When land is considered sacred

One of the things I love about living in India is that the recognition of land as sacred is still alive in many places. I just came back from visiting Arunachala, a sacred hill in the town of Tiruvanamalai, Tamil Nadu.

Sri Ramana Maharishi describes Arunachala as "truly the holy place. Of all holy places it is the most sacred! Know that it is the heart of the world. It is truly Siva himself! It is his heart-abode, a secret kshetra. In that place the Lord ever abides the hill of light named Arunachala."

Arunachala is also associated with the element of fire, considered a lingam, representing the god Shiva. While it is surrounded by the chaos of a busy town, temples, and pilgrims, the hill itself is a glorious oasis of deep peace. The land itself and every rock and tree felt so different from other places, alive and shimmering in a way that is difficult to describe. I could have stayed there all day in silence, just being and remembering a time when, for all of us, our gods were hills.