Sprituality, lots of it...

Last weekend started on a spiritual note. The cell phone alarm went off at 0620 hrs and I was up in a jiffy. A refreshing cold water bath later, I was headed to Mylapore. Kapaleeswarar temple. That I had to rush back home after the visit is a different story altogether. You generally dont have too much to do on a Saturday morning at home, and that too when you have woken up early. Off to Triplicane, Parthasarathy temple. Its been a real long time, since I visited this temple. One more darshan later, I was happy that atleast few of my sins have been washed away, and that my spiritual meter is showing a higher reading. But wait, there is more to come.

My cousin had already invited me to the Tiruvannamalai girivalam to be done later in the day. Well the concept is simple, lakhs of devotees throng the temple town to go around the temple, and the mountain which is believed to be Lord Shiva himself. It is a 16 km walk, and supposed to a spiritually uplifting experience. I was in a dilemma whether to go, but then decided to, if not for the spiritual nature of it, for the boasting rights - Been there, Done that.

The start itself was a bit of a setback. Reached the bus station to find a snaking long queue of devotees to board the bus. But atleast the government were proactive, and involved in crowd control. It took an hour and a half to board the bus and move off. Things were normal, we were 2.5 hrs into the journey, and another 1.5 to go. BOOM - the tyre goes bust. First point of delay. Half hour of loitering, the bus was showing no signs of getting back into shape. So, had to catch another local bus, but the next 20 minutes were spent holding on at the foot board, with the chilly wind numbing the senses. Luckily, got a chance to move in after some time. Spent near the driver, counting the passing milestones, and a reverse countdown. The driver was bothered the least in driving on the highway, and took all the village roads, but finally dropped us some way from the temple. Already we could sense the huge crowd, which had descended on this town. A short dinner later, we were on our way.

We joined the scores of devotees already on their way. We were maintaining a steady pace and our aim was to finish it in 3 hrs at the latest. It was pretty uneventful for most part, but the huge crowd did not make the job easier. Most people seem to be doing just out of compulsion and not with a sense of purpose. The conversations going around ranged from cinema to politics whereas I believed spirituality would be the unifying factor (I too was a culprit). The crowd was so huge that it made even walking at a brisk pace, difficult. The town was in throes, and the people were not helpful either. There was trash all around, found people answering the nature's call on the very hillock that they revered and were circumambulating. So much for a spiritual trip, and people's beliefs. We managed to complete successfully, with a single break and aching heels, in 2 hrs and 13 minutes.

And then the return journey. Our seats were right at the door, and the chilly winds blowing throughout the return journey hardly let catch up on some sleep. Thankfully, I anticipated and carried my sweat shirt. I was warm and cozy when I landed back in Chennai the next morning. And then I had to start off for Tirupati later in the day...