Our series of images from Tanjavur today take us up, up into the perspective of the millennium and these words of Gurudeva take on super-solid meaning...

"There are many people in the world today intent on taking your religion away from you. Saivites have the greatest and philosophically most comprehensive and deeply experiential religion in the world. Saivites have moved their religion forward for five to ten thousand years. At no time in history has the Saivite religion not been on this planet. The Tamil people especially have moved the Saivite religion forward, year after year after year, through bhakti. And it is your religion. It is in your DNA, and no one can take that religion away from you. But you must steel your mind, make your mind strong through knowledge, through religious education."

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Bodhinatha enters the famed temple of Brihadiswarar in Tanjavur, India.

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Young couples are a more and more common sight here at the Aadheenam. We see the future generations of pilgrims being carried by their fathers and mothers.

Here is Jonathan, Sabita and little Ethan from California. Jonathan is originally from England, Sabita from Trinidad and Ethan was born in the US. They were quite inspired with Iraivan and said that it is just amazing to know that there is someone who could conceive a vision of a temple that is built to last for a 1000 years.

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Just recently engaged to be married, Renghan and Lakshmi from Houston, Texas. They were surprised to find out about the monastery from a kayak tour they took a few days ago. Loved the view of the Wailua River and Waialeale and enjoyed the gardens very much. Renghan's parents are originally from Tamil Nadu. Lakshmi is from Kerala. Both were amazed to find out that Hinduism Today was published here on a little Island by monks. Commented that we have truly blended the best of the East with the best of the West producing the timeless wisdom of Hinduism using computer technology.

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	Himalayan Academy Travel Study Programs
	2004 Indian Odyssey January 19, 2004 - February 5, 2004 Bangalore, Madurai, Thanjavur, Chennai and Nearby Temples: Palani Hills, Pillaiyarpatti, Chidambaram, Swamimalai, Kanchi and others

Day 14 of Innersearch brought the somewhat sad departure from Madurai where we had spent 5 wonderful days, but now we looked forward to the deepening of temple experiences to come. It was a four-hour bus ride to get to Tanjavur and we all were up early for a final glimpse of the gopurams of Meenakshi temple. If someone were to ask us what we felt was the special nature of the darshan and sannidhya of Meenakashi, we can say, after a long meditation in the back of her sanctum, that the power here is very much a manifestation of what we have studied in words, but which here can be felt as a palpable reality. Parashakti is the outpouring of Being, Consciousness and Bliss, that issues forth from the Transcendent.
Satchidananda, the formless radiance, is the blessing felt here, and yet, full of the compassion, the love of the Mother.

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We are on the road again. We drive by the all important Cauvery River which is the source of the water that made the Madurai and Tanjavur districts the rice bowl of the south.

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Brahmacharini Barathy Sockanathan makes notes during the ride.

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A "rest" stop for much needed relief as the buses are not equipped with facilities. Men's corner....

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Ladies on the left....the sun is bright and the air is dry.

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A chance to stretch our legs.

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Stephanie and Asha pose for our camera.

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Jnanideva Cevvel from Edmonton, Canada.

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Josan Feathers from Southern California.

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We arrive in Tanjavur and the participants are taken to the hotel while Sadhaka Dandapani and Sadhaka Tejadevanatha head for what is known as the Big Temple.

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Brihadiswarar Siva temple is dated at around 1012 AD. Built by the great King Rajaraja Chola.

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This is the "side shrine" to Lord Muruga in the back of the compound... a very powerful small temple in it's own right.

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The history of this place is a bit surprising... worship of Lord Siva here was abandoned and the temple was over-grown. Roots of plants had invaded the walls, entered the spaces between the stones and were threatening to destroy the temple.

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Only in the last century was the temple discovered and taken up as an archeological restoration project. When we were here on earlier innersearches in the 1980's, it had more the vibration of an empty museum. But today we feel a new shakti as daily worship and a steady stream of bhaktars shows a new revival of Siva worship in one of mankind's most incredible monuments. The "Big Temple" is coming to live again!

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Back at the hotel we have an excellent class room. Bodhinatha continues with his classes on the Yamas and Niyamas with the theme of "Becoming a Better Person."

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He hits very close to home by giving participants opportunities to examine their own behavior and make notes on changes they can make in their lives.

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Covered with garlands...

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The following morning, after a good night's rest we head for Brihadiswarar for what was to be one of the highlights of the journey. Bodhinatha at the temple entrance.

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Having matured over the years and seen the work of Iraivan Temple in progress, many of us are more awestruck than ever by the magnificence of this place. An elephant awaits us at the gateway of the East Gopuram.

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These creatures bring a special blessing to the temple and to visitors.

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He garlands each of the swamis.

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It is traditional to give back the elephant a small "tip" of a banana, coconut or rupees for the mahout who cares for him.

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The garland has a stick across the back section that the elephant can hold onto and drop neatly over the head.

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Then he leads the parade to circumambulate the temple.

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The main temple....the capstone at the top weighs 80 tons and was pushed up a ramp that began 4 kilometers away to get it to the top.

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It is difficult to imagine the planning, manpower and skill of implementation for building this huge edifice, 1000 years ago.

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Elephants move really fast. Their pace seems slow, but if every step she takes covers six feet or so, that's moving!

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Sheela Venkatakrishnan stands on the side entrance into the main sanctum... giving you a sense for the massiveness of these stones.

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Around the Muruga sanctum...

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Brightly decorated, we wonder what he is thinking?

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More effort is now being made to give these elephants proper care and treatment.

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The huge compound take about 10 minutes for one round.

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An elder worshipper of Lord Siva, a sadhu, a recluse, an old grandfather fulfilling his sannyas ashrama stage of life? We no not, but the shining eyes full of bliss tell the tale of his "prapatti" surrender to God...

More tomorrow about our morning's events...

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