In search of the unknown...

Velliangiri Mountains the Southern Kailash of India

I set out on my journey to the Isha Foundation which is located almost 40 Kms from Coimbatore city, in the foothills of Velliangiri hills. Velliangiri – Known as the Southern Kailash is part of the Nilgiri biosphere, green and lush.

I and just my own wandering soul started from Chennai on Friday, my flight Indian Airlines was as usual an hour late. I was left with no other option other than to just sit and pursue my all time hobby of gapeing at people – not many actually because it was late afternoon and there were no International flights that were taking off. Bought some nice munchies from Krishna Sweets as my good ol’ intuition told me that I may not be able to get to eat this kind of stuff in the Ashram (I was proved right). The journey was horrible, the captain decided to give us a nice roller coaster ride… the landing was soooo rough….the sandwich I ate almost reached my mouth (yuck! I can’t even think abt it…)


Tastefully done Ashram

I had a pick up at the Airport; we started towards the Isha Ashram. It was indeed a long journey by road; Coimbatore’s weather was a welcome relief from scorching Chennai heat. After half an hour I caught the first glimpse of the Nilgiri Mountains, just the outline as if some artist had drawn a pencil sketch for me. I was quite excited even at this very first and faint sign of the mountains. All along the way I kept track of these mountains, getting close to them by every mile. Slowly and steadily every whiff of air that passed through me started carrying the sweet smell of mountain herbs replacing the Carbon monoxide feel that I was use to. All along the way I found hoardings carrying the pictures of Dhyanalinga and Sadguru indicating the distance to the Ashram, bringing a gleam to my eyes. Reached the Ashram after an hour and half, a beautiful peacock crossed our way, carelessly sweeping its colorful feathers on the rocks…what a WELCOME!

Spanda Hall a picturesque view

I reached the Spanda hall running and walking, as I was late for the registration. Thankfully I registered myself on time and attended the introductory session. The crowd was more than what I had expected, there were about 150 people. The group could easily fit a normal distribution curve (bell curve) in terms of its age group (majority of them in their 30’s and 40’s).

Interiors of Spanda Halls done with Mural Paintings

During the introductory session I could not help but to gape at the beautiful paintings on the walls….I have read that the yogic saga of Lord Shiva has been translated into what is claimed to be the largest mural painting in the world. The theme of the painting was describing the life of a Yogi, but the details were enigmatic. At the center there was a huge dias with three steps leading to a seat covered with sparkling white sheets. A huge laminated photo of Sadguru was adorning the seat (Sadguru's throne). The backdrop was quite interesting; huge mountainous rocks were piled on top of the other to give an earthy feel. It was very tastefully done. One more thing that I noticed about the place was that there were snake forms everywhere. Don’t get alarmed! Not live ones, but in the form of designs…it was everywhere….right from door knobs, fences, wall hangings even as finger rings of the Ashram inmates. Snakes in our culture represent the mystic life energy (kundalini). So in the Ashram I could see this life energy sitting, standing and walking all over the place.

Will continue to explore...