The driver suggested that we cover four Temples the first day and the other four the next day. In addition to these 8 Vinayaka Temples, we wanted to visit a Venkateswara Temple in Narayana puram. I will write about it separately. We were excited about this ashtavinayak trip more as we sat in the taxi early in the morning. The first four were Chinthamani in Theur, Sri Moreswar in Morgoan, Siddhivinayak in Siddhatek and Mahaganapathi in Ranjangaon. Being a muslim, Shakeel did not enter any of the temples, but the respect and reverence he showed was superb. Rao offeredhim prasad from each of the temples and he took it with great devotion. I teased him by asking whether he took it as prasad or it was just that he had a sweet tooth. He smiled and replied 'both'.
Again, Shakeel advised that we stay near Mahaganapathi temple vicinity and also gathered the information that to complete our 8 vinayak tour, we were supposed to visit Chintamani again. Nirmala and I thought it was too much timewise and moneywise. But we had no choice. We obeyed with some reluctance. The hotel was simple with hot water etc. to bathe and cost was only 400 rupees. Meals were available in a restaurant, only few feet away.
On the 8th we continued on our journey at 7 a.m. to go back to Chintamani. The western ghats were a beautiful sight. We felt very safe with Shakeel's driving. The hills and valleys were never ending. We had lunch at a highway Dhaba and it was excellent (even for Nirmala) and including the tip, we spent only 190Rs. for the four of us.
This time, we crossed four rivers and I remember the names only of two. Bheema and Velu. Two large towns I noticed were Narayangaon and Khandala.
The other four Vinayakas were Girijaatmaja in Lenyadri, Vighneswar in Ozur, Ballaleswar in Pali and Varadvinayak in Mahad.
On the 9th, we re-visited theC hintamani Vinayak and the Bheema Shankara, one of the Jyothir lingams. It was a very long walk to reach the temple - but was well worth the walk. Along the path vendors were selling fresh sugarcane juice with a touch of lemon juice.
Please click on the links to learn more about those temples.
Monday, March 30, 2009
To Pune............Feb 6th
Here, I have to first mention the name of a young friend Raj who lives in Cleveland. He introduced us to his family friend (Bharti) in Pune, over the phone and they were extremely helpful in the local travel arrangements. By which I mean, the taxi, the wonderful owner (Sanjay) of the taxi and the efficient taxi driver (Shakeel). I owe them a million thanks for making our stay in Maharashtra so comfortable. Raj played a key role!!!
We had a busy schedule ahead of us. We took a bus from Kolhapur to Pune. The hotel reception desk told us that it would be easier carrying the luggage to the bus station ourselves rather than hiring an Autorickshaw. The luggage pieces looked innocently small, but were heavy. It was a very busy road to cross, even though we could see the station. Rao carried all the luggage in two trips. We offered to help, but he would not let us carry that heavy luggage.
We bought the tickets to Pune on the bus. It was a Govt. bus and we paid only 200 Rs. per person. The ride to Pune was very comfortable and was about 6 hours long. Shakeel was supposed to meet us at a certain spot. But, with a lot of confusion from both ends, we had to wait for more than an hour before we met him. He introduced us to a hotel and we decided to stay there. The place is called 'Silvermoon'. We felt it was expensive for the amenities that were provided. But overall, it was comfortable. The service was good. Later on we found out that the management was Telugu speaking. Since they grew up in Pune, their Telugu was different. I was glad that Rao was just happy and did not start correcting their Telugu.
It was Gayatri's birthday and we called her and left a message. We rested that night well.
We had a busy schedule ahead of us. We took a bus from Kolhapur to Pune. The hotel reception desk told us that it would be easier carrying the luggage to the bus station ourselves rather than hiring an Autorickshaw. The luggage pieces looked innocently small, but were heavy. It was a very busy road to cross, even though we could see the station. Rao carried all the luggage in two trips. We offered to help, but he would not let us carry that heavy luggage.
We bought the tickets to Pune on the bus. It was a Govt. bus and we paid only 200 Rs. per person. The ride to Pune was very comfortable and was about 6 hours long. Shakeel was supposed to meet us at a certain spot. But, with a lot of confusion from both ends, we had to wait for more than an hour before we met him. He introduced us to a hotel and we decided to stay there. The place is called 'Silvermoon'. We felt it was expensive for the amenities that were provided. But overall, it was comfortable. The service was good. Later on we found out that the management was Telugu speaking. Since they grew up in Pune, their Telugu was different. I was glad that Rao was just happy and did not start correcting their Telugu.
It was Gayatri's birthday and we called her and left a message. We rested that night well.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
P.S. to my post Kolhapur and Mahalaksmi Mandir
I forgot to mention that after the big pooja, after visiting the other deities inside the Temple, when we came out from the main building, the first thing I noticed was a shop/booth where the vendors were selling Maharashtra lottery tickets. I mused - the devotees must have so much faith in their 'Goddess of fortune!!'. Believe me, people were buying!!!
