Shiva Shakti House

This space embodies the god (Shiva) & goddess (Shakti). It is a sacred space designed to inspire divine love, balance, wholeness and the dance of consciousness within each of us. It was designed using the ancient vedic science of Vastu Shastra. This space embodies the god- Shiva & goddess- Shakti. It is a sacred space designed to inspire divine love, balance, wholeness and the dance of consciousness within each of us. It was designed using the ancient vedic science of vastu shastra (balancing the natural elements of earth, fire, water, air and space) to create a sense of deep connection, harmony and security. Aiming to align guests with their own prana (life force) and the prana of their environment. This balanced masculine & feminine space is deeply nurturing and loving. It is surrounded by the nature (colourful flowers and connection to shiva's mountain- Arunachala). It is a home for self healing, writing, relaxing, meditating, bodywork, yoga, chanting, playing music and to be by the foot of lord Arunachala, the Shiva mountain. Guests will have access to the house and garden space. A manager will be present on the property to support guests. Tiruvannamalai is one of the greatest Saivite shrines in Tamil Nadu, India, drawing hundreds of thousands of pilgrims every full moon. The hill here is considered to be a manifestation of Shiva. Tiruvannamalai is one of the Panchabhoota Stalams signifying the 5 elements of wind (Kalahasti), water (Tiruvanaikka), fire (Tiruvannamalai), earth (Kanchipuram) and space (Chidambaram). Kartikai Deepam festival here is of great significance. Arunachaleshwarar Temple is the very center of town, the temple complex covers 10 hectares, and is one of the largest in India. It houses four gateway towers known as gopurams. The tallest is the eastern tower, with 11 stories and a height of 66 metres (217 ft), making it one of the tallest temple towers in India. The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Annamalaiyar (the form in which Shiva is being worshipped here) and Unnamulai Amman (his wife Parvati) being the most prominent. The temple complex houses many halls; the most notable is the thousand-pillared hall built during the Vijayanagar period. Foreigners are allowed to visit the inner sanctums. Arunachala Mountain is considered an incarnation of Shiva and emanates a very subtle but intense special energy. People go around the mountain ("Giripradakshina", takes 3 to 4 hours), climb up to Skandhashram, Virupaksha Cave where the sage Ramana Mahirishi has been meditating for years (accessible from behind Ramana Ashram or behind Arunachalshwarar temple) or even to the top of the mountain (follow a path from Skandhashram) or just abide peacefully in its presence as many sages have done throughout history. Ramana Ashram a place where lots of Indian and foreign devotees of Ramana Maharishi and Advaita Vedanta philosophy gather. Ramana Maharishi was a sage who lived on Arunachala Mountain all his life after his sudden enlightenment at the age of 16. He is considered the greatest realized sage of the 20th century. The relatively quiet part of town around Ramana Ashram is where you can see lots of middle-to old-aged foreigners in white cotton clothes, especially during the winter season. Many are long time stayers and come to meditate in the Ashram, on the mountain and to attain spiritual gatherings with local and foreign teachers. The area features many good restaurants, local crafts and health food shops. Auspicious Day - Pournami (Full Moon) Day. Auspicious Festivals- Karthigai Deepam is a very famous event: hundreds of thousands of people used to go for Girivallam, around the mountain. All transportation can be arranged by the property manager for an additional fee. Getting to Tiruvannamalai By Flight: Tiruvannamalai doesn’t have an airport of its own. The nearest airport by distance is the Puducherry airport which is about 87 km away. However, this is a very small airport serviced only by a single airline, Spicejet from Bangalore. The closest largest airport by distance is the Chennai International Airport, which is located about 172 km away. Chennai is serviced by all major domestic airlines like Indigo, Go Air, SpiceJet, Air India, Jet Airways among many others, from large cities such as Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and smaller cities such as Portblair, Trichy, Vizag, and many others. International Airlines such as British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Emirates and others have flights to and from places like Kuala Lumpur, London-Heathrow, Frankfurt, Dubai, etc. By Bus: Tiruvannamalai is fairly well connected to multiple cities via bus, especially the larger urban centre’s within the region such as Madurai, Chennai, Bangalore and others. Buses to and from Chennai are operated by travel operators such as Sri Renugambal Travels which charge around 300 rupees for Non-AC buses and around 600 or more for AC buses. There are multiple operators who run buses from other cities such as the SRS Travels From Bangalore. Arunachala Travels runs buses from Tiruvannamalai to Chennai and multiple other cities nearby. These buses run at intervals of almost every half an hour throughout the day. Prices are similar to the ranges mentioned above but vary on the distances being travelled. By Train: Although Tiruvannamalai isn't a major station, there are many connecting trains from the southern route and the eastern coastal route. Major cities aren't connected by train although they can be availed from cities such as Vellore, Puducherry, and Tirupati among others. Long distance trains from Kharagpur and Pune among many others also pass via this station. Trekking: There are many places in and around Tiruvannamalai for trekking as many hills and hillocks offer beautiful and scenic views. One of the common trekking destinations is the Parvathamalai hill 20 km from the city. Other places where you can chalk out your own trekking trails and explore the beauty of the place are Skandashram and Arunachala among others. Rental: Bicycle and Bike rentals are easily available in Tiruvannamalai where you can ride around to visit tourist spots in Tiruvannamalai. Car rental services are also available, although if you want a self-driven car, it would be best to enquire on the spot. House manual WELCOME: To Maha Lakshmi Cottage. We are so pleased you have decided to book with us and hope you have an enjoyable stay (Om Shiva, Om Shakti-an offering to the masculine-feminine or God-Goddess). HIGHLIGHTS: Here are a couple of highlights in choosing to stay with us. We have an abundance of wildlife living or visiting our property (you may see exotic birds- such as the