Amarnath yatra - in the news

"Jammu, Jul 28: The Amarnath yatra was today suspended from Jammu due to inclement weather prevailing in the state.

A fresh batch of pilgrims was not allowed to proceed from the base camp of Bhagwati Nagar here for onward journey to Kashmir Valley as rains have been lashing the state, including on the Baltal and Pahalgam routes, official sources said here.

The yatra has already been suspended from camps at Nunwan in Pahalgam and Baltal yesterday due to heavy downpour resulting in slippery tracks, they said, adding the yatra was also stopped at the transit camps along the route due to the same reason.

Authorities did not allow pilgrims to proceed in order to avoid overcrowding at base camps, they said, noting that pilgrims usually reach these camps in the evening and after a night stay undertake the journey to the shrine."

So, we stayed in the tents for two days even when it was raining and the beds were wet.

Surprisingly, we did not even catch a cold during this trip!!!.

There were several Dhabas serving all three free meals. The only condition is -  be there on time and don't waste even a speck of food. Take only what you think you can eat. They will be watching you like hawks and will suggest that you eat all of it.

The bath rooms were far away, not comfortable to use either. We did not know that tents were available with attached bathrooms. Credit (?) goes to our Travel agent whom we paid 1000 rupees per night for A/C rooms etc (I know I said this in another post also).

I bought two shawls and two dress pieces from the local vendors.
We will have to make another trip to Amarnath to really call it a yatra. But during this trip, I learned a lot - what to do and what not to do.

Thanks giving

Today is Thanksgiving day in USA.
Having been in this Karma Bhoomi of mine for almost four decades, I want to follow the tradition and thank each of you who entered my life path and added beauty to it.

Happy Thanks giving.

Vaishnodevi trip adventure - Helicopter trip

Nirmala and I were very happy with our darsan of Mata Vaishnodevi, even though the walk was more than we anticipated. If we had taken a Helicopter, I was told, the fee was 2200 rupees. But you need to walk again extra kms or take a doley from that point to near the shrine and that would cost extra 2000 rupees or more. That is why we hired the doley. Even after the trip we felt the rate was very high compared to the doleys at kedarnath and Sabarimala. Those hills are steeper and those roads are less comfortable.
The other couple met us outside the shrine as we did not wait for them in the darsan line. The lady was diabetic like Nirmala and was exhausted. The return trip was faster, less than 3 hours. Climbing, it took us almost 4 hours. Rao said his trekking also took about the same time. On the way down, at one check point, we handed over the receipt of the palanquin to the Govt. agency. Once we reached the palkis (palanquins) parking area, we paid them the balance and then a tip. For some reason, the other lady paid them only the tip and refused to pay the balance of 2400 rupees. It took lot of convincing on our part to  make her pay the balance. It was dark since the Sun set and we now were ready to hire an Auto to go to the hotel. Suddenly, I was startled to realize that I did not know the name of our hotel. I checked with the other three and they also had no idea. Now, where do we go and who do we ask?. We did not see anyone from our group in the vicinity.

Now, it became my responsibility to think of a way out. I suggested we go to the place of booking in an Auto and since they were open all 24 hours, they may have record of our hotel address. We felt a big relief with that idea and after some enquiry, found the booking place.

Of course, the office was open. We were shocked to find that they never bother writing the name of the hotel. Now we are back to square one!! I had a vague memory of a police booth across from where we hired the Auto outside that hotel. Nirmala and I went to that police station, I looked around, but could not see a hotel. We walked around that area, the bus depot and talked to some people and finally tried to get information from the police. They were of least help. They were very brief and very unfriendly. So, we went back to the booking office. Nirmala did not bring her cell phone with her and she did not have the phone # of our guide in her memory. The other two were sitting in a small tea stall nearby and the man (I forgot his name) was showing his hotel room key to everyone that he met to read the small print on it and identify the name of the hotel. I tried to tell him that there was no name on the key and only the name of the manufacturer of the key was written. But, I could not convince him. He was a retired deputy collector from Anantapur. The rigidity of an Indian Govt. employee was obvious in him. His wife was getting restless. Nirmala and I hired an Auto and drove around to see whether we could recognize the hotel building. The Auto drivers were very much concerned for us. After a couple of rounds, I had no money left and we returned to the office. Then I reliazed that I did not have my footware. Since they don't allow in the Temple area, I did not bother wearing them at all. It was 8:30 in the night and I was the only sane, relatively physically fit. I started walking up and down the streets till 1 a.m. Amazingly, the roads were safe and the people were very helpful. Another auto fellow volunteered to take us around and he drove a lot even after I told him that we did not carry any more money with us. All he wanted was to find our hotel and to keep us safe. What a sacred place!!!!! Finally, we checked into a room in the attached hotel to the booking office (with minimal fecilities). Actually, the other gentleman decided to do that and he had enough money to pay, 250 Rs/room. By then, I owed him 500 rupees for the meals and the room.