Beware friends!!!!
Also, as I was going through my travel receipts, I just (March 30, 2009) noticed that for that Panchaamrit abhishek, we paid Rs.401 each, in cash and the receipt shows that we paid only Rs.250 each.
We stayed at Subra hotel which was perfectly fine for our needs. And it was walking distance from the central Bus station. We were to take a bus to Pune from there.
But here is more info. for those interested in going there.
Mahalakshmi dharma saala
Shanthi Prakasa dharma saala
Mangala karyalayam
Mangalaram Karyalayam and so on
The first one is just 100 meters from the Temple.
In addition, there are some western style tourist hotels like Maharaj, Meghna etc.
Transportation buses are very comfortable and good.
To tour the city, M.T. Dev board has special buses. Ask them for 'karaveer darsan bus'. There are private tour buses also.
The Temple hours were 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. with some exceptions which varied.
Beware friends!!!!
Also, as I was going through my travel receipts, I just (March 30, 2009) noticed that for that Panchaamrit abhishek, we paid Rs.401 each, in cash and the receipt shows that we paid only Rs.250 each.
We stayed at Subra hotel which was perfectly fine for our needs. And it was walking distance from the central Bus station. We were to take a bus to Pune from there.
But here is more info. for those interested in going there.
Mahalakshmi dharma saala
Shanthi Prakasa dharma saala
Mangala karyalayam
Mangalaram Karyalayam and so on
The first one is just 100 meters from the Temple.
In addition, there are some western style tourist hotels like Maharaj, Meghna etc.
Transportation buses are very comfortable and good.
To tour the city, M.T. Dev board has special buses. Ask them for 'karaveer darsan bus'. There are private tour buses also.
The Temple hours were 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. with some exceptions which varied.
12 Jyothirlingams that we covered.
But for Kedarnath and Rameswaram, we covered the rest of the ten in this trip alone.
We visited those in our two previous yatras.
click here
This link should give all the important facts about these sacred places. I will detail my comments soon. I need to finish the Ashta Vinayakas first having visited them first after leaving Kolhapur.
We visited those in our two previous yatras.
click here
This link should give all the important facts about these sacred places. I will detail my comments soon. I need to finish the Ashta Vinayakas first having visited them first after leaving Kolhapur.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Now to Srisailam
On Dec 14th, the three of us started for Srisailam by Taxi and again saw the most beautiful sunrise. This time the road was good. Srisailam is located on black hills (Nalla mala) about 1200 ft above sea level. The total area is about 30 square miles. East west is about 4 miles and North south is about 7 miles. The important Shiva kshethrams around this area are as follows:
East Thripuranthakam
South Siddhavatam
West Alampuram
North Umamaheswaram
NE Eleswaram
SE Somasila
NW Pushpagiri
SW Sangameswaram
I gathered more information on this because it is one of the Jyothir lingams (Mallikarjuna)as well as (Bhramaraamba)Sakthi Peetham. Probably this is the only place where they are in the same compound.
We planned to reach Srisailam around 6 p.m. since we were to meet with Rao's bother and sister-in-law (remember ? they were in our party in the previous trip?)at the bus station. They promptly arrived from Hyderabad as we approached. Now, weneeded accommodation. We had two choices. One was the karivela choultry and the other was Srividya peetham. The first one, as Nirmala and I previously experienced, was very inexpensive with minimal fecilities. The second was new to us. Rao preferred the second. I assumed that it would either free or low cost since Rao had donated a very large amount to them a few years ago. We connected with our contact person and found out from their office that there were only two rooms available and we had to go two floors up. Meals are served at designated hours, would be along walk to the Temple area or should go by car and that the room rent was 300 rupees plus. I was upset and disappointed. Rao did not mind, but, we, the others minded bercause of the fact that they received one lakh rupees from Rao, their was no name of Rao on the donors list and on top of it they were charging us this much money for the room where the plumbing was very bad, toilets won't flush and so on. Also, when we finally met our contact in person, he sold Rao a book written by his nephew(?) for 200 rupees. I bet Rao would never even read that book. We gullible Americans!!!
One good news. The kitchen crew were excellent. Originally from the Northern part of India, but spoke good Telugu, great cooking and great service.
Now the spiritual, ritual stories:
We checked into the room and immediately went for darsan.At the Temple, met with a young man by name Chalapathi, who was our guide(not a hired one, but Nirmala's acquaintance). He suggested that we do the milk abhishekam to the Vriddha(old) Mallikarjuna then and return to the Temple for the early a.m. aarathi and to meet him outside the temple in a certain spot around 4 a.m. We were very pleased that we were able to have such personal service, touching the lingam etc.
