The mark of Isha

This post is about my first experience of visiting Isha during my 12th vacation (2017)

The Journey:

My friend and I woke up very early in the morning, at around 4 am and started our journey to Velliangiri hills, which is also known as the South Kailash. This place is near the new metropolitan city Coimbatore, we had our breakfast at Udumalpet at about 9:17 am, and it was a smooth ride until then.We had planned on reaching the place before 11 in the morning. But, unfortunately , the ride after our breakfast stop was not as smooth, we enjoyed the ride, as it was almost like a ride on a safari. I think it is a good spot for couples, to have a long drive. After driving through the narrow roads we finally reached there !!!!                              HURRAH

The Majestic Statue :

The road to Isha was surrounded by tall trees and the statue was not visible in the beginning. The statue is located at almost one kilometre from the entrance. There were bullock carts and tender coconut shops on either side of the pathway. The bulls were very frightening, they were big and had huge horns, but I felt a sense of pity looking at them as each of them had to draw a carriage with around 13 people. As you walk through, you will witness the mighty statue I. all its glory, which is the world's largest face statue to date. As you go close to the statue, you'll realize that it is not made of stone. It is also like the statue of liberty, which is hollow inside. There was a linga in front of the statue, and we were asked to remove our shoes and advised to keep our valuable cellular phones inside the pant pockets to save it from drowning in the water when we bend to worship. The linga was surrounded by water and we had to pour water on it. Then we went around the statue. There was a door to go inside the giant hollow statue after which we walked back towards the entrance.

A High-End Resort without any fare :

Then we entered the center, one side was fully covered by paaku tree. There were many shops selling the stuffs of Sadhguru. And there was a map of that place. Inside, first of all, we have to give all our mobile phones, electronic device and cameras. We have to fill a form and hand it over the counter. We have to separately give the electronics and slippers. They gave a token which you have to keep really really safe. I don't know what will happen if we lose it. If you do so comment on what happened below. Then security will check us and then we will be allowed to enter inside. It is really a very very big place, I was just wondering how he got that much money. And everything in there was really artistic. The compound walls were really so decorative. There was a television, it said about what is all inside and what to do.

The following places are 

                    1. Surya /Chandra kind

                    2. Bairava Devi 

                    3. Dhyanam linga 

                    4. Yoga center

Surya and Chandra Kund :

It is nothing other than that big swimming pool. At first, I was so excited to take a bath there. But my shy friend did not want to do so, as we have to bath wearing the cloth they give. many people were there. we are not allowed to swim there. there will be two lingas in the pool, we can go there and do abhishekam for it and we can pray there. People there touched the linga with their head and kept floating. It was a big pool. The Surya Kund is for all the gentlemen which is an open show, and the Chandra Kund is for the ladies, it is a closed area so I have no idea about what is there inside. There will be lockers and rooms for changing our cloth.

Bairava Devi :

From the Surya Kund if we walk for a little distance you can see all the people going inside a room, and that is the Bairava Devi's aalayam. Outside that aalayam, there will be a lady statue lying on the ground upside down with one leg over the other. Many people tried that same pose. Inside there was a foreigner who was humbly allotting us a place to sit, I dunno whether all the foreigners there are really staying there for peace or escaping from their homeland as they are bankrupt or they would have lost their passport or visa when they came here. After the room is filled they will start chanting mantras. It sounds neither like Sanskrit nor Tamil, it was close to kalakeyar's language. Then after 15 mins, everyone will start to vacate the room, on the one side there were kum kum and spiritual threads which I thought it would be given to all. Then I came to know we have to pay for it. I bought 2 red scarfs there, as it costs only rs25 and I also bought a chain there. 

Dhyanam Linga :

At the entrance, there was a big pillar with the symbols of all the three major religions. Inside there were many statues on the wall depicting the stories of some devotees of Lord Shiva. We had to wait to enter a room with an elliptical roof with a huge linga, we were told that the linga was personally powered up by Sadhguru. It is a wide circular room with the linga at the centre. My friend told me that there will be pin-drop silence such that we can even hear the sound of a drop falling on the ground, but all I listened to was many people coughing and sneezing. I think I went on a crowdy day. We had to remain silent for nearly 20 mins, after which we heard a bell sound and we quietly walked out of the room. Outside that place, I bought a copper ring in the form of a snake.

People's thought :

I asked many people about their opinion about Isha and most of them are against him. There are a lot of rumours about him and some say that he killed his own wife as a sacrifice to black magic. He also seems to be supplying rare and expensive drugs to the nearby colleges and at the night of Maha Shivaratri. He has made a brand with Lord shiva's face (many still say that it is his face in that adiyogi statue). by selling cosmetics and clothing apparel with that brand name at malls. Most people's question is that if he is a sanyaasi why does he live such a luxurious life, having BMW bikes, Audi cars and private jets. He brings many celebrities and politicians to mask all his dirty hands. Do share your views about him down in the comment section

My thought :

In this modern world, all people want to earn money, they find out new ways to earn money. Isha is first of all not a temple, it is just a showoff. It would take billions to build a place like that and all that money is not his income, they are the donations given to him by many businessmen and politicians. The truth is, donating millions to that place is like flushing away money in a closet. If people wanna do good things, like donating they can do it to many poor children who are hardly eating one meal per day, or they can give notebooks to all these poor students. Instead of donating their black money to such a place, they could pay the tax for it, which will at least be helpful for the nation. He is none other than a corporate "saamiyaar". You may get peace there but you can't get that spiritual feel. If you want to get that, you can prefer all the six houses of Lord Muruga, or straight away go to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Rishikesh, Kailash or even to the Vellingiri hill which is just a mile away from there. The Modi government supports him as he is propagating Hinduism. He has completely wiped out an elephant corridor. The whole thing is a huge mystery which people shouldn't be blindly believing. You can worship god, but not the middlemen.