Remember that we did not pay for the Auto nor did we take name or Id.

The saga continues................. This post became longer than I wanted it to be. More in the next.

I almost forgot that I did not complete posting the rest of the saga. Today is May 17th, 2011 and one of my readers (a new addition as a reader) asked me "how did you unite with others afterwards?"
Now I will write whatever I remember.
We woke up in the morning, had a bath in the attached tiny bathroom. The hotel waiter brought us a bucket of hot water. W came back and sat the front room of the booking office. All the autowalas started coming one by one. They were all looking at us. Each and everyone was whole heartedly sorry for us. Around 8 a.m., an auto arrived. We saw my husband Rao, our (useless) guide Anbu and another friend from the group Shankara narayana (who adopted me as his sister). I ran and hugged Rao. Shankara narayana and Rao hugged both of us. We never hugged anyone like that. I started sobbing. Anbu looked very compassionate at that time. He was equally worried for the two of us. He immediately went into my good books. They told us how they spent a sleepless night worrying about us and so on. Rao also had a small adventure. He trekked down all by himself in only his socks. Someone stole his brand new walking shoes. When he came down, he also forgot the name of our hotel. By 10 p.m. he somehow located it with a land mark.
All the autorickshaw drivers were watching us like they did a happy ending of a movie.
Suddenly I remembered the driver who drove us around the previous night. He was parked at a distane and when I asked them, they unanimously declared that he was the one. I walked over, gave him 500 rupees (that I took from the 'brother') and thanked him. We reached the hotel.

Our Vaishnodevi adventure - Jammu, Kashmir area

Vaishno Devi Temple of Mata Maha Kali, Mata Maha Lakshmi and Mata Maha Saraswati is one of the heavily visited Hindu shrines.  This is located in the Udhampur District in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a shakti peetham. Who and when it was built? -  there was no information on that.

The facilities and cleanliness throughout are very impressive.

Reaching Vaishno Devi by railway is a relatively economical way and you can easily get the super fast and express trains for the various destinations of India including Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai. 

Road access to Vaishno Devi is very convenient also. The region has well-maintained network of state and national highways. We passed through destinations that connect Jammu (the nearest transit point of Vaishno Devi) namely Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Jallandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Chandigarh, Delhi, Jwalaji and Srinagar - of which Jalandhar and Jwalaji, we did it on our own, not with the group even though they were supposed to take us to those places. 

The shrine is at an altitude of 5200 feet and visited by millions of devotees each year. One can trekk, take a doley or a helicopter. We had the option of the latter two. Rao opted for the trekking the 12 to 14 kilo meters. I heard that you can do one way trekking also. The helicopter would take you to only a certain point and then we walk another 5 kms. So, Nirmala and I decided to go by the doley all the way, to and fro. Trekkers can hire a porter to carry our baggage, if any. The whole climb is a paved path and very clean with all neccessary fecilities for food, bathroom and so on.

Let me go back to the beginning. From Delhi, one can take an overnight train to Jammu and it is additional 3 hours by bus to Katra (the base camp) where the hike begins. Since we were travelling by bus from Delhi anyway, we did not have to look for alternate arrangements. Thanks to the useless Travel agency we picked, we had a long overnight journey by a very uncomfortable bus from Delhi to Jammu anyway..

We took an auto rickshaw to the office where you book the doleys. The cost was 3200 rupees total, out of which we paid 800 rupees there and the balance to be given to the doley group after our return. They are all registered with the Govt. and so you are safe and secure.

After approx 7 km of hike you'll reach AdhKawari (Ardh-kawari). This is where Mother Goddess meditated for 9 months in a cave attaining spiritual wisdom and powers. The pilgrims wait in queue to enter the holy cave.

