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Published in 2005 by
Iswari Kamalabaskaran |
Published in 2005 by
Iswari Kamalabaskaran |
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The author of both The Light of
Arunachaleswarar and Arunagiri Valam is Iswari
Kamalabaskaran, an Englishwoman, who has been visiting
Tiruvannamalai annually for over twenty years. She is a student of
philosophy, a lecturer in world religions and founder member and
former Trustee and Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the London
Highgate Murugan Temple and the Sri Rajarajeswary Amman Temple in
Stoneleigh, Surrey.
This path is filled with Divine Light. It
covers, protects, shield, destroys ego and enlightens. It wards off
future births. It offers us the opportunity to show our devotion. It
is provided by Lord Siva out of His love for us. It is all
knowledge. Arunagiri Valam is the Divine Path that is the Divine. It
is Siva waiting to be known Arunachaleswarar Siva.
Iswari Kamalabaskaran
In The Light of Arunachaleswarar, Iswari
Kamalabaskaran recalls her own experiences and narrates what she has
learned over the years about the Lord, His Mountain and the
Jyothi Lingam.
The narrative begins with an invitation to the reader, to join her
on her journey from the first meeting with the sacred Arunachala
Sivalinga Mountain. The reader is then taken from prakaram to
prakaram, through the Arulmigu Arunachaleswarar Koil (temple). It is
during this experience, the reader begins to understand the supreme
holiness of sacred Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu, South India.
At the same time, the wonderful history of the Aruna Sivalinga
Mountain unfolds and the reader is shown how the Jyothi
(light) of Annamalaiyar has spread outwards from the sacred Linga,
since the dawn of the time and how, in the modern era the same light
continues to fill the world. |
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In Arunagiri Valam The Supreme Path
of Grace, Iswari Kamalabaskaran invites us to join her and make
the special journey of grace around the Holy Lingam Mountain of
Arunachaleswarar. As we are taken from holy shrine to holy shrine on
the sacred path and the profound ancient history of the
Giripradakshina Path unfolds, we begin to understand why so many
saints, scholars and devotees from the dawn of time were unable to
leave the lotus feet of Lord Siva, the Lingam Mountain of Lord
Arunachaleswarar Siva.
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by Francoise Boudignon
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The South Indian town of
Tiruvannamalai, in recent times associated with the great sage Ramana
Maharshi, has, for more than a thousand years, been a major pilgrimage
centre for devotees of Siva, one of the principal Hindu deities. Its
major festival, occurring between mid-November and mid-December,
attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees. In this charming and
beautifully-illustrated account, Francoise Boudignon describes the
main components of the festival along with the beliefs that underline
them. The story unfolds through the eyes of a family of peasants who
journey from their village to attend the ten-day event. A wide
spectrum of Hindu customs, practices and beliefs unfold as the family
explores the wonders and the traditions of their ancient culture. |
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DVD |
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PIETER VAN HUYSTEE
PRESENTS
a film by ROB DAS photography DAAN DE BOER
2nd Camera BART VAN DEN BROEK editing V.R.BRITO music FONS MERKIES
sound DANIEL CROSS post-production SYLVIA BAAN
sound post-production STUDIO PETER FLAMMAN/WALT WANSTEKER
THIS FILM WAS FUNDED BY THE DUTCH FILMFUND |
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The Karthikai Deepam chariot festival is one of the most important
Hindu festivals of the year. Annually thousands of devotees assemble
in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, to take part in the many street
ceremonies and to offer sacrifices to Shiva. The film Juggernaut
observes these events from close range and so transports the viewer
to an unfamiliar world. In a voice-over one of the pilgrims tells us
about his life. He is a saddhu, a holy man, travelling from one
temple to another, begging his way around the country. Following the
death of his wife and daughter he left all his worldly possessions
behind and now all he owns are the clothes on his back. But he is at
peace with his ascetic existence. His faith, which is not restricted
to a single God, is all he needs. He worships Jesus, Allah and Shiva
equally, depending on the temple he visits.
As the film starts the town appears calm. A man is washing
himself at a well, a woman is sweeping her porch, the last licks of
paint are applied to the colourful chariots. But the crowd quickly
grows and before long the main street is a pulsating throng of
people. The high point of the festival is when a towering chariot, a
temple on wheels, is pulled through the town by hundreds of men and
women, using enormous chains.
Using very few words, juggernaut respectfully portrays a town
engulfed with religious devotion and dedication and shows the
terrific power and energy released by communal rituals like these. |
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