Month: April 2014

The grand day when Azhwar got Thirumantra upadesam

by Kazhiyur Varadan, posted in Uncategorized

 

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Thirumangai Azhwar  another name  was  Kaliyan who was the valiant army chief of the then Chola King . The king gifted him with a small territory to rule over. Hence, he was known as Thirumangai Mannan . He was attracted to an apsara Kumudavalli , daughter of a physician and expressed his desire to marry her. Kumudavalli who appeared on this earth to transform this valiant king to a bhakta, laid the condition that he should feed 1000 Srivaishnavas every day for one year . Thirumangai Mannan fulfilled her condition and continued to do so even after his marriage as he got  habituated in this wonderful kainkaryam of feeding Srivaishnavas. In due course, his wealth diminished and as Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, when HE decides to bless HIS devotee, HE takes away wealth and enacted a divya leela. Due to his love for vaishnavas , our Azhwar resorted to stealing and plundering wealth from the rich and the egoistic and used the wealth for feeding Vaishnavas and renovating temples. Tirumangai Mannan comes to know through his friends that a newly wedded couple bedecked with costly jewellery are passing through a forest in a palanquin and if they could plunder their wealth, they could continue with their cause of serving Srivaishnavas forever. So, Thirumangai Mannan along with his four friends leaves his place in the midnight , rides fast on his horse,who he calls as Aadalmaa, waylays the divine couple who are resting in a mandapam at “Thirumanankollai” and plunders their wealth and ties them in a cloth. Not being satisfied with the loot, he tries to remove the Thirumetti of Thayar with all his might and is unsuccessful. By coming in contact with Thayar’s thiruvadi, realisation dawns on him. When he tries to lift the loot, he is unable to do so and suspecting the bridegroom for having put some charm , he threatens Perumal who is disguised as the bridegroom with a sword to disclose the secret.that does not allow him to carry the loot Perumal advises him to purify himself and return so that he can impart the secret to him. Thirumangai mannan returns and Perumal gives him the most sacred mantram,Thirumantram . The moment Perumal whispers the sacred Ashtakshari Thirumantram , wisdom dawns on Kaliyan and he surrenders at the Lotus feet of the Divya Dampadhigal. He repents for all his earlier deeds and outbursts his pourings starting with “Vaadinene Vaadi….” and decides to glorify Perumal by visiting holy places in India.. He is transformed as Thirumangai Azhwar and riding on his Aadalma horse glorified Perumal in about 86 divya desams. Every year, this incident in recollected on Panguni-Makham (Mar-april) at thirunangoor as Thiruvedupari utsavam and this year the incident is enacted on  2nd  midnight April 2015 . The pics were taken during our last visit . We participated in the Thirukalyanam of Perumal with Nachiyar the previous afternoon . Later , in the night after saatrumarai, the newly wed Perumal and Thayar bedecked fully with jewellery set out on a decorated palanquin. WE were told that they would halt in a mandapam at Thirumanankollai. We drove to Thiruvali-Thirunagari temple to have darsanam of Thirumangai Azhwar also known as Kaliyan/Neelan/Thirumangai Mannan and were among the crowd awaiting the temple doors to open….Now the most beautiful THIRUVEDUPARI UTSAVAM begins ..

At midnight almost 2 AM , a group of people who were playing the role of Kaliyan’s friends entered the temple to inform Kaliyan about the newly wed couple. Within minutes, the temple doors were wide open. The beautifully dressed Thirumangai mannan in blue velvette dress wearing innumerable intrinsic jewellery holding gem studded sword , precious gems studded dagger and all other weapons required by a king galloped on his favourite horse”Aadalma”, rushed outside the temple and set forth on his journey to loot the wealth .The night is pitch dark . The sevarthees bearing torches literally run along with Kaliyan. It is a sight never to be missed. The zeal with which Kaliyan rides on the horse is inexplicable. One has to be physically present to witness this . The neophyte devotees who gather for this function usually engage autos/cars to keep pace with Azhwar and we followed suit. Kaliyan swifts through the narrow muddy roads to reach the place while we took another route to reach the mandapam. Perumal and Thayar in Kalyana Thirukolam were giving darshan to the assembled devotees. Adiyongal also had darshanam from close quarters.

 

Thousands of devotees had gathered at that place and a village mela was going on. The whole place was vibrant with devotional music and few Vaishnavas were singing Peria Thirumozhi in a small mantapam . Some locals were dressed up like Thirumangai Mannan. As if to compete with the beauty of Full Moon in the sky, many others were bursting crackers which were decorating the sky. The entire place was in a festive joyous mood awaiting Kaliyan’s arrival. Kaliyan reached the place along with his attendants and circumbulated the mandapam thrice swiftly amidst chores and went inside the mandapam. The act of Thirumangai Mannan looting the wealth is enacted inside the closed curtain. Later, the thirumeni of Thirumangai Mannan is taken to a nearby mandapam where he rests for more than an hour. We were told that during Azhwar’s days, there was a small stream flowing by in which Azhwar as per the instructions of Perumal had holy bath. Today, the stream is dried and so we could walk across to the mandapam where Thirumangai Mannan was resting. All the devotees are allowed to have darshan of Azhwar from very close quarters. We recollected Manavala Maamunigal ‘s beautiful description about Thirumangai Mannan’s vadivazhagu. Later, Thirumangai Mannan alights out from the mandapam amidst fanfare and circumbalate around the Dhivya Dampadhigal who were now giving darsanam on Garuda Vaahanam. WE were told that Perumal gives Mantropadesam to Thirumangai Mannan. Wisdom dawns on Thirumangai Mannan and he seeks forgiveness and repents for his acts . The first ten songs from Peria Thirumozhi starting with “Vaadinene Vaadi” was recited by all the assembled bhagavathaas and then neivedyam was offered to Perumal. The divya dampadhigal honoured Thirumangai Azhwar with parivattam, prasadam,garland, theertha prasadam and sataari. Karpoora aarthi was given to both Perumal and Azhwar. The entire procession started towards Thiruvaali temple reciting the remaining pasurams from Peria thirumozhi. The transformed Azhwar was now seen moving slowly as he had submitted his valour, strength ,speed , ego at the Lotus feet of Perumal and as a pure devotee he was now contemplating on the divine qualities of Perumal.

Please do plan to have this darshinam at Thiruvali Thirunagari on  02  of April  2015 , have darshanam and plan to have one more darshan at Srirangam to have the memorable darshanam of Peria Perumal.

