Holy Places complied!

[Rajeev Raghunath]

Holy Places in India Compiled

Ahobilam (The place of Narasimha Deities)

Ahobilam is a pilgrimage center of great antiquity. It is a hilly,
forested region where the almighty god, Mahä-viñëu has taken the form
of Narasimha. Significantly, every plant, tree and stone found is
pregnant with the presence of Narasimha, the lion-god. As such, this
place is considered the most venerated Vaisnava shrines of Andhra
Pradesa, enshrining nine iconological forms of Narasimha.

There are reference to this place in Brahmanda Purana, Bhavisyottara
Purana and Padma Purana. According to it, it is where Lord Garuda did
penance. It is where the Vedas were protected from the hands of
Raksasas and it is believed as sacred as Gayä and Käçé. It is also
mentioned Srimad Bhagavata and Sri Vadiraja’s ‘Tirtha Prabandha’. It
is famed to be a place where four faced Sri Brahma visits and worships
God every day and Markandeya did penance. It is also known to be a
place where Lord Rama had come during his exile and wrote Narasimha
Stavana.

Forming part of the Central Eastern Ghats, it has two storeyed hilly
region. The lower one is called Chinna Ahobilam and the upper as Pedda
Ahobilam. In the area of 30 kms one will find one form of Narasimha or
other. In total, there are nine forms of Narasimha having different
names. They are Jwala, Ahobila, Malola, Kroda, Karanja, Bhargava,
Yogananda, Chatravata and Pavana.

Lower Ahobilam is easily approachable. The God there is Prahlada
Varada Narasimha, the aspect of Lord Narasimha as blessing Prahlada. A
lofty gopuram and a massive Jaya-stambha greet you at the beginning.

The east facing Maha-dvara is quite big and bright. Inside the Sanctum-
Sanctorum, we witness the smiling countenance of the Deity. He has
bright and bewitching eyes. He has four arms. Goddess Laksmi is seated
on His left lap and is embracing Him with her right arm. It is really
enchanting to see the Divya-Mangala Vigraha of the divine couple here.

In the upper-Ahobilam (a plateau of about 2800 ft above sea-level), we
witness another form of Narasimha. However, the place is not easily
approachable. We have to pass through a narrow valley and thick forest
and climb up 65 steps. This leads us to the shrine of Ugra-Narasimha
who is a Svayambhu-murti (self-manifest Deity). He is seen in a cave
temple, which is magnificent with a mantapa (canopy) and a Gopura. He
has ten arms. He is seen here in the act of tearing the stomach of
Hiranyakasipu. Here Prahlada is in the act of praying. His other
consort Chenchulaksmi said to be a tribal here.

The other forms of Narasimha (Kroda, Malola, Jvala, Pavana) are spread
over a wide area. They are not easily approachable. There are also a
number of holy tirthas around, the most important is Rakta-kunda,
whose water is reddish.

According to one writer – “If you wish to experience perfect
tranquility of mind, go to Ahobilam. If you wish to realize what a
spiritual environment is, if you wish to behold and enjoy a bewitching
natural scenery with its vast forests rich in green foliage and the
Bhavanashini river gliding on, go there. The whole region is pregnant
as it were with the presence of Lord Narasimha”.

Aboor

(Karnataka, Bangalore District)

This holy place on the banks of river Kanva has the mula-Vrnidavana
(samädhi) of Sri Brahmanya Tirtha and other Vaisnava saints. The
location is amid green fields and coconut groves.

Sri Brahmanya Tirtha comes in the parampara of Sri Rajendra Tirtha,
Sri Jayadhvaja Tirtha and Sri Purusottama Tirtha. He is said to be
Suryamsa-Sambhoota (arising from the portion of the sungod). He is the
chief person responsible for presenting the great Sri Vyasaraja (Sri
Vyasatirtha) to the Spiritual World.

As per history, Sri Brahmanya Tirtha went on a pilgrimage to Badri
Kshetra on foot and served Sri Badrinarayana for several periods. He
then came back to Aboor after visiting the holy shrines in north and
south. He entered the cave and did penance for long there. He was a
great tapasvi and devotee of Krsna. His intelligence was like
Brhaspati, his bhakti was like Prahlada and his virakti (renunciation)
was compared to Sanaka and other great sages (munis). He lived as he
should, like a true sannyasi.

He performed many miracles during His lifetime. He was the person who
restored the lost legs of the crown prince of the King of Gangawadi in
return getting the Deity of Sri Vitthala, which was worshipped by
Brahmä, from his royal treasury.

He installed Sri Vyasatirtha in his place as the head of the matha and
entered samädhi on Vaisakha Bahula Dvadasi. So his disappearance
festival is celebrated on that day in all grandeur, every year there.