The next morning, we woke up at 2 a.m. with Nirmala's cell phone alarm which sounds like a rooster's'kokkorokko' The three women were in one room and the two brothers in the other. We were ready and reached the Temple by 4 a.m. promptly. But we had to wait till 6 a.m. for that morning aarathi. [By the way, in India, if someone says' will see you, will be back in 5 minutes, it is never 5 minutes - it could go upto 5 hours also. Same goes to the phrase 'it is not too far, it is right there' - it can be 2 to 3 kilometers!!!].
We had wonderful darsans and now Rao decided to go to Alampur(the next day) with me and Nirmala. So, we dropped off his brother and s-i-l, (who had already bought their return tickets to Hyderabad) at the bus station after breakfast, around 11 a.m. and continued on our return to Nandikotkur. We just could not find a place to eat. Wer very hungry.Around 2 p.m.. we spotted a small hut type area in Atmakur, where they were serving Idli, Dosa type which wasacceptable to Nirmala also. The place was filthy. We had hot heat-hot)dosa and Rao added Idli also. We did not even drink the water that was served. On the way back, saw the spectacular sunset again.
Within few hours after reaching home, I started vomitting and had to go to the bathroom a few times. Rao was up all night with more severity of similar problem.
Moral: Don't eat anywhere you like just because you are hungry !!!
Nirmala's sister was very sorry for us. She even commented 'you Americans have very sensitive stomachs!!'.
I must add that we went to Thripuranthakam Temple which is close to a town called Dornaala first. The female consort Balathripurasundari is Thripurasundari (which many Telugu families named their daughters after in olden days). There are temples and worshippers of this form all over the world. We had lunch there after darsan and then proceeded to Srisailam.
If we saw the Srisaila sikharam(the roof top of a temple), you would get moksham (no rebirth). So far, I have seen it twice (now they are charging money to see it from that particular spot). If I am wrong in giving any of this information, please feel free to correct me. Comment freely.
P.S. Previously, we visited Srisailam Temple several times, separately and now I see it has grown a lot in riches and businesses and devoties. We did not see the pathala ganga
In the 50s and 60s, my father used to go a place called Markapuram which is more than 40 miles from Srisailam and from their walk to Srisailam.
I could not take any photos. Also, since legally I cannot use others' personal blogs, I just want to mention one blog that is superb. You can visit it away from my blog. The name is shanthirajudotwordpressdotcom. Lots of information there. I loved it!!!
East Thripuranthakam
South Siddhavatam
West Alampuram
North Umamaheswaram
NE Eleswaram
SE Somasila
NW Pushpagiri
SW Sangameswaram
I gathered more information on this because it is one of the Jyothir lingams (Mallikarjuna)as well as (Bhramaraamba)Sakthi Peetham. Probably this is the only place where they are in the same compound.
We planned to reach Srisailam around 6 p.m. since we were to meet with Rao's bother and sister-in-law (remember ? they were in our party in the previous trip?)at the bus station. They promptly arrived from Hyderabad as we approached. Now, weneeded accommodation. We had two choices. One was the karivela choultry and the other was Srividya peetham. The first one, as Nirmala and I previously experienced, was very inexpensive with minimal fecilities. The second was new to us. Rao preferred the second. I assumed that it would either free or low cost since Rao had donated a very large amount to them a few years ago. We connected with our contact person and found out from their office that there were only two rooms available and we had to go two floors up. Meals are served at designated hours, would be along walk to the Temple area or should go by car and that the room rent was 300 rupees plus. I was upset and disappointed. Rao did not mind, but, we, the others minded bercause of the fact that they received one lakh rupees from Rao, their was no name of Rao on the donors list and on top of it they were charging us this much money for the room where the plumbing was very bad, toilets won't flush and so on. Also, when we finally met our contact in person, he sold Rao a book written by his nephew(?) for 200 rupees. I bet Rao would never even read that book. We gullible Americans!!!
One good news. The kitchen crew were excellent. Originally from the Northern part of India, but spoke good Telugu, great cooking and great service.
Now the spiritual, ritual stories:
We checked into the room and immediately went for darsan.At the Temple, met with a young man by name Chalapathi, who was our guide(not a hired one, but Nirmala's acquaintance). He suggested that we do the milk abhishekam to the Vriddha(old) Mallikarjuna then and return to the Temple for the early a.m. aarathi and to meet him outside the temple in a certain spot around 4 a.m. We were very pleased that we were able to have such personal service, touching the lingam etc.
The next morning, we woke up at 2 a.m. with Nirmala's cell phone alarm which sounds like a rooster's'kokkorokko' The three women were in one room and the two brothers in the other. We were ready and reached the Temple by 4 a.m. promptly. But we had to wait till 6 a.m. for that morning aarathi. [By the way, in India, if someone says' will see you, will be back in 5 minutes, it is never 5 minutes - it could go upto 5 hours also. Same goes to the phrase 'it is not too far, it is right there' - it can be 2 to 3 kilometers!!!].
