The unique Sri Sarvamangala samedha Pallikondeshwara Swami #Templestories 2 at Surutupalli comes alive during Pradosham days

A sleepy little town that comes alive on the two Pradosham days every month, Surutupalli is located approximately 70 Kms from Tirupati on the main Chennai – Puttur road, near the Andhra  - Tamil Nadu border near Uthukotai.

        The Sarvamangala samedha Pallikondeshwara Swami Temple at Surutupalli has so many unique features, that it seems strange that not many people know about it. This is the only Shivasthala where the Lord Shiva presides in the reclining (sayana) position, that too, resting his head on the lap of the Goddess Parvathi. This is the place where the Pradosha Puja was first performed.

Legend: During the Amrutmanthan, when the Devas and Asuras were churning the divine ocean of milk, using the king of serpents, Vasuki, as a rope around the Manthara Mountain, there came a time when Vasuki could not bear the pain and vomited poison. All the Devas and Asuras prayed to Lord Shiva to save them from this terrible halahala poison which would have killed the entire world. The Lord acceded to their pleas and swallowed the poison. The divine Mother Parvathi, who takes care of the whole world, put a hand to stop the poison at the throat itself. The Lord thus came to be known as Sri Neelakantan and the Goddess as Sarvamangala. On their way back to Kailas after this episode, when they reached Surutupalli, the Lord wanted to rest because probably he was feeling dizzy after consuming the poison. So he lay down with his head placed comfortably on the lap of the Goddess. The sculptural depiction of mother Parvathi sitting with the Lord’s head on her lap, trying to hold the neck tight with her two hands, lest the poison burn the worlds inside is unimaginably beautiful. All the Gods, including Lord Ganesh and Karthikeya Swami with his consorts, Valli and Devasena, sages and rishis stand praying to the Lord.

Lord Pallikondeshwarar and Goddess Sarvamangala bless them and all other devotees who come to pray to them.

 As one enters the temple, there is a separate sanctum for Goddess Maragadambika with Kamadenu, the divine cow, to the left and Kalpavriksh, the tree that offers everything that you wish for, to the right. Sage Valmiki, is said to have prayed to the Lord and obtained his blessings here before writing the Ramayana epic. The Lord who appeared before Valmiki as a Swayambhu Linga is known as Valmikeshwarar. All the abhishekams are performed for Lord Valmikeshwarar.

Another feature of this temple is that Lord Dakshinamurthy can be seen in the poorna swarupam with consort Gowri to his left. Nowhere else in the world, can we get this unique darshan of Dambathi samedha Dakshinamurthy.

Nandikeshwarar takes his pride of place in front of the Lord. During the Pradosha puja, devotees clamour to see the abhishekams to Nandikeshwarar and then see the Lord through the space in between the horns of Nandikeshwarar, as the Lord is believed to dance the ananda thandavam with his foot on Nandikeshwarar’s head.

There is a shrine to Sita, Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata, Shatrugna and Anjaneya swami. There are separate shrines to Poorna Pushkala samedha Dharmashastha, Sri Nrithya Ganapathi, Sri Subramanian Swami with Valli and Devasena, Sri Vishnu Durga, Sri Kalabhairavar, Sri Kashi Viswanatha Swami with Vishalakshi, Sri Venugopalaswami and Sri Ramalingeshwarar.  A shrine to the Navagrahas is also present.   

Important Festivals: Every Pradhosham, especially Shani-Pradhosham, Maha Shivarathri, Thiruvadhirai, Navarathri and the Tamil and Telugu New Year days.

Temple Timings: 6 am -12 noon and 4 pm – 8 pm.

Tel: 08576 – 278599

Note: On every Shani-Pradosham day and on important festival days, Pallikondeshwara Swami and Sarva Mangala Devi are bedecked with silver kavachams, which was interestingly donated by a devotee from Chennai. There is a huge queue on these days and one has to be prepared to wait his turn for the darshan, but the grand sight of the bejeweled Lord is well worth the wait.

