Journey to Master Mountain Retreat Centre, Nilagiris
The Sadguru Tapovana group, Bangalore, had organised for us a small bus. We enjoyed the countryside. After some hours the Blue Mountains appeared at the horizon; the name of the mountains is because of the blueish light there – a magical hue over the whole. The area we were heading for is at 2000 m. It can be quite cold, clouded and windy – but during our stay we enjoyed warm temperatures of about 25 degrees during the day and 8 degrees during the nights – and a blue sky.
After many hairpin bends and after 11 hours journey we finally arrived at the Master Mountain Retreat MMR. It was a very special moment when the door was opened – beautifully decorated with the carvings of the symbol of the WTT and two elephants. When we started to unpack, the electricity broke down. With torches and candles the fuse-box was examined – everything was ok. A phone call to the electrician showed that there was another outside fuse box near the road where a problem had occurred. And the cold, wet weather here in the last weeks had produced mould on the walls and on the mattresses in the room where we 3 men were supposed to sleep. We quickly decided to move into the dining hall.
The house is built on three levels along a slope and a fourth one in the basement used for fire rituals and other meditational activities. And everywhere there are huge terraces with a fantastic vies over to the “Master Mountain”, or Durga mountain, as it is also called in the area, Durga being a form of the Divine Mother.
Early next morning, 24 December, I went on the terrace. There was a splendorous starry sky with a waning moon. At the horizon a first tinge of the coming dawn could be seen. The rest was pitch black except a very few light-points of farm houses. But quickly the horizon grew brighter, and the silhouette of the mountains appeared. After morning meditation there was a breathtaking sunrise. We stood on the terraces and were all filled with awe.
After breakfast we came together to read a text from the book “Man Sacrifice” by Master EK (Ekkirala Krishnamacharya) about the journey by yogic flight of Master Djwhal Khul and the sage Jaimini from the Himalayas to the ashram of Agastya at the Durga mountain – a very profound text. And at noon time we gathered at the Kodanadu viewpoint with a huge panoramic view. The valley was covered with fog bout the mountain and the area where we were in brilliant light. Some Indian tourists were around and curiously looked at us – and took selfies with group members. We intonated 21 OM and had a short meditation.
In the evening we had a water ritual and then sat together after dinner – a very nice group feeling.
Early morning of 25 December, Christmas in the West (the esoteric Christmas being at Winter Solstice) we gathered at the basement terrace for the morning meditation. I had prepared a little fire ritual. And just the moment the fire was lit the Sun rose over the horizon. By the end of the fire ritual the Solar God was seen in all his splendour. And some birds accompanied us during the ritual with their chirping sounds. And then they flew away.
After breakfast I had a walk with two friends to the near settlement of labourers and from there we entered a path leading to tea plantations. Some women with their picking sacks came along and went into the fields on the steep hillslopes. Their faces were marked by the hard labour of collecting tea leaves. We enjoyed the fantastic view over to the Master Mountain which was partly veiled in the clouds coming up from the valley. For a while we thought the area would soon disappear in the clouds but an hour later the sky was blue again – we experienced two days full of sunshine surrounded by the splendid nature.
The time quickly flew by. At noon we were again at the panorama point where lots of Indians had come with their cars or by busses. We sat a bit apart for our 21 OMs at noon time. And during the day we read the text of a Christmas lecture of Sri Kumar in three languages.
Monday morning we started our journey back to Bangalore. We drove through beautiful forests downhill until the descent downhill ended with a tyre puncture of the bus giving us an extra-pause at a restaurant. Later we came through a Tiger reserve – without seeing tigers but some elephants, deer and beautiful peacocks in the forests. It was already dark when we stopped at Ananda Vana, the retreat centre of the WTT Mysore, where some members welcomed us with roses, some tea, coffee and cockies. And around midnight we fell very tired into the beds…
