275. Trip to Pancha-Narasimhar Kshetras – Part 2
Continuing from last time…
On checking with Google maps, I found that we will reach Mattapally only by 130pm. By that time the temple would be closed. So, we will only be able to have the darshan at 4pm. We had one more temple to visit and then reach Vijayawada. In the meantime, the Vijayawada hotel called me and asked as to when I was checking in. I had already paid 50% of the tariff and the balance was to be paid after checking in or checking out. I told him that we should be there by 7 or 8pm and we will definitely be coming😊!!
I found another 3-4 kms stretch of kuchcha road in between. However, there were no bushes on both sides. I had to check twice with people coming from opposite direction whether I was on right track to Mattapally or not😊!! Finally reached Mattapally at 215pm. Mr Phani had said that there was a brahman bhojanalaya there where we could have food. We went to the bhojanalaya and had food. I was wearing a T-shirt and a veshti. I was asked to remove the t-shirt and asked to enter the food-hall only in my banian😊! Since it was after 2pm, some dishes had finished. We ate whatever they had – rice, dal, one vegetable, vadai and curd. Since there was no charge for the food, we donated some money to the bhojanalaya. I then had a nice sleep of about an hour in the car. Having got up at 2am in the morning and having hardly any sleep in the previous night and with driving so much, I slept peacefully😊. After 4pm we went to the Mattapally temple.
Mattapally is
situated on the banks of river Krishna, in Huzurnagar taluq of Nalgonda
District in Andhra Pradesh.
The presiding deities of this temple are: Sri Yogananda Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy, Sri Raajyalakshmi Thaayar, and Sri Chenchu Lakshmi Thaayar.
The Maha Kshetram is in the midst of a dense and lovely forest, which instills awe and inspiration in the minds of the visiting pilgrims. In one of the caves adjoining the pilgrim town, the image of the Lord has been radiating glory from times immemorial. Legend had it that Sri Bharadwaaja Maharshi worshipped this deity everyday accompanied by several other sages. In those unknown times, only sages and gods could worship the self revealed images of Narasimha in the cave. The sages who had the welfare of this world at their heart decided to throw open this holy place to the common man. An auspicious time for this came in during the Kali Yuga.
The deity was revealed in a dream to the devotee Sri Anumala Machireddi, the ruler of Thangeda which is 3 km off Mattapalli on the opposite bank of river Krishna. The Lord wished Machireddi to reveal his image for the good of the mankind during Kali Yuga.
The ruler accompanied by his pandits, searched all the caves on the banks of river Krishna, as ordained by the Lord, but could not trace the location of the deity. Sad and depressed, he fell asleep in the forest. Again the Lord appeared in his dream and ordained him to search further, in a designated area near an “Aare” tree hidden behind the foliage in a cave. Waking up, the ruler found the cave and the image of the Lord in a seated posture, with the wellspread hood of Sesha over his head, fully adorned with Shankha Chakra Gadha and as if the Lord was being worshipped regularly, with flowers, sacred leaves, fruits etc. Overjoyed, the ruler revealed the Maha Kshetram to the general public and constructed a Mukhaalaya.
ABOUT SRI ANUMALA MACHIREDDY
The name and
fame of Machireddi has lived down to this day and we still see his benevolence
and benefaction inscribed in the golden kalasams in the Siva temple of
Srisailam, and others like Kasi Visheswara, Lord Gopala in Thangeda etc.
However, the fort of Thangeda is now in ruins.
Chennuri Sri Narasimha Rao, Chairman of the temple committee, said that one “Chennuri Giramma”, belonging to his great-grand-forefathers was an ardent devotee of Sri Mattapalli Narasimha. She lived during the period of the Mughal emperor Aurangazeb. When Mughal forces were to attack the temple, she prayed to the Lord to dispell the danger. Then the Lord created countless bees which attacked and drove the Mughal soldiers away. Their attempt to capture this temple proved a futile exercise. However, there is no historic recorded information to support this.
TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE – Garbhagriha (sanctum sanctorum)
There is a rock
above the door to the sanctum sanctorum. On it is the sculptured motif of Gaja
Lakshmi with two elephants raising their trunks upwards on either side. The
sanctum is a cave. The roof of the Garbhagriha is a big rock. The Lord
manifested Himself on a rock, which is on the backside of the Garbhagriha.