 #Temple, #Pilgrimage #Surutupalli #Pallikondeshwarar #Shiva #Parvati #Sarvamangala #templetales #Pradosh #traveltales #DiscoverIndia 

A day at the historic town of #Maheshwar on the banks of the #Narmada #Tourism #Travel

A chance remark about Maheshwar being the precious gem on the course of the river Narmada made us to take a detour from the usual Ujjain and Omkareshwar trips that we undertake when we visit Indore. And what a wonderful decision it turned out to be!

We started at around 6.00 am from Indore stocking up a few bites for breakfast as we did not want to waste time on wayside inns. Verdant green corn fields whizzed past providing a visual feast to our famished urban eyes as the car sped along the smooth highway. We reached our destination, the ancient town of  Maheshwar, much before we had expected to, at around 9.00am.

I had read about Maheshwar having a mention in our ancient scriptures of Ramayana and Mahabharata as the land of Mahishmati. Yes!  The same Mahishmati that is depicted in the epic film Bahubali! It was said to be a part of Avantika or Ujjain and dates back around 4000 years. My romance with this quaint little town began with my first step on its soil. It was as if history, mythology and nature had merged to form a mesmerizing picture of a majestic fort juxtaposed against the deep blue waters of the sacred Narmada. The river is undoubtedly the fulcrum of existence in this ancient town, giving shape to its spiritual and cultural landscape.

Our guide, Dileep Sharma, a young local man, who had been referred by my friend at Indore, was waiting for us at the entrance of Ahilya Fort.  He greeted us in English with hands folded in a namastey gesture, but was quite happy to know that we were fluent in Hindi. He explained that part of the ancient fort  had been restored and converted into a hotel by Richard Holkar, a direct descendent of the great Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. Staying in the Ahilya Fort as the hotel is called, gives one the exalted experience of staying with royalty. All the rooms are unique and tastefully decorated overlooking the glistening waters of the Narmada and providing a romantic touch to your stay. There are patios and terraces in the courtyard where one can relax with a book or just enjoy the scene at the river below. The  residents at the Ahilya Fort have been offered exclusivity and privacy from the curious eyes of tourists as the hotel part of the fort has been walled up. 

Our guide led us to the huge statue of the revered Maharani Ahilyabai (1767-1795) occupying the pride of place in the midst of a garden.

 

He then guided us through the Rajwada, her erstwhile administrative quarters.  It was fascinating to see the various chhatris and the royal artifacts preserved in good condition, but my attention was drawn to the cushioned seat from where the queen had ruled and delivered judgements with a Shivaling in her hand.

Even today, she is spoken of with the respect and reverence accorded to a deity, as her rule after the tragic death of her husband and son had been marked by the undoing of the damage done to Hindu places of worship by Aurangazeb. I saw a board displaying the list of temples restored by her and they included the holiest of shrines like the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir at Varanasi and the Somnath Jyotirling.  The innate simplicity of the Rajwada is symbolic of the simplicity of the queen who ruled here. It was Devi Ahilyabai who shifted the capital of Malwa from Indore to Maheshwar. Sharmaji also showed us the palki in which the image of Ahilyabai is carried out in procession on specific days.

Walking down the stairs from the fort, we were mesmerized by the sight of the beautiful temple to Ahilyeshwar built in grey stone.

Our guide wanted us to see the unique daily Shivaling puja conducted every day between 8am and 10am in the morning and fortunately we made it in time  to see the latter part.  I did not count the number but a few Brahmins were making hundreds of Shivalingas, worshipping them and then offering them to the Narmada. Sharmaji told us that this was a practice continued right from the days of Ahilyabai when 108 Brahmins used to make 125000 small Shivalingas every day. Now there are 11 Brahmins making 15000 Shivalingas.  We were also shown a room adjacent to the temple, where a golden swing and some precious Shivalingas are displayed (no photos allowed). There is a shrine to Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshman in the fort, opposite to which is located a separate shrine to Lord Hanuman.  

We then walked up towards the famous Rajarajeshwara temple complex where 11 lamps are presumed to be burning since pre-historic times. Called Akhanda Jyoth,  these lamps are kept burning as devotees offer donations for the ghee used in the lamps lit in honor of Lord Agni. 

