3.Indifference to States problems,Water, Fishermen,Immigrant issues,Statehood,in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Odishsa.
4.Confused Foreign Policy. Quarrel with the US on behalf of a Diplomat who is in the wrong, but keeping quiet on US’s Support to Pakistan ,Technology transfer issue, Visa restrictions.
The devotees believe that the Nandi ( Bullock , Lord Shiva’s) idol in front of the temple is continuously increasing its size. The locals say that the idol was initially much smaller than its present size. They say that certain experimentation was carried out on this idol and it was said that the type of rock out of which the idol is carved has a growing or enlarging nature associated with it. As per Archaeological Survey of India the rock grows at the rate of 1 inch per 20 years (10 mm per 8 years).
It is said that people used to do Pradakshinas (rounds) around it in the past. The temple staff has already removed one pillar as the size of the Nandi has increased.
According to Potuluri Veera Brahmendra swamy, the Basavanna (stone nandi) of Yaganti will come alive and shout when Kali Yuga ends.
Sri Yaganti Uma Maheswara Temple is one of the few temples patronized by one of the great dynasties of India. Every year Maha Shivaratri is celebrated and a large number of devotees from all over Andhra Pradesh visit. Shiva, Parvati and Nandi are the main deities in this temple.This temple is 14 km away from Banaganipalli in Kurnool district.
One story of the site’s origin is as follows: The sage Agastya wanted to build a temple for Lord Venkateswara on this site. However, the statue that was made could not be installed as the toe nail of the idol got broken. The sage was upset over this and performed a penance for Lord Shiva. When Lord Shiva appeared, he said the place suits Shiva better as it resembles Kailash. Agastya then requested Lord Shiva to give the devotees a Parvathi Goddess as Lord Uma Maheswara in a single stone, which Lord Shiva obliged.
A second story is as follows: Chitteppa, a devotee of Lord Shiva, was worshiping Lord Shiva and Lord Shiva appeared to him as a tiger. Chitteppa understood that it was Lord Shiva in tiger form, and shouted Neganti Shivanu ne kanti (meaning: I saw Shiva I saw), and danced with joy. There is a cave called Chitteppa nearby.
The story according to the priests is that when the sage Agastya completed his uttara desha yatra and started dakshina desha yatra he found the beautiful and pleasant place called yaganti( Nekanti-i have seen)and thought to build a temple for Lord Venkateswara on this site . while roaming around caves one of the caves was found to have a very old statue of Lord Vishnu . After all the yagna, homa and pooja he found that the statue really contains a small defect as broken nail on the foot thumb finger. To seek an explanation he prayed to Shiva and Shiva explained that at this place which contains natural springs and nature only I can be worshipped. Then the sage Agastya asked a boon to Shiva to reside in this place for eternity with Mother Parvathi. So this place is called as Umamahesware (Uma: parvathi, Maheswara: shiva) temple. The shrine contains the statue of Shiva and Parvathi on a single stone.
The temple has Caves as well, where sage Agastya stayed.
Some rare facts about Tirupati ,Tirumala and Lord Venkateswara
( Some portions of this post needs citation especially on the days when Lord Balaji is worshiped as Ambal and Shiva(marked with an *). People who are in Tirupati or those who have authentic sources may send me information, One of the Links mention that the Balaji Temple is that of Siva.There are other sources that say it is of Lord Muruga ,Ambal.I have a detailed post on this.People may contribute to this as well.)
Natural Arch, Tirumala hills is a distinctive geological wonder located 1 km (0.6 mi) North of the Tirumala hills temple, near the Chakra Teertham in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Arch is also called Silathoranam (శిలాతోరణం)in local language (Telugu language: “Sila” means ‘rock’ and “thoranam” means a garland strung over a threshold, connecting two vertical columns or an ‘arch’ as in this case). The arch measures 8 m (26.2 ft) in width and 3 m (9.8 ft) in height, and is naturally formed in the quartzites of Cuddapah Supergroup of Middle to Upper Proterozoic (1600 to 570 Ma) due to natural erosive forces.[1][2][3]
2.The Idol of Balaji is adorned with ‘Pachai Karpooram’, from Cinnamomum camphora, which is a highly volatile substance,daily.
If applied to a stone, it will form Cracks.
But not so in Lord Balaji’s case.
3.There is no mark of the Chisel in the Idol.
4.The Idol is always at 110 Degree F, despite being bathed in Water, Milk at the early hours, 4.30am.
After bathing the Deity Sweat forms every day and it is wiped off.
5.Lord Balaji is worshiped as Goddess Uma (Ambal) on four days , as Vishnu for two days and Shiva as One day in a week.