kingfisher, woodpecker or crane. Have a resident gecko in your cottage (they make a beautiful sound and it is said that "if you speak the truth" you will hear their call). See squirrels jumping from tree to tree or insects singing you to sleep in the evenings. We have an abundance of trees (one tip to try during your stay with us- collect some neem leaves (the tree of healing) from our property (for reference our Ganesha deity is sitting under a neem tree) and place the leaves in your bathroom water bucket during the day to soak for an Ayurvedic shower in the evening (using the water bucket cup provided). Neem is a very sacred and medicinal plant in India (anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antimicrobial and anti-parasitic) and is also commonly used as a “toothbrush.” People in India (as well as Africa and the Middle East) have been chewing on neem twigs to clean their teeth for centuries. You can also enjoy an array of plants and plenty of grass and open space in our private garden (a real luxury when living in India). Our property was designed using the ancient vedic science of vastu shastra (balancing the natural elements of earth, fire, water, air and space) to create a sense of deep connection, harmony and security. Aiming to align guests with their own prana (life force) and the prana of their environment. C-FORM's: Are a mandatory requirement for all foreign guest's travelling in India. The C-Form mechanism helps the authorities locate and track foreigners in India to enhance security and safety. Please register your C-Form while you are staying with us at Shanti Internet Cafe (the cafe is located just 5 minutes walk from the main road of Ramana ashram-see link for visual description (Website hidden by Airbnb) within 24 hours of arrival at our property. This arrangement is to support our guests with C-Form registration (please bring your passport, visa details, arrival date and departure date details from our property and your contact details abroad). You will be provided with two photocopies of your C-Form (please keep one copy on you as evidence and provide the other copy to our manager). Failure to comply with reporting requirements could result in fines and imprisonment. COMMUNICATION: As hosts (we usually aren't staying at the property) so here are a few options for guests to contact us or our team during your stay. Directly communicating with us through airbnb (message feature), calling or texting our manager Nithaya (+ (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) and speaking with our staff directly (our staff will be present at the property daily). Nithaya will attempt to communicate with guests regularly (he does visit the property either in the mornings or evenings) you will miss out on this contact if you are regularly away from the property (i.e in town or at the ashram). DOORS: As we live in the nature it is extremely important that you keep your doors closed at all times to prevent insects or pests from entering your cottage or house. WI-FI: Limited use (i.e. such as checking emails and making onward travel arrangements), 2GB per day (shared amongst all guests staying in our property), no continuous use, downloading or watching movies, we encourage guests who want continuous access to Wi-Fi to get a personal data plan on their phones or access free Wi-Fi from some of our wonderful cafes in town (such as The Dreaming Tree, Shanti Internet Cafe etc). WATER HEATER: Turn water heater on, wait (Phone number hidden by Airbnb) minutes before use and very importantly please switch water heater off after each use. TOILET: Please no tissue, toilet paper or sanitary items put in the toilet (this will cause blockages). GAS: Turn lever at gas bottle on and then use the lighter provider (exercising caution and keeping your hands out of the way), put the lighter near the gas burner and press while turning the burner knob to allow gas to come up to the appropriate burner. The flames should pop up immediately and you can adjust the knob to control the flames on the stove. Turning the gas flame's off is a similar process (just in reverse) just return the knob to the starting position. This will close off the gas valve to the burner and turn the lever at the gas bottle off. If you find that the gas appliance stops working throughout your stay, it may mean that the gas bottle needs to be switched over. If this happens please notify the property manager. AIR CONDITIONING: If staying in the Ganesha Cottage (turn switch up on the wall prior to use) otherwise use remote control provided to operate and please turn A/C off after use. WATER: The house is on tank water and we try to be environmentally friendly and water-wise, so please do be conscious of shower times. LIGHTS: For the sake of the environment, please switch lights off when going out and ensure all lights (including outside cottage lights) are switched off prior to check-out. ELECTRICITY: At times you may experience electricity interruption due to a regional power outage. You are welcome to use the torch lights provided. FURNITURE: Please do not take internal furniture outside as it may be damaged. Additionally, please do not sit on internal furniture in wet clothes or swimsuits. CLEANING: Our cleaning staff will clean outside your cottages daily (i.e. creating kolams- drawings on the entrance to your cottage using white rice flour to bring prosperity to your cottages-this is very important in Tamil culture), sweeping the veranda, filling the water tanks (please notify Nithaya or the cleaning ladies if you have no running water and they will refill the tanks), cleaning the gardens. Please make use of the cleaning supplies (broom and dustpan, bin liners, dishwashing liquid). Do not use any scourers on stainless steel surfaces including the gas stove top. Once your rubbish is full please inform our staff for collection. You can request our cleaners to assist you in cleaning your cottage (please request this service and notify our property manager). You will need to remain present so our staff can enter your space (our staff will only be able to assist with sweeping the floors, dusting and changing the bin liners). LAUNDRY: This service is not provided. You will be responsible for personal laundry during your stay (there are a range of laundry services in town or near the Ramana Ashram area). CHILDREN: The property is family friendly and children are most welcome. BREAKAGES: All breakages must be reported to property manager. KEYS: Please do take care of your house key as loss can result in charges to replace all locks (for security purposes). BOOKS: You are most welcome to read any books provided. Please return them to the bookcase prior to leaving.