We heard an interesting story about Agnidev falling in love with the beautiful daughter of King Nila, which was reciprocated by her. The King’s sacred fire would burn only when she breathed air into it. While Agnidev took the form of a brahmin and courted her, the King caught them and rejected their love match. Agnidev got furious and threatened to burn down the entire Nishada kingdom. Realizing his true form, the King fell at his feet and begged forgiveness. He also requested the fire God to bless his kingdom. Agnidev agreed albeit with a condition that couples in pure love should not be frowned upon. It is said the women of Mahishmati enjoyed much more freedom as compared to other places.

A small shrine to Sahastraarjun, the powerful emperor who imprisoned the king of Lanka, Raavana, for many months, is present in this temple complex.

The beautiful Kashi Vishwanath temple has been built as a replica of the original temple at Varanasi.

Later Sharmaji led us down the spectacular fan shaped stairs to the clean Ghats on the Narmada riverfront. Nothing actually prepares you for the majestic view of the historic fortress provided a stunning backdrop to the glistening river.

Narmada, believed to be born of a drop of sweat from Lord Shiva’s forehead, is sacred, as scared as the Ganga or Yamuna. She also goes by the name of Shankari.  It is said that ‘you are purified and released from all your sins if you bathe in the Ganga but the very sight of Narmada will purify you.’ 

No wonder then that we see devotees doing the parikrama of this sacred river either by foot or by car.

As it was almost noon when we reached the Ghats, the golden hued rays of the sun created a beautiful shimmering setting for our boat ride on the Narmada. There was a group of four apart from us in the boat heading towards the Baneshwar Mandir located in the middle of the river. Even as our boat moved at a slow pace, we could feast our eyes on the panoramic view of the magnificent riverfront with intermittent sightings of pilgrims feeding fish, taking a dip or chanting to the beat of clanging bells. Sharmaji enlightened us with information about the four main Ghats, the Ahilya Ghat, Peshwa Ghat, Mahila Ghat and the Phanse Ghat,  among the 28 Ghats on the Narmada. He told us about the small rounded stones called Banalingas found at the base of the river, which are taken home by devotees for daily worship.

As we approached the Baneshwar Mandir, the boat slowly came to a halt. Climbing a few stone steps, we entered the precincts of the sacred shrine.

The tranquility in this shrine is so conducive to meditation and prayer that we were induced to spend more time here. The lone priest mentioned that the temple is believed to be located on the axis connecting the North Pole to the centre of the earth. We were more relaxed during the ride back, focusing our views on the multitude of temples on the riverfront with their signature saffron flags flying gently in the breeze.

On our way back from the Ghats it was time to pay a visit to the Rehwa Society, the weaver’s co-operative, run by the Holkar family. The workshop is in the fort itself to the left as you go down to the river from the Rajwada. The clatter of the looms accompanied the rhythmic movement of hands at work as the famous Maheshwari saris were being woven. The men in the office were kind enough to give us a glimpse into the history behind the weaving industry in Maheshwar. Maharani Ahilyabai had invited weaver communities from nearby Mandu to teach her people the craft of weaving in order to provide them with a source of living. She gifted the beautiful, light textiles that were created by the weavers to all visiting royal dignitaries. The craft slowly found royal patronage and the handloom weaving tradition in Maheshwar began to thrive.

The stuff at the Rehwa Society is absolutely authentic and you can definitely buy shawls, stoles and saris from them though they are expensive. Further down the stairs, there is another shop Bhagyshree Handloom handling production and sales of authentic Maheshwari handlooms since many decades. 

 The proprietor, Golu Shilodre, was quite happy to show me a variety of saris and I could not resist the temptation of buying a few. In addition, there are many shops in the market area showcasing these beautiful Maheshwari handlooms.

The beauty of this historic town has attracted more than forty film makers for shooting parts of their films at this picturesque location.

