Eagle sight and lodge

The lodge we stayed in Thiruvannamalai has a wonderful view of the hill and the temple tower. The balcony close to the room has some space to breeze and watch what happens around. It was a wonderful sight of an eagle that circle above the sky for sometime, came close to view and I don’t remember seeing an eagle such closer, but later it came down to peek and took away a log and flew away towards the hill and disappeared as my eyes pursuit.

I clicked some pictures, but nothing comes quite like this at least. I feel this comes out well as it falls down close to the temple tower background. It seems the bird is nesting somewhere so it picked the log.

It also reminds me the eagle that used to circle the Thirukazhukundram hill around noon and what they say is the eagles comes down everyday to fetch the food dedicated to god and what remained is distributed as ambrosia to devotees. In this way I thought is there any story behind this eagle also?

Even we got a wonderful room to stay comfort, I like sitting on this balcony and watching the town. It’s a well equipped lodge with narrow veranda, underground parking and lift. It was just like come to ooty or kodaikanal, the room was almost cool, and it’s been long time we stayed together with our family (along my uncle’s family) and I do wish such exist.

Dad’s retirement

My dad retired from his government service as a section officer on Friday with just 5 months to go completing his service, he voluntarily retired from his public service.

He begins his carrier as a junior assistant and taking away only few promotions, he retired as a senior officer in average position. He had come across more than 28 years of service in the department of backward class and come across many opportunities that promote him to higher standard, but he refused many opportunities to avoid staying away from us.

When many of his colleagues and friends went ahead to higher officer position by taking promotions and get post in varies districts, he stayed in the same office almost and when we think it is all because for us it feels so proud and at same time anguish that he couldn’t reach a top position.

I’m so glad to read his present certification given to him on the occasion of retirement by his commissioner Kumar Jayanth IAS and colleagues describing him as a very honest, sincere and dignity person in government service and being kind enough to people who come on need and very friendly co-worker. I have seen him even on some nights being awake to do his file works and he never leaned to offers from others, but earned some good heart people in wake of being honest and kind. We’re so proud of his attitude and his colleagues comment on the way of service he followed as a paragon to others and today’s younger generation.

On Friday there was a valediction in his office and few of his colleagues and friends came home that evening to give sendoff and it was touching moment when they hold dad’s hand and wished to adieu. He got very good friends from his 28 years of journey in Tamil Nadu government service and everyone shares a wonderful and obvious relationship and more than relatives I encourage such relationships as they’re special in our lives.

There were grandparents and cousins to share their bid adieu to dad and it was a nice feel that expressed on this day and everyone wished for a farewell treat, but the moment past simple but still the demand exists from others. Hope we do something later soon… my best regards to dad.

Trip to Thiruvannaamalai

We plan to escape before sunshine, but the time spent at a marriage in early hours near chengalpet put us on delay to leave on heat. But the air condition helped a lot in relieving heat while traveling. It wasn’t a travel I was expecting for, but no way it has happens and I accepted.

There wasn’t much interesting to notice on the way, while it seems a perfect day for many to get married as there was couple of mini trucks caring dowry things. On the way to thiruvannamalai comes the famous Gingee fort, and it was a rock hill fort on the either sides of the road. The so well fortified fort is called as the ‘Troy of the East’ by the British and the great Shivaji ranked it as the most impregnable fortress in India.

We didn’t get down or stopped to check this fort, but just glanced from passing vehicle and clicked something. The time we landed on thiruvannamalai it was across 12 noon and the temple was closed and said to open only by 4.pm. So we head to lodge and finishing lunch and getting relax sometime we visited dad’s friend home in a village called nadazakananthal, about 10km from the town.

It was a typical village and not much changed from its nature. The wide space fields and roof tiled houses, retreat with memories, along the innocent children come around our vehicle in amusement. Do we need a reason to attract kids when we have a cute pet? The children were return from their school and gather around their home, and it seems they’re all his friends and always spent time with him.

Leaving there home after a cup of coffee, we visited Saathanoor dam and the temple that evening and head to bed after dinner. Waking up deliberately the next morning, we went around the Annamalai hill in vehicle and visited again our dad’s friend home were we were invited for breakfast.

