#matha

Sri Esanya Jnana Desikar Mutt (Mutt: hut of an ascetic, monk or renunciate) 

Source: Temples and Shrines along Arunachala’s Outer Pradakshina (*) Route -  By Richard Clarke: Living in the Embrace of Arunachala.Blog 

(*) Pradakshina, or in Tamil, girivalam,  is the sacred walk around the holy hill Arunachala.

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30th November, 1947                        

[...]  Listening to the stories by Kunjuswami...

Continuing our conversation, we walked on and reached the turning which leads to the Isanya Mutt.  Kunjuswami then continued his narration: 

“Sometimes, while going round the hill, it would all of a sudden rain heavily. Others accompanying Bhagavan would run for shelter, but he never hurried his pace and walked on steadily, unaffected by the rain. Once at this turning, it began to rain heavily; we all ran to the Isanya Mutt, but Bhagavan walked as usual and was drenched by the time he reached the mutt. 

As a rule, he did not go to the mutt because they would detain him there unnecessarily; he would go alongside the hill to the Municipal Bungalow over there and sit on the narrow verandah in front of it. 

Except for one or two of his attendants, the rest of the party continued the walk after prostrating to him. This was because had they all gone together as a crowd, the people of the town would come to know about our circumambulation and would have gathered round and begun to do something in adoration of Bhagavan. So, after sending all the others off, he would cover himself with a shawl and reach the Ashram by a bye-path. Even so, sometimes a few people would recognize him and offer him something to eat.

 If he went round the hill at night, he would, on nearing the town, ask us not to sing or talk loudly as that might disturb the people in their sleep.”

By the time Kunjuswami had finished telling us these incidents, it was about 2 a.m. and we had reached the town. Everything was quiet...