#arunachala
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ainekeenan.bsky.social
To make the intellect rid of
the sense ‘I am the body’, and
fixing it securely in the Heart,
this is the significance of
witnessing the Beacon Light
of Arunachala.

Ramana Maharshi, 20th century

#Photography #Poetry #SpeirGorm #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
Today is Maha Deepam, 3 December 2025, at the 2,688 foot Mount Arunachala in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India, pictured here from Adiannamalai village almost in silhouette with a faint rose-pink hue. Possibly the most spiritually charged nights in the Tamil calendar, it is dedicated to Lord Shiva in his infinite light form. At 6 pm, an enormous flame will be lit in a huge cauldron on the highest peak using 600 kg of ghee, 10 kg of camphor, a wick of 1,500 metres of cotton cloth and a 15 foot bamboo stick. Organisers are prepared for more than 4 million devotees to be present for this moment - including many from the nearby states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka - and to walk barefoot the 14 km around the base of the Holy Hill.
December 3, 2025 at 7:06 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
Love
Devotion
Feeling
Emotion

Don't be afraid to be weak
Don't be too proud to be strong
Look into your Heart my friend
The return to your Self
The return to innocence

Enigma, 20th century

#Photography #Poetry #SpeirGorm #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
A barefooted Indian woman wearing a dark long raincoat over her salwar kameez stands transfixed with her hands open in supplication at the moment of the Deepam Flame being lit on Mount Arunachala at 6 pm, 3 December 2025. On the ground all around her are small clay lamps (diyas) burning ghee or oil and casting a warm glow in the fading darkness at the courtyard of Adiannamalai Temple, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India. Visible also are other devotees of Lord Shiva equally immersed in the emotional intensity of this moment.
December 5, 2025 at 8:00 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
I can see clearly now,
the rain is gone
I can see obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds
that had me blind
It's gonna be a bright, bright,
bright sun-shiny day

Johnny Nash, 20th century

#Photography #Poetry #SpeirGorm #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
Five Indian women, each clad in a different-coloured plastic raincoat costing ₹100 (approximately €1), walk barefoot with their hoods down in a line past a roadside fruit-seller. They are doing so in sacred worship of Mount Arunachala, Lord Shiva in form, as they complete the 14 km circuit by road and have 'darshan' (vision) from different aspects along the way. The circumambulation is performed in a clockwise direction and is believed to purify the soul, remove sins, fulfill desires and offer spiritual merit. Devotees are encouraged to walk slowly, similar to a woman in the ninth month of pregnancy. Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.
December 4, 2025 at 4:36 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
And if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know
Should I stay or should I go?

The Clash, 20th century

#Photography #Poetry #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
A brown Bargur cow with sharp curved horns and distinctive white markings all over its body glares menacingly at the camera in the entrance to VIP Gardens, Post Office Road, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India. The breed is native to a forest region in the Erode district of Tamil Nadu. They are known to be very aggressive and of fiery disposition. Admired for their endurance, speed and trotting ability, they are mainly used as draught cattle for agricultural operations in the hills. Clearly visible in the background is extensive overgrowth, randomly dumped refuse and a dirt track leading to three apartment blocks. There is also the merest of glimpses of Mount Arunachala in the distance.
December 1, 2025 at 6:43 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
𝗱𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴, noun

/𝘥𝘪ːˈ𝘣𝘳𝘪ː𝘧𝘪ŋ/

activity of asking somebody
questions officially, in order to
get information about the task
that they have just completed

Oxford Dictionary, 21st century

#Photography #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
Two policemen sit on duty outside of the gates of Sri Ramanasramam, Chengam Road, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, one with a moustache staring suspiciously over his shoulder at the camera. The custom-designed yellow metal structure on which they are sitting is one of a hundred or so distributed along the pilgrim route of 14 km around the holy hill of Arunachala. It bears an advertisement for 'Anand Vest And Briefs: Vests. Briefs. Trunks. T-Shirt. Track Pant. Shorts' and an image of a vest-clad, well-toned younger Indian man. In front of where the two policemen are sitting, a yellow rickshaw has just pulled up. An elderly Indian woman in a sari and a white-bearded sadhu wearing an orange turban and scarf, and using a walking stick for support, move towards the gates of Sri Ramanasramam.
November 29, 2025 at 7:36 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
How wonderful!!!