Thirumangai Azhwar Thiru adigale sharanam

Adiyen Ramanuja dasan

SHRINATHJEE TRAVELS TO MEWAR (BHAKTHA MEERAS PLACE) FROM GOVERDHAN

by Kazhiyur Varadan, posted in Uncategorized

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mmmmnNathdwara is a small town in Mavli-Udiapur route. Situated in the heart of the town, SHRINATHJI temple is the main attraction with hundreds of devotees thronging to the temple daily. This is the second richest temple in India, first being Tirumala temple Nath Dwaraka and Kankroli Dwarka are two of the Nava Dwarkas – situated near ,Udaipur , Rajasthan – These two holy dhams are situated near Udaipur (one hour drive)- Here in this temple vendors sell vegetables,fruits, milk etc to be offered to the Lord at the entrance. The presiding diety is Goverdhanagiri dhaari popularly known as “SHRINATHJI” Nathdwara- temple is known as “Haveli”, a palatial building. Lord Krishna as Goverdhan dhaari is the child is well protected inside and one has to cross many halls to have HIS darshanam The darshan also would be for a very short period – about 10 to 15 minutes in time intervals of 2-3 hours. Its the devotees fortune to have darshans . Different types of bhog would be offered to the Lord when the curtains are drawn. In this Nathdwara- Temple there are separate entrances for gents and ladies. Hundreds of devotees assemble in front of the sanctum when the curtains are drawn. The devotees sing melodiously while the priest offers shodasa upachaaram(16 types of upachaarams) to the Lord. For them, the Lord is their child. Here Lord gives darshan in bluish form with HIS left hand raised upwards with little finger pointing upwards, HIS right hand closed in a fist rests on HIS hip. HIS lotus eyes glance downward affectionately at HIS devotees. Lord Shrinathji is very special and beautiful diety. There is a diamond on the chin of the Lord. This idol is swayambhu (self manifested and not carved by anyone). As the Lord is the combined form of Radharani and Gopala, HE is known as “SHRI SHRINATHJI”.( “SHRI” indicates Thayar ). The Lord is also known as “Banke Bihari”. This deity was earlier in Vrindavan near Goverdhana giri and is related to one of Lord Sri Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan lifting Goverdhana hill.To mark this incident, Vajranabha great grandson constructed a temple at the foot of the hill and affered prayers . Due to passage of time, this deity disappeared and the whereabouts remained unknown for many years. After many years, appeared as Gopala in Madhavendra Puri’s dream, informed him about HIS whereabouts and a temple was constructed . When Aurangzeb invaded Mathura and Vrindavan, the deity disappeared into the hill and could not be traced out. Even today, in Mathura, Vrindavan, we can find many old temples in ruins and the sculptures disfigured by Aurangzeb. After many years, appeared to Sri Vallabhacharyar in his dream and informed HIS whereabouts. When Sri Vallabacharyar reached Goverdhanagiri, the deity emerged out by itself and was glorified by Vallabhacharyar. Perumal advised Vallabhacharyar, who was a very great devotee to carry Him to Mewar in Rajasthan. Vallabacharyar arranged a cart for Perumal and left for Mewar. Rana Raja Singh of Mewar helped Vallabhacharyar . After 2 months, the cart reached the present Nathdwara enroute to Mewar in the 17thcentury. But on the way to Mewar, the cart stopped suddenly at this place and did not move an inch. Vallabacharyar heard a divine voice say that Perumal wished to stay in this place itself as it was the place where HIS dear devotee, Meera bhai stayed.

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( The story of Meera bhai is well known to all of us.)The Vallabhacharyar with the help of Mewar king constructed a beautiful temple for the Lord here .

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As mentioned earlier, Perumal instructed him to take Him away to Mewar and the later developments have already been mentioned above. Vallabhacharyar used to please the Lord with his kirtans which was later followed by his disciples. In a corner of the temple, the photographs of Sri Vallabhacharyar along with his descendants are displayed. Even today, bhog is offered to Perumal on behalf of Sri Vallabhacharyar.

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6 sevas are performed daily.There is a big photograph of Perumal “SHRI SHRINATHJI” hung on a wall and pointed out to the nose ring worn by Perumal and a diamond stone studded on Perumal’s chin. It was for taking this diamond that Aurangzeb invaded Mathura but his attempts became futile because Lord disappeared from that place. In the garbagriham, Perumal gives darshan as Krishna-Radharani together and hence is known as “SHRI SHRINATHJI. The cart which carried the Lord is preserved in a separate room. Even today, this event is celebrated every year. A new cart is made and is rested on the cart. In the adjacent room, there are 2 mortars- one made of gold and the other made of silver. Once in eight days, chandan(sandal paste ) for LORD is made using these mortars.

Swami Ramanuja gives the title Vaishnava dasar to MudaliAndan

by Kazhiyur Varadan, posted in Uncategorized

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Thirukoshtiyur Nambikal one of the Guru of Swamy Ramanuja was very much pleased with Ramanuja and so he wanted to impart to him the meaning of Charama sloka from the eighteenth chapter of Bhagavat Gita. So he sent word to Ramanuja to come alone again. Swami Ramanuja went alone and Nambikal taught him the meaning of Charama sloka and told him not to reveal it to anyone. But Ramanuja beseeched with Nambikal that he should be allowed to teach it to Kurathazwar. Then Nambikal told him that Kurathazwar should be taught only after doing service to Swamy Ramanuja one full year. When Ramanuja returned to Srirangam, he told Kurathazwar about his Guru’s order. Kurathazwar was disappointed to hear this. He thought when it was not sure whether we would be alive for the next moment, how he could wait for a year to learn this secret meaning of the Charama Sloka. He remembered that it was depicted in Sastras, if a person observe upavasam for one month it was equal to serving for one year. So he observed fasting for one month in front of Ramanuja’s Thirumalikai ( Ashramam) Thus he got his wish fulfilled. Mudaliyandan another foremost disciple of Swamy Ramanuja came to know about this and he went and prostrated before Ramanuja and begged him to teach him also the Charama Sloka manthrartham. But Ramanuja told him that his Guru Nambikal gave him permission to give the upadesam only to Kurathazwar and he could go to Nambikal and get it directly from him. Though Mudaliyandan waited for six months, he did not get any positive signal from Nambikal. Hence one day he went and prostrated before Nambikal and begged him. Nambikal told him, “you were proud of your wealth, your learning and your high caste As you have not yet attained the paripakkuvam (controlling mamakaram.) Ramanuja had sent you here. But now you are fit to have the Upadesam. You go back and your guru and he would be pleased to teach you now.”Then the sincere disciple of Swamy Ramanuja , Mudaliyandan returned to Srirangam and narrated to Swamy Ramanuja all that had happened. At that time Swamy Ramanujas another Guru ,Periya Nambikal’s daughter Athuzaay also had come to see Ramanuja. She told that her mother in law had sent her home, telling her to bring a cook from her house and her father had told her that she should go to Ramanuja and he would do the needful. When Ramanuja heard this, he told Mudaliyandan to accompany Athuzaay. Mudaliyandan at once obeyed his guru and went along with Athuzaay. At that place , he was doing service to her mother in law for six months. One day he happened to hear a Srivaishnava explaining the meaning of a Sanskrit sloka wrongly. MudaliAndaan went into the gathering and explained the proper meaning of the sloka. The Brahmin got angry and told, “You are only a cook and Its beyond your capacity to understand the shastras He chided him to just go and simply cook what was ordered .” Yet Mudaliyandan did not get angry and spoke sweetly and also explained again. The Brahmin got ashamed and begged for pardon. MudaliAndaan told that he was the disciple of Swamy Ramanuja and he was sent by him to do service at Athuzaay’s house. Whatsover explanation was given now was the mercy of his Acharyar Swami Ramanuja . When Ramanuja came to know this, he went in person and brought him back with him. He was happy that Mudaliyandan now had attained the paripakkuvam to be taught the Charama sloka Rahasyartham. He taught him the same and also conferred him the title” Vaishnava Dasar.”

