This is small account of the trip to South India – A pilgrimage cum connecting to our native villages.

The trip started with two of us. Myself (Rama) and Venkataraman.

TO SRISAILAM

We started from Rajamundry on Oct 1^st by train. Our first halt was at Markapur Road (situated in Prakasam district of Andhra ) at 9.30 p.m after eight hrs run from Rajamundry. We checked in at Kokila Lodge close to the Watch Tower Junction for the night. Next day we got up at 4.30 a.m to catch the first bus (5.30 a.m ) to Srisailam which is about three hr journey from Markapur.


Srisailam temple


Srisailam is one of of the twelve Jyoirlinagas. Here lord Shiva is known as MALLIKARJUNA . It is actually situated in a group of hill ranges called Nallamalai hills in middle of Andhra Pradesh which is heavily forested and feared to be Naxal infested. The temple is at a hill top about 475 mts from ground level. The buses ply till the temple. However we had to travel along thickly wooded hill slopes before reaching the temple premises.There are good choultries around the temple. We checked in one of them as guided by one local guardian (RJY reference), had our bath and went to the temple. We purchased tickets for Rudra abhishekam and could circumvent the long que and were directed straight to the sanctum santorum also with the help of the local guardian and had dharshan of the svayambhu jyotir linga and did the Rudraabhishakha along with four other families inside the sanctum. Then we also did Sahasranama archana for the devi Brahmarambha installed in shrine next . The devi here is also considered as one of the shakthi peethas. The temple is dated to be built around thirteenth century by the ruling kings of the region . It is heavy black stone architecture. Having one main dome and several smaller domes for other deities.

After the dharshan and puja we had our food in the huge temple dining hall where good hot food is served in batches of 200. After food we moved to a place called pathala Ganga. It is a pitursque place in a gorge of River Krishna flowing nearby. There are presently cable cars to reach the place which was previously negotiated by foot ,hence the name pathala Ganga. Venkat had bath in the river Krishna there and did pitru tharpanam as it is considered a holy place to do tharpanam .

Shikaram view

Returning back from the gorge we then went to the highest peak in the Nallamali hills (called `SHIKARAM’ ) by jeep, about 15 minutes drive up. From there we can have a good view of both pathala ganga and Srisailam temple.

Pathala Ganga

It is believed a person who reaches shikaram and views the Srisailam temple from there through the gap between Nandi’s horns will be freed from the cycle of rebirth. Thus we achieved that status! Leaving Srisailam at 4.30p.m we rushed back to Markapur to our hotel, picked our luggage and boarded the train from Markapur at 9.30 p.m to Nandyal.

TO   AHOBILAM

Run from Markapur to Nandyal is two hours ,so starting at 9.45 p.m we were at Nandyal station at midnight . Luckily we could secure an accommodation in the well kept AC retiring room in the station itself. So we retired there for the night catching our sleep cosily. Next day morning we started off from Nandiyal wih our hand luggage only to Ahobilam 60 Km away in the south of Nandyal at the Kurnool district in a deeply wooded reserve forest area of Vadari hills. The place is as old as our puranas. It is here Lord Vishnu came out of the rock pillar in the form of Narasimha ( in part animal and part human form) to kill the Asura king Hiranya kashubu and help Prahaladha . Incidentally Lord Narasimha is our family village deity at Chelakkara village in Kerala . Ahobilam has two tiers , one Lower Ahobilam at the base of the hill and another Upper Ahobilam on the hill. We reached Upper Ahobilam by 12 `0 ‘clock taking the national highway from Nandyal to Allagadda by bus , later taking the hill road for 45 minutes reached the remote forest area where the Upper Ahobilam cave temple is situated. We went with trepidition as being the Surya grahana day we were not sure if the temple will be open. After doing a stiff climb from the bus stop when we reached the temple , luckily the gurukkal was about to close the temple, seeing us he obliged opening the main shrines and allowed us to have dharshan. The diety called Ugra Narasihman is literally installed in a cave around which the temple is erected. The goddess Laksmi is called Chenchu Lakshmi taking the name of the tribe chenchu inhabiting the forest around. After dharshan we had food in the Brahmana Annadaana satram . A simple affair of puliyodara and rice and buttermilk But it was delicious in a house like mutt atmoshphere right under a hill.

