Lord Ganesha and the Real Age of Enlightenment
“Deluded by ignorance, not being able to see thy lotus feet for thousands of celestial years, we have been in grief, but by your grace we now have your darshan, and are truly blessed. O Lord Ganesha, support of the universe, bless us, bless all, and protect every one! All glories unto you!” — Chapter […]
The Annamalaiyar Shiva Temple: Pilgrimage of Liberation Part II
“I am pleased to announce that Version 2.0 of my documentary, The Shiva Temple of Tiruvannamalai: Pilgrimage of Liberation, is now available on YouTube. This 2.0 version includes updated research, new script content, new video and photo content, and a remastered sound track. This documentary film explores the famed Annamalaiyar Shiva Temple of Tiruvannamalai, Tamil […]
The Annamalaiyar Shiva Temple: Pilgrimage of Liberation Part I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuE7c-dbJ6w Documentary and photograph by Phillip Lucas 2018
Living under the Bilva Tree
Arrival at the Guesthouse It was 4:00 am in the morning and dark. The rickshaw driver took me down a small road. It was a new area I had not explored before. He called the guesthouse manager who suddenly appeared from nowhere it seemed. Being tired from an overnight bus ride I was about ready […]
Visiting the Cosmic Mother at the Beautiful Om Shakti Temple
A young man was selling sugar cane juice. It was freshly made with a machine that squeezed the sugar canes flat and thereby released the juices that people drink. I asked him about the temple across the street. He said it is the Om Shakti Temple and gave me the temple hours. I thanked him […]
Arunachala Hridaya: The Heart of Arunachala
This is an account of an affair of the Heart but not in the usual sense. My very first connection with Arunachala was when I was fifteen years of age and I borrowed a book from the library on the subject. To this day I have no idea what caused me to pick up that […]
Arunachala Grants the Bliss of Glorious Final Liberation
“In the Dravidian region of South India, there is the greatest place called Arunachala, dearest to Chandrasekara (Shiva as moon-crested). It is the abode of Shiva and yogis. Arunachala is to this world what the heart is to the whole body. It is everything for Shiva. For the benefit of the world, Shiva took the […]
My First Visit to the Beautiful Golden Lakshmi Temple near Vellore
The founder of the magnificent Sri Puram Golden Lakshmi Temple, Sri Sakthi Amma born in 1976, as a 16 year old boy had a vision of Narayani while riding the school bus. The energy image of the Mother of the Universe emerged from the boy making itself visible in the sky and after some time the […]
Your Ultimate Packing List for South India
I compiled a packing list for South India based on my own experience. I usually travel with a medium-size backpack as carry-on and an old and weathered Samsonite light-weight travel bag for check-in to stay relatively light while traveling. I wear the heavy clothing like jeans, tennis shoes, and a not too heavy jacket during […]
17 Easy Tips to Plan Your Travel to South India
17 Easy Travel Planning Tips Going to South India To go on a journey all starts with the decision where to go. Questions like when and how to finance your trip are part of the process. Decide on your dream travel destination in India. Where do you want to go, what do you want to […]