The Deities worshipped in the matha are Venu-gopäla, Laksmi-narasimha,
Bhu Varaha, Ramacandra, Sita, Laksmana, Yoga-pattika Sri Laksmi-
narasimha worshipped by the lotus hands of Sri Madhvacarya, Laksmidevi
and Satyabhama Devi.

This place is 60 kms from Bangalore.

Belur

(Karnataka)

(The land of Royal grandeur and oriental glory)

Belur on the bank of river Yagachi has the splendid temple of Sri
Chenna-kesava. Inscriptions speak of him as Vijaya-narayana. He is the
presiding Deity of the place.

The temple of Chenna-keshava is the chief attraction here. It is a
star shaped structure, standing on a raised platform. The total area
of the temple is 444 feet long and 396 feet broad. The temple is
superb as far as the scriptural decoration goes, even rivaling the
temples of Khajuraho and Konarka. Opinions are that it rivals the best
of gothic art of Europe. The facade of the temple is filled with
intricate sculptures and friezes. Details of pillars, panels,
ceilings, and the successive friezes rising one above the other are
unparalleled. Elephants (650) and horses, well caparisoned and
galloping on, each having different poses, episodes from the epics are
here. There are excellent bracket figures known as Madanikas adorned
with a wealth of detail in their make-up and jewelry. Their bangles
and bracelets rotate around their limbs. It is a testament to the
skill of their artisans. The door way is marvelously and ornately
carved. Inside the temple there are 46 pillars each having a different
design. The embellishments on the ceiling are wondrous. No wonder that
an art critic and historian referred to this as ‘richly carved caskets
in sandalwood and ivory’. A stream of visitors of art both foreign and
Indian have never ceased to come and wonder at its grandeur since many
hundreds of years.

The chief Deity Sri Chenna-keshava in sanctum-sanctorum is lovely
beyond words. He is called “Cheluva Chenniga” and female-faced. He is
about 3.17 meters high. According to Purandara dasa, he has assumed
Mohini rupa having a nose-ring and wearing flowers in hair. The
prabhavali around the Deity consists of all the ten avatars of Visnu
sculpted beautifully and artistically.

Bidar (Jala-narasimha Ksetra) (Karnataka)

The old name of this was Vidura-nagara of Mahabharata times. It is
said to be the capital city of Bhima-deva. Legends describes it as a
place where Nala and Damayanti met.

This pleasant city is situated amidst enchanting surroundings. It is
especially known for its Narasimha Jhira. (Jala Narasimha or Jharini
Narasimha). A perennial stream of water is said to be flowing
continuously for hundreds of years in this place. Here pilgrims have
to wade through chest-deep water in a cave-like tunnel for a distance
of over 90 meters under the Manichoola range of hills to have the
darsana of Lord Narasimha.

Biligiri Rangana Hills

(Karnataka, Chamarajanagara District)

Local legends describe it as Biligiri, Svetadri, Daksina Tirupati. The
temple stands on a high white boulder. The presiding Deity is Biligiri
Ranga-svami who is four and half feet high having four arms. According
to the legend, God settled here after a penance by Agastya muni. The
God is decorated with waist-bells and knife. His consort is Alamelu
installed in a separate enclosure.

Dharma-sthala (The abode of Dharma)

(Karnataka)

Located in the middle of scenic beauty, it has a 150 feet tall
entrance to the township flanked by choultries on either side. It was
formerly called Kuduma or Koduma. It took the name Dharma-sthala
during the visit of Sri Vadiraja, the Vaisnava saint of Sode matha. It
is he who installed Manju-natha (in linga form) which means the lord
Siva who is as beautiful as snow. Nrisimha salagrama is placed by his
side. Another notable fact of this temple is that the Deity is
worshipped by the Madhva sampradaya priests.

It continues to be a major pilgrimage center in Karnataka. Pilgrims
first bathe in the holy Nethravathi river and visit the temple to have
the darsana of Lord Manjunatha.

Dharma-sthala literally means the place of Dharma. In its wealth it
has been described as Abhinava Tirupati rivaling Tirupati-Tirumala
Devasthanams. Charity is way of life here. Every visitor, who throngs
the temple, is fed free of charge. Free distribution of medicines is
done.
Devarayana Durga (Karigiri Ksetra)

(Karnataka, Tumkur District)

Its old names are Simhadri, Seshadri. It is also known as Karigiri
Ksetra (1242 meters or 4154 feet) and Jadakana Durga.