#Maheshwar  #AhilyaFort  #Narmada #Ahilyeshwar  #RajrajeshwarTemple  #RehwaSociety #AhilyabaiHolkar  #IncredibleIndia #Travel #Tourism

Ashadi Ekadashi and the undefinable bond between the Lord Vittala of Pandarpur with devotees

An extract from my book 'Temples of Maharashtra-A Travel Guide' on the sacred occasion of Ashadi Ekadashi

"The very mention of Pandharpur brings to our mind vivid images of the turban or topi clad Warkari holding cymbals or tals in his hands and singing abhangs (sacred hymns composed by the great saints like Gyaneshwar or Tukaram) with joyous abandon and devotion, walking towards his Lord Vittala in complete surrender. No wonder then, that Pandharpur is considered by many as the holiest place in Maharashtra, the Bhu-Vaikuntam. This is the place where Lord Vittala stands on bricks with hands held on hip, waiting for his beloved devotee, Pundalik, to finish his chores for his parents and turn towards the Lord so that he can be blessed, the place where the Lord Vittala and his devotee, (Warkari), cannot be separated.

Pandharpur, located approximately 365 kms. from Mumbai and 215 kms. from Pune, is best accessed from Solapur which is at a distance of 74 kms and has good stay options. The road is well maintained and buses are available every fifteen minutes. As you enter the ancient temple town, picturesquely positioned on the banks of the river Chandrabhaga, your attention never wavers from the Vittala temple. The temple is believed to be more than 2000 years old. Traditionally, one is supposed to have a dip in the holy waters of the Chandrabhaga, have darshan at the Pundalik temple and worship the devotee before the Lord. Hence the main eastern entrance faces the Pundalik temple on the banks of the crescent shaped river. It is lined with shops selling flowers, bukka and puja materials, and one, though unsolicited, is approached by many who wish to guide you for a fee. The entrance to the sanctum sanctorum is through the Namdev Gate, in respect to the great Marathi poet and devotee, Sant Namdev. There are twelve steps and the first one has the figure of Namdev with a tambourine in his hand singing a kirtan, and fourteen members of his family carved on it. There is also a bust of Namdev to the side of the step. It is said that when Namdev took Samadhi, the rest of the fourteen members drowned themselves. This step called Namdev payari is considered the  Samadhi or the final resting place of Namdev. Hence devotees worship it, cross it without setting their foot on it. Generally the pujari here is from Namdev’s Shimpi community and the offerings go to the Badaves or the hereditary priests of Vithoba.

Near the entrance we find the Samadhi of Chokamela, a great devotee of the Lord. Chokamela was from the Mahar community, who in those times were considered outcasts and not allowed inside the temple. He was termed mad by the people because he used to always be in ecstacy singing, dancing and conversing with his Vithobha. The Lord loved him and used to converse with him. The story goes that while the Lord was having lunch at Chokamela’s house, one day, curd fell on his vastra. It was neivedya time at the temple and the priest was stunned to see curd on the vastra of the Lord. When he came to know the truth, the temple priest apologised profusely to Chokamela.

The Darshan Mandap which can accommodate the huge gathering of varkaris during the Ashadi and Karthiki Ekadashis has been built quite recently. As we enter through the central doorway flanked by the images of Jaya and Vijaya, the dwarpals of the Lord, we come across the Solakambh mandap (16 pillared hall), which reveal exquisite carvings depicting scenes from the Dashavatar and Krishna Lila on the roof. All the pillars exhibit artistic carvings while the back one encased in silver and bearing the image of Lord Vishnu, is known as the Garuda Stambha (the place where the statue of Garuda was supposed to be standing before the mandap was built.) The devotees traditionally embrace the Garuda stambha and make offerings before praying to Lord Vittala. We were shown an inscription carved on a block of stone, listing the donors to the temple in the 12^th century. Devotees used to rub their backs on this inscription in the belief that they would be relieved from their sins and rebirth.

As one enters the sanctum, the eyes are magnetically drawn to the highly revered black stone image of Lord Vittala standing on a brick shaped square block with the arms, holding a shankh in the left and a lotus in the right, resting on the hip. This is believed to be the brick that his devotee Pundalik offered to him as an asana. The crown or mukut of the Lord has a shivlinga engraved on it, and the ears are adorned with makara kundalas and the chest with the Kausthubha gem. The deity is believed to be swayambu or self manifested. This is the only shrine where devotees can touch the feet (sparsh) and seek blessings.

Behind the main shrine is a separate shrine to Goddess Rukhmani or Rakhumai as she is called here. The beautiful black stone image of the Goddess is dressed in typical Maharashtrian style and is adorned with many ornaments. There are shrines to Satyabhama Rahi (Radhika) and Mahalakshmi Mata too.