We had wonderful darsans and now Rao decided to go to Alampur(the next day) with me and Nirmala. So, we dropped off his brother and s-i-l, (who had already bought their return tickets to Hyderabad) at the bus station after breakfast, around 11 a.m. and continued on our return to Nandikotkur. We just could not find a place to eat. Wer very hungry.Around 2 p.m.. we spotted a small hut type area in Atmakur, where they were serving Idli, Dosa type which wasacceptable to Nirmala also. The place was filthy. We had hot heat-hot)dosa and Rao added Idli also. We did not even drink the water that was served. On the way back, saw the spectacular sunset again.
Within few hours after reaching home, I started vomitting and had to go to the bathroom a few times. Rao was up all night with more severity of similar problem.
Moral: Don't eat anywhere you like just because you are hungry !!!
Nirmala's sister was very sorry for us. She even commented 'you Americans have very sensitive stomachs!!'.
I must add that we went to Thripuranthakam Temple which is close to a town called Dornaala first. The female consort Balathripurasundari is Thripurasundari (which many Telugu families named their daughters after in olden days). There are temples and worshippers of this form all over the world. We had lunch there after darsan and then proceeded to Srisailam.
If we saw the Srisaila sikharam(the roof top of a temple), you would get moksham (no rebirth). So far, I have seen it twice (now they are charging money to see it from that particular spot). If I am wrong in giving any of this information, please feel free to correct me. Comment freely.
P.S. Previously, we visited Srisailam Temple several times, separately and now I see it has grown a lot in riches and businesses and devoties. We did not see the pathala ganga
In the 50s and 60s, my father used to go a place called Markapuram which is more than 40 miles from Srisailam and from their walk to Srisailam.
I could not take any photos. Also, since legally I cannot use others' personal blogs, I just want to mention one blog that is superb. You can visit it away from my blog. The name is shanthirajudotwordpressdotcom. Lots of information there. I loved it!!!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Passport and more....
I just had to add this information before I forgot the details.
While in Tirupathi, we went to the TTD choultry Srinivasam to book a room for Srikanth and Gayatri's family. It was hard to get rooms and so Nirmala had to use her influence as a retired employee to get a room for her guests. My purse was too tiny and so I asked her to carry it in her purse. She obliged and carried it with her inside the office room. My purse contained my American passport which I always carried for identification purposes and I also had Rs.7300, a small picture of Saibaba in the purse. She got one large room, paid the deposit and the other fees. When we reached home, I wanted to pay her back and asked for my purse. She did not have it! She dropped it some where (it could have been only in that office room). We made a few phone calls and no one had good news. Being a Friday, we were at Tiruchanur also. So, we called the office there and no one found it. I was worried about my passport and my return to the USA. Nirmala and I were on the Auto many times going from one Police station to the other and finally on Saturday evening, filed a written complaint at the crime police station.
I could not contact the US consulate. Went to the Cyber cafe, got on the internet and gathered all the info I could about the procedures and policies on getting a new passport. I will post that below. In the meantime,I promised Hanuman that I will recite Chalisa 11 times a day for 40 days (ending on Feb 21st) and somehow to get me the passport. Started reciting the same day. Called the US consulate on Monday morning and they told me that it was no problem since I carried my old passport also - all I needed was $100.00 in cash or pay by a credit card and two photos. I was ready with all that. I then called Srikanth's family in Chennai and told them thatI would be there to get my new passport. They expressed their happiness to see me again!!! My train to Chennai was around 5 p.m and I get a phone call from the Police station at 4 p.m. saying that someone had mailed my passport to their address from Chittoor (a neighboring city) and to come and pick it up!! The circle Inspector was extra polite, I was asked to withdraw the complaint. Neither my small purse nor my other contents were returned. Perhaps it was because I forgot to mention to Hanuman about my other stuff!!!:). Nirmala questioned the fact that there was no postal stamp on the so called envelop that was sitting on the CI's table. Also, we filed the complaint on Saturday around 6 p.m. and they got it in the mail on Monday???? We did not think that the Indian Postal dept. had improved that much!!! As long asmy passport was intact, nothing else mattered to me at that point.
Anyway, here is the information that may be useful for any in such situation:
Passpot lost???:
No appointment neccessary - just walk in. Make sure they are open. Because they are closed on Indian holidays also.
You NEED
Police report (the consulate told me that this report is for you be able to leave the country not to obtain a new passport. We need the passport to enter our country).
Forms DS - 11 and DS - 64
Two 2X2 photos
Old (expired) passport, if any.
US Consulate in Chennai:
American Citizen Services(ACS)
220 Anna Salai,Chennai 600006
Phone# 44-28574000
Fax# 44 2857 4344
E-mail address: chennaics@state.gov
HOPE YOU NEVER LOSE YOUR VALUABLES!!!!
