17 Jan 2008, Coimbatore
Bharata Yatra 2008
Amma arrived at 8:00 p.m. at the Amrita Vidyalayam in Coimbatore, as a start to her Tamil Nadu tour. As Amma entered, she was garlanded by a devotee, and offered a ‘purna kumbha,’ which is an auspicious pot used to welcome a holy person. Before entering her room, Amma gazed down at the hundreds of people gathered below, all with hands clasped in devotion, desperately calling out to Amma. To their delight, Amma smiled at them, and showered some flower petals down below. As Amma went to her room, the crowd resounded with the chorus, ‘Mata Rani Ki Jay!’ (Victory to the Divine Mother!).
The next two days will be the annual festival of Amma’s brahmasthanam temple, with special pujas, bhajans led by Amma and the Swamis, as well as Amma’s darshan till the early morning hours.
