December 2012 
Thiruvannamali, S. Central India

 A friend from Washington suggested I go to 'Thiru'.  It's a special place near a mountain with a very pleasant climate not as hot as the areas around it.  So I took a train fromTrichy to visit.  I stayed for three weeks.
The train station.  Notice the man's attire.  But no shorts for women.  
And shoulders and knees should be covered.
In the train station, I was thinking how dirty the floor was
 and then men would just lay out on the floor.  
Then I laughed at myself.  I guess it wasn't that dirty to everyone. 
The mountain and the outskirts of the town which is where most of the foreigners stay.
This was my view every day.  I stayed in  the top little studio on the top of this building.  This is a rich person's house know as Brahams.  Brahams are the upper class.  You an tell they are rich because they have a house and they own it.  They rented many apartments out in this house mostly during the months of January and February.
It feels very rural even though the area has 3.5 million people.
ComCTTThere are many ponds for people to bathe in  There is usally one near the temples.
Ramana Maharshi is a very well known enlightened one that left his body in 1950. 
 This is his ashram where people go to meditate or give or get blessings.
Making flower designs to celebrate the life of Ramana Maharshi.
Cows roam the streets.  On the upper left wall is a monkey.  
There is also one standing in the street on the left side.
  
At first the monkeys were cute.
But then one intimidated me until I dropped the banana peel.
I didn't think the peel was valuable without the banana but I was wrong.
Tailors shop.
Outside the tailor's shop.
Lemons are good luck for the New Year.
Standard electrical panels in most buildings and rooms.  There are a lot of switches.  
Usually only about one quarter of them are hooked up to anything.
All the tuk tuks waiting to take tourists around to the little village.

 Design are made outside of doors every morning.  They start out with a white chalk design that that is specific to that family.  Then color is added and often flowers.  Vases made out of cow dung allows the flowers to last all day in the heat.
Another design outside a house.
Below, a funeral with a canopy for shade.
Fireworks on Christmas Eve caused a heart attack of a 50 something year old man.  Within a very short time, the canopy was set out so people could come and give their condolences and grieve together over the deceased man.  The people that were closest to him would put them arms around each others shoulders in a circle and wail loudly and long.  A friend of mine was staying upstairs to the event.  She didn't get much sleep for two days.
I went to see the temple here in Thiru.
Walking up the mountain looking down in the cool morning haze.
Each temple is different and has a different flavor.
Sunday at the temple.
A close up of one of the roofs.
Ganesh.
An long roofed path leading to one of the entrances.
A group of pilgrims going to the temple.
The stalls outside the temple selling flowers and trinkets.
People love to have their picture taken by foreigners.
I think they feel like a celebrity and they 
had contact with a foreign person at the same time.
 Even the policemen kidded each other until I took their photograph.
During the full moon of every month, there is a tradition of walking around the mountain.  It is taken very seriously by the Hindus.  Many international people walked around in as well.  It took about 3 1/2 hours to complete the walk.  I was pacing myself but I was passing people carrying their infants around, and little 1 and 3 year olds.  I didn't feel as adventurous after I saw all the other people walking around.  I think there might have been close to a million people walking around the mountain oer a period of 48 hours.  It was amazing!
It was one large mass of people moving around the mountain with vendors selling food and water along the way.  Loud speakers were set up the entire route that played Oms to inspire us.
A sacred cow statue.  We waited until 5pm to start as it was hot during the afternoon.
This man stood next to the god.  I think he was guarding it and
 helping people put additional flower garlands around the statue.
The people in this region of India spoke limited English.  Usually the shop keepers or the people who dealt with tourists spoke English, but the general population did not.  So it was often a mystery regarding the traditions.  Often things are done as an offering to the gods for good things to come their way.  I believe this was the reason for the tree decoration.