While in Tirupathi, we went to the TTD choultry Srinivasam to book a room for Srikanth and Gayatri's family. It was hard to get rooms and so Nirmala had to use her influence as a retired employee to get a room for her guests. My purse was too tiny and so I asked her to carry it in her purse. She obliged and carried it with her inside the office room. My purse contained my American passport which I always carried for identification purposes and I also had Rs.7300, a small picture of Saibaba in the purse. She got one large room, paid the deposit and the other fees. When we reached home, I wanted to pay her back and asked for my purse. She did not have it! She dropped it some where (it could have been only in that office room). We made a few phone calls and no one had good news. Being a Friday, we were at Tiruchanur also. So, we called the office there and no one found it. I was worried about my passport and my return to the USA. Nirmala and I were on the Auto many times going from one Police station to the other and finally on Saturday evening, filed a written complaint at the crime police station.
I could not contact the US consulate. Went to the Cyber cafe, got on the internet and gathered all the info I could about the procedures and policies on getting a new passport. I will post that below. In the meantime,I promised Hanuman that I will recite Chalisa 11 times a day for 40 days (ending on Feb 21st) and somehow to get me the passport. Started reciting the same day. Called the US consulate on Monday morning and they told me that it was no problem since I carried my old passport also - all I needed was $100.00 in cash or pay by a credit card and two photos. I was ready with all that. I then called Srikanth's family in Chennai and told them thatI would be there to get my new passport. They expressed their happiness to see me again!!! My train to Chennai was around 5 p.m and I get a phone call from the Police station at 4 p.m. saying that someone had mailed my passport to their address from Chittoor (a neighboring city) and to come and pick it up!! The circle Inspector was extra polite, I was asked to withdraw the complaint. Neither my small purse nor my other contents were returned. Perhaps it was because I forgot to mention to Hanuman about my other stuff!!!:). Nirmala questioned the fact that there was no postal stamp on the so called envelop that was sitting on the CI's table. Also, we filed the complaint on Saturday around 6 p.m. and they got it in the mail on Monday???? We did not think that the Indian Postal dept. had improved that much!!! As long asmy passport was intact, nothing else mattered to me at that point.
Anyway, here is the information that may be useful for any in such situation:
Passpot lost???:
No appointment neccessary - just walk in. Make sure they are open. Because they are closed on Indian holidays also.
You NEED
Police report (the consulate told me that this report is for you be able to leave the country not to obtain a new passport. We need the passport to enter our country).
Forms DS - 11 and DS - 64
Two 2X2 photos
Old (expired) passport, if any.
US Consulate in Chennai:
American Citizen Services(ACS)
220 Anna Salai,Chennai 600006
Phone# 44-28574000
Fax# 44 2857 4344
E-mail address: chennaics@state.gov
HOPE YOU NEVER LOSE YOUR VALUABLES!!!!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Between the posts of Dec 10th and Jan 6th
I meant to write the details of our trips to Srisailam and Mantraalayam and the Pushkara snanam(bathing in the river). Just noticed that I never covered it. Let me begin.
Rao and I took a train (Tungabhadra Express) from Hyderabad to Kurnool on Dec 12th at 7 a.m. and reached Kurnool by 1:30 p.m.Nirmala, who was already in her native town Nandikotkur, met us at the station on the 13th. This train reservation was done by her like all other domestic ones long before our arrival in India. The passengers that got off were so many that Nirmala had to go a few blocks away from the train station to fetch an auto. We decided to take a cab instead. We dropped off our big suit case that contained our future yatra items etc. at one of Nirmala's friend's house in Kurnool, to be picked up a few days later. Nirmala's eldest sister who is in her 80s was waiting for us with hot food. The welcome party included a maid, the tenants etc. The mosquitoes were in plenty waiting for a new blood!!! The last time I visited Nirmala's hometown was when my son was two years old. Then it was a full house with Nirmala's parents, two other sisters. We talked about old times and then dozed off. The next day early in the morning, we arranged for a taxi (spent approximately 2000 rupees)to take us to Mantralayam.
Three others joined us on this trip. Nirmala's sister, her two friends. We started very early in the morning (6 a.m.) after a hot bath, hot coffee etc.
The sunrise was spectacular. The fields were green on either side of the road. Acres of peanuts, corn and other grains were being cultivated. but the road was under construction throught the journey andhence very bumpy. The traffic was heavy due to the upcoming pushkaram festivity. The driver was cranky for some reason. Anyway, by 10:30 a.m or so we reached the place. Went directly to the Temple. Nirmala was happily surprised when a young man greeted her with reverence and volunteed to take us around and arrange for a special darsan etc. His parents were friends of her family.