There are stories and legends galore about this temple and the presence of Vithoba in Pandarpur and his devotees, the most important one being that of Pundalik or Pundarik who is credited with having brought Lord Vittala to this land. Pundalik was initially a self centred man who care for nothing except his own pleasure. He neglected his aged parents. But he agreed to take them to Kashi, albeit on foot, while he and his wife rode on horses. On the way came across an ashram of Rishi Kukkut, who welcomed him and took good care of him. Pundalik could not sleep that night. He witnessed the remarkable sight of three young women in dirty clothes enter the Rishi’s ashram and started doing cleaning jobs. They then went to the prayer hall and when they remerged they were spotlessly clean. When asked about this miracle, the three women mentioned that they were Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathy. They were burdened with the sins and impurity of all the thousands of people who took a dip in their waters to absolve their sins. But they were purified by serving the Rishi, who adored and took great care of his aged parents. Transformed by this conversation Pundalik began caring for his parents to the exclusion of everything. Pleased with his devotion to his parents, Lord Krishna came here to bless him. When the Lord called out to Pundalik he was serving his parents. So he threw a brick (veet in Marathi) to the Lord to wait. Probably the name Vittala originated from this veet. The Lord stood on the brick with his hands resting on his hip and waited till Pundalik finished his chores for his parents. The Lord still stands, but now He waits for all the scores of devotees who surrender to Him.

Another mythological legend, according to the Padma Purana and the Panduranga Mahatmya, says that Krishna and Radha were inseparable during their childhood. Rukmini Devi also knew about this. Once when Radharani met Sri Krishna at Dwaraka, their intimacy upset Rukmini Devi, who silently left to do penance in Dindirvana to win back her husband. The Lord immediately went in search of her to ask for forgiveness, but the Goddess, deep in penance, did not even recognise his presence. Sri Krishna then went to see his devotee Pundalik in Pandharpur. Later, after her anger and distress had abated, Rukmini Devi joined her husband to bless the devotee.

Apart from Pundalik, the primary devotee who was instrumental in the presence of the Lord Vittala at Pandharpur, Sant Dyaneshwar who is credited with starting the Wari tradition, Sant Namdeo, Sant Tukaram, Janabai and many others have composed and sung verses (abhangs) in praise of the Lord, which are being sung with great devotion even today.

Address: Vittal Rukmini Mandir, Pandharpur, Solapur District, Maharashtra - 413304

Telephone: 02186-224466, 223550

Temple Timings: The temple opens for darshan at 6.00 am to 11.00 am, from 11.15 to 4.30pm and 5.00pm to 11.15pm (Darshan remains closed during 11.00 am to 11.15 am for Mahanaivedya, 4.30 pm to 5.00 pm for Poshakh.)

Festivals: Every day is a festival and every Ekadashi a fast at Pandharpur. But the Ashadi and Karthiki Ekadashis are special when a huge congregation of devotees gather at the temple to have a darshan of their beloved Lord Vittala. The temple is open for twenty hours on these days, as the Lord remains awake to bless his devotees. The deity is bathed and dressed in new clothes the day after and fed a different diet with sugar and spice, as it is assumed that the Lord is tired after the long day.

Apart from the Ekadashis, the festival of Navarathri is celebrated with great fervour. The deities are adorned with beautiful new clothes and fine gold jewellery studded with brilliant gems of various colours.