A token is issued - one per family/group. The typical wait time after the token number varies.
The doley carriers stop at this midpoint for tea and snacks. You pay extra for this.

Some take a dip in the cold water here. We did not.

I felt that we walked alot after getting off the doley to reach the line that walked through the maze. Finally, when you reach the marble cave where the actual manifestation of Vaishno Devi resides, you are allowed to worship just for a couple of seconds. The crowd is so much that they cannot allow you to stand for longer than 5 seconds. Perhaps it depends on the season!!

Also, I bought a package of kumkum (sindhoor) to offer to Mata and to bring it back as prasadam to family and friends. But the security did not allow it even though it was a sealed package.

The pilgrims keep reciting "Jai Mata Di" all through out the journey from Katra to the Mandir and back. People much older than me were trekking and I felt ashamed for being carried in a doley.

Watch out for aggressive monkeys who can snatch any small bags that you are carrying.

After worshipping at this Temple, you may go over to Bhairon Temple. This is at a  further higher altitude and steep. This is at an elevation of approx 6600 feet. It is very scenic, but I did not carry my camera to any Temple this trip.

We had great darsan and there was another couple from Anantapur who tagged along with us. We were the only ones that took doley ride.

So far, things ran smooth. I will write about our adventure in my next post.

Near the Golden Temple - Amritsar

This is a must see Temple. Soooo serene and calm!!!

More photos.......

Kheer Bhavani

Adi Shankara

I forgot where these were taken.

Kheer, Khir or Ksheer are all the same

The Kheer Bhavani temple is situated at Tullamula in the Srinagar district. The Kheer Bhavani temple is devoted to Ragnya Devi, a Hindu Goddess. Representing the goddess is a sacred hexagonal spring at Tullamula village, which houses a small marble temple. The legend goes that Lord Rama worshipped Ragnya Devi during his exile. After the exile period got over, Rama asked Lord Hanuman to shift the seat of the goddess.
It was the wish of Mother Ragnya that her seat be place at Khir Bhavani Mandir in Kashmir. And this wish was conveyed in a dream to a pandit, Raghunath Gadroo. The temple of Ragnya Devi is called "Kheer Bhawani" because numerous devotees offer milk and kheer to the sacred spring. It is believed that milk and kheer turn to black color to warn of any impending disaster. We were told that the spring water changes color frequently. Maharaja Pratap Singh got the temple constructed in 1912. Later, Maharaja Hari Singh undertook  restoration work on the temple.

The eighth day of the full moon in May( Jeshta ashtami - wow,  my birthday) holds great significance for the devotees of Ragnya Devi. They fast on this day and gather at the temple in huge numbers. It is believed that on this day, the goddess changes the color of the spring's waters. The Kheer Bhavani temple serves as the venue for an annual festival held in May-June, on the occasion of Jeshta Ashtami. During this festival, a large number of Hindus visit the temple to seek blessings of the goddess. Another occasion on which the Kheer Bhavani temple gains special importance is Shukla Paksha Ashtami. On this day, havans/yagnas are performed to please the goddess.

Our adventure continues

www.religiousportal.com/JwaladeviTempleHimachalPradesh.html

I thought that I would post some photos from our trip. No theme, no order yet! We covered Kurukshetra and another Devi Temple near Jalandhar. We are very grateful for all the help we received from the Kapoor family and their niece Charu Malhotra of Cleveland. I will provide the details when I actively start posting again.

Our group and Nirmala and I all ready for the cold weather

On our way to Kashmir

Our Sabari Malai trip - transportation, the weather etc.