"To see Chidambaram, to be born at Tiruvarur, to die at Benares, or even to think of Arunachala is to be assured of Liberation."

Other holy sites are considered sacred because they are the dwelling places of Shiva, while Arunachala is believed to be Him in physical form.

🔥
November 25, 2025 at 11:12 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
Look, there it stands,
as if insentient.
When it stilled my mind
and drew me to itself
and I came near,
I saw that it was
absolute stillness,
O Arunachala!

Ramana Maharshi, 20th century

#Photography #Poetry #SpeirGorm #Stunday #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
A pink, 40-seat private bus with a large 'FRIENDS' decal on the upper window sits parked on a clay plot of land with Arunachala looming in the background, separated only by a variety of trees and dense undergrowth. The holy hill forms part of the Eastern Ghats and is 2,268 feet in height. Geologists estimate its age to be 2.6 billion years. The Skanda Purana tells of how Shiva appeared as a column of light to settle a dispute between Brahma and Vishnu about which of them was greater. After this had been resolved, Siva manifested in form for the benefit of humanity as the Arunachala Hill.
November 23, 2025 at 8:54 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
In another life
I would make you stay
So I don't have to say
You were the one that got away
The o-o-o-o-o-one
The o-o-o-o-o-one
The one that got away

Katy Perry, 21st century

#Photography #Poetry #SpeirGorm #StreetPhotography #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
A Tibetan Buddhist nun in maroon robes and a white shawl stares into her camera's viewfinder whilst a macaque monkey sneaks by with its tail aloft. Skanda Ashram, Arunachala, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.
November 22, 2025 at 6:19 AM
ellamaillart.bsky.social
Photo by Ella Maillart, 1941.

Kunju Swami served as a personal attendant of Ramana Maharshi from 1920 to 1932. After Bhagavan's mahanirvana, he continued to live a simple and spiritual life spreading the Maharshi's teachings and guiding seekers. He passed away in 1994 at the age of 95.
Ella Maillart's photo of Kunju Swami sitting at the peak of Arunachala, 1941, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.
November 19, 2025 at 7:20 PM
johnn3000.bsky.social
"Where Aruna becomes Achala is Arunachala. Aruna is another name for Shakti. Shakti means the Manifest Reality. Where does manifestation (moving) become unmoving or still? In Unmanifest Absolute Reality. That is Arunachala, the Unmanifest absolute, which is the Supreme Self of all."

#ArunachalaSiva
Arunachala Chant (Arunachala Siva) Ramana Maharshi
YouTube video by Spirit View
youtu.be
November 17, 2025 at 9:36 PM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the men still answer the call
But year after year
their numbers get fewer
Some day no one will march there at all

The Dubliners, 20th century

#Photography #Wisdom #Poetry #SpeirGorm #India #ImageAndVerse #ArtOfBlueSky #PhotographersOfBlueSky #EastCoastKin
A group of more than a dozen bare-chested, dark-skinned, barefoot and orange dhoti-clad men walk the 14 km along the pilgrim route around the holy hill of Arunachala, Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India, a ritual practice known as girivalam or giripradakshina.
November 4, 2025 at 6:56 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
'Car Worship', Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Men decorating the front of their cars and making preparations to worship these vehicles at the foot of holy Mount Arunachala.
October 23, 2023 at 6:48 AM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
𝗔𝗿𝗱𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗮 /𝟰

Devotees believe that Parvati and Siva merged inseparably into Mount #Arunachala at Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu as the Supreme.

Indeed, who can say which peak represents Parvati and which Shiva when both are, in essence, one and the same?

