Why 'sacred elements'? If reality is non-dual, then everything visible is not different from (the invisible) Spirit. Vedic cosmology views the universe as five spiritual or sacred elements: air, fire, water, earth and space. Because the world is divine it is worthy of worship. Therefore five temples in South India have been dedicated to the five elements. Originally, the tour was meant to visit all five but logistics, time, and an amazing event... the pradakshina at Tiruvannamalai...caused us to drop the earth and water temples and substitute two extraordinary sites: the most visited spiritual destination in the world, Tirupathi, and the Brihadishwara Temple in Tanjavur, a World Heritage site. Depending on a number of factors the dates and the order of the sites visited varies from year to year. Contact www. worldspirit.org.uk for this year's itinerary.


 

Tiruvannamalai

The centerpiece of the Sacred Element's 2005 Tour is a thirteen kilometer walk on January 15. The walk begins and ends at Arunachalishwara Temple dedicated to the Fire Element. Hundreds of thousands of devotees, sometimes as many as a million, circumambulate Arunachala every full moon. You are invited to witness and particpate in this awesome event, a once in a lifetime experience; for twenty four hours the town is charged with intense spiritual energy. In addition to the circumambulation two days are alloted for exploring the fascinating environment around the mountain with its many shines and hundreds of sadhus. Of particular interest is the Ramanashram, home of one of India's greatest sages, the Kanappan shine at Shiva's Feet and an ancient Vishnu temple in a small town not far from Tiruvannamalai.


  
     
 

Ideal Beach Resort

You will arrive at Chennai, formerly Madras, the capitol of Tamil Nadu and go by taxi to Mammalapuram, a pleasant seaside town forty five kilometers to the south where you will check into Ideal Beach Resort, a peaceful mid-range resort hotel. Ideal Beach is two kilometers north of Mammalapuram and is completely self contained with all the amenities including a swimming pool...a perfect setting in which to unwind from a long international flight. Should you wish to venture out Mummalapuram has a number of interesting features, the most notable being the Shore temple (to the right), a ninth century relic reclaimed from the sea. Mammalapuram is the center of the stone carving industry and supplies idols for India's many temples. The solid rock hillock behind the town sports a world class bas relief called Arjuna's pennance and many interesting shrines are carved into it.


 We will get together Sunday evening for dinner at 6:30 to meet each other and discuss the tour. Mid-morning Monday depending on the direction of the tour we either leave for Tirupathi or for Pondicherry, a pleasant two hour drive along the coast.






  
 

Pondicherry

Pondicherry, a large prosperous city on the coast, was a French colony until Independence in 1945. Spiritually, it is known for the Aurobindo Ashram which occupies the choicest real estate in the city next to the sea. Aurobindo was an Oxford educated Bengali who attained enlightenment in a British prison. He gave up politics and settled in Pondicherry and a large ashram grew up around him. It is thriving today some fifty years after his death with some three thousand members in residence. The ashram and samadhi where Aurobindo and his consort, The Mother, are buried attracts hundreds of people each day. After the samadhi we will take in an extraordinary Ganesh temple near the ashram that carries exceptionally strong spiritual vibrations. Another item of interest is Auroville and the Matrimandir. Auroville is a large community of devotees of Aurobindo and The Mother who have created a veritable paradise out of barren land. The centerpiece of the community is the Matramandir, a colossal golden meditation dome. In the evening we will dine at one of Pondicherry's many excellent restaurants.



 
 

Chidambaram

Mammalapuram and Pondicherry are India no doubt but they contain enough elements of the modern world to make them at least vaguely familiar. When we leave Pondicherry on Tuesday morning we step into a world that time forgot. The temple at Chidambaram, whose bathing tank and north gopuram is pictured on the right, is dedicated to the Space element, the all pervading Self as the container of the cosmos. The temple in its present form is about one thousand years old and is owned and administered by a sub-caste of Brahmin priests called dikshitars. To step into this temple is to enter into the timeless world of Vedic spiritual culture. It is fair to say that nothing here has changed in thousands of years.

