A Strange Homecoming

My weekend in the south of India

I’m back from a 2 week hiatus. I’ve been on a work trip to Greece and India in search of education and technology partners.

I spent about ten days in India and during this time I had the immense privilege of a weekend at a place called Rythmbhara.

Rythmbhara is a commune set amongst the tea plantations of the Western Ghat ranges of Kerala in southern India. The commune has been established to support and promote the spiritual and philosophical tradition of Trika (or Kashmir) Shaivism. Regular readers will know that I have been obsessed with this spiritual tradition for the past few years.

It was an exceptional experience that I feel very privileged to have been afforded. Not only were we hosted with great kindness and generosity, we were also invited to participate in the spiritual and intellectual life of a small group of people who are immersed in this tradition.

One of these experiences was a ritual called the Parapuja. This is the central ritual of Trika Shaivism, which, after being l…