We boarded the train at Tirupathi to go Ernakulam (Kerala) on Sep 17th. It was an overnight journey. Very comfortable journey and the fellow passengers were young and helpful. We arrived the next morning and Nirmala's niece's husband Sudarsan picked us up at the station and dropped us off at the Prasanthi hotel, which was walking distance from their apartment. Due to the rains, the climate was cooler than expected. After freshening up, we walked over to their house and had lunch there. On the 19th-20th night, we were to go up the hills. A taxi was arraned to pick us up around 3 a.m. Nirmala decided to spend the day time with her niece's children. Rao and I had good rest in the hotel room itself.
The taxi arrived on time and the journey to Pampa near Sabari Malai was very comfortable. Rao started trekking and Nirmala and I hired the doley. The altitude of the hill is close to 3000 feet, steep and path not so easy to trek. The four men that carried each doley wore very loose slippers. The doley was made up of one bamboo easy chair and two long rods. No cushions, no belts to hold you. They took a short cut and it was the most uncomfortable ride. The cost varied from 2000 to 4000 rupees. After some bargaining, we agreed to pay 2200 rupees each. Throughout the way, there was no problem for bathrooms. You just release anywhere you like.
My palanquin (=palki, doli) carriers, after dropping me off told me that they would be right back in 10 minutes after taking another lady (who had darsan the previous night and who was waiting for them to take her back) down the hill. It took about two and a half hours for them to bring us up the hill. By then, I learned the India unit of time. No matter who says it, when they say 'five minutes' it could be upto five hours. I tried to argue with them, but they left anyway. We had great darsan and we finished it in 40 minutes. We were not allowed to go near the idol anyway. The darsan was only from a few feet away.
Now, after walking over to the doley parking area, Nirmala's doley was ready and my people retuned only after 2 hours. Then they put me on a different chair, smaller and more uncomfortable. It was a scary ride coming down. I will never go on a doley again. Rao was blissfully walking and enjoyed the beautiful vegetation!!!
I will write about the actual darsan in detail in my next post. Don't forget to click on Pampa in the second paragraph. Click here to see the scenic beauty of the place.

It was a happy ending - or a new beginning

Now that I am back in my own nest in Cleveland, I look back to see what happened in this trip. Since I could not post much during the yatra, I thought of walking backwards and cover from the last few days in India. the purpose of our trip now appears to be very different from a spiritual pilgrimage. The focus was more on compassion, seva, self analysis, some transformation!!!
Things started being calm and blissful since a week ago Thursday. Rao was not with us - so I have to speak for only myself and my life. He was and he is still in Hyderabad with his brothers. I am sure it is gradually improving for him also. Anyway, on the 14th, Nirmala and I visited the local ISKCON Temple in Tirupathi. In the past, I showed no interest. The Temple was huge, with exquisite architecture and beatiful vibrations. We spent about an hour enjoying the bliss. Both of us sponsored a free meal for 20 people. My father-in-law's death anniversary was on the 18th and since I could not be at Hyderabad for that, I thought of doing this. Nirmala just followed m - she is very generous and spontaneous for such deeds. We visited two of our old friends' homes to see the Navarathri bomma koluvu.
On Friday we went the Padmavathi Temple in Tiruchanur. The darsan was splendid since the crowd was very little. I felt really great. On Saturday I boarded the train to Chennai and reached Gayatri's in-laws' home by 2 p.m. Rested well in their good company. On Sunday, they took me to Sundaram for Sai bhajans and that, I was craving for a long time. From their we went to the Ramakrishna Math in Mylapore. This was a first experience for me. I listend to the vedic chanting. To our surprise, each individual was blessed by the priest with sacred water. Then we went to the local Shiridi Sai Temple. Being the day of Maha samadhi of Baba, there were many activities going on. Children were singing bhajans in one room. Elderly were chanting Sai names in another. Lectures were going on in another room. We spent time in each room, had some prasadam and returned home.
I felt that my yatra had just begun. I still feel the happiness that I received that day. I owe my thanks to Mohan and Priya for taking me on this one day yatra.

But, prior to this, when Rao also was with us in Chennai in September, they took us to see few other temples.  Local Ayyappan Temple, Hanuman Temple and Kapileswara Temple in Mylapore and Parthasarathy Temple. The Kapileswara, I have visited during my previous visits to Chennai.

Nangainallur(Nanganallur) Hanuman in Chennai:

In 1989, Sri Paramacharyar of Kanchi entrenched this 32 foot Idol of Anjaneya carved out of a single rock. Marui bhakta samajan trust are the ones that wished for this Temple. This Temple is known for bestowing better health to devotees and the idol is believed to have healing powers. The day of our visit, He was adorned with a vada maala that extended far beyond the 32 foot statue. I felt great vibrations in the Temple. No pushing or shouting anywhere.
The other forms indoctrined here are of Sri Rama, Lakshmana and Seetha with Anjaneya, Vinayaka, Raghavendra and Krishna with his consorts Rukmini and Satyabhama.

Each visit was unique and we both felt the bliss immensely. We missed not having our dear friend Nirmala with us. The main reason being she was our companion in all other Temple visits.