#IndiaSky #Tiruvannamalai #TamilNadu
Two peaks of Mount Arunachala at sunrise representing the fusion of indivisible Ardhanarishwara.
December 5, 2024 at 10:13 AM
sangamretreathouse.bsky.social
The video song "Arunachala Shiva" by Adam Bauer is a beautiful culmination of the combined efforts of numerous photographers, videographers, artists, and editors. Album - Return to the Sacred, Song - Arunachala Shiva
www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIDe...
Arunachala Shiva - Adam Bauer - Released for Karthigai Deepam 2020
YouTube video by Beggar Works
www.youtube.com
January 9, 2025 at 11:06 AM
sangamretreathouse.bsky.social
Review Highlight: Beautiful haven in the midst of busy India, tactfully decorated. A great swimming pool to relax into when the weather gets too hot. With a great view & presence of Arunachala on the roof top, this makes for a deep place to practice. - Gail Aylward, Google Review #retreatinindia
January 9, 2025 at 5:53 AM
goldensnut.bsky.social
Deep peace slips through Arunachala live cam.

Lord Siva said: “What cannot be acquired without great pains – the true import of Vedanta (Self-Realization) – can be attained by anyone who looks at this hill from where it is visible or even mentally thinks of it from afar.”

www.arunachala-live.com
Welcome :: Arunachala Live
www.arunachala-live.com
January 2, 2025 at 6:42 PM
ainekeenan.bsky.social
I remember it well: my bones are still drying out ...

It's those at coastal level that really seem to bear the worst brunt. And also the sadhus living around Arunachala huddled under flimsy, makeshift plastic shelter. 😥
December 1, 2024 at 5:25 AM
richardchapala.bsky.social
That is Arunachala in the background, from a photo from the years after retirement that I live there. Your experience with Ramana predates mine. I started in 1990 when I was taken to see Nome in Santa Cruz, a genuine sage steeped in Ramana and Advaita Vedanta.
I try to familiarize folks with these
October 14, 2025 at 1:43 PM
sangamretreathouse.bsky.social
Deeply supportive environment at Sangam house is a perfect setting for a nurturing retreat experience that allows you to connect, reflect and rejuvenate! #groupretreat #yogaretreat #spiritualretreat #arunachala #tiruvannamalai #wellnessretreat
December 27, 2024 at 9:35 AM
sangamretreathouse.bsky.social
Inside Sangam House: High ceiling rooms, temperature and humidity controlled with ensuite bathrooms – the perfect oasis to rest, recover and wash off the day's adventures. #retreatinindia #rejuvenateinindia #tiruvannamalai #arunachala #groupretreat #yogaretreat #wellnessretreat #spiritualretreat
January 11, 2025 at 9:20 AM
johnn3000.bsky.social
Nice pic, saw the alt-text. Never been myself but have a desire to visit the ashram and Arunachala.
November 15, 2025 at 3:26 AM
ravenbranhard.bsky.social
I visited here a few times during the months I stayed close to Arunachala.
October 13, 2025 at 8:22 AM
sangamretreathouse.bsky.social
Blog: The Personal Touch of Ramana Maharshi sangamhouse.com/personal-tou...

#spiritualblog #ConsciousLiving #awakenedlife #spiritualteachings #ramanamaharshi #selfinquiry #silentgrace #sriramanasramam #whoami #advaitavedanta #jnanayoga #arunachala #selfrealization #divinelove
The Personal Touch of Ramana Maharshi - Sangam Retreat House
Ramana Maharshi’s teachings were not only profound but deeply personal. Discover how his silent gaze, written words, and divine presence transformed lives and offered a unique experience of spiritual ...
sangamhouse.com
June 20, 2025 at 11:22 AM
kungrihasta.bsky.social
🔴LIVE #Darshan with The SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAVAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

#Karthigai #Deepam |
#கார்த்திகை #தீபம் |
#Tiruvannamalai #MahaDeepam #Arunachala #Paramashiva
www.youtube.com/live/hgvpfMR...

#KarthigaiDeepam #Deepam2024
#Hindu
#Celebrations #Celebrituals
#KAILASA #Nithyananda
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December 13, 2024 at 12:42 PM
sangamretreathouse.bsky.social
Verandah Bliss at Sangam House: Feel the powerful presence of sacred Arunachala hill as you unwind in this tranquil space. Book your group stay with us through www.sangamhouse.com

#sangamretreathouse #arunachalahill #verandahbliss #retreat #tiruvannamalai #groupretreat #retreatinindia
February 14, 2025 at 7:28 AM