Another rock is spread like the hood of Sesha over it. The Lord is one foot in
height. Seated in Padmasana, He holds a Chakra in His upper right hand and
Sankha in His upper left hand. He has kept His lower left hand on His left
knee, and His lower right hand is not visible. On the left side of the Lord,
ther are decorated three Namams (Thirumann), and two eyes, which are considered
as the form of Prahlada, the ardent devotee of the Lord.
There is a small lengthy rectangular rock of about one foot length at the feet of the Lord. The rock is said to be “Chakri”, an ardent devotee of the Lord who was not given mukti when he requested for the same because the Lord did not want to be separated from him. So he was made into a rock like form and placed in the sanctum. Daily the abhishekam is performed to this rock also.
To the left of the manifested Lord, there is a black, stone image of Lakshmi which is 1.5 feet in height, in a sitting posture on a lotus. She holds lotus flowers in her upper hands. Her lower right hand is in Abhaya posture and the left hand is in Suchi posture. Below the Lakshmi image, there is another image of Lakshmi, which is carved on a rock. As Lakshmi is not visible to the visitors, the image of Rajya Lakshmi is installed for the ‘darsan’ of the devotees. It was consecrated in 1975. She holds Chakra in her upper right hand and Sankha in her left hand. She holds lotus buds in her lower hands. She is in sitting posture. She is 1.25 feet in height. She wears a Makuta on Her head. Before the presiding deity, at a lower level, the utsava idols of the Lord are installed. There are also copper images of Sudarsana, Nammazhwar and another Azhwar.
To the right side of the sanctum, leading to the north door, there are eleven black stone images of the Azhwars, seven of which face the west and the remaining four face east. There is a trench on the left side of the Lord at some distance in the cave, which it is believed to lead to the river Krishna through an underground passage.
The sanctum faces the west. The mukhamantapam has 21 pillars with a cement roof. Before the Vaikunta Dvaara (North door) there is a mantapa with five pillars with a cement roof. It was built in 1973-75. It measures 21 feet X 18 feet. The mukhamantapam before the sanctum measures 24 feet X 45 feet. The height of the mukhamantapam is about 20 feet.
As there is no convenience to go around the sanctum, the devotees perform circumambulation (pradakshinam) around the Dhwajasthambha and the stone image of Hanuman which faces the Lord. There is a Ramanuja Kutam (Madapalli or kitchen) to the north of the temple in the same premises where in, the naivedya to the Lord is prepared. There is an entrance to the temple which faces the south. There is a fleet of steps leading down to the river Krishna just outside the main temple but within the compound.
IMPORTANCE OF THIS KSHETRAM
There is a
popular verse which goes thus:
“Ekameva
Kshetram, Mattapalli Kshetram,
Na Anyat
Kshetram, Mattapalli Tulyam,
Ekameva Tatvam,
Mattapalli Naatham,
na Anyat Tatvam,
Palli Simha Tulyam“
which means,
There is no
secondary whatsoever and there is no equal to it.
There is only
one Lord and He is the Lord of Mattapalli.
There no
secondary whosoever and none is comparable to him.”
There is a belief that incurable diseases will be cured and the evil spirits will be driven out and all desires will be fulfilled by the Lord if one stays in Mattapalli for 11 days and 11 nights and performs 32 pradakshinams thrice a day with wet clothes having bathed in the Krishna river each time.
Another important feature is the possession of a rare type of conch by the temple called Dakshina Vriththa Sankha. It is said that if one keeps it near his ear, a booming sound of the sacred Pranava also called Taaram, echoes out of it. This type of conch is present only at the Kasi temple and nowhere else.
We had a nice darshan here also as we were the 2nd visitors. The archanai was done by a 12 year old kid. He said he was here on deputation from Tirupati for 3-6 months and will be returning back there.
We then travelled to Vedadri temple. Another 1.5 hours drive and we were in the temple.
Vedadri is
situated only 10 km from Chillakallu on the National Highway No.9 from
Vijayawada to Hyderabad.