After checking in to our hotel around noon (mind you, Chidambaram is a sleepy dusty town...definitely nothing to write home about... and the hotel is a bit of a letdown after our previous accommodations) we will eat and take it easy until the evening service which begins about five thirty. It is a large temple complex with many shrines to dozens of deities. I will explain the symbolism of the deities and the temple and you are welcome to wander about as you see fit or just sit quietly and observe the spectacle. We will meet Apu, one of the priests, who will take us into the inner sanctum... which is something to write home about.

Wednesday is an unstructured day. You are free to do what you please. India is never boring and it is always rewarding to just wander around and have adventures. Those who are not 'templed out' might enjoy a visit to a healing temple eighteen kilometers from Chidambaram.


 
 

Thanjavur

The three hour drive from Chidambaram to Thanjavur through the lush Cauvery River delta is one of the most pleasant in India. If we can manage an early start we can have the darshan of the deity in a major temple at Kumbakonam, one of the many temple towns along the route, before proceeding to the Ideal River Resort. The Ideal River Resort, an excellent hotel in a peaceful rural setting on a meandering river on the outskirts of Thanjavur, a major city, will be our base for three days. Thanjavur's main attraction is the Brihadishwara temple whose huge gate and temple in the distance is seen in the photo on the right. It is not only a World Heritage site and a world class monument but an awesome center of spiritual power. Brihadiswara, "The Lord of the Vastness,' is a Shiva temple with a lingam that stands 23 feet high. It is virtually impossible not to be moved by this temple and the simple but inspiring puja that is performed throughout the day. Thanjavur is an hour's drive from Tiruchirappali, a huge city on the Cauvery River. On Friday we will visit the Rock Fort Temple in the heart of the city. The temple is situated on top of a solid rock hill with commanding views of the city, the river and the Sri Rangam Temple complex, the largest temple in India. The twenty minute climb to the top through the interior of the rock which has been carved to accommodate steps and several shrines is an unforgettable experience. Nothing is scheduled for Saturday. The Ideal River Resort is such a pleasant facility that usually tour particpants opt to spend a quiet day at home but it is quite possible to venture into the city and wander about on your own. We get an early start Monday in order to arrive about noon at Tiruvannamalai.


 
 

Kalahasti and Tirupathi

The circumambulation of Arunachala is a tough act to follow but the tour ends up on a high note. From Tiruvannamalai we make the five hour journey to Tirupathi in Andra Pradesh, just beyond the border of Tamil Nadu. There are simply not enough superlatives to describe the power of this site which is situated on a range of mountains above the town. Tirupathi is one of the most visited spiritual destinations in the world and the richest temple in India. This is so because Venkateshwara, an incarnation of Vishnu, is a boon granting deity. It is not uncommon for devotees to wait twelve hours for a five second darshan of the deity. Fortunately a one hour cue is available for one hundred rupees, about two dollars, and we will avail outselves of that option. Standing in the cue is an integral part of the Tirupathi darshan because one becomes completely saturated with the ecstatic vibrations of the devotees in anticipation of their vision of God. Because the tickets are in such demand it is not possible to get them on the day of our arrival so we will visit the temple on Friday evening.

In the meantime, on Friday morning we will take in the Air Element temple at Kalahasti, a forty five minute drive from Tirupathi. All the temples on the tour are exceptional and Kalahasti is no exception. It is situated in a senic setting on a small river at the foot of a small hill. The temple itself is not particularly physically imposing but it gives off an unmistakable fragrance of divine love. There is a large Banyan tree in the temple courtyard where one can sit before and after the darshan soaking up the atmosphere. The temple's vibrations are so pure that it has had an effect on the whole town. Kalahasti is unique as far as Indian towns go; the streets are clean, the traffic is orderly and the people are very mellow. We will take our lunch on banana leaves in a 'meals' place near the temple.


Mammalapuram
Saturday, January 29

Mid-morning Saturday we return to Mammalapuram, say our goodbyes and go our separate ways.

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