Shiva Skanda Vel

Arunachala has been held sacred for many centuries — worshipped as the very form of Lord Shiva, fire made mountain. On a small plot of land near the Aadhi Annamalai Temple, we are making a place where people can stay in its presence — and from which to serve the people and animals of the area.

We are building a small retreat house on a plot of land near the Aadhi Annamalai Temple, to be a quiet place for devotees to spend time in the presence of the mountain. The house will be modest — a few rooms, a kitchen, a shrine — built using traditional materials by local craftsmen.

Around it, and from the beginning, the trust gives service to the people and animals of the area — food for those who are hungry, support for poor families and schoolchildren, and care for the animals of the area. Prayer and service belong together here; neither comes second.

The work is unfolding slowly, as it should. The land is prepared, the borehole is in, and the building will follow.