Again, very nice, Khazana. You have a very cut-to-the-chase, "Just the facts, ma'am" style of reportage that appeals to me, and that allows me to feel the place more than I feel you. That's a compliment. Thanks for relating your adventures to us.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, khazana108 <no_reply@...> wrote: > <snip previous installment> > I left the bus, there was a small road going somewhere. I asked people > and everyone pointed to this road. I bought a chai and some water, > realizing that I still have to walk a bit. Soon I was out of the small > village where the bus had stopped, and I was definitely in rural India. > The men wear all lungis, many walked barefoot, afair only one car > passed by while I was walking, other traffic consisting of motor bikes, > cycles, tractors and some lorries. Whenever I asked somebody it was one > km and keeping straight. Sometimes it got 2 kms. > > After maybe 2 thirds of the way, an old man on a bicycle stopped, I > asked him Vallalar, Mettu Kuppam? he was nodding, and still waiting. > Finally I realized that he wanted to give a lift to me. So, we went the > last bit together, and he would bring me straight to the temple, slowly > moving. There was another temple in the front, but we went around it, to > the backside, and there was a courtyard, with a big hall. We stopped > there and he guided me, after washing hands and feet, we entered the > temple, where a big flame was kept within a glass box, the eternal > flame, symbol of the grace light. A priest was there performing some > prayers, making a kind of an Aarati, all in Tamil, I prostrated and then > asked my guide, where is the door, the place, where he left the physical > dimension. As I couldn't talk in Tamil, I simply asked 'Kamera Samadhi', > meaning something like the room where he took Samadhi. He immediately > understood, and guided me around, to another building at the backside of > the temple. There was a small courtyard inside the house and a very > impressive brass door, with flowers in front of it. > > [http://distilleryimage7.s3.amazonaws.com/daa143fa0d5411e2973e22000a1de2\ \ > 9b_7.jpg] > > I prostrated, and he showed me another place, next to it at the wall, > where a few flowers were laying and a darker spot at the wall indicated > that people touched this spot with their hands or put their hands there. > I prostrated again, thanked the man, and sat on the floor to meditate > their. This was the purpose of my visit, to see the place and meditate > there. The old man prostrated himself and left. I had a beautiful > meditation. Other people came, some very old women, some younger well to > do family it seemed, everybody doing the same, prostrating in one way or > the other, some would just sit down like myself and pray or meditate. > > The meditation was nothing extraordinary, it was just a beautiful > meditation. After I felt I was done, I prostrated again, made some > photos, and went out, when my friend A. phoned. A is a friend, I > nowadays meet each time I go to India. He lives in Pondicherry since 30 > years, but he is Italian. A lot of the information I have about India I > have from him, he also gave me the info about this place. This time we > missed, while I was in Pondy he had just traveled to Bangalore, and from > there would go to the place I was just coming from. I told him that I > had made the way just by bus, right to the village, and that I liked it. > He was still in Bangalore, and it was possible, we could still meet up > there - we finally did. I went back to the temple. The people from > Bangalore were there who had passed us by in the car, the only car I saw > on the way. The young man had an Auroville T-shirt. The would buy > several books in Tamil, life-stories and poems of Vallalar, small > photos they could distribute. I bought a small photo and the priest went > to bring a small brochure in English, that was all they had in English. > I had seen before in the Aurobindo Ashram, that somebody there had > published big two volume books comparing Vallalar's mission and working > with that of Aurobindo. I had read some of that years ago. Also Mirra > Alfasa, Aurobindos successor and companion commented on Vallalar, saying > that she liked the expression Grace Light, and that he was indeed > involved in a similar transformation, as they were, yet, it seemed it > was too early, and that he was unable to manifest this force on a more > physical plane. > > After getting some light blessing, and vibhuti, I started my way back, I > wanted to go back before it became dark, wondering if I had to walk all > the way back to the bus stop. At the door, coffee was available, and the > old man was there again. I wanted to thank him somehow, inviting him for > coffee, but he refused. There was a small bus, going through all the > villages to Vadalur, from there I could go back. The bus came, loud > Tamil music playing inside, it filled up soon, a woman with her child > sat next to me. As the bused moved through small villages, kids would > wave behind the bus. In Vadalur, I took a Rikshaw, to go to the main > temple of Vallalar, still before it gets dark. > > > [http://distilleryimage6.s3.amazonaws.com/a9f6c0d60d5411e299e022000a1e8a\ \ > c3_7.jpg] > > The sanctuary inside was closed, and I decided not to wait till it opens > again, and just sat for a few moments to go back. It was getting dark. > From the main street, I could get the bus back to Cuddalore, from there > back to Pondy. The bus to Cuddalore was full, a man with his son sat > next to me, who started to play with my nose. For Indian kids, we > westerners are very interesting, they easily make contact. Maybe our > white skin, our body size. Finally, I took the bus to Pondy, I had put > my bicycle at a place near the main bus stop, paid there, had some > food, and went home just before 10 pm, where I had left around seven in > the morning. > > On the next day, I would go to the Matri Mandir again, this time > meditate in the main chamber, with the large spheric Christal in the > center, and I would repeat this the following day. > > > I spend two more days in Pondy, then went with a night luxury bus to > Bangalore, where I had reserved a room not far from the main bus stand, > Majestic. There I would see my friend A. We went together to our > favorite Dargah, Tawakkal Masthan ( a Sufi sanctaury) > a Hindu Amba temple in Rhajastan style, and finally a Jain temple, The > Adinath Digambara Jain temple, where there is a beautiful 3 dimensional > Mandala, symbolising all the worlds and directions and gods and > Tirtankars in the Jain world. Alle these places are close by, there are > innumerable small temples on the way, in these typical mace of small > busy lanes. This area is called Chickpet and Balepet. >