Now that our peace of mind was under control, we were ready to have the dip in river Tungabhadra. We were directed to a location from where we saw many returning after their 'snanam'. I saw the river from a distance and suddenly a dream of mine from many months ago flashed in my mind. In the dream, I was taking a dip in a river where there were shrubs in the river and the water was very shallow. Now,as we reached the intersection, the police blocked the area saying that the waters were not good any more and diverted us to a different bank. The guide suggested that if we didn't mind driving another 20 kms. there was a clean area and that place was called the new Brindavan and that was where Raghavenrda swami meditated a lot. We had no choice and we went there. Lo and behold, that was exactly the area that I saw in my dream while still in Cleveland. It wasn't easy changing into dry clothes in public after that dip. We collected water from the river and took it to the statue of Raghavendra Swami and did abhishekam. We went around in pradakshinam which is a traditional way of showing your devotion. After that, we went to the temple again, had darsan, free meals at the Temple anna daana choultry and were on the road by 3:30 p.m. and reached home by dusk. Now we saw the most beautiful sunset and moon rise on the same sky. The journey was tiring for the elders, but we were charged with spiritual energy. Nirmala's tenant had cooked dinner for us - very thoughtful ofher. her name also is Padma. I will add Srisailam trip in my next post.
Rao and I took a train (Tungabhadra Express) from Hyderabad to Kurnool on Dec 12th at 7 a.m. and reached Kurnool by 1:30 p.m.Nirmala, who was already in her native town Nandikotkur, met us at the station on the 13th. This train reservation was done by her like all other domestic ones long before our arrival in India. The passengers that got off were so many that Nirmala had to go a few blocks away from the train station to fetch an auto. We decided to take a cab instead. We dropped off our big suit case that contained our future yatra items etc. at one of Nirmala's friend's house in Kurnool, to be picked up a few days later. Nirmala's eldest sister who is in her 80s was waiting for us with hot food. The welcome party included a maid, the tenants etc. The mosquitoes were in plenty waiting for a new blood!!! The last time I visited Nirmala's hometown was when my son was two years old. Then it was a full house with Nirmala's parents, two other sisters. We talked about old times and then dozed off. The next day early in the morning, we arranged for a taxi (spent approximately 2000 rupees)to take us to Mantralayam.
Three others joined us on this trip. Nirmala's sister, her two friends. We started very early in the morning (6 a.m.) after a hot bath, hot coffee etc.
The sunrise was spectacular. The fields were green on either side of the road. Acres of peanuts, corn and other grains were being cultivated. but the road was under construction throught the journey andhence very bumpy. The traffic was heavy due to the upcoming pushkaram festivity. The driver was cranky for some reason. Anyway, by 10:30 a.m or so we reached the place. Went directly to the Temple. Nirmala was happily surprised when a young man greeted her with reverence and volunteed to take us around and arrange for a special darsan etc. His parents were friends of her family.
Now that our peace of mind was under control, we were ready to have the dip in river Tungabhadra. We were directed to a location from where we saw many returning after their 'snanam'. I saw the river from a distance and suddenly a dream of mine from many months ago flashed in my mind. In the dream, I was taking a dip in a river where there were shrubs in the river and the water was very shallow. Now,as we reached the intersection, the police blocked the area saying that the waters were not good any more and diverted us to a different bank. The guide suggested that if we didn't mind driving another 20 kms. there was a clean area and that place was called the new Brindavan and that was where Raghavenrda swami meditated a lot. We had no choice and we went there. Lo and behold, that was exactly the area that I saw in my dream while still in Cleveland. It wasn't easy changing into dry clothes in public after that dip. We collected water from the river and took it to the statue of Raghavendra Swami and did abhishekam. We went around in pradakshinam which is a traditional way of showing your devotion. After that, we went to the temple again, had darsan, free meals at the Temple anna daana choultry and were on the road by 3:30 p.m. and reached home by dusk. Now we saw the most beautiful sunset and moon rise on the same sky. The journey was tiring for the elders, but we were charged with spiritual energy. Nirmala's tenant had cooked dinner for us - very thoughtful ofher. her name also is Padma. I will add Srisailam trip in my next post.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Kolhapur and Mahalaksmi Mandir
Kolhapur is in the province of Maharashtra. After leaving Tirupathi this was our first stop.
The temple architecture was very different from what I have seen in other parts of India. This style is known as ‘Hemandpanthi’ in ancient India. Even though some call it South Indian Temple style, to me it was very different.There were five towers and a main hall. The idol, we were told weighs 40kgs and is embedded with precious stones. Mahalakshmi Temple, an ancient temple in Kolhapur, is dedicated to the Goddess of prosperity Mahalakshmi. The temple was constructed in 7th century AD during the reign of King Karandev of Chalukya dynasty.
Kiranotsav, is one of the festivals celebrated for three days from January 31 every year, which we missed by a few days and Navarathri is celebrated during September/October depending upon when Dasara comes.
We had our first darsan on Thursday evening and the second one on Friday. Rao wanted to take a dip in the river panchganga before going to the darsan. Nirmala and I felt that the weather was cold and hence had a hot shower in the hotel before leaving.
