10 Kms from Arunachala

These are photographs of the land which is around 10 Kms from Arunachala. The hills are reserve forest land which belongs to the Government.

This land has NOT been cultivated and there are no agricultural water tanks - it is just sitting quietly - waiting! Depending on your wish up to 30 acres are available at Rupees 2.5 Lakhs an acre (One Lakh is U.S.$ Rs.2,500). Water is plentiful.

I know this area as I have been out in the hills behind the land for walks. Its so peaceful, so quiet, really lovely. Totally different energy for closer to Tiruvannamalai - and I think an ideal place to have an ashram or facility.

From the land there is a very nice darshan of Arunachala. (p.s. The car in front of Arunachala is the one we were using).

For more information about this land, located ten kilometres from Arunachala, please email: arunachalana@fastmail.fm

25 Kms from Arunachala Hill

All the land in this sequence of photographs are part of an estate up for sale. The Estate has three large agricultural water tanks, a large warehouse, underground water pipe system, a private road going through the land - which all belongs to the Estate. The entire Estate is surrounded by a Government forest range - so totally isolated, private and cannot be comprised.

Because of its position, Arunachala cannot be seen from the land. In all cases the Hills extend hundred of miles and are part of Government protected Reserve Forests.

The possibilities of purchase are:
35 acres
55 acres
Or 90 acres

The total size of the estate is 90 acres - so if you were able to buy it all, everything in the photos as far as you can see, except for the Government Hills would belong to your organisation. However you DONT have to buy the whole of the estate. You can cherry pick.

Regardless of how much or how little you were to buy the price is the same i.e. Rupees 2.7 Lakhs per acre (i.e. One Lakh Rupees is U.S.$2,500)

The water table throughout the land is excellent.

The next couple of photographs show the private road which runs through the 90 acre estate.

The below is part of the excellent irrigation system on the land, which comprises three very large agricultural tanks and many ancillary smaller supply tanks. There is also an underground pipe system supplying the whole estate.

The land has been well maintained and is in impeccable condition. Even now most of the land is under cultivation.

For more information email: arunachalana@fastmail.fm

History of Money

In Indian National papers there have been articles discussing whether Gold is a safe haven for investors. With western countries undergoing serious financial meltdowns and banks failing – people are seriously questioning the intrinsic value of money in the form of currency. I recall about fifteen years ago Sri Sathya Sai Baba is reported to have advised students that: “In the future there will be a world financial crisis, so don’t leave your money in Banks or Trusts, decide where you want to be and make yourself as self sufficient as possible.’

In this respect Land and Property are the two items with the most intrinsic value – because with them you have a place to live and where to grow food. It certainly would be grand to have that safe haven situated here at Arunachala! Anyhow curious as to the history of gold and the financial underpinning of ‘society’, I decided to do some research:-

The history of money consists of three phases:

(1) Commodity money, in which actual valuable objects are bartered
(2) Representative money, in which paper notes (often called 'certificates') are used to represent real commodities stored elsewhere; and finally
(3) Fiat money, in which paper notes are backed only by the traders' "full faith and credit" in the government, in particular by its acceptability for payments of debts to the government (usually taxes).

Money is a crucial command post of any economy, and therefore of any society. Society rests upon a network of voluntary exchanges, also known as the "free-market economy"; these exchanges imply a division of labour in society, in which producers of eggs, nails, horses, lumber, and immaterial services such as teaching, medical care, and concerts, exchange their goods for the goods of others. At each step of the way, every participant in exchange benefits.

Direct exchange of goods and services, also known as "barter," is hopelessly unproductive beyond the most primitive level, and indeed every "primitive" tribe soon found its way to the discovery of the tremendous benefits of arriving, on the market, at one particularly marketable commodity, one in general demand, to use as a "medium" of "indirect exchange." If a particular commodity is in widespread use as a medium in a society, then that general medium of exchange is called "money."