Adiyen Ramanuja dasan

LORD TASTES CURD RICE ,MANGO PICKLE AT JEEYARPURAM, SRIRANGAM

by Kazhiyur Varadan, posted in Uncategorized

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In Srirangam , the capital of Srivaishnavas , Once there lived an old lady with her grandson who was also named as Ranga. The old woman and her grandson were great devotees of Lord Ranganatha. As usual ,one day the grandson went to have a dip in the river Kaveri. However , the river took him away and left him on the banks near Amma Mandapam at Srirangam. The boy Rangan had Lord’s darshan there and He also prayed for his grandmother. In the meantime, the old women was searching for her grandson and Lord Ranganatha appeared before her in the form of her grandson. She took LORD home and fed Him with thayir sadham (curd rice) and vadu manga (tender mango pickle). The Lord ate happily and disappeared when her real grandson arrived. Now on conversation the old lady realized that it was not her grandson who arrived and that had food from her hands but the Lord Himself.

The old women felt sad that had she known that the Lord would come to eat, she would have made akkarai vadisal ( sweet pudding with dry fruits ) and fed the Lord . Out of abundant mercy , Lord appeared before her and told her that He always eats akkarai vadisal at His palace of Srirangam but was longing for the simple food that His devotees have been eating. To enact this incident , every year the Lord sets off to Jeeyarpuram and blesses His devotees there. The Lord accepts offerings on the way towards Jeeyarpuram and reaches Jeeyarpuram Astana Mamandapam around 11 AM the next day. This festival is enacted on the second day, NamPerumal starts on a procession around the Chithra streets at 7:30 AM and arrives at the Garuda Mandapam through Ranga Vilas. He remains at the Garuda Mandapam till the evening blessing all his devotees with His darshan. At 5:15 PM, NamPerumal starts His procession graciously marching towards JeeyaPuram, which is located west of Srirangam across the Vada Thiru Cauveri along the Melur Road. This day signifies His graciousness to go to His devotees who are unable to come to Him and provide His blessings to all. The main purpose of Him to go to Jeeyar Puram is to provide His blessings to his beloved devotees outside of Srirangam as well.

Courtesy Pics : Sriman Madhavan srirangam. .
Adiyen Ramanuja dasan

LORD KRISHNA TRAVELS FROM DWARAKA TO DAKORE near AHMEDABAD ALONG WITH THE DEVOTEE

by Kazhiyur Varadan, posted in Uncategorized

There was an ardent devotee from Dakore near Ahmedabad  who used to visit Dwaraka every year on his bullock cart carrying pots of tulasi plants with him to offer the same to the Lord . He used to take 6 months to reach Dwaraka

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He followed this practice even in his advanced age. Like Thirukacchinambigal, this devotee could converse with the Lord. During one such visit, he prayed to Dwarakadeesh that in future he may not be able to visit Dwarka as he was very old. The Lord replied that henceforth he preferred to stay with this pure devotee rather than being in Dwarka where people had turned materialistic and there was no pure bhakti..

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The Lord ordered him to be ready with the cart in the night. The devotee accordingly obeyed and waited with the cart for the Lord. As promised, Lord left the temple, got into the cart and HE HIMSELF drove the cart. The Lord who acted as “PARTHASARATHY- (Charioteer to Arjuna in the Mahabharata war once again took the reins and drove the chariot).The Supreme Lord who by His mere glance, controls the entire Cosmic manifestation, made the devotee relax and Himself drove the cart for the sake of His devotee. Overnight they reached Dakore. ( A place near Ahmedabad ).

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The devotee used to take 6 months to drive the cart but the Lord reached the place within 6 hours. From the following morning the devotee along with his wife started worship in their hut itself . Meantime, when the temple doors were opened, the priests were shocked to see the idol missing. They guessed that the old devotee who was in the temple for a very long time the previous night must be responsible for this .

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All the residents of Dwarka set out for Dakore. When they saw the Lord in the devotees house, they started abusing the old devotee and tried to forcibly take the idol. They did not listen to the devotees pleas .However hard they tried to grab the deity , the deity did not even move an inch. At that time they heard an asareeri say that Lord would be with whoever gives offering equal to the Lord’s weight . Immediately, a balance was brought and the idol was placed on one side of the balance. The residents of Dwarka offered all their possessions which was kept on the other side of the balance. The balance remained as it is. They rushed back to Dwarka and brought back all they had but this also was of no match to the Lord’s weight. Having accepted defeat, they asked the Brahmin to try his turn. The devotees wife a very great devotee, prayed to Lord and placed her nose ring along with little Tulasi on the other side of the balance and immediately both the balances became EQUAL.

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Thus demonstrated that He is bound by His devotees pure affection and love. To the dejected residents of Dwaraka, Lord informed that very soon a sculptor would approach them who would sculpt a similar vigraham which could be placed in the altar and would continue to bless the devotees by bestowing His powers on the idol. Hence, the original deity of the is present in DAKORE DWARAKA now.At Dwarka, as advised by the Lord , a sculptor approached the priests and offered to make an idol with the condition that no one should disturb him while he was performing his work. The residents agreed and the sculptor locked himself in a room. This went on for 18 days but when no sound was heard, the curious devotees broke open the door and to their astonishment, the sculptor had vanished and the Lord’s vigraham was near completion but for the eyes. As they went back on their words, they were crying pitifully realizing that the sculptor was none other than the Himself. An aakashvaani declared that henceforth, they could consider this vigraham as the Lord Himself and offer pooja to the and whatever happened was as per HIS divine WILL. To this day, this mangala moorthy is being worshipped at Dwaraka which is situated on the western coast near Arabian Sea.

