Here is a portfolio of 18 photos by Dev Gogoi, all but one of Tiruvannamalai where he has been based since 1988. He began taking pictures with a camera he was given in 1992, and this is a selection of his best over a 12-year period, communicating something of the variety and richness of life at the feet of the sacred mountain Arunachala, the supreme Lord Shiva himself according to the ancient local tradition. They are available as picture postcards, 6" x 4", via email: mountain_of_light@rediffmail.com Please enjoy.

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Banyan Cart: A timeless rural scene in Tiruvannamalai with Mount Arunachala in the background.

Aarati: The daily evening worship to the Mandakini River at Chitrakoot in central India.

 

Nataraja: On MahaShivaRatri, the night dedicated to Shiva the Supreme, devotees tend to the giant sand-painting in the Big Temple in Tiruvannamalai depicting Shiva as Nataraja, the Lord of Dance.

Flowers: A field of marigolds at the feet of Arunachala. Flowers are a small but significant agricultural crop for the drought-prone rural
economy, and testifies to the essential need for saying it with flowers in the daily life of the local people--in worship and rites of passage.

Gopurams: Tens of thousands of devotees throng the Big Temple in the heart of Tiruvannamalai during the annual 10-day Deepam festival.

Pali Tirtam: Arunachala and the shrines in Ramana Maharshi's ashram reflected in the waters of Pali Tirtam.

Children: Local kids glimpsed at the gates of a temple dedicated to the Mother Goddess.

GuruPurnima: The summer full moon dedicated to the Guru rising over Arunachala, and reflected in the rockpools
of the stone quarry near Adiannamalai, the village on the other side of the Mountain from Tiruvannamalai.

Peacock: India's national bird finds a safe haven within the grounds of Ramanasramam.

Clouds: Bird's-eye view of Mount Arunachala and the town of Tiruvannamalai.

Ladies Puja: Ladies from the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh perform 'Naagula Chouvati', a special snake-worship at the base of an old bodhi tree, on the fourth day after Deepavali, the annual Festival of Light.

Sadhu Dusk: A sadhu at dusk on the lower slopes of Arunachala.

Deepam: The sacred flame which is ceremonially lit atop Mount Arunachala at the climax of the annual 10-day Deepam festival in Tiruvannamalai
which draws several million devotees each year. This beacon is kept alight for more than a week and is visible for miles around.

Monkeys: Mothers and babies in a quiet moment at Skandashram, an idyllic hermitage on
the slopes of Mount Arunachala where Ramana Maharshi lived from 1916 to 1922.

Tiru Night: The Big Temple and the town of Tiruvannamalai all lit up to celebrate the annual Deepam festival.

Esanya: Arunachala floating over Esanya Tirtam, one of the many sacred tanks which encircle
the Mountain, while an early riser combines laundry and a bath--a common local practice.

Nandi: Devotees whisper wishes and prayers into the ear of Nandi the Bull, the foremost devotee of Lord Shiva. Nandi is always depicted seated and facing his Lord.

Winnowing: Processing the rice harvest in the traditional way around Arunachala--with the wind and animals and manpower.