Bilva Leaves, a must for worship of Lord Siva are used during archana (worship by various names of the Lord) to Lord Balaji on all Fridays. Similarly the same Bilva leaves are used during archanas in the month of Marghazhi.( 15th Dec. to 15 Jan).
“AmbAL Amsa are seen on Lord VenkateshvarA’s image, in the Simha LalATam, Yoga
MudrA, Bhoga MudrA, Varada MudrA, Kattiya Vilambita MudrA, the meTTi, kolusu,
taNDai (toe-rings and anklet) on the feet. All these are the marks of Sri
AlarmElu Mangai. The Kattiya Vilambita Hastam belongs only to AmbAL, not to
VishNu. The Vilambita Hasta MudrA can be seen on the images of Kanchi Kamakshi,
TiruvidaiMarudur Mookambika, Kanyakumari Bhagavati Amman, Tiruvaiyaru
Dharmasamvardini, and Mayiladuturai Mookambikai. The image of Bhagavati Amman on
the banks of the BharatapapuzhA river, Kerala, has an exact resemblance of Lord
VenkateshvarA.
No one can deny or hide these female AMsas on the Lord’s
body. We can see them with our own eyes. Certain pujas too resemble those done
in AmbAL temples. To VenkateshvarA, abhiShekam is done on Fridays, a
21-cubit sari vastram, abhiShekam with turmeric water, and
Brahmotsava during Navaratri are conducted. The abhiShekam is done by
pouring out water in a measure of 51 porringers. The number 51 refers to the
count of Shakti PiThas.
Every Friday, bilva leaves, which belong to
Shiva, are used for Archana. Now it is used in the Archana done in Margazhi
month.
On the day of ShivarAtri, an utsavam called kShetra PAlikA
is done. On that day, the utsava mUrti is adorned with diamond streaks of
VibhUti and the deity is taken on the streets on procession.
*The Tirumala
temple is an EkamUrti Alayam. There is no Sannidhi for any other deity. But then
there is a woman deity known as Tirupati GangammA. The festival called GangammA
JAtra is held once in a year. In those days, goats and chicken were sacrified
during this time. This Gangamma is a ShivagaNa, Yogini.
There is also an aitihyam (legendary account) that during the abhiShekam, the Lord
opens his third eye. In those days, the ArchakAs agreed with this
belief.
The VishNu image at Srirangam has a streak resembling a beam of
light on its forehead, which is the general identity seen in ancient VishNu
images. On the sacred body of the Lord of Tirupati or his miniature image, there
is no such mark. The broad nAmam was fixed up only since the last 150 or
200 years.
As against the VishNu SahasranAmam chanted at Archana in other
VishNu temples, only the Venkatesha SahasranAmam is chanted here. The first line
of this composition is VenkateshAya namaH and the next line is VirUpAkShAya
namaH. VirUpAkShA is Shiva’s name.
Lord Venkateshvara is adored in the
Shaiva Tirumurais and in Tirumandiram. A sage-poet named TALLapAkkam AnnamaiyyA
adored the Lord in his songs as ParaBrahmam and the Ishvara with ShivAMsam and
wrote his songs on copper plates. Around 350 years ago, some ArchakAs who did
not appreciate it, melted those plates and made them into copper vessles and
plates.”
On Maha Sivaratri day which is considered sacred for the worship of Lord Siva a festival called Kshetra Palika is celebrated at Tirupati. On that day the Urchava Idol is decorated with a flat diamond studded ornament resembling the three streaks of vibhuthi (sacred ash applied on foreheads in three lines by worshipers of Lord Siva) and taken out in procession on the streets.
6.The Tirumala ranges show the face of Lord Balaji.
7.The Suprabhataham, the chantimg to wake up the Lord is not played in the temple during the month of Margazhi.( Dec-January) as He never sleeps.
I have a doubt.
If this is so, why the Suprabatham is played in the early mornings in the other months?
North Indians as South Indians Readers correct me but I can’t spot a single South Indian surname in the line-up; let’s not even get into caste. Oh well I can’t help myself so here goes, btw this could be marital or maiden names but Indians remember when you wear your caste names so proudly then don’t complain when it’s called up. Credit.http://www.brownpundits.com/2012/11/16/north-indian-punjabi-sindhi-high-castes-pose-as-chennai-beauties/
I venture to share some of my thoughts on the way the South Indians mix and react with each other.
I am making observations based on my having covered the length and breadth of India over a period of nearly Thirty nine years.
I have spent my time, while on business tour, in my Dealer’s Homes, partaken their Hospitality.
