The Ayyankulam Tank, (close to Arunagirinatha Temple) east of the huge Arunachaleswar temple, Tiruvannamalai is a holy tank for two reasons 01. Theerthavari rituals ( 5 times a year) and Amavasya Tharpanam for the pithroos (forefathers) are held here . 02. The temple tank's close link with Sri Ramana Maharshi , a famous spiritualist and philosopher is well-known. It was here Ramana went through a complete metamorphosis and one could see a change in his persona as well as toward like at unbelievably very young age. Yes, he became an ascetic - a sannyasin and began to see the artificial mundane world in a different perspective. Before saint Ramana, Arunagiri was the most well known saint and scholar in Tamil in the area. He was born in Tiruvannamalai, about 500 years ago, in the 1500s and became a saint and philosopher in the later years.
Ayyankulam west. Tiruvannamalai town. arunachalagrace.blogspot.com |
Sri Ramana Maharishi, Thiruvannamalai. miramark.cl/en |
''Have faith in God and in yourself; that will cure all. Hope for the best, expect the best, toil for the best and everything will come right for you in the end''.Ramana Maharishi (quotes.thefamouspeople.com)
/quotes.thefamouspeople.com |
in.pinterest.com |
If you follow the spiritual journey of Sri Ramana Maharshi. Ayyankulam Tank, close to the Arunachaleswar temple in Tiruvannamalai of Tamil Nadu was intertwined with his early days of childhood were and his spiritual awakening
Arriving at Tiruvannamalai before noon on 1 September, 1896, despite several odds while travelling “Venkataraman''(his original name) he went to the Arunachaleswarar Temple and and then to the Ayyankulam tank, east of the temple
Driven by spiritual ecstasy and contentment in a world that is ephemeral and transitory, on the banks of the Ayyankulam tank young Venkataraman cast off everything he had with him including his dress and money after getting tonsure ( removing all hair on the head) from a barber. He was just wearing Kaupina (a long piece of cotton cloth covering the genital area; Komanam in Tamil) to maintain modesty and simplicity.
Theerthavari, Ayyankulam, Thiruvannamalai, TNinstanews.city |
The young boy went one step farther and removed the yagnopaveetham (sacred thread), indicative of Brahman birth and threw it away. He thought the sacred thread could also cause a sense of superiority in him . Now, far removed from all caste distinctions, he was euphoric as he was a humble servant of the almighty.
Upon his return to Arunachaleswara Temple, there was a heavy downpour and the young saint became wet. It looked as if the Heaven itself provided the holy bath and absolved him of the sins he committed before. Though he never formally took sannyasa following certain rituals before that, his father took the need steps to make his son an ascetic after washing away all remnants of his prior life .
https://arunachalagrace.blogspot.com/2009/02/arunagirinatha-temple-and-ayyankulam.html