Vellore

It was hard to leave Lost but exciting also. A long day travelling, via Singapore, then a 2 hour + car drive in the early hours to reach Sri Narayni Peedam. Located in Tamil Nadu state at Ariyur, near Vellore, this ashram is an oasis amongst the colour & movement that is India & home to the famous Golden Temple & seat of The Divine Mother. In order to completely understand the how & why of this place I recommend you have a look at the website.

https://www.narayanipeedam.org.

It will be my home for the next 2 weeks. I like it here despite feeling as though I am on a film set! However, not quite the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel!! Our rooms are spartan but very clean with everything we need & all requests are swiftly dealt with. There is a dining room where we can go for included meals & the "Divine Cafe" is nearby.
There are devotees of Amma here of all ages from every corner of the globe. Some come for a week, others months or years. Activities have been slightly curtailed as Anne has been quite sick since we arrived. High fever, (slowly coming down) & flu symptoms but she has been checked out at the hospital & we have been told to wait a few days. Fingers crossed. So I have just been exploring, sometimes with Edie & chatting with some very interesting people. Daily ayurvedic treatments will ensure I come home a new woman. I've also been witnessing the poojas conducted by Amma each night which is considered very auspicious. These are quite fascinating ceremonies of worship to the Hindi goddess Narayani. You can see them on the Sripuram Sri Narayani Peedam Facebook page. I am getting used to life here - not eating with my left hand (usually there are forks), not forgetting to wear my scarf, learning slowly about the food & the meaning of the head wobble! Waking to the sound of chanting is a lovely start to the day.
Unfortunately, no photos are allowed on the Temple grounds, so I have stolen them from a book. When there is no chanting there is devotional music piped everywhere. Sometimes discordant with loud trumpety noises & lots of drumming. You get used to it!! Czytaj więcej