Jwala Narasimha shrine

Upper Ahobilam ( Ugra Narasimhan)


Lower Ahobilam
Immediately after food we were on foot to an adventurous trek deep inside the forest and a stiff climb along the boulders of a mountain stream ( Pava naasini) to Jwala Narasihman temple about 4km into the forest. It is believed that it is exactly here that Lord Narasimha came out of the rock pillar. We were helped in the trek by a young boy guide whose name was Narasimha. Apart from ourselves and the guide , there was not a soul in sight for long stretch into the forest. We had to jump over boulders and negotiate a waterfall with a slender foot path to reach the other hill where Jwala Narasimha temple was present in a cave bereft of any structures around. After having the darshan and enroute seeing another Malola Narashiman we returned back to the mutt below by 4.30 p.m just in time to catch the last bus to lower Ahobilam, about 20 minutes ride. Also we wanted to get back from the forest before the eclipse began ( 4.30 pm) . There we got a room in the Ahobila mutt premises for three hours and waited for the grahana to end (6.30 pm) . Then had our bath and went to the temple by 7 p.m. The Lower Ahobilam is a massive temple and an old one. However it is not one of the nine Narasimha holy shrines situated in the hills which are ,in one group, also representing the nine grahams. At Lower Ahobilam they had just opened the shrine after grahanam,,and we were fortunate to participate in an abhisheka aradhana getting seated very close to the sanctum. Soon after the puja we had to rush to the bus stand picking our luggage as the last bus back to Allagadda was leaving at 9 p.m . We had some grub in the road side dhabha and reached Nandiyal by 11p.m. From Nandiyal we had train at 2.30 a.m (Amaravathi Exp.) to Hospet.

TO HAMPI
Hospet we reached in the morning by 6.30 a.m, a four hr run from Nandiyal ( by train in the Vijayawada-Guntakal- Goa sector . After refreshing ourselves in the waiting room in the station, we took a tourist taxi , enquiring in the tourist information center in the station and started our Hampi visit.

Hampi is about 12km from Hospet , on the banks of River Thungabhadra , and is the erstwhile capital of famous Vijayanagar kingdom of 13^th to 15^th century. The place is surrounded by rocky mountains . In the ancient times the place was known as Pampa Kshetra and was the capital of Vali during Ramayana period . The Vijaya nagar rulers had made good use of the rocks and have carved out huge edifices , temples with fine carvings and architecture having everlasting life. Now it is a major tourist stop.

We had about half a day to see Hampi and Thungabhadra dam and river. So we started off the journey telling the driver who was the guide too telling our time restraints. There were more then a dozen important sights to be seen scattered over a 30km area. The first one was the Hampi main tower, a huge rock cut temple with huge towers, Then it was a whirlwind tour , we were hopping from site to site.



Some well registered sites in our mind are the Huge Kadelakalu Ganapathy , Ugra Narasimha, gigantic sister rocks, Hajara Ramachandra temple , King’s balance, Vijaya Vittala temple with its world famous stone chariot, subtly sculptured monolithic pillars, saptaswara pillars( with sa-ri-ga-ma-pa-da-ni-sa sounds from pillars) etc. In fact Hampi requires a couple of days even for cursory viewing and the few hours we had was barely adequate. In between it started raining heavily, impeding our movement with out umbrella. Bent on seeing maximum sites we skipped our lunch and were active with the camera. But inspite of that we had ultimately to skip the Thungabhadra dam due to time crunch though we saw the river and rushed back to the station to board the train to Bangalore, after collecting our main luggage from the cloak room. We had a technical problem to go from Hospet to Bangalore straight. As we had taken a round ticket for the journey & as there is a clause in round tickets not to retrace the journey , we had to travel first to Hubli from Hospet (as we could not retrace to Guntakal ) and from there to Bangalore by Rani Chennamma Exp . The travel from Hospet to Hubli was a real nightmare as it was a local passanger with hardly any leg room to enter the train where we had to squeeze ourselves along with heavy luggage. But Indian general compartments have a peculiar comradeship which develops after initial squabble for space get settled. Then the janatha warms up and by the time you part , everybody is friends with one another . By the time we got down at 8.30 p.m , I was treating half a dozen people for various health problems. From Hubli we boarded the train to Bangalore(10.30 pm) and reached the city in the early hrs of the morning.