About SRI BALAJI TRAVELS of Visakhapatnam

This is the first NO when you want to go with a tour guide. In the USA, we would have put him in jail for fraud. In India, people just seem to make big noise and it ends there. What did they do or did not do?

They promised in a typed flyer a tentative program of Amarnath yatra for 15 days including train travel and rest. The meeting place was Delhi. People could join them from Hyderabad, Rajahmundry, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada. We three opted to travel and pay our fare separately from Tirupathi to Delhi and join the rest there. This was not only economical for us but also we wanted to see Mathura (Brindavan) on the way (it was not included in their program). When we were approaching Delhi, Nirmala called the agency and they gave three names of contact. Two were from the group and the third one was a local tourist agency by name Birla. The first two were not available and the owner Rama Rao of Visakhapatnam would not answer phone calls. Finally, we called Birla and he instructed us to walk over to his office located accross from the station.
When we met Birla, he told us that others in the group were taking a city tour and once they returned, we would be put in a local hotel nearby and we all leave for Jammu/Kashmir area by a bus the next early morning. Imagine traveling 750 km in a bus on Indian roads. Later on, as it turned out, it was a horrible experience. More to come......................................

From the beginning............................

American Airlines service was much better than I had anticipated. I heard so many horror stories prior to my departure which made me repent having chosen the Jetair-AA package. The staff were very pleasant at the Cleveland airport. I had my favorite Bruegger's bagel for lunch at the Cleveland Hopkins airport. Arrived at JFK on time. Rao had a slice of Pizza for lunch there around 3 p.m. In the lobby, we met a couple from Kanchi, returning from the USA. They both were doctors. We had some conversation. She gave me her phone#s just in case we visited that area again. She has a sister in Ahstabula, Ohio (All are Sai devotees).

Now about the visa. Jet air employees were excellent. We had to show our visa also before departure. They advised me to keep the Passport and the Visa (OCI/PIO) always together. The plane looked new. We were given soft wash cloths (cold) to freshen up. Fellow passengers were exchanging seats to keep the families sit together, as much as possible.

Since our tickets were by Jetair, the baggage rules of them applied for us. We were glad that 2 pieces were permitted. Carry-on should only be 22" and 7 kgs. But I saw people bringing in very heavy and big ones inside the plane and they were being squeezed into the cabin above the seats. Jetair did not bother about it inspite of their efficiency in other areas. In addition to that, the staff were moving the luggage from one seat area to another without even consulting or informing the owners. Other than this, no complaints about Jetair.
I will write about Brussels airport next. Jet air stops there for about 3 hours for fuel refill, cleaning and food service etc.

Let me start with positive news

We finished the travel in the Northern part of the country. We still have Sabari Malai and Puttaparthi left. So far we have covered Vaishno Devi, Kurukshetra (place of Sri Krishna's Bhagavad Geetha to the mankind through Mahabharata) Amritsar Golden Temple (a must to visit for all), Mathura and Brindavan (high vibes here - you don't want to leave the premises), Jwalamukhi Devi (one of the Shakti Peethams) near Jalandhar.
I will add details and photos in the future. Atleast this time I have access to a computer at Nirmala's place.
This time I have lots of comments about India, her people and her current tradition and culture, which I want to cover soon.

Yes, we are ready for the Yatra 4

My suit cases are packed. Rao, I am sure, will start soon and finish before 10 a.m. tomorrow. The American Airlines would neither let me print the boarding passes nor let me check-in online. So, we have to be at the Cleveland airport at least 2 hours before departure. From New York, we are flying by Jet Airways and I am looking forward to that. I was told that their service is wonderful. But, I could not get the seats allocation over the phone since they filled 30% of the seats already and they told me that is all they are allowed to do ahead of time. My Travel agent never told me that I could even call them for seats. Now I know and I have to see whether I can get it done in Cleveland itself.  I stopped traveling by Air India because of their poor customer service in the past decades. Now, this is first time I am traveling by American Airlines domestic!!!!!

We land in Chennai airport around midnight. A Taxi will be sent for us from Tirupati and the journey would be about 3 hours. We should reach Nirmala's place by 5 a.m. local time. I will go to Nellore my native place on the 17th to visit my sister(s) and it will be a day trip by bus, a 3 hour journey each way. On the 18th, we will go to Tirumalai for the Shasra Deepa (thousand lights offering) Alankarana of Sri Balaji, also referred to as Malaiappa. Nirmala purchased the sponsor ticket for the event long time ago. We will rest on the 19th and leave for Delhi the next day!!!