We were excited that we happened to be there on a Friday. Went to the administration office to check out special poojas. There were two that caught our eye. One was kumkum pooja for 201 rupees and the other one was panchaamrita pooja for 401 rupees. The second one sounded good. We purchased the ticket and then we were asked to wait for the priest to take us inside around 8:30 a.m. and he arrived around 10:30 a.m. There were many others waiting for the same. To our surprise (and shock) we were told that only men are allowed to do the actual abhishekam. Nirmala, who is single and who also sponsored the same pooja,paid 401 rs. was very disapponted. I commented, 'how come they took money from a woman and would not allow her to touch the idol which was a woman's form?' My comment was either ignored or raised an eye brow or two. To enter the pooja area, we were asked to buy some flowers, coconut etc. from the shop and wait inside. Each tiny basket of goods was 51 Rs. We held that in our palm and sat just outside the pooja area specially allocated for us. In a few minutes, people poured in for free darsan and completely blocked our view. They were like a wall in front of us. I tried my best not to get frustrated and was able to successfully meditate. All those that sponsored this expensive pooja were in the same situation. This is not a complaint, but just to let people know what to expect. I was glad that I could atleast see the idol that the priest moved from inside to the abhishekam area when we went to the early morning darsan.
After the panchaamrit pooja, Rao and others came out. Rao looked very pleased and content - but not a word of what happened while they were inside came out of him. That is his nature!!! Just do it, be happy and content!!
Overall, the vibes in the Temple were great. One must visit this Temple in their life time
The temple architecture was very different from what I have seen in other parts of India. This style is known as ‘Hemandpanthi’ in ancient India. Even though some call it South Indian Temple style, to me it was very different.There were five towers and a main hall. The idol, we were told weighs 40kgs and is embedded with precious stones. Mahalakshmi Temple, an ancient temple in Kolhapur, is dedicated to the Goddess of prosperity Mahalakshmi. The temple was constructed in 7th century AD during the reign of King Karandev of Chalukya dynasty.
Kiranotsav, is one of the festivals celebrated for three days from January 31 every year, which we missed by a few days and Navarathri is celebrated during September/October depending upon when Dasara comes.
We had our first darsan on Thursday evening and the second one on Friday. Rao wanted to take a dip in the river panchganga before going to the darsan. Nirmala and I felt that the weather was cold and hence had a hot shower in the hotel before leaving.
We were excited that we happened to be there on a Friday. Went to the administration office to check out special poojas. There were two that caught our eye. One was kumkum pooja for 201 rupees and the other one was panchaamrita pooja for 401 rupees. The second one sounded good. We purchased the ticket and then we were asked to wait for the priest to take us inside around 8:30 a.m. and he arrived around 10:30 a.m. There were many others waiting for the same. To our surprise (and shock) we were told that only men are allowed to do the actual abhishekam. Nirmala, who is single and who also sponsored the same pooja,paid 401 rs. was very disapponted. I commented, 'how come they took money from a woman and would not allow her to touch the idol which was a woman's form?' My comment was either ignored or raised an eye brow or two. To enter the pooja area, we were asked to buy some flowers, coconut etc. from the shop and wait inside. Each tiny basket of goods was 51 Rs. We held that in our palm and sat just outside the pooja area specially allocated for us. In a few minutes, people poured in for free darsan and completely blocked our view. They were like a wall in front of us. I tried my best not to get frustrated and was able to successfully meditate. All those that sponsored this expensive pooja were in the same situation. This is not a complaint, but just to let people know what to expect. I was glad that I could atleast see the idol that the priest moved from inside to the abhishekam area when we went to the early morning darsan.
After the panchaamrit pooja, Rao and others came out. Rao looked very pleased and content - but not a word of what happened while they were inside came out of him. That is his nature!!! Just do it, be happy and content!!
Overall, the vibes in the Temple were great. One must visit this Temple in their life time
Feb 4th, the yatra begins...Kolhapur
We were ready and packed by 5 p.m. The previous day itself Nirmala told her familiar Auto rickshaw drivers to be at the door 6 p.m.sharp. And they were there. Rao carried all the luggage and loaded the autos in his usual efficient way. The train was scheduled to depart at 7:15 p.m. We reached the Tirupathi station by 6:15. The railway porters left us at a spot where our bogie would arrive on the platform and told us that they would be back when the train (The Rayalaseema Express)arrived. At 6:35, there was power failure (which is very common) and exactly at 7:30 p.m. the train arrived and the power resumed. The porters came as promised and we boarded the train.
There was a lot of commotion and confusion regarding the seat # allocation. The #s on the e-ticket we were holding were all different from the list that the Railway inspector had. We learned that as they added an extra berth above the side seats, the numbering in their database had changed, but the station where they issued the tickets did not implement those changes yet. Now we knew how to find our seat#.