Throughout history, two commodities have been able to out compete all other goods and be chosen on the market as money; two precious metals, gold and silver (with copper coming in when one of the other precious metals was not available). Gold and silver abounded in what we can call "moneyable" qualities, qualities that rendered them superior to all other commodities. They are in rare enough supply that their value will be stable, and of high value per unit weight; hence pieces of gold or silver will be easily portable, and usable in day-to-day transactions; they are rare enough too, so that there is little likelihood of sudden discoveries or increases in supply. They are durable so that they can last virtually forever, and so they provide a sage "store of value" for the future. And gold and silver are divisible, so that they can be divided into small pieces without losing their value; unlike diamonds, for example, they are homogeneous, so that one ounce of gold will be of equal value to any other.

But "gold bugs" are not fetishists; we don't fit the standard image of misers running their fingers through their hoard of gold coins while cackling in sinister fashion. The great thing about gold is that it, and only it, is money supplied by the free market, by the people at work. For the stark choice before us always is: gold (or silver), or government. Gold is market money, a commodity which must be supplied by being dug out of the ground and then processed; but government, on the contrary, supplies virtually costless paper money or bank checks out of thin air.

But if government manages to establish paper tickets or bank credit as money, as equivalent to gold grams or ounces, then the government, as dominant money-supplier, becomes free to create money without cost and at will. As a result, this "inflation" of the money supply destroys the value of the dollar or pound, drives up prices, cripples economic calculation, and hobbles and seriously damages the workings of the market economy.

To read more about finances and gold check out ‘Taking Money Back’ by Murray N. Rothbard and ‘Mundell on Gold’ based on the theories of Robert Mundell.

Prices by the Square Foot

To give a general rundown of land available for housing plots near Ramana Nagar and the more famous Tiruvannamalai Ashrams, previously the place of choice has land behind Yogi Ramsuratkumar Ashram. The area which used to be a collection of fields, is now densely packed middle-class urban housing. Sadly the whole development has proceeded randomnly, so its difficult to know how it will fare in the future and don't recommended it for anyone wishing to buy a housing plot. Four years ago the land sold for around Rs.80 a square foot, and at that time many locals and businessmen built houses for rental purposes and thats exactly what has happened. The area is popular with Western visitors and middle class Indians and rent can be as high as Rs.5,000 - Rs.8,000 per month.

Consequently land in this area is priced at anywhere from Rs.450 - Rs.800 a square foot, and I've heard of land going at even higher rates. To the south of this developed area, are agricultural fields adjacent to Vana Durga Shrine. It has been reported that land there has recently changed hands for a crore per acre (a crore = 100 Lakhs). Its not known at this time as to what realtors plan on charging once the land has been surveyed and made into individual plots. I will post photographs of all the areas I am writing about over the course of this upcoming week. So keep checking back.

However the below sequence of photographs are of a small village that I do recommend. It is close to the Hill and located on its southside. Certainly this area will get developed in the future, but I believe less randomnly and will maintain a better ethos and atmosphere. Currently prices per square foot, are a much better value than land elsewhere.

I will post more photographs of this particular area soon. But if any readers have specific questions, please email me at the email address at the top left of this page.

In answer to recent questions about current square foot land price. I would suggest that it is practically impossible to buy land anywhere within 2 kms of the base of Arunachala for less than Rs.250 per square foot. Currently land is being sold at that price just off the Perumbakkam Road, which although looks very promising, much of the land will be blighted with severe water shortage. The reason being is that throughout the Arunachala area, there is sometimes a rocky shelf underneath the land, and once water has been depleted out of the shelf basin, there is no more until the next rainy season.

In my area, there is a farm to the south that has such a rocky shelf under their land and their agricultural tank and water supply always runs dry in a hot summer. However a farm to the east of me, is fortunate not to have the rocky shelf under their land, so has an excellent water supply that so far has never run dry.

In other words just because land seems economical it doesn't mean that its a bargain. A 12,000 litre tanker of water costs a minimum of Rs.500 - so any savings made on the land purchase would be quickly lost in paying for an independent water delivery service.

The suggestion being work through a land agent you trust and if in doubt pay to have a water survey done of your chosen area.