I will write my next post as soon as I get a chance to meet an Internet Cafe.

Follow me (us)!!!!!


Sahasra Deepalankarana Seva

Every day evening at 5:30 p.m. Sahasra deepalankarana seva is performed in the Unjal mantapam located on the south eastern corner of the Srivari Temple.

Sri malayappa swami along with Sridevi and Bhudevi are taken out in procession to the mantapa, where one thousand wick lamps are lit. In the midst of vedic chanting and singing of Annamaya Sankirtanas, the Lord seated aon an unjal is rocked gently. The grihasthas who purchased tickets for performance of this seva are given Vastra bahumanam.

Geethanjali and Amma Karunamayi

Recently, Amma Karunamayi visited Cleveland. Myself, my husband Rao and my grand daughter Geethanjali went to have Her blessings. We were approaching the Church door and saw the van coming. We just waited and thought it was proper to have Her go in first. Someone put a garland around Her neck and Geethanjali had 3 jasmine flowers in her hand which she wanted to give at the individual blessings time. Instead, she walked over and offered them to Amma and every one was so thrilled at the sight. As Amma approached the door, I had it wide open for her, feeling grateful for that opportuniy. She looked at me with a beautiful smile and asked "baagunnara amma?" in Telugu. Meaning Are you alright (= How are you?) After she went in, I paid $36.00 to their organisation for Amma to write the Saraswathi Beejaashram on Geethanjali's tongue during individual darsan. They gave her a yellow thread with a pendant hanging on which you could see pictures of Saraswathi on one side and that of Amma on the other. She wore it around her neck.

There was a speech and Srichakram abhishekam first.

It was a long wait for the five year old. Finally, when our turn came, we three approached Amma. I gave an index card with a question written. Geethanjali wrote her name 'Anjali' on her card and gave it to Her.
She blessed us by putting Her hand on our head and pressing it.

Amma wrote the saraswathi beeja akshram on the little one's tongue with a Tulasi (sacred basil) stem.

Now comes the interesting part. Geethanjali, with full reverence, spoke in Telugu. Asked Amma "nenu Durga suktham neyrchukunnanu, naanna nerpadu naaku, inka yemi neyrchukomantaru, Amma?" (Meaning = I learned 'Durga Suktham', my father taught me and what do you want me to learn more, amma?') Amma took it very seriously and replied "Saraswathi, Medha suktham neyrchuko" (meaning = 'Saraswathi, learn Medha suktham'). Anjali nodded her head. Turning to me, Amma said "ammayi chaala humble"= this girl is very humble/polite.

I was filled with happiness. And I felt really proud of Geethanjali.

Yatra 4, almost ready

I would just like to mention all the places we plan to visit in July and August, 2010.

Tirupathi to Delhi, Delhi to Jammu/Kashmir.

Amarnath, Vaisno Devi (we have decided to take the Helicopter - no 45 km trekking)
Kurukshetra, Amritsar (Golden Temple) and then to Jalandhar.

From Jalandhar, we take a Taxi to Dharmasala, Jwalamukhi and return to Jalandhar.

Train to Rishikesh from Jalandhar, Taxi to Badrinath from Rishikesh (we missed going to Joshi Math Shankara peetham during our first trip to Badrinath. So, we have decided to include it in this yatra since we will be in the vicinity anyway. Night stay at Badrinath/rishikesh.

Return to Delhi by Taxi from Rishikesh. We were planning to go to Jaipur, Mathura etc., but it was cancelled by our domestic planners in India. Time and health and energy permitting, we will visit Pandaripur. By the way one more sakthi peetham in Assam, Kamakhya also is on the agenda.
Finally, Pandaripur to Solapur to Tirupathi.

As we continue our journey, I will make notes and start posting whenever a computer becomes available.

For the time being, my readers will know that Yatra 4 is REAL!!!!!!!

If all goes well, we will go to Sabari Malai in September after visiting our immediate families and some friends.

Thats all folks!!! Thanks for joining and following.!!!!!