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For more information about our piligrimage , please check adiyens travelogue here

DWARAKA ..A Piligrims diary to Nava Dwarakas


Adiyen Ramanuja dasan
Jai Jai Dwarakadeesh

” VEDIPURI UTSAVAM ” THIRUMANTHRA UPADESAM TO AZHWAR

by Kazhiyur Varadan, posted in Uncategorized

THE DAY LORD GAVE THIRUMANTRA UPADESAM TO THIRUMANGAI AZHWAR
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Near Seerkazhee there lived a patriotic Army General (ThaLapathi) ofChozhA king who earned the king’s goodwill and respect with his devoted work.He and his wife, vallitthiru were blessed with a beautiful male child, whomthey named neelan (due to his dark (neela mEga) colour. He was born in the
year nala during karthiigai mAsam, kritigai nakshathram, full moon day and wasan incarnation of the Lord’s SArngam (Divine bow). Neelan grew up as a shrewdsmart boy, learning Tamizh and Sanskrit and mastered them; became wellversed in sword fight(vAL payiRchi), vil viddhai with, Horse riding, elephant riding, etc. He grew up a young, intelligent, smart, healthy,strong, handsome lad (and yet simple and modest with a religious mind likehis parents) and not surprisingly, people liked him very much. When Neelan’s father got old, the chOzhA king, having heard about Neelan,appointed Neelan as the Army General(ThaLapathi). He was agile, dynamic,young and was good at battle fields; and hence captured the neighboringstates; The king was immensely pleased and presented him a small portion of his kingdom, a place called Thirumangai, as a tribute and made him a KING! (He was thereafter called “Thirumangai mannan”.)That was his first success. And that became the cause for his slipping from all bhakti, devotion, religion etc., etc., and the success of reaching the SimhAsanam at such a young age, (with no chance of becoming a king, otherwise) went to his head. He took to all vices; He was deeply caught in seeking sensual pleasures. The parents were helpless and could do nothingbut pray to the Lord to correct their son. All compassionate Lord Sriman nArAyaNA did listen to them. He had organised such a situation that made a dEvamAdhu by name sumangalai(who was performing the kainkaryam of fanning(sAmaram)the Lord) to appear as the most beautiful daughter of a local doctor in Tirumangai, in the name “kumudhavalli” (based on a “sApam” given by kapila muni for her laughing at an ugly face and coarse voice of his disciple). Being an incarnate of dEvamAdhu, she wasexquisitely pretty and could attract even a recluse.Our “new” king, Thirumangai mannan heard of her alluringly feminine beauty and wished to see her immediately. When he saw her, he was so much captivated by her darting glance at him, he fell head over heels for her and proposed to marry her. Kumudhavalli, through her father, stipulated two prerequisites for him to qualify for marrying her. They were one . Her husband should be a (or become a) Sri vaishNavA, wear ThirunaNkAppu on his forehead, and be a true bhaktA of Sriman NarayaNan. (Sriman Narayanan Himself spoke through her) and 2. Her husband should feed daily 1000 (ONE THOUSAND!) sri vaishNava bhakthALs with Prasadam Our mannan, being intoxicated by her looks, agreed after listening to her conditions immediately. They got married. So there he was. With a bright ThirumaNkAppu, thuLasi mAlai, he paid obeisance to LORD Sriman NarayaNa. He started the annadhAnam for 1000 Sri vaishNava bhaktALs. Slowly day by day, our mannan was transfering into a
true, sincere devotee of the Lord and was getting tremendous satisfaction from feeding Sri vaishNavas daily. The enjoyment of Bhakti and BhagavatOttamAL sEvai were really experienced by Thirumangai mannan. While this was going on, the entire treasury was spent on the AnnadhAnam kainkaryam. He could not even send the “tax” which he was supposed to send to the chOzhA king every year. So, chOzhA King sent a message to him asking him pay the taxes that was collected ; but since our mannan could not pay and sent back a reply saying that he will not be able to pay. ChOzhA king got wild and sent soldiers to bring him. Our hero sent them back effortlessly with his fighting skills. ChOzhA king himself came with a heavy army and attacked Thirumangai mannan. Even though Thirumangai mannan’s army was small, he fought and won the battle. His horse went near the chOzhA king and he got down from the horse. He said: “Oh pErarasE (Big king!), I did not send the tax- I don’t deny. But did I spend the money on trivial matters? It was spent for Sri VaishNavALs. How can I stop when your soldiers came to imprison me?”. Our chOzhA king was hurt due to his defeat and did not listen to all this. He said,”I made you a king. I gave you all these luxuries. Now you are not even grateful. and you fought with me, too”
Our mannan got hurt very badly by that “ungrateful” statement. He was very much grateful to chOzhA king for all that he had done. So Thirumangai mannan threw away his sword and bowed down before the king and said ”
Chozha mannA! Am I ungrateful? was not these kingdoms which I captured for you. Now I am standing in front of you as the same neelan . Go ahead and do what you wish to do with me”. The chOzhA king melted and was moved. He hugged thirumangaimannan and said “Don’t worry. I know you. But we should pay respects to pErarasar-chitRarsar relation and hence, you are to send your tax within 3
days. Till then, you will be imprisoned in the perumAL temple.” There wasno way he could get any money and hence, he begged the Lord to help him.The Lord appeared in his dream and suggested him to go to the banks ofriver vEdhavathi near kanchi where he could find a big treasure of Gold coins and jewels. He narrated the dream to the chOzhA king andthirumangaimannan and few ministers went to kanchi, vEdhavathi river banksand did find a BIG TREASURE. Having heard this news, chOzhA king got upfrom the throne and whole heartedly bowed down to Thirumangai mannan forhis bhakti and thee Lord’s mercy on him. He said” I have done a greatmistake of taxing a great bhakthA for a small tax issue and caused ahindrance to BhagavathALs’ anna dhAna kankaryam. Please take all thistreasure and let me send you back with full Royal honours. You need notinsult me by paying the tax any more!”. The mannan came back with morewealth and with great honours. The citizens of Thirumangai were greatly
thrilled by their king and kumudhavalli was proud of her husband. They revived their kainkaryam for 1000 Sri VaishNanvALs more aggressively and attained their happiness and satisfaction as usual. Again, they found themselves left with no wealth for the kainkaryam.