AT BANGALORE
At Banagalore we directly drove to Bala mamas place at Indiranagar. At Balamamas place everybody were home. That is Bala mama, mami, mamis mother, Sriram, Latha, vijay & 2^nd son and Ravi, Meena etc.Also Uma with kids came from her mothers place. Hence we could see the second daughter of Vinod. After unwinding at Bala mama’s place, narrating them about the trip and a bit of food and rest, in the afternoon along with Bala mami went to Lalitha chitti-Raman chittappa’s house and Pankajam chitti - Chandran chitappa’s house met and chatted with them after very long time. Also went to Shyamala mami’s ,Srikanths new flat. It was Srikanths b.day, ofcourse he was out in the office. But we partook the Ganapathy homa prasad. Met Latha and kids. We also met in mamis house amma’s Krishnamba chitti’s daughter Saroja and her sister sis-in-law(Chandru’s wife Rukmini) who had come there to personally invite for Chandru’s daughter Deepa’s marriage . To what we had seen Dora mami last , she had become very weak as she was suffering from sudden severe rheumatic problem. Now after treatment she claimed she was better.

On returning back to Bala mama,s house that day night we were joined in the trip by Ravi from Delhi. He arrived in the night as scheduled.

Next day morning as Ravi went to meet his friend in I.I.Sc, myself & Venkat went to Giri apartment to over see our flats as well meet the new tenants who were occupying our flats whom we had not met before. In Giri apartment it was Navarathri atmposphere as they were having puja in one flat where all the residents were meeting. We got invited for the same after meeting the tenants. Hence we could meet all the old friends as well new residents in one shot and get acquainted. From Giri apartment we went to Koramangla ( Cheetu chitti) . We met Chitti and Chachu . Chitti after a recent illness has become very frail . Both of them were very happy to see us. We exchanged all the family news. Then returned to Bala mamas place for lunch. That day evening Sudha (Pankajam chittis daughter) who has returned from States for good and settled in Bangalore dropped to see us with her kids. After her marriage we were seeing her and children for the first time and were happy to see her after such long time. Also Asha ( my mama’s daughter) along with her son came. She has shifted to Bangalore from Bombay recently. She took time off from her busy office schedule and wading through the traffic inspite of her injured knee managed to come down and we could meet, By then Ravi was also back from his friends and could meet both of them.

In the night after dinner we left Bangalore by Island express to Thrissur.

AT PUDUCODE VILLAGE

From Bangalore to Thrissur was an overnight journey. We were at Thrissur station by 8 `0’ clock. We were greeted there by my mother and sister Radha who had arrived at Thrissur an hour earlier from Chennai to join us in Puducode lap of the journey. After a quick exchange of News, all of us had bath in the well kept bath rooms of the station waiting room in the cool waters of kerala and had our breakfast too in the station canteen. Later we hired a cab, loaded all our luggage in the dickey and off we moved to Puducode which is an hrs journey from Thrissur . Puducode is one of the earliest Tamil Brahmin settled village (agraharam) near the border of Thrissur and Palakkad districts, on the Palakkad side . This was the first time we were visiting the village It is the village from which my maternal grand mother and Venkats paternal grand mother hailed.The village is very famous for hoisting grand nine day Navarathri festival . Our objective of the visit was to join the Navarathri festivity with full gusto . My maternal grandmother’s original house is still there where her brothers son Shri Shankaran (about 65 yr old now) and his gracious wife Smt Ranganayaki are staying exactly in the same set up as the house was present over last two centuries. It was the house where my mother was born. Thus the place had lot of memories to dwell into which we were inadvertantly discovering on landing there. The Puducode Devi , Annapoorneshwari,s temple is right in the center an imposing structure for the village having about 200 households With huge courtyard laid with stone slabs as kerala temples are structured, with enough space to carry out elaborate celebrations. The village runs in four streets laid out like a plus sign on all four directions of the temple. Each street has got its own identity . As per the directions it is called `kezhakke (east) gramam, merke( west) gramam , thekke(south) gramam , vadakke( north) gramam. Each is a single street with `agraharam kind of houses closely laid out in two rows facing each other on either sde of the street. Each day of Navarathri is the responsibility of one gramam and there is interesting healthy competion to do better than others. One house in each gramam is chosen as samooha madam for the nine days. It runs a common kitchen with well appointed cooks and the food for the entire (that particular) village is prepared there and served there in the dining hall adjacent. Thus the entire village community have all the three food together for the nine days.