The way around the hill looks somewhere green and cool, and I saw much saffron worn devotes on the way along the many small shrines. The road around the hill was empty that day and only on full moon day it seems to be crowded.

Tirukkoyilur temple tower

On the way back home, parents wanted to visit a temple in Tirukkoyilur and it was another temple with huge tower similar to Annamalaiyar temple. The road from the temple to NH47 was so refreshing with green fields and villages, and the suddenly formed clouds sent fresh breeze, in-between the heat rage.

வா மழை / Come Rain

காற்றை தொடர்ந்து
வானம் கடந்து
மேகம் திரண்டு
வா மழை

தமிழ்நாடே ஏங்கி கிடக்கு
தண்ணீர் இன்றி வரண்டு கிடக்கு
தாகம் தீர்க்க வா மழை

நேற்று வரையில் அனல் சீற்றம்
சற்றே குறைந்தது இன்று
தாமதமின்றி வா மழை

காட்டில் விளங்குகள் இருக்கு
சுற்றுப்புறத்தில் மரஞ்செடிகள் இருக்கு
நகர்ப்புறத்தில் மனிதர்கள் இருக்கோம்
வான்திறந்து வா மழை

சற்றே தெளிந்த இதயம்
ஈரமின்றி துவண்டு கிடக்கு
தண்ணீர் தெளிக்க வா மழை

இரவே இருண்டு போனாலும்
உன் வருகை எண்ணி மகிழ்வோம்
வா மழையே வா
வடகிழக்கு பருவ மழையே வா...

----- ----- -----
Pursuing wind
passing sky
cumulative clouds
come rain

Tamil Nadu is laid crave
without rain its laid drought
to fill thirst come rain

Until yesterday its heat rage
but it little decreased today
so without delay come rain

In forest there’re animals
in ambient there’re trees and plants
in urban there’re we humans
open the sky and come rain

A little cleared heart
lay withered without wet
to spray water come rain

Even the night goes dark
we rejoice thinking your arrival
come rain come
northeast monsoon rain come...

wow... the sign of Northeast monsoon begins today and caught up with fresh sense.

Majestic tower

I had been to Thiruvannaamalai this week and visited the Annamalaiyar Temple one evening and felt awe by the structure of the temple tower in sodium lights. The picture above was taken with sepia tone and I love this effort taken than with usual color tone.

It’s out of my memories when I visited a temple last and I’m glad they have put ramps across this temple entrance which allowed me to go at least inside the temple premises to view somehow structures and sculptures. But except the temple tower nothing interests me and I couldn’t view much difference inside the temple since it was dark already.

The inscription says that the temple originally dated back to at least 2000 years and might have been a simple wooden structure at that time, but the present masonry structure and temple towers date back approximately 1,200 years. The temple tower in the picture is known as East Rajagopuram (king of towers) which is to a height of 217 feet with 11 tiers and the temple with 4 tower entrances offers a grand disclosure of the temple premises.

The temple with a 1000 pillared hall and tank – which I couldn’t view clearly, were built by Vijayanagara Empire Krishna Devaraya. The most famed celebration of this temple is Karthikai Deepam festival, which falls on the full moon night of Tamil month Karthikai. The ten day event that continues on this occasion culminates on the day of Karthigai Deepam and on that evening, a huge lamp is lit on the Annamalai hill top with three tons of ghee.

Every full moon night, tens of thousands of pilgrims visit this temple and circumambulate the 15km long Annamalai hill with barefoot. The hill is approximately 1600 feet. The time we enter the temple is 8pm, and everyone went ahead to worship god and me and my cousin stayed within the premises and taking pictures.

There were a group of children sat near a Nandi (bull statue) and counting the day collection through selling flowers and few of them were taking pictures of the tower with their mobiles, and there was a cute little putting steps about, but never came near as I was waited to picture her. The distance between our room and temple was walk able distance, so I went on wheel on the busy and dusty streets and it was great time going around a family trip.

There’re some more pictures and things to describe about my trip to Thiruvannaamalai and I will do it in time before I get lose track alike.