With a view to keeping the promise to his beloved wife, he had to resort to highway robbery from rich people. With the booty, he continued the kainkaryam. One day The Lord Sriya: patih Sriman NarayaNan and Vishnu pathni Sri MahAlakshmi appeared on the highway as a”just married” couple with lots and lots of jewels adorned them. Our mannan turned robber heard of a new rich young couple’s coming on
the Highway and immediately rushed with his adiyALs. He was very happy tosee Them with so many jewels and thanked God(!) for that. They also had abag containing more ornaments. Our Neelan demanded Them to surrender allthey had. They did precisely what was instructed to Them; all with TheirkatAksham on our hero. They put all their ornaments on a piece of cloth.When Thirumangai mannan tried to lift the bundle of ornaments he just couldnot even move it a bit! He was shocked and perplexed as to why it was so difficult to move it! He went near the bridegroom ,Lord Sri mahAvishNu and with a fierce look into His eyes, asked Him ” What is the manthram you have for lifting this bundle?. Tell me, else, I will kill you both.” He threatened Them with a sword. The Lord and the PirAtti smiled with a gentle mandhahAsam. He asked Thirumangai mannan to come near Him AND WHISPERED IN
HIS RIGHT EAR ” THE ASHTAAKSHARI “. Having heard those EIGHT SYALLABLES (AshtAksharam) right from none other than SRIYA: PATHI HIMSELF, his mind, his heart became PURE!. All his dirt had disappeared! He was simply electrified by the AshtAksharam. He got goose pimples all over his body; He got indescribable blissful happiness! He prostrated fully at Their Lotus feet with eyes full of tears at Their mercy to bless him despite his shortcomings and negative qualities. They blessed him with Their KARUNAI KATAAKSHAM.. He realised His ThiruviLaiyAdal and the purpose of his birth and poured out tamizh pAsurams on the Lordas if it comes from just opened dam (“madai thirandha veLLam pOl”). He looked at the sky and kept on crying ceaselessly for Their dayA on his lowly self. His hands and the legs were shivering with tremendous amount of Bhakti and love for the Lord.

He came back galloping on his horse named ADALMAA to narrate the ENTIRE EXCITING INCIDENT to the beloved kumudhavalli. Kumudhavalli, before he started even, asked him as to why his face looked so bright, serene, divine and beaming that day. He said “kumudhA, I have reached the purpose of my manushya janmam kumudhA. I have seen NARAYANA, kumudhA. (nAn kaNdu koNdEn NARAYANAnai). He was too excited to even complete his statements in a coherent manner. (After all, he has been initited by SarvEswaran Himself!). Kumudhavalli said, “Then, I have also reached the purpose of my deputation (by Lord
through kapila muni)” and she narrated her story. Our AzhwAr became all the more blissful and happier to know that The Lord Sriya: pathih sent Kumudhavalli only to set him right from his wrong path and corrected him. He could not control his tears and sobbed heavily at the Lord’s mercy on him repeatedly . His outburst of HIS BLISS was shared through HIS pasurams and visited almost about 86 temples . He also took efforts to construct Temple walls of Srirangam without affecting ThoNdaradippodiAzhwAr’s nandhavanam. (“pAdi pAdi paraparappAi thirinthAr”) His compositions were : 1. Periya thirumozhi 2. Periya thirumadal 3. SiRiya thirumadal 4. Thiru nedunthANdakam (TNT) 5. Thiru KurunthANdakam(TKT) 6. Thiru vezhuk kurrirukkai. His pAsurams are marvellous; excellent and have unsurpassed beauty in them. Swamy ParAsara Bhattar made use of his TNT to winover his counter part, a advaitin scholar in his arguments and later the advaitin became his disciple ‘nam jeeyar’. Sri RanganAtha himself heard and
was greatly pleased with that argument reenacted from Bhattar quoting from

Here is one of his periya thirumozhi pasurams:
vAdinEn vAdi varundhinEn manatthaal/
perun thuyaridum idumbaiyil piRanNdhu/
koodinEn koodi iLaiyavar thammOdu/
avar tharum kalaviyE karudhi/
OdinEn Odi uyvadhOr poruLaal/
uNarvenum perumpadhan therindhu/
naadinEn nAdi nadi nAn kaNdukoNdEn/
nArAyaNA vennum nAmam.

Being born into this body, a reservoir of profound sorrow, I am repenting,
melting and crying, I am filled with pathos and self-pity;I have let myself
run after beautiful women, seeking the sensual pleasures from their union;
Through the grace of our Lord I have now realized that there is a greater
goal and That will deliver me into eternal happiness; I have been searching
for this state and have now found it IN THE SWEET NAME NARAYANA. This pASsuram will bring tears to the eyes of any Vaishnava for AzhwAr’sBhakti and love and his heart longing for the lotus feet of our Lord Narayana.
The clip was taken 2 years back during adiyens piligrimage
All glories to the devotees who will be attending the Thiruvedipuri Utsavam today night .
Adiyen Ramanuja dasan

TOTAL SURRENDER

by Kazhiyur Varadan, posted in Uncategorized

Today , Panguni uthiram is the most important day of srivaishnavas . Swamy Ramanuja’s prays to Lord Ranganathar and Peria pirattlar (Sriranga nachiar at Srirangam . Lord Namperumal (Sri Ranganathar) and Peria pirattlar (Sriranga nachiar) are seated together. Lord (naMperumAL) is standing majestically as usual and more beautiful and graceful today due to the compassionate looking pirAtti and is enjoying the beauty of Her Lord without taking Her eyes off Him even for a second This was the right opportunity for LokaAcharyar Swami Ramanuja to ask for favors from our DIVINE PARENTS. He submits to the LOTUS FEET through his divine outpourings Gadyatrayam. Swamy Ramanuja worshipping them, submits his deep fear of samsara (association with the body in a cycle of births) and begs the Lord to save him. Swamy Ramanuja surrendered his all to the Lord and begged Him to be his sole savior. In the Three Gadyaas, Swamy Ramanuja’s prayed swamies innermost feelings of deep devotion to the Lord break all restrictions and flow freely towards the Lord and His consort. These are prima facie a spontaneous outburst of devotional experience and not coldly labored compositions. The inner voice of the devotee addresses Sri and the Lord and they do reply clearly through the same inner voice. In the Saranagati gadya, Swamy Ramanuja first addresses Sri as the mother of the Universe, as his own mother, and as the loving consort of his Lord, and seeks her intercession on his behalf. This is itself a saranagati addressed to the mother. Happy at being addressed this, Sri replies ‘So be it’; “let your prapathi bear the proper fruit of being accepted as a devoted servant” The commentators have it that this assurance is not only for the Acharya but for all his spiritual progeny. The boon that Lord granted to Swamy Ramanuja applies to his spiritual heirs. It is worth noting that once he gets the assurance from Sri of her sure mediation, he addresses himself directly to the Lord seeking Him as the sole savior. The LokAcharya then addresses the Lord speaking of His incomparable glory, “His immense wealth, His power, His retinue, His divine weapons, His beautiful ornaments, His loving consorts, of His infinite compassion and other admirable qualities words which are a rhapsody of devout fervor which can come only from the very depth of a realized soul. Swamy Ramanuja holds out prapathi as the highest message he had for his followers.The Sriranga gadyam is a shorter piece and is essentially the same as the Saranagati gadyam. It is addressed directly to Sriranganatha. ” Sriranganatha! mama natha! namostu te” are the words of the acharya. To the seeker of salvation who has taken to the path of Prapathi, it is essential that he should spend his time in devoted service of the lord; in serving his devotees; by meditating on Him and singing His praise; by repeatedly uttering the Dvaya mantra (this is an enjoyable and sweet pastime). The acharya gives expression to all these, briefly, in confidence to the lord at Srirangam. His intention is that this short text may be repeated easily in the presence of the Lord by devotees intent on the fruit prayed for. Check this clip which takes to LORDS LOTUS FEET ..
Adiyen Ramanuja dasan