Email Update for Shantivanam Land

Our previous post details land available on the northside of Arunachala. The owner of this land has recently informed us he is currently building two Western style homes on the 10 acre land, each with its own twenty cent compound (i.e. one fifth of an acre). He is prepared to do the same for other interested parties or sell the remaining land in customised parcels to suit the individual needs of purchasers.

We will be posting sketches of the two homes currently under construction in the course of this coming week. So please check back.

Sorry if you are having problems with the fastmail address. If you wish to get in touch for more information about the Shantivanam Land, please contact:

shantivanam@rediffmail.com

Shantivanam

There is a large 10 acre parcel of land for sale outside a village on the northside of Arunachala located about 2 kms from the base of the Hill. The land is pristine, in excellent condition and suitable for either a farm, ashram or private homes and most importantly is located in a quiet, silent area.

The owner of the land is willing to sell the parcel in its entirety or by the individual acre, or even in smaller amounts (i.e. 1/4 acre) suitable for an individual home with large garden.

Already work is underway fencing the complete 10 acre parcel of land, to ensure security and privacy. The name of this protected area will be known as Shantivanam (i.e. forest of peace) and specially suitable for both Westerners or Indians who live away from Arunachala during part of the year.

There are 2 excellent agricultural tanks on the land. Also, ground water is only about 40 feet deep, thus sweet, clean water is easily available via individual borewells.

The land has been cultivated over the years so is in a well maintained, fertile condition.

At one end of the land is currently a young banana plantation.

Directly to the east of the land is a 230 acre 'poramboke' reserved Government land which is used as a catchment area for water that drains of Arunachala in the rainy season. Thus regardless of Arunachala land development elsewhere, in this particular area, there will be large tracts of protected, open land.

In addition to open areas of nearby land, within a couple of hundred yards, is reserved government hill lands, which are available for hiking and walking.

The land owner, who is a local professional living at Arunachala will be happy to build homes under contract on behalf of land purchasers. For more information and details about this beautiful Shantivanam land, you can get in touch with us at: arunachalana at fastmail dot fm

Know the Land Title

There are two basic types of land ownership in India - Patta and Peremboke; Patta land is privately owned and can be sold and purchased freely. Peremboke land is government owned property given to poor farmers to grow crops on or to live on. Farmers can pass peremboke land to their children to continue to farm from generation to generation, but they cannot sell it. It is a crime to do so and a crime to purchase it.

All peremboke land that is not being used for its original purpose of farming by the poor, will be repossessed by the Government. Those selling land or property illegally will be prosecuted and those who have purchased it will have it seized back by the Government.

There are numerous ways in which fraud is perpetrated. A lot of fraud involves Peremboke land mixed in with Patta land. There is also government land which is offered for sale by purported owners, but this is of course complete fraud.

I am posting these beautiful photographs of very nice land at Samudram Lake to show how difficult it is for someone not familiar with an area to know the separation of patta and peremboke land. Under no circumstances buy peremboke land – if the farmer refuses to sell his patta land without you buying his peremboke land – walk away – and avoid potential serious difficulties.

Some of the patta land in these photographs is in fact up for sale, if you would like to find out more about the land please get in touch for details.

A hint to potential land purchasers at Tiruvannamalai, be specially alert around water catchment areas, because oftentimes the land surrounding such spots is peremboke land. In the case of Samudram, the 700 natural reservoir direct south of Arunachala, the whole lake is ringed with peremboke land. Check very carefully if buying in this area.

Enquiries Welcome

Information and resources will be regularly posted on this Blog to help you find the land and/or property at Arunachala that you are looking for. If you have any general enquiries or questions about buying land in this area do please get in touch at the email contact address at the top of the left hand margin of this Blog.

Cow House

Today I walked about an area close to Arunachala and the Ashrams of Ramana Nagar, enjoying the unspoilt, pristine agricultural views. Within the next couple of days I will post information on land available in this area, but for now am just posting a very nice traditional cow house of a local farmer.

In the below photograph the young son of the farmer having a look at what I was doing inside the cow house.

Check back for some photographs of the land in a couple of days.