Flower decoration, peacock, ashtami day at Puducode

Flower Arrangement. Bhavathi on elephant (rama, radha, amma)


Flower arragement of Ayyappan, Puthucode
Flower arragement of Devi, Puthucode


Elephant procession on shashti villakku at south village Puthucode

Pancha Vadhyam on shashti villakku, Puthucode

View of Elephant procession on Shashti villakku- Puthucode

Shri Shankaran’s house at thekke (south) gramam where we were put up and it happened to be the samooha madam of the South gramam. Hence all the days we stayed there , good delicious food was with in reach in the dining hall next.
We stayed there for four full days with no other bother but whole heartedly and comfortably participate in the celebrations. The days activity was starting at 5 `0 ‘clock with the bang of kadhana( firecrackers) and kottu when Devi is taken out by the main pujari to the thodu (canal) nearby for bath. Devi is brought back decorated mounted on an ornated elephant. At eight `0’cock a procession of five decorated elephants are led through the particular village street along with `thaymbaka vadyam’. The procession takes about four hrs to go and come back to the temple. The entire village walks along the procession with the energetic kottu vadhyam keeping up the tempo. After lunch and siesta. The celebrations again start by three 3 `0 ‘clock. This time too there is a repeat procession , this time with more elaborate `pancha vadhyam . The whole thing terminates in the temple back by 6.00 p.m with heavy fire works. In the mean while the temple premises is variously decorated for the deeparadhana at seven. It is when there is heavy rush. Deeparadhana is followed by food and different cultural activities like`kathakali, ottam thullal etc. In fact it was another world altogether, with air filled with bhakti for the devi and cohesive community feeling running strong among everyone gathered.

Pattiamm's house in East village, Puthucode.

Full view of kalam house

Puthucode,kalam,Parameshwaran & wife & us

We were going around the gramams disovering many old ties and meeting our community people who also had come like us from various cities of India. At the village the people were telling , this is the high point for them, for immediatley after festivity the village get deserted as most of the young as well old folks leave the village for cities/their place of work .At present the houses are also being occupied by other community people. Venkats paternal grandmothers house was being occupied by a malayalee family. They were gracious to show us the house which they have not changed much after purchase and we could get an idea how the house would have been like.

On the third day all of us went to Parakkattu kavu (near Kavassery) . Afer darshan while my mother and sister went back to Puducode , myself ,Venkat and Ravi went to Palakkad ( Kalpathy gramam) where my paternal grandfathers house is . The house still the family house occupied by my chitti. Hence we went and met chitti and returned back to Puducode the same day. My mother and sister left Puducode on the fourth day morning while we stayed back for the ashtami festivity conducted by more affluent vadakke gramam and left the next day morning to Chelakara.

The Puducode experience gave us more concise idea as how our ancestors from Tamilnadu must have migrated to Kerala settling in agraharam kind of village set up, which had helped them to have a community co-operation and living maintaing the old beliefs , tradition and brahmincal ways of living, inspite of migration.

TO CHELAKARA
Chelakara is one of the well known and big village/town in Thrissur district from where Venkats paternal family hails.

We had programmed to spend about 4 days at Chelakara also to participate in the Navarathri celebrations there too. It is about two hrs journey from Puducode to Chelakara . In Kerala the road transport by private and state transport buses is quite good and dependable. Taking leave of Mrs and Mr. Shankaran for whose affectionate welcome and warmth we had no words to express our feeling , m and reached Chelakara by forenoon at Sundarams residence. Shri Sundaram is Venkat’s grandfather’s (Pattappa) amman’s son. Though a generation old , Sundaram and his wife Kanaka were in fact our age group having two grown up daughters and a son. Their house is strategically placed for all Chelakara visitors , as it is in the main road, just opposite a prominent convent school . Chelakara in fact is a fast developing township and it is fast loosing the flavour of the old agraharam kind of village setup with most of the houses getting demolished and becoming independent houses. Sundaram and his three brothers family have all settled in Chelakara itself. Thus there was a big clan of family people to visit and meet. Lord Narasimha is the main deity in the temple. The celebrations though was not on such a grand sale as Puducode, still it was good, having velakku on each day of Navarathri by different families of the village and food in the temple samooha madam in the mornings.