The Wari tradition and the Warkari: The depth of emotion and spiritual fervour marking the largest procession in the world is unbelievable. The eight centuries old tradition of Wari is a journey on foot to the abode of the Lord Vittal at Pandharpur that the devotee or Warkari undertakes again and again. Lakhs of Warkaris gather at different venues across the country and carry the padukas (wooden or silver footwear) of Sant. Dnyaneshwar, Sant Tukaram, Sant Eknath or Sant Eknath in palkis (palanquins), and start their journey to the reverberating sound of hundreds of drums, mridangas, cymbals etc. The largest congregation is at the start of the procession accompanying the palki carrying the padukas of Sant Dnyaneshwar, who is credited with starting the Wari tradition, from his birthplace Alandi. Another big procession is from Dehu carrying the Tukaram Padukas. The starting day of the Wari may be different depending on the distance to Pandarpur, but the concluding day is the same, the day before Ashadhi Ekadashi, when Warkaris coming from various cities and direction meet on the banks of the Chandrabhaga spreading love and devotion in the air and chanting the holy abhangas in gay abandon. En route to Pandharpur, the Wari halts at various places and the locals of that place welcome the Warkaris with some special food and delicacies. Medical aid is provided to those who require it, at most halts free of charge. The dindi system is followed to avoid chaos or missing persons. Each dindi comprises of a number of Warkaris, generally from the same locality, carrying combined essential rations, clothing and medicines in a truck or a trolley, and they group together wherever they halt. Usually they have some abhang singers and cymbal players. All the dindis in a particular Wari assemble for the evening aarti conducted by their palki chief. On reaching Chandrabhaga, they take a dip in the holy waters. The excitement of the Warkaris reaches its crescendo when they first sight the flag atop the main Vittal Mandir and they rush forward in unison to catch a glimpse of their favourite Lord. That is the climax. The moment they are face to face with the Lord and feel his benevolent gaze blessing them for ever and ever.

More shrines to visit at Pandharpur: The Pundalik shrine on the banks of the Chandrabagha, is managed interestingly by priests from the Koli community. The main deity in this temple is a Shivalinga. A brass mask adorned with new white dhoti and gold earings, is placed on the linga everyday after the morning puja which include abhishek, archana and neivedya. The temple is open from 4.00am to 7.00pm and during the Wari, it is open for 24 hours.

Just outside the Pundalik shrine is the Loha Danda Thirth. A boat made of stone is seen floating in the water. The story behind this thirth is that when Indra prayed for relief from his curse by Sage Gautam, the Lord gave him an iron rod (Loha danda) and said that when this rod floated in water, he would be relieved from the curse. Indra went to many places and finally landed up at the Chandrabagha River. Miraculously the rod floated and Indra was relieved from the curse. The crescent shaped Chandrabhaga River is itself of great importance as the moon was relieved of it’s curse by having a holy dip in the river’s waters. A bath in the river is believed by many devotees to relieve them from all their sins. Boats are available for ferrying devotees to Gopalpura, approximately 1.5 Kms from the Pundalik shrine, where an ancient temple stands to Lord Krishna as Gopala, the cowherd, with a flute in his hands. The ferry will halt at a large rock with imprints of the feet of the Lord as he walks along with his cows and calves. There are pillars on one of which is carved the image of Srikrishna standing on the left leg with the right leg crossed and standing on toes. On another pillar is carved the chaturbhuj image of Srikrishna with shankh, chakra, gada, and padma. The imprints on the rock include one of the cow’s feet and Srikrishna’s staff apart from two sets of the Lord’s footprints. This rock is highly revered as Vishnupad. The month of Margashirsh is very significant for the worship of Lord Krishna at Gopalpura and Vishnupad and sees a huge rush as processions carrying the padukas of Lord Vittala set forth to and fro from the Vishnupad. The belief is that Srikrishna enjoys his time with his cowherd friends during this period.

Note: The beauty of the Chandrabagha in spate can be seen during the monsoon months from July to September. Ashadi ekadashi is the best time to have a glimpse of the famed Wari, when lakhs of devotees congregate on the temple premises. During peak season like Ashadi, Karthiki, Chaitra and Magha ekadashi, when the Wari with thousands of Warkaris enter the town of Pandharpur, the devotee gets only a fleeting darshan of the Lord as a strict queue system is in place. But even this fleeting moment gets imprinted in the mind of the devotee, leaving a lasting impression. However, if one wants to have a peaceful darshan, any other time of the year is suitable for a visit."

The ancient and miraculous #VaraSiddhiVinayaka #templestories1 at #Kanipakam

Lord Ganpati as Protector, Healer and supreme Judge, the Swayambu Vara Siddhi Vinayakar at Kanipakam is all this and more to his devotees. 

We had heard so much about the miraculous power of the Vara Siddhi Vinayakar at Kanipakam that when we were on our way to Tirupati from Vellore, and had the whole day on our hands, we made it a point to halt at Kanipakam to have darshan of the Swayambu (self manifested) Vinayakar.