The future Bhadri ..BHAVISHYA BHADRINATH darshinam with Sankirtan at 3200 mts height

by Kazhiyur Varadan, posted in Uncategorized

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sa13AT BHAVISHYA BHADRI BHAJAN SANKIRTANhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xml5CZQBS1s

During the year 2012 we were fortunate to have darshan of SAPTHA BHADRI . Among the Seven Bhadris , Bhavishya bhadri darshan was most memorable . We drove by a hired cab upto Saldhar which is about 19 kms from Joshirmutt. The weather was pleasant and chilly and we were reminded of Tirumala ghat road.. An arc mentioned as Tapovan made our spirits engulf the serene atmosphere . This is a serene place for meditation. Driving ahead, we reached the starting point of our trekking. Bhavishya Badri is located in Subhain village and one has to trek the hill for 6 kms in a lonely path . We just found a small arch mentioning Bhavishya Badri. We were five and Adiyen was only male member trekking in in a lonely place. Initially there were few steep steps laid as a pathway for about a kilometer. Singing Annamacharyar keerthanas and chanting the mahamantram Thirumantram, we prayed LORD for HIS darshan in this lonely place and started trekking. There are no sign boards, no indication about the route . The Lord seated as Antharyaami was guiding us.. We didn’t even know whether the route taken by us was right or not. We were enthralled to see a villager from whom we inquired about the route. Felt delighted to note that we were on the correct path and as per his directions, we continued our way. Beyond the first settlement, there is no pathway at all. There was greenery everywhere and the different varieties of wild flowers which had blossomed were so colorful and pleasing to our eyes impelling the children to burst into some song. WE could see chameleons, colorful butterflies, squirrels , forest ants and humming sound of bees from far. However, we realized that the forest shrubs and plants which were growing on either sides of this so called tiny footpath was hostile. The leaves were sharp and accidentally if our hands touched the leaves, that part in our hand which came in contact with the leaf would get swollen immediately. WE had to be cautious while trod ding the path so as to avoid stamping on some forest snail/snake/ant etc. The path is slippery and my daughter who made a wrong choice of wearing heels had to remove her slippers and walk bare footed all through the way. Of course all these didn’t matter because we were focused on our destination. Once in a while, when we came across some passerby , we used to take directions from him and proceed on our adventurous trip. As we are not used to altitudes, we trekked slowly taking occasional rests . Somehow we were all energetic singing the glories of the Lord and enjoying nature’s beauty. In lighter moments, cracking jokes on each other once in a while to ease out the stress, we kept on ascending the hill. While trekking so, we suddenly got confused as the so called footpath was leading to two ways and we didn’t know which one to take. My niece found a Lays wrapper and suggested that the path would be inhabited. Children were enjoying the adventure guessing the route,pulling each other….It was a real holiday for them. We were imagining as to how Thirumangai Azhwar would have reached Badri Vishal which would have been unexplored like this at that time. There was no one to inquire and we were getting nervous as to whether the path taken by us was right or not. After walking for about half an hour, we met a lady who said that the route taken by us was wrong and she volunteered to take us to the correct path. We felt that it was God in disguise who appeared to help us out. We were once again left to ourselves and continued with our journey. After trekking for about 2 hours, we were exhausted and were searching for a place to relax. Luckily, we found a shop on the way . As we wished to remain light while trekking, we didn’t have breakfast and now the children badly needed something to re-energise themselves. The shop provided all sorts of snacks, cool drinks , medicines, water etc. After replenishing ourselves, we continued onwards our 2 kms trek journey. This particular settlement was much better compared to other isolated places. We continued trekking and once again left with no one around. WE could not locate any path way and didn’t know which side to take-left or right!! WE took the wrong path and after some time, we saw a person down the hill and screamed for help. He informed that he is the temple priest and he was also going to Bhavishya Badri. Our joy knew no bounds. He accompanied us for some time, and as we couldn’t cope up with his lightning speed, he gave us directions and left. He said that the temple was only one km away .WE were now on a bigger plain surface. Surrounded by snow clad high mountain peaks on all sides, sun rays falling through the tall eucalyptus trees and gentle breeze full of medicinal properties accompanied by Dhauli Ganga flowing as a small stream , green vegetation in the surrounding places and the sound of cuckoos as if welcoming us , we were in ecstasy looking at the marvelous creation of the Lord. We have seen this in movies but now we are here experiencing them with our own eyes but for deers and peacocks. Even after trekking for hours, we were still energetic and bubbling with joy as we were near to our destination. Two local women farmers were passing by us suggested us to taste the crystal clear cold water from the Dhauli Ganga stream. Pure un adultered tasty water was like nectar. They accompanied us to the temple. We reached the temple past noon. AS the pujari met us on the way, he was waiting for us. All of us had very good darshan of the Lord. The pujari explained to us that 10 years ago, there was only a sketch mark on the rock but now we can see the Lord’s figure emerging out of the cave. The Lord is in the form of Narasimha bhagavan. The pujari pointed us to the various features in the half emerged idol attributing its form to that of Lord Narasimha. How fortunate and blessed we are to have Lord Narasimhar as Bhavishya Badri Narayanan. In the present Badri Vishal, the Lord is in the form of Narayanan whereas here HE is going to assume the form of Bhakthavatsalan, Lord Narasimhar whose avataram is for the sake of devotee. JAI NARASING DEV!!
WE offered our dry fruits to the deities and did kirtan for about half an hour. A mahamantra sticker is at the entrance which was pasted by ISKCON PAADAYATRA troup who visited this temple some time ago. WE were imagining that when Thirumangai Azhwar visited Badri Vishal few thousands of years ago, that place would have been similar to this one now.After trekking almost 6 KM for 4 hours reaching at an altitude of 3200 metres we are delighted to have darshan of Bhavishya Bhadrinathji.. We chanted Mahamantra . At 3200 m height we could see the local people also joining us to chant the HOLY NAME .It was a great feeling . Was immensely pleased to note from a sticker that ISKCON PADAYATRA devotees also visited this dhaam.
All glories to Vishaal Bhadrinath