View of heakara temple at right Rama, Mrs. Sundaram and her daughter

Mahaganapathi homa in progress at Chelakara temple 4.30 a.m on 1510.2005
Entrance to Bharatha temple
Thriprayar Rama temple

The day we landed was a free day for the family as the family velakku (on Navami) was the next day Hence myself , Venkat and Ravi decided to go to Tripunathura at Ernakulam to see Ammini Athai who was recouping in her granddaughter Hema’s house after a fall and injury.

Before that Sundrams wife, daughter Rupa and we three of us went to the temple had dharshan of Lord Narashimha and had food in the temple itself. Back home after some rest in the semi urban and semi old village oriented quaint house, having cool interiors, we left for Ernakulam. In between Ravi accompanied by Sundaram’s wife had a survey of the adjacent paddy fields owned by the family and Ravi was given send off with many home made goodies by Sudarams wife as he was to leave for Delhi from Eranakulam.
Veganallur Shiva temple
Bharatha temple (koodal manikaum), Irijalakuda

TO ERNAKULAM(TRIPUNATHURA)

From Chelakara , Ernakulam was about 3and 1/2 hr journey by bus . The sky was overcast when we were leaving Chelakara. By the time we landed in Ernakulam at 7.30 there was a heavy down pour. However locating Hemas plae was not such a problem as they were staying in a prominent place called Padmagarden complex of buildings and Hema’s husband Jayaraman had given us clear directions.

Braving the rain , taking an auto we landed at their second floor apartment by 8 `0’ clock. We were received at home by Ammini Athai, Mohana (athais daughter), Hema, Jayaraman and their two cute little girls. Hema had kept an elaborate kolu in the front room. Athai was very happy to see us and we were relieved to see Athai was not having any heart prolem as we feared but she was recuperating after an accidental fall at Thrissur. Later she was brought here. Hema and Mohana hurried to make dinner for us while Jayaraman was happy to chat with us and the kids were excited to have us around all of a sudden. After bath, dinner and chat we retired to bed by 12.30 p.m.

Next day at 8.30 a.m took leave of them and escorted by Jayaraman in his car went to the Tripunathura Rly.station . We decided to travel back by train from Tripunathura to Wadakkaanchery . After boarding the train, Ravi got down at the next station Ernakulam to catch his Delhi bound train back to his place as scheduled while we went to Wadakkaanchery , took a bus to Chelakara and were in time for Navami vilakku feast at temple which incidently happened to be `Ammanathu velakku’. That evening the lighting of vilakku around the temple was done on our behalf . In the evening we went around Chelakara a little. Next day was a free day at Chelakara. Hence we decided to go Guruvayur the next day.

TO GURUVAYUR & BHARATHA TEMPLE AT IRINJALAKUDA & RAMA TEMPLE AT TRIPRAYAR

Starting in the morning from Chelakara, we first traveled to Irinjalakuda in Thrissur disrict to the only temple in India dedicated to Bharatha, brother of Lord Rama. We reached the temple by 11.30 a.m after nearly 3 hrs of travel by bus. The temple sprang up as a real surprise. It is a massive sprawling construction of many centuries old. Lord Bharatha is known here in the name of Sangameswaran and also Koodal manickam. Another unique thing about the temple is there are no other deities installed save Lord Bharatha in the large premises. The construction inside is some what Burmese pagoda type of construction (large round shaped temple with copper-clad sloping roof ) . The temple is well kept and nithya puja is done with lot of care and dedication.

After the temple visit we boarded bus to Guruvayur. By the time we reached Guruvayur it was afternoon . We first went and checked ourselves in the Ramakrishna lodge close to the temple in the eastern nada. The lodge also happens to be Mrs Sundrams family run lodge. After a bath and refreshing ourselves, we went to the temple to have darshan. We could see evening seeveli and Deepaaradhana comfortably . Returned back, did some shopping in the shops nearby and retired for the night. Next day getting up early we went for another round of darshan. After the main temple darshan went to Mammiyur to the Shiva alayam walking . Returned back to the lodge, picked our luggage and boarded the bus to Triprayar to Lord Rama temple.