Before proceeding let me add that , by a North Indian, I mean those people whose mother tongue is not Tamil, Malayalam,Telugu or Kannada.
Some of these people were my business associates, others simple are those whom I met casually, mostly on Trains, Buses, Flights .
Then again there is this difference, those whom I met in their Native place in the North, and those who were settled in the South.
I used to visit the Town once in 45 days ,regularly for a period of over six years.
Right from the second visit, the dealer’s son, Harish, A Guajarati, would come to my Hotel room, pick me up drive me straight to his Home and make me ear.
Then we would go out for a picture, only to return to his Home at the night. Some days I have slept in his house.
One must remember I was just a Salesman, not a big wig to who can grant favours to them.
And my knowledge of Hindi was and is horrible.
Tehn I had a Maharashtrian Friend Ashok Kamle in Adoni, Andhra Pradesh.
This again is a repeat performance of Bellary.
Another is Vasanth at Belgaum, a Guajarati who would not even allow me to check into a Hotel!
I had another friend SriKant Hanchate a Maharashtrian at Gulbarga, who would spend the whole day with me.
On my trips to Delhi, I was forced to stay with my dealer friend, a Punjabi, Harkirat Singh.
And I had a gentleman whom I met on the Train at night en route to Budh Gaya.
I was on my way, with my wife to Benares,Gaya and Allahabad and the Rajdhani from Delhi was expected to reach Gaya by 3.45 am.
Around Eight when the Dinner was being served a Young man of about 35, took the Dinner Trays from the Waiter’ laid it out in his aisle berth and made sure me and my wife had water by our side.
As my wife was allotted an upper berth, he exchanged his berth later one, without my asking!
I spent some time chatting with him.
In the morning he woke me up at 3.30 am, helped me out with my baggage, assisted my wife in getting down from the Train
He fetched us an auto rickshaw, gave directions to the driver, asking him to drop us at the address, telling him that he should call him as soon as he dropped us and had the driver’s Phone number noted.
After ten minutes or so when we were reaching the destination the driver received a call from this Youngman who checked whether we had reached safely
and chatted with me for a couple of minutes.
Remember it is 4am!
He is local Cable TV operator from Gaya and a journalist.
Next morning he sent a man who introduced himself as an Agent and booked us in a Train to Allahabad.
Wait listed at 300( I never knew WL can run into 300!) I was apprehensive.
The man was waiting at the Train Compartment before we arrived got us a Confirmed seat.
Do you that he refused to accept anything more than Rs 20 as his charge!
I get to meet a lot of my son’s friends who are North Indians working in Bangalore.
The way they mix and the respect they express, I have not seen.
No pretensions, no air,
I tend to believe that by Nature North Indians are very easy-going , with out pretensions and has a tendency to befriend and help people.
However , during my career, I have found that the North Indians clinging together and try to exclude the South Indians from promotions.
I do not know which is real.
Is that I have been lucky in getting to know these wonderful people?
I tend to take the view that by nature they ar easy-going, respectful and friendly.
Ahobilam is located in Karnool district of Andhra Pradesh in the hills of the eastern ghats, about 400 KM northwest of Chennai.
The temple consists of nine shrines to Lord Nrisimha located around a 5 KM circle. In addition to the nine shrines, there is a temple for Prahaladavarada Varadhan in the foothills of the mountain. Due to security reasons and the difficulty in performing daily worship, many of the utsava vigrahasof the nine shrines are kept in this temple.
Garuda wished for a vision of Lord Nrisimha in the form of the Avathara. To fulfill his wish, the Lord settled in the hills around Ahobilam in the midst of dense forests in nine different forms. For this reason this hill came to be known as Garudadri, Garudachalam, and Garudasailam.
Ahobilam is the place where the Lord killed Hiranyakasipu and saved Prahalada. Mahalakshmi took avathar as Senjulakshmi among the Senju, tribal hunters of the hills, and married the Lord.
Sri Ahobila Muth, one of the most important Sri Vaishnava religious institutions in India, was established by Sri Athivan Satakopan at the instructions of Lord Lakshmi Nrisimha of Ahobilam. In fact, the utsava moorthy of the Malola Nrisimha temple, one of the nine shrines of Ahobilam, is the presiding deity of Sri Ahobila Mutham. Sri Malolan accompanies Srimad Azhagiya Singar, the spiritual and titular head of Sri Ahobila Mutham, on his travels.
Thirumangai Azhvaar has sung ten verses about this temple in Periya Thirumozhi.
It can be reached from Nandyl,Cuddappah or Kurnool Andhra Pradesh.