The fellow passengers were all wonderful. I woke up on the 5th by 3:30 a.m. Brushed my teeth. Was hoping that Nirmala would sleep longer. If she woke up, she has to brush her teeth immediately and I was afraid that that would trigger her need for hot coffee which would be impossible to get on a train at that hour. I dozed off and woke up again around 7 a.m. and Nirmala had to wait for her first cup of coffee till 8:30 a.m. By then, we passed some big stations like Gadag, Hubli, Dharwar.
By the way, we brought our own food and had that for dinner on the 4th, breakfast on the 5th. We did not order any food on the train.I just don't like that pre-packed food onthose trains. After passing Guntakal, we realized that their was no restaurant bogie any longer. They detatched it, I don't know why.
A fellow passenger by name Vinayak, gave us a lot of information about the Mahalakshmi Mandir, names of hotels to stay, how much the Auto rickshaw would charge and so on. Finally we reached Kolhapur and got a room at Subraya hotel which was very close to the bus station. After bathing and changing, we went to have Mahalaksmi's darsan. It was a wonderful feeling. Had dinner in the restaurant attached to the hotel(got Andhra food) and rested well. More on Mahalakshmi Temple later. From the hotel to the Temple, the auto charges were 20 rupees. That being a Thursday, Rao and I recited 108 names of Sathya Sai Baba and Nirmala listened. Went to bed happy and content.
There was a lot of commotion and confusion regarding the seat # allocation. The #s on the e-ticket we were holding were all different from the list that the Railway inspector had. We learned that as they added an extra berth above the side seats, the numbering in their database had changed, but the station where they issued the tickets did not implement those changes yet. Now we knew how to find our seat#.
The fellow passengers were all wonderful. I woke up on the 5th by 3:30 a.m. Brushed my teeth. Was hoping that Nirmala would sleep longer. If she woke up, she has to brush her teeth immediately and I was afraid that that would trigger her need for hot coffee which would be impossible to get on a train at that hour. I dozed off and woke up again around 7 a.m. and Nirmala had to wait for her first cup of coffee till 8:30 a.m. By then, we passed some big stations like Gadag, Hubli, Dharwar.
By the way, we brought our own food and had that for dinner on the 4th, breakfast on the 5th. We did not order any food on the train.I just don't like that pre-packed food onthose trains. After passing Guntakal, we realized that their was no restaurant bogie any longer. They detatched it, I don't know why.
A fellow passenger by name Vinayak, gave us a lot of information about the Mahalakshmi Mandir, names of hotels to stay, how much the Auto rickshaw would charge and so on. Finally we reached Kolhapur and got a room at Subraya hotel which was very close to the bus station. After bathing and changing, we went to have Mahalaksmi's darsan. It was a wonderful feeling. Had dinner in the restaurant attached to the hotel(got Andhra food) and rested well. More on Mahalakshmi Temple later. From the hotel to the Temple, the auto charges were 20 rupees. That being a Thursday, Rao and I recited 108 names of Sathya Sai Baba and Nirmala listened. Went to bed happy and content.
In general.....
Even though I am back in the USA, my heart is still roaming in India. Some wonderful people we met during our yatra made it more memorable. This time, the mice, the roaches that were on board on the train, did not bother me. That was part of the co-existence that I mentioned in my previous post. This time I saw lizards in the houses. They are helping us by eating the other bugs in the house!!! We even mused about the different types of beggars on the trains. Young mothers carrying the infants, older women with a stick in one hand (a walking aid?) and the other hand stretched asking for alms, a team of two, one would be blind and the other is the helper and so on. Did interesting non-spiritual things happen? --yes, if you call them non-spiritual. A boy in his early teens came into our compartment in one of the trains, trying to clean the floor and he was dragging himself on his knees. He had a torn shirt and dirty shorts on. Looked very cute. He bent his head down and was fully focused on the cleaning of the floor. Rao was really touched. he pulled out some money from his pocket and handed it over to the boy. Immediately, the boy stood up and ran with that money. That was the end of charity on the train for Rao. Everyone around laughed at the incident. The Telugu proverb 'koti vidyalu kooti korakey' (approximately meaning that a million skills are only to fill the stomach) sounded so true. I limited my charity only to those leprosy beggars sitting inside and outside of some of the Temple compounds.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Whatever happened to ..................????
Hello everyone. Our trip is over. We are back in Hyderabad, very tired and sleep deprived. The yatra went very well. We covered all that I listed before and had wonderful time. Balaji in Tirupathi, Saibaba in Puttaparthi,Kolhapur Mahalakshmi, Ashta vinayakas, 10 Jyothir lingams in this trip alone, Shiridi, Somanath, Dwaraka, Varanasi on 22nd, 23rd and 24th, Ayaodhya, Naimish forest, Puri Jagannath, again Tirupathi.
I really can't believe we did this trip!!!
Will be in Cleveland by March 15th and give you all the details and will write about dos and donts also. Many of you have been very patient with me.
I really can't believe we did this trip!!!
Will be in Cleveland by March 15th and give you all the details and will write about dos and donts also. Many of you have been very patient with me.
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