my visit to the birthplace of Sri Adi Sankara

[Bhaskar]

I just got back from a week in the south Indian state of Kerala, where I stayed at the Chinmaya International Foundation, a centre of the Chinamaya Mission dedicated to scholarship and research into Indology. The centre is located in the estate belonging to the family in which Sri Shankaracharya's mother was born. It is in this house that he was born and lived until his upanayanam (thread ceremony). The house an rooms are preserved as they were in the days of Shankara.

These are pictures of the house from the outside.

http://chinfo.org/Gallery/Nilayam/Nilayam-1.gif
http://chinfo.org/Gallery/Nilayam/Nilayam-2.gif

The next two pictures show the room in which Sri Adi Shankara was born. This room is full of the most wonderful spiritual vibrations and is a wonderful place for meditation as the mind becomes immediately indrawn and silent.

http://chinfo.org/Gallery/Nilayam/Nilayam-4.gif
http://chinfo.org/Gallery/Nilayam/Nilayam-3.gif


The fifth picture is an aerial view of the house, showing the open courtyard in the centre as was the architectural style of the times.

http://chinfo.org/Gallery/Nilayam/Nilayam-5.gif

The next two are shots of the corridors bordering the courtyard In those days the womenfolk would gather there and sing songs and hold dances.

http://chinfo.org/Gallery/Nilayam/Nilayam-7.gif
http://chinfo.org/Gallery/Nilayam/Nilayam-9.gif


Then is a picture of the courtyard, with its central plant, thulasi.

http://chinfo.org/Gallery/Nilayam/Nilayam-11.gif

The picture after that is a view of the temple of lord Iyappa (Muruga, elder son of lord Shiva), this is in the typical style of kerala temples very different from those found in other parts of India.

http://chinfo.org/Gallery/Nilayam/Nilayam-10.gif

This is the temple pond.

http://chinfo.org/Gallery/Nilayam/Nilayam-6.gif

And finally a close up of some of the beautiful artwork in wooden panels of the main house.
http://chinfo.org/Gallery/Nilayam/Nilayam-8.gif

May Shankara Bhagawans blessings be with us all on whatever path we tread.

Hari Om :)

[makno]

those are cool pics ......tulsi is what we call albaca and they call basil ...do you know the latin name of that tree in the center? ..... it must be nice and warm down there ...bananas cocos ....what else they grow there ? dude told me its a lot like purto rico

[Chodpa]

Not totally positive but the tree looks either like Ashoka or Neem, Saraca indica, or Azadiracta indica respectively.


I have some sort of memories of Adi Shankara. I believe that I knew him in past lives.

Thanks for the journal.