I found these interesting.....................

http://www.earthrainbownetwork.com/FocusArchives/June212010Meditation.htm

With so many natural disasters occuring on Mother Earth, I feel and believe that these meditations should help.
I would like to add the following prayer for the benefit of oneself as well as for the fellow human beings.
This prayer is from within the above link. I posted this separately for those who don't want to go through the whole link.

I am a soul
A divine spark of the Infinite
That gave birth to this universe.

I remember Who I am
and serve the Greater Purpose of Life
as One with All That is.

I came here with many other souls
to assist in the expansion of Light
on this living planet Earth.

I accept to let Love
Be the guiding beacon of my life
and to shine Its radiance in every moment.

I am a soul
and the sole purpose of my existence
is to be All That I Am.

So be it.

Astrological info.

http://www.librarising.com/astrology/misc/feb1962.html

http://www.greatdreams.com/2012.htm

For the past few days the thoughts of 'Ashtagraha kootami' of 1962 had been haunting me. So, I searched in the panchangam for the dates that happened in 1962. Per the 110 year panchangam (almanac) book that I have it happened on Feb 4th and 5th in 1962. Click on the first link and see the interesting diagrams.

Also, there has been so much talk about the Mayan Calendar and many predictions for Dec 12 (or 21) of 2012. I strongly believed until yesterday that it was not the end of the world, but change in our awareness for the better. Now with so many natural disasters happening and Earth is being physicaaly going through so much turmoil and changes, I stared wondering whether a disaster  or an end is really approaching!!
The second link shows a lot of research done and compiled by someone and is quite interesting.

I am still planning to go to the Kumbh Mela in 2012 in Prayag/Allahabad. According to the same panchangam, all but Mars (kuja) are lining up in one sign (not Aquarius) this time in December. Need to do more research on that!!!!!

Hope you all enjoy this post.
Our next yatra is starting pretty soon, in July.

Maha Kumbha Mela 2012 - 2013 and who wants to join????

I know our 2010 yatra has not begun and you must be wondering 'Is she crazy? Already she is jumping into 2012-2013? Last night we were talking to a friend Linda and she wants to go. We are hoping that Sri Babaji mentioned in Paramahamsa Yogananda's 'Autobiography of a Yogi' will give us His darsan.That triggered my search and I want to go too. I very much wanted to go in 2000-2001 and could not. Below is a website which throws lot of light on the sacred festival. I want to finish all my yatras before 2014.

Maha Kumbh Mela:

www.kalpavasi.com/rs-758-cr-plan-maha-kumbh-2012-13-prayag.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahavatar_Babaji

Amarnath and Vaishno Devi trekking tour

We got a lot of information from many websites. But the one link below gave the clear virtual tour. It is beautiful, like the Rocky mountains that I have seen in Colorado. If trekking, I would not attempt riding on a Pony.

After seeing this virtual tour of Amarnath trekking, I am glad we decided to take the Helicopter tour.

Now regarding Vaishno Devi, this site was informative.

Hot vs. Cold - between yatras

We are planning to go to Amarnath next summer !!!!!

The above photo is our street looking from our door step. The clouds are waiting to add more snow.


For those of you in Andhra Pradesh, India, wondering how life is for me in the winter!! - It is your 30 + degrees C  vs. 0 degrees C here in Cleveland, Ohio.

Here are photos to give you an idea of how the outside looks for me now. In the photo above, see the icycle hanging in the corner. It is about 6 feet long.

The photo below is just in front of our house.

My grand daughters

By now, all of you know that I have two precious grand daughters. Geethanjali will be 5 on June 16th and Sharanya will be 2 next Saturday, Jan 9th. I can't believe it.

Currently Sharanya is doing her own yatra in India, having Baba's darsan in Puttaparthi. This is her second visit to the Holy place - already !!! About her, she remembers everything you tell her, I thought only Geethanjali was a memory bank !!!!. I am sure she will communicate in her own way about her grand and great grand parents in India and also her uncle (chittappa) Sridhar when she returns. I daily think of her words "bye ammamma' whenever she doesn't want to continue the conversation. She likes the fast dancing whenever I sing 'taam dhittaam....' over the phone.

Geethanjali is also a divine soul. She recently told me that before she came 'here', she was with Krishna, Rama, Buddha etc. and then she was placed in her mother's womb (stomach) by The Buddha. I did not ask her - it was her own spontaneous statement. Makes me wonder who she was in her previous birth!!!