There is no railway link direct to Ahobilam.
One can reach by reaching any of the places mentioned here or through Dhone from where one reach Ahobilam through Baganpalle and Koilkuntla.
How To reach Ahobilam.
By Train from Chennai to Ahobilam Bombay mail leaves Chennai at about 9:55 p.m. and reaches Kadappa at about 3:15 a.m. You can take Bombay mail going to Chennai for the return journey. Chennai bound Bombay mail arrives Kadappa at 10:25 p.m. and leaves at 10:30. It reaches Chennai at about 5:40 a.m. Reservations may be made for round trip from Chennai to Kadappa and back. Quota for Kadappa is available in Bombay mail.
From Kadappa, Ahobilam is about 100 KM. If you can afford it you can hire a taxi for the day to go to Ahobilam and return. The approximate cost would be Rs. 1000 for the round trip. If you are a group you can hire a van for a day. In either of these two cases, you will be able to finish all the Dharshan and return to Kadappa at night in time to catch Bombay mail back to Chennai.
If you are in a position to hire a taxi, you can take a bus to Ahobilam. There may be direct bus to Ahobilam, but frequency may be limited. In stead, take a bus to Allagadda, and then from Allagadda you can take another bus to Ahobilam. If you have to travel bus you may have difficulty covering all the temples in one day.
By bus from Chennai to Ahobilam
There is an overnight bus from Madras to Nandiyal leaving at about 8:00 p.m. Nandiyal is a big town past Allagadda. Buy your ticket to Allagadda. The bus will reach Allagadda at about 6 a.m. Get down at Allagadda. From Allagadda, Ahobilam is about 30 KM. Town busses ply between Allagadda and Ahobilam every 45 minutes. The last bus leaves Ahobilam to Allagadda at 9:45 p.m. You may also hire a taxi from Allagadda. The same bus returns to Chennai. It leaves Allagadda at about 7:00 a.m. Check locally for exact time. By car from Chennai to Ahobilam
The drive from Chennai is through Renigunta, Kadappa, and Allagadda. It will take about 9 to 10 hours of hard driving. Avoid night driving if you can.
Traveling to Ahobilam from Hyderabad
The distance between Hyderabad and Ahobilam is about 380 KM. By train, take Thungabadra Express from Hyderabad (Kacheguda) to Kurnool. This train leaves Hyderabad (Kacheguda) at 7:00 p.m. and reaches Kurnool 10:30 p.m. From Karnool, Ahobilam is about 150 KM. You may hire a taxi or take a bus for this part of the journey. The approximate cost would be Rs. 1400 for the round trip. The return train arrives Kurnool at 1:15 a.m. and reaches Hyderabad at 5:20 a.m.
You may also take a bus from Hyderabad to Allagadda. From Allagadda, Ahobilam is about 30 KM. Town busses ply between Allagadda and Ahobilam every 45 minutes. The last bus leaves Ahobilam to Allagadda at 9:45 p.m. You may also hire a taxi from Allagadda.
Traveling to Ahobilam from Bangalore
From Bangalore, Ahobilam is about 350 K.m. The train timing is not very convenient from Bangalore. Prasant Express leaves Bangalore at 2:00 p.m. and reaches Nandiyal at about 11:50 p.m. From Nandiyal, Ahobilam is about 60 KM via Allagadda. The return train to Bangalore leaves Nandiyal at about 11:10 p.m. and reaches Bangalore at 10 a.m.
By road, the travel is via Madanapalli, Cuddapah, and Allagadda. The drive is about 7:30 hours.
Facilities for Stay at Ahobilam.
Sri Ahobila Mutt maintains a Guest House called Malola Guest House. There are a total of 14 rooms, 4 single rooms, 6 double rooms, and 4 triple rooms. Of these, two double rooms and two triple rooms are air conditioned. In addition, there are 10 dormitory type rooms.
Normally reservations are not undertaken by the Ahobila Mutt authorities.
But one can always try.
Mr. Badri Narayanan
PH:-08519-252045/252024
9490515284.
Food.
A privately run canteen is located adjacent to Malola Guest House. Vegetarian food is sold at this canteen.
In addition, Sri Ahobila Matam has established a trust called Annamacharya Nitya Annadanam Trust. The goal of this trust is to provide free food to devotees of Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha. Free prasadam is offered three time a day. Dadiyannam (Curd rice) is offered morning and evening. At noon time Tadiyaradhanam (full course meals) is offered.
The monthly expense for this exceeds Rs. 20,000. Contributions to the trust is welcome. Please contact the Malola Guest House manager at 8519-232045 for detail.
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