Here the Lord exists in five different forms known as Pancha Narashima Moorthy,
namely
• Jwala
Narashima on vedasikara of the mountains,
• Saligrahma
Narashima in the River Krishnaveni,
• Yogananda
Narashima installed by sage Rishya Sringar,
• Lakshmi
Narashimar on his own peetam and
• Veera
Narashimar on Garudadri situated at a distance of 5 km from east to Vedadri.
As Matsya Avatar Vishnu saved the vedas from Somakasura as said in the Bramhanda Purana. He hid the veda purushas in human form here. After killing the Asura/Demon, he returned back and told the veda purushas that he will manifest himself at a later time in the same place.
Later the Lord incarnated himself as ‘Narasimha’ killed the mighty demon Hiranya kasapa and saved Prahalda and ever since stayed as Jwala Narasimha on the mountain head at Vedadri in fulfilment of the inclination of Veda Purushas. Then Lord Bramha requested Jwala Narasimha to stay in Sathya Loka as Saligrama Narsimha so the Lord went to Sathya Loka as Saligrama Narasimha at the request of Lord Bramha. But even before Bramha offered his worship to the Lord in Sathya Loka, the Sathya Loka was consumed in flames. There upon Lord Bramha personally brought Saligrama Narsimha Murthy to the river krishnaveni and erected the Saligrama Murti on the Saligram Mountain.
Later on, the Lord, at the request of Rishis like Rishya Srunga and Kings like Manu, stayed in the middle of the mountain as Yogananda Narasimha Swamy and at the request of the Garudas the Lord stayed as veera Narasimha and as per the Prayer of Vana Devatha the Lord is prevading the mountain as Laxmi Narasimha Murthi. The facts were revealed by Suta Mahamuni to Shounaka and others who acclaimed the efficacy of Vedadri as a unique deity in the entire world. It is the only place where Pancha Narasimha Murtis are existing. Kalav Smaranan mukthi. It means in kaliyuga mere smarana is enough for mukthi. The rishis having got the information from veda vyasa began searching for a suitable place for their penance and at last they found Vedadri as the most suitable place, as the Lord is staying there in five forms (Panchamurthi). Further the rishis while searching, for a suitable place heard recitals in perfect swaras being emanated from the holy mountain they named as ‘Vedadri’ the mountain of Vedas.
The rishis were enchanted by the chanting of Vedas by the Mountain, especially the same veda (music) the Gandharva Swara and its varied moorchans. They have been immensely satisfied by the holy recitals and have settled there for penance. They took a holy dip in the River Krishnaveni, had a pradakshan of the mountain and then settled in Penance. During their deep Penance in their Samadhi, they heard a divine voice saying “Holy rishis this is Vedadri or Vedagiri where Lord Sreemannarayana has taken the avatara of Nrusimha Swamy”.
After the holy words the rishis discovered a Luminous light discerning the path upwards the mountain by which the rishis have scaled it and found Yogananda Nrusimha Swamy in a temple on the top of the mountain. The rishis, who were overwhelmed with joy, praised the Lord, chanting his holy name. Namasthe Narasimhaya Smasaranava Setave I Namh Kalyana Roopaya Veda Seershyathe Namha II Then the Lord gave them darshan as Jwala Nrusimha in the shape of fire, as Saligrama murti in the river, as Yogananda Nrusimha (Laxmi Nrusimha Murti), as Veera Nrusimha murti in Garudachala. The rishis after Visiting all the shrines came back to Vedadri and sat for Penance.
This mountain has been enriched in its spiritual splendor not only by the Pancha Murtis but also due to the Penance of several rishis. The importance of this place is that anyone affected by dheergha Vyadhis like ghosts, black magic etc, if they visit this temple and stay back, Narasimha is said to appear in a dream and guide them. To this day people with various complex issues have had a permanent solution to their problems.
After visiting here, we proceeded to the Vijayawada hotel, and reached there by 730pm. Had dinner outside and went to sleep😊!
Cheers till next time for the final part😊!!
Details of the
temple were taken from www.srinarasimhakutumbam.org/temples/divya-kshetra
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