Pilgrimage around mount Arunachala, India

On one of the mornings in Thiruvannamalai, India our yoga teacher Ganga took us on a pilgrimage: circumnavigating the holy mount Arunachala. Normally that is done in bare feet on full-moon and festival days with thousands of pilgrims, but one can also walk the 14km circle in one's own time. The circumambulation is considered to be a sacred act and beneficial in all ways. According to Sri Ramana Lord Shiva resides on mount Arunachala.

We started at the side of the huge Arunachaleswar temple complex and circled around the extinct volcano clock wise. 

I had taken my camera with me on this tour thinking I could take photographs while walking, but the pace was too high to keep up so after a while I decided to split from the group together with another member and to tour the mountain at our leisure.

We took a coffee here, a break there and after some time we were looking desperately for a toilet but could not find any. We decided to take a rickshaw to town for lunch and not before long we met the other members in one of our hotspots. This post gives an impression of the tour.

Members of our travel group. 

 Indian woman carrying a basket in one of the roads of Thiruvannamalai, India.

Indian woman tending the garden at a small ashram we saw on the way.

Above and below: monkeys on the scaffolding of the Arunachaleswar Temple. 

Almost all trucks are embellished and have the notification sound horn painted on the back. Traffic in India is very noisy and hectic.

See also: Travel Day in India, our resort in Thiruvannamalai, Pondicherry, Auroville.