Triprayar is an hrs journey from Guruvayur. It is built exactly in the same lines of Lord Bharatha temple. Very old sprawling and solid constuction adjacent to a river. After having darshan we did vedi nercha ( kadana) i. It is the first temple where I saw fire crackers are offered to the diety for puja. In the temple premises itself there is place where they prepare `kadhana’ and keep vedi on payment and request. We took four chits and offered for Ravi, raghu and ourselves. Leaving Triprayar we had food enroute and returned to Chelakara by evening.

That day muself and Mrs Sundaram went around their paddy fields and retired after a early dinner in Sundarams house to bed. Next day myef and Venkat got up at 3.30 a.m to get ready for the Ganapathy homam in the temple for starting the dvadasi velakku celebrations that day. Myself and Venkat were given the place of honour to conduct the homa proceedings along with the vadhyar in the temple itself. It was the kuttikal’s velakku , done with lot of fanfare and we were staying back to attend that festivity before leaving Chelakara. The kuttikal, that is youngsters of the village and other had got up early breaking 101 coconuts to do prasadams in the temple compound itself and do other preparations. The Ganapathy homam was very well conducted and later a professional Bhajana group had come from Guruvayur to conduct bhajans.

We met Rangan Chittappa (who had come that day to Chelakara) in the temple. After the homam , as there was time available before kalabha abhishekam to Lord Narashima, we four of us (that is Rangan Chitttappa, both of us and one Vaithy mama who had come from Bombay) took an auto and went around the important temples around Chelakara for a couple of hours. We went to Kolathur Subrahmania swamy temple , Venganalloor Siva temple, Mariamman temple and Andhimaalangavu temple .In the rounds we also met Balan, Ramu & family, Natrajan and family (in their farm house) .

On returning back we were in time to join the kalabha abhishekam followed y Nadaswara recital and sumptuous lunch. With that note we left Chelakara taking leave of Sundaram and family and their warm hospitality.

TO TIRUPATHI

Leaving Chelakara after the dvadasi celebrations in the afternoon, we took bus to Palghat to catch the 6 .45 p.m train to Renigunta.
The train dropped us at Renigunta in the early hrs (5.30 a.m) the next day. Landing in the station we found a state transport bus waiting to take the early passengers directly to upper Tirumala. So with out wasting much time in an hrs time were in Tirumala proper. The prebooked accomadation at Rajamundry landed us at Sri Varahaswamy guest house close to the temple. Continues free bus service in Tirupati arranged by devasthanam makes traveling within Tirupati an easy affair. After refreshing ourselves and having some break fast we went to see our dharshan postion taking the prebooked sudharshna tickets which told the dharshan timing as 11.00 a.m. However when we joined the Sudharshana que at nearly 10 `0’ clock , it was a long winding one with the temple gopuram nowhere in sight nearby. It then took us five hrs of jostlig in the que, sitting through partioned cubicles, around the outer praharam and inner praharam. Finally when we reached the sanctum, the volunteers their do a literal chugging and pushing out the devotees giving no respite to the devotees to have a peaceful dharshan. After the dharshan we collected the general prasad as well the token prasad and went around the temple more peacefully without the crowd breathing through the neck. Getting back to the room and a bit of rest, evening we went out for a long jaunt along the hilly terrain. Had our dinner in hotel Mayura, walked back to the guest house and retired for the night.

Next day early morning we started off to Kiz Tirupat. Initially we tried to get into one of the state transport buses. We even baught the tickets for the same in the counter. But after one hr of unsuccssful trial, managed to get a tourist ammasador taxi and reached down Tirupati by 10.00 a.m. In lower Tirupati we checked in a hotel close to the station. We then rushed to oriental study college to meet one Singracharya in connection with the grant for Upanishad drama publications.We met him in the college and then went to meet few more officials recommended to us from Rajamundry. Collected the required informations and came back to the hotel Bhimas for lunch. After lunch retired quietly to the hotel and waited for the chandra grahanam to pass. Then had head bath, left the hotel to the station to board the train back to Rajamundry

TO RAJAMUNDRY

On 18^th morning we were back at Rajamundry after finshing the planned trip without any hitch . Soon Venkat got back to his office routine the same day and I was back to my clinic to attend to my patients.

Now writing on the trip has made me to live through the journey once again. Thanks to any one who reads through the account patiently till the end.

THANKS FOR TAKING TIME OUT TO READ THRU