Ugram veeram maha-vishnum jvalantam sarvatho mukham …. nrisimham bheeshanam bhhadram mrityur mrityum namam yaham

by Kazhiyur Varadan, posted in Uncategorized

Let us glorify our LORD  before we enter AHOBILAM  …

Ugram  Viram   Maha Vishnum    Jvalantam      Sarvato Mukham

Nirisimham     Bhishanam      Bhadram    Mrutyur Mrutyum       Namamy Aham..

Ugram – the ferocious one

Viram – The most courageous

Mahavishnum – The all-pervasive one (Lord Maha Vishnu)

Jvalantam – the effulgence of fire

Sarvato Mukham – Having his face everywhere (manifested throughout the universe)

Nrisimham – The Lion-man form

Bhishanam – The terrific

Bhadram – The auspicious

Mrutyur Mrutym – death of death

Namamy Aham – I bow down and revere

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TRAVEL DIARY IS IN THE BELOW MENTIONED BLOG :

https://kazhiyurvaradanblog.in/2014/12/07/ahobilam-travel-diary/

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AHOBILAM 

The holy place where LORD NARSINGHA BHAGAVAN incarnated for Prahlada Maharaj ..

Please read the vaibhavams of the Nava Narasingh bhagavan .

The  holy place is situated 25 Km from Arlagadda in Kurnool district can also be approached via Cuddapah district, Andhra Pradesh ,India.

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The most sacred shrine of Lord Narasimhar  at Ahobilam is located in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh in the hills of the eastern ghat. 

The temple consists of nine shrines to Lord Narisimha located around a 5 KM circle.

The shtala Purana states that  PakshiRajar Garuda prayed  for a vision of Lord Narisimha .  Garuda commended his penance near to Srisaila Kshetra .

MORE ABOUT NAVA NARASIMHA KSHETRAM
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There are 9 shrines dedicated to nine forms of Narasimhar

Out of this Prahalada varada Narasimhar is in Lower Ahobilam, Ugra Narasimhar, who is a swayambhu and is treated as the divya desa Perumal is seen in Upper Ahobilam. The other shrines are scattered all over the hills.

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Apart from the nava Narasimha shrines, “Prahalada padi” where Prahalada studied and “Ugra Sthambam” from where Perumal emerged are usually visited by pilgrims.

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There are number of Theerthas in this shrine.

A few like Lanjekonneru near Bhargava Narasimhar , Ramatheertha near Lower Ahobilam and Raktha Kundam near Jwala Narasimhar , Bhavanaasini near Ugra Narasimhar which flows through both the mountains are a few to name.

JAI NARASINGHA

PRAHALADA VARADA NARASIMHA SWAMY

Situated at the foot of the hills known as Lower Ahobilam, this temple can be visited by one and all. Usually all homams and yagams are performed here.

Here Perumal is seen along with Thayar blessing Prahalada.

Hence, Perumal is known as “Prahalada Varadar”.The utsava vigrahams of all the Narasimhars except Malola Narasimhar areoffered nitya thiruvaadhanai here.

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To the left of Perumal, utsava vigraham of Pavana Narasimhar can be seen majestically .

In front of the Lord, the utsava idols of Prahalada varada Narasimhar along with Sridevi and Bhoodevi grace us .

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The processional deity of Jwala Narasimhar along with His consorts is also seen in the garbagriham . The deity  is superbly carved and on request , the archakar removes the alankaranam and performs Aaarathi to the idol. 

Lord  has 10 arms and Hiranya vadham (killing) is beautifully depicted.

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There is also a small  deity  of the first Ahobila Mutt Jeeyar facing south.

The temple is a huge one and many monkeys can be seen here.

The walls of the temple depict sthalasthala puranam briefly.

There is a Thayar Sannidhi to the right of the temple.

jaya jaya narasimhaaa

2) BHARGAVA NARASIMHA SWAMi:

This temple is situated two kilometres from Lower Ahobilam on a small hillock and can be approached by foot. As Bhargava(Parasurama) did penance here, the Lord is thus known. It is easily approachable.

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3) YOGANANDA NARASIMHA SWAMI:

Situated at a distance of 3 kilometres from Lower Ahobilam, this can be approached by foot. It was here that Prahalada mastered the art of yoga from Perumal Himself. The divya mangalaswaroopam of the Lord is eye captivating. Perumal is seen alone in Yogaasanam.

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4) CHATRAVATA NARASIMHA SWAMI

This is situated at a distance of nearly 3kms from Ahobilam on a different route also reachable on foot . As Perumal is seated alone under a peepul tree which protects Perumal like an umbrella, He is known as Chatravata Narasimhar.

This Perumal is fond of music played by Gandharvas. It looks as if the Lord is deeply engrossed in music by clasping His hands. We were told that He is fond of Adi Thalam. Reptiles keep moving in this place but they don’t harm the devotees. One has to take care of these.

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5) UGRA NARASIMHAR SANNIDHI:-

This is in Upper Ahobilam. There is a narrow bus route and it takes about 40 minutes to reach this place from Lower Ahobilam.

This is considered as the divya desa temple. Usually, pilgrims have bath in Bhavanaasini or Paavanaasini (a spring which flows from the top of the hill) and then have Perumal’s darsanam.

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A dip in Paavanaasini absolves all the sins committed.

Though there are no proper bathing ghats, still we can see hundreds of devotees having holy dip unmindful of their surroundings. The sannidhi is located inside a cave .

Perumal along with Thayar is seen in Veetruirundha Thirukkolam .

Opposite to Perumal, there is an idol of Prahalada. There is a dark room on the other side of the cave which is believed to be the place where Chenchulakshmi resides .

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Recently, under the supervision of Jeer, a bridge across Paavanasini river has been constructed which facilitates the pilgrims to go to Varahanarasimhar temple (Krodha Narasimhar)

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KRODHA NARASIMHAR:

One kilometer further from Upppper Ahobilam leads to the shrine of Krodha Narasimhar. He is also known as Varaha Narasimhar as His Thirumukam resembles a varaham (a boar).

