February and 20th February 2015, I had stayed in the Ramanashram this year and wonderful period of recital of Arunachala Aksharana Malai of Bhagavan both the days and also was in the meditation hall for the early morning hours of 04.30 hrs.  Picture below is the Ramana Maharishi shrine in the Ashram.

This picture was taken after the evening pooja.