Kanipakam is a village in the Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh, is almost midway between Vellore and Tirupati. The distance from Tirupati to Kanipakam is approximately 68 Kms. So the halt was quite a welcome one.We parked our car at the designated car parking and walked towards the temple.

The Gopuram (temple tower) is engraved with beautiful sculptures and carvings. There is a temple tank which people call koneru. We learnt that the temple was established in the 11^th century by Kulothunga Chola 1, a famous Chola King. It was further extended by the emperors of the Vijayanagar dynasty. The temple is beautifully maintained and the premises are spic and span.

There is a long queue for free darshan, and some pilgrims, in case of urgency, opt for the paid quick darshan too. We opt for the free one as this gave us time to take in the serene atmosphere. Some volunteers are seen selling a booklet about the temple and the Seva details.  Since it is written in the Telugu language, which I unfortunately don’t know, I bought one and passed it on to another person in the queue.

He tells us about the history of the temple and how the deity was found. About 1000 years ago, three brothers were cultivating land close to the Viharapuri village. Interestingly, one of the brothers was blind, another deaf and the third dumb. Once, they found that the well which provided water for irrigation was almost dry. When one of them got down the well and started digging with a spade, he found that his space was hitting a stone like object and blood started oozing out from it. This blood mixed with the water in the well. The brothers in the meanwhile had been wonderstruck by the sight of the blood and to their joy they found that they had been cured of their ailments. When the villagers heard of this miracle they came running to the site. They were astonished by the discovery of a self manifested idol of Lord Ganesh in the well.  The divinity of the deity was such that the villagers humbly offered coconuts to the Lord. The coconut water started flowing like a stream and this led to the naming of the village as Kanipakam, where Kani means wetland and pakam means water flowing into wetland. The deity to this day remains in the well where it was originally found. And according to the priest, the water in this well never dries up signifying the divinity and power of the Lord. In the rainy season the water level rises and overflows and this water is given to the devotees as Prasad or theertham.

One of the locals in the queue gave us an insight into some incredible facts about the Swayambu Vara Siddhi Vinayakar. Apparently the deity is growing in size and this is a fact, as the silver kavacham given as offering by a devotee about fifty years ago does not fit the idol anymore.

Another significant belief is that the Swayambu Vinayakar of Kanipakam delivers justice. Many people have been visiting the temple to resolve disputes in the family or between friends. What they do is, they take a dip in the temple tank and swear before the Lord. There have been many incidents when the person who has sinned, accepts his wrongdoing before the deity and justice is immediately delivered.

The Bahuda river which flows besides the temple at Kanipakam is also said to be sacred. There is a legend about two brothers, Sankha and Likhita, who came on a pilgrimage to Kanipakam. During the journey Likhita was very hungry. Refusing to listen to his brother’s advice, he plucked a mango from a tree without taking the owner’s permission. Duty bound to tell the truth, Sankha reported to the King about this and the king chopped off Likhita’s arms as a punishment. The two brothers then proceeded to Kanipakam. When they took a dip in the temple tank, miraculously, Likhita’s arms were restored. This enhanced their faith and belief in the Lord’s justice. The King was amazed when he came to know about the miracle and he named the river Bahuda, Bahu meaning (arms) and da meaning (giver).
The temple opens at 4.00 am and closes at 9.30 pm.

Festivals celebrated with great pomp and splendor in this temple are Ugadi, the Telugu New Year, Ganesh Chaturthi and annual Brahmotsavam which starts 20 days before Ganesh Chaturthi, when the utsava murthi is taken in procession on different vahanams.
There are two more temples in the complex, the Sri Varadaraja Perumal temple and the Maragambika sametha Manikandeshwara Swami temple. Some of the main pujas offered here are Rudrabhishek, Rudra homam, Chandi Homam, Pradosha Puja and Rahu Ketu Sarpa dosha nivarana puja. There is a colorful park in front of the Shiva temple which has a number of beautiful statues. Presented below are some of the photographs I took of the statues in the garden.

#Kanipakam #Swayambu_Varasiddhi_Vinayakar #Brahmotsavam #Bahuda_river #GaneshChaturthi

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