Any japam done here elevates one spirtually. Especially, Narayana Sadakshara Japam from Varaha Kanda bestows manifold benefits as told by Archakar Swamin..

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KARANJA NARASIMHAR SHRINE :

This temple is situated between Upper Ahobilam and Lower Ahobilam..

As the divya mangala moorthi is installed under Karanja vruksham, the deity has been named so. Perumal is seen in Veetruirundha Kolam and is holding Sarngam (bow), dhanus (arrow) and chakram .

 Adisesha acts as “Kudai”(refer Irundhal Kudaiyam…) and is protecting. The theertham here is known as Bhairava kundam. Hanumar who visited this place was a staunch Rama bhakta .

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Lord Narasimhar appeared to Hanumar, who was a staunch Ramabhakta, with bow and arrow thus showing that He is Lord Rama Himself. This Lord is in Padmasaanam pose. One can have darshan of Hanumar also. We are reminded of Sholangur .

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6) MALOLA NARASIMHAR:

This shrine is situated two kilometres away from Upper Ahobilam. Perumal came in search of Mahalakshmi Thayar who was doing penance here and placed Her on His lap. Hence, Perumal seen along with Thayar has a somya (graceful) form. Due to Thayar’s presence, Perumal graces even the worst sinner .

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Azhwar refers to this Perumal in pasuram no. 1016 (Peria Thirumozhi) when he says that bhaktas are always protected by Perumal and only the wicked have to fear .

This Lord gives abhayam to His devotees and Thayar bestows Asthaaiswaryam and grants the wishes of the devotees.

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There is a vigraham of Thirumangai Azhwar in the sanctum . Outside the temple, there is a small pillar with murthis. Those who are not able to go to Ugra sthambam can prostrate this pillar.

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7) JWALA NARASIMHAR:-

This temple is located at a higher altitude may be around 2800 feet. And can be approached from Malola Narasimhar shrine.

It takes about 2 hours to reach this temple from Upper Ahobilam. The path is slippery and as mentioned care has to be taken.

It was here that Perumal killed Hiranyakasipu by tearing his stomach with his spear like nails.

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The idol with 10 hands which is approximately 3 feet high and is scaring to look at. Beside this shrine, there is a small pond known as “Raktha Kundam” where the Lord is believed to have washed His blood-stained hands .

The water is reddish in colour and this was the explanation given by the guide to us. Recently, a temple has been constructed for this Lord and a archakar is appointed to perform Nitya Thiruvaaradhanai.

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Jai Jai Narasimha

8) PAVANA NARASIMHAR:

It is situated six kilometres away from Upper Ahobilam towards north east on the banks of River Pavana. It is difficult to approach this temple as wild animals keep roaming. If one wishes to visit this temple, he must do so during daytime with the help of a guide. The path is too narrow, the trek amidst cluster of rocks is strenuous .

It takes about 45 minutes for trekking. One can view Malola Narasimhar shrine and few water falls on the way on the other side of the mountain.

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Forest fire is very common in this place and this helps in one way to ward off wild animals. It is believed that devas offer worship to this Lord. The Lord is seen along with Thayar .

The local tribals usually observe fast on Saturdays and offer flowers, honey, fruits, rice, jaggery etc. to the Lord.

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The general notion that “bali” (sacrifice) is done here was rebuked by the priest. He said that the sacrifice would be done elsewhere in the jungles .

He also added that wild animals do not roam near the temple and only during severe summer, they come to the river bank to quench their thirst.

They usually do not hurt any one. Besides the above shrines, other place of interest are Prahalada Padi or Prahalada Mettu (Mettu in Telugu and Padi in Tamil means “step”) and Ukku sthambam.

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PRAHALADA PADI

is the place where Prahalada had his vidyabhyaasam from Sukracharya’s sons. The way to Prahalada padi though tough is breathtakingly beautiful with river flowing on one side and with various water falls amidst a huge valley.

This reminds me of the route to Badrinath. The temple is in a small cave and one has to crawl to enter inside the cave. Only 4 persons can be accommodated inside at a time.

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Mountain lizards and bats move freely here.

It was here that the child started propogating Lord’s qualities. Prahalada used to resort to this place for meditating upon the Lord. There is a vigraham of Narasimhar in centre . to its right, there is an idol of Chakaratazhwar and to the left , there is a vigraham of Lord Vishnu.

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                                                                       UKKU STHAMBAM

which is situated at a distance of 8 kms from Upper Ahobilam is the pillar from which the Lord emerged . The pillar which is situated at the edge the cliff is split into two as a proof that Lord appeared from this pillar.

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Pilgrim usually give their offerings here. It is very difficult to reach this place which is at a highest altitude .Doing pradakshinam around this pillar is even more difficult as it is in the cliff. Near the ukku sthambham (iron pillar) as the Telugus call, there is Perumal’s Thiruvadi.

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The climb is very difficult . Only with His grace can one visit this place. One has to have a sharp vision and a flexible body to bend, crawl etc.

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This can be approached from Prahalada padi on the way to Jwala Narasimhar shrine. While describing this pillar, Sri Mukkur Swamy says that the entire world is still pregnant with Narasimhar inside except this because Perumal has come out of it.

The symbols of Vishnu, namely, Sankhu, Chakram, Naamam are carved on the face of the hill. One can have a bird’s eyeview of the entire Ahobilam from this place.

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The atmosphere is calm and serene . Various waterfalls all around looking like thin streams makes us wonder and appreciate the nature and Lord’s creation.

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It’s a best place to meditate the cliff is split into two as a proof that Lord appeared from this pillar. Lets glorify our LORD singing HIS praises…..

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namas te narasiḿhāya
prahlādāhlāda-dāyine
hiraṇyakaśipor vakṣaḥ-
śilā-ṭańka-nakhālaye
ito nṛsiḿhaḥ parato nṛsiḿho
yato yato yāmi tato nṛsiḿhaḥ
bahir nṛsiḿho hṛdaye nṛsiḿho
nṛsiḿham ādiḿ śaraṇaḿ prapadye
tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-śṛńgaḿ
dalita-hiraṇyakaśipu-tanu-bhṛńgam
keśava dhṛta-narahari-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare…

Jai Jai Lakshmee Narsinga bhagavan ..

All glories to the devotees who have been to Ahobilam reading this short description of the Temples

Adiyen Ramanuja dasan

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More info at this web link :
http://www.srivaishnavam.com/divyadesam108/ahobilam.pdf

Pics /videos credits : Google images and  all advanced devotees who shared it in social media..