It is situated amidst wild and picturesque surrounding. The area is
craggy and abounds in green thick forest. The chain of hills and high
peak have encircled it on all 8 directions. The hill look like
elephant, Simha (Lion), Garuda (Eagle) and Sesa (Serpent) in different
directions.

The hill consists of three distinct terraces or elevations. The temple
of Durga Laksmi Narasimha Svami or Bhoga Laksmi Narasimha is at its
lowest elevation. This flat portion is called Nelapattana (3650 feet).
The temple is a dravidian structure facing east and said to have been
built by Sri Kanteerava Narasimharaja Wodeyar I. Puranas tell that the
Deity of Lord Narasimha was installed by Durvasa Muni.

It is also told that Sriman Narayana asked Brahma to clean the area
before He was born on the earth planet (Bhuloka) in the form of
Narasimha. After it was cleaned by Brahma, the Lord came and stood
here. On the intermediate elevation there is the temple of Yoga-
narasimha. This temple is facing west.

Guruvayoor (Krishna Ksetra)

Kerala

Originally it was called Kuruvayoor and known as Dakshina Dvaraka and
Bhuloka Vaikuntha.

Guruvayoor is a world famous pilgrim center owing its glory to the
divinity of the place, Deity, and its installation. The place has
attained divinity on account of the penance performed by Shiva. The
Deity of Krishna was once worshipped by Lord Vishnu. It was handed
over to Brahma. It later changed hands from Brahma to Sutapa and later
on to Kasyapa. It finally reached Sri Krishna at Dvaraka, at the time
of His departure to the Spiritual World. He directed Uddhava to tell
Brhaspati, the guru of devas, to take the Deity and install it at a
proper place. That proper place was Guruvayoor. It was taken by Siva,
Guru and Vayu (the wind-god) and installed there. Hence its name came
to be called as Guru-Vayoor.

The temple of Guruvayurappana is very big. The Gopuram, the Maha-dvara
and the Nanda-Mantapa (canopy)m are beautifully constructed and
imposing. There are paintings of several devotees on its walls
including that of Padmanabhan the temple elephant. There is the holy
Rudra Tirtha nearby.

Lord Sri Krsna in the name of Guru Vayurappan is carved out of
Pathalanjana shila. He looks very beautiful and charming. He is a four-
armed Deity holding in each one of His hands conchshell, discus, mace
and lotus. He wears a smiling face and has well shaped fingers.
Visvakarma, the sculptor of the Devas, is said to have fashioned it.
Some say that he is a purna-avatara Deity or totally incarnated Deity.

The temple is known for its healing powers. Oil used for abhisekam is
distributed to needy pilgrims to be used for certain bodily diseases.

Gopalaswamy Hills (Karnataka)

Perched at the height of 1454 meters, this holy place which is also a
hill station is part of the newly created Chamarajanagara district. As
it is shaped like a cow, it is called Govardhana-giri. The other names
of this place are Kamalachala, Kamadri and Kanjagiri. As it is usually
covered by clouds and mist, it is called Himavat, Haimavat-Gopalaswamy
Hills (an abode of snow).

There is a road leading to the top of the hill. But it is sometimes
steep and dangerous. Going up this hill is almost an adventure. Its
surroundings offer a breath-taking view of scenic valleys, gorges and
abounding in rare flora and fauna. There is also a track through
Gopalapura and Kunaganahalli for people who want to climb up the hill
on foot. This route gives a panoramic view of Wynad forests of Kerala.

This holy place has eight tirthas around it. They are named
differently. To cite an example, the Hamsa tirtha which is one here
converted crows into swans by the very bath in it.

The chief Deity is Gopalaswamy. He is called Santana Gopala Swamy as
He blesses His devotees in begetting sons and daughters. His consorts
are Rukmini and Satyabhama.

Gokarna (Southern Kashi)

(Karnataka, Karwar District)

This is a tiny town situated on the west coast of Karnataka on the
western shores of the Arabian Sea. According to the Puranas, it is
said to be the holy place where Kumbhakarna did penance and realized
the presence of Brahmä. It is considered part of Parasurama Ksetra and
hence considered as southern Kashi even today.

Gokarna literally means cow’s ear. The two epics Ramayana and
Mahabharata have several references to this place. Legends has it that
Sri Rama, Laksmana and Hanuman have stopped by in Gokarna on their way
to Sri Lanka. Many Rsis have performed tapas (penance) here. Belief is
also that Ganapati tricked Ravana in putting down the Siva-linga here
on ground. It is that Linga which is installed by Ravana facing the
sea.

The presiding Deity is Mahabalesvara. The temple is built in granite
in the Dravidian style. The Ling in the sanctum is visible only about
2 inches above the ground.

Besides this temple, there are twenty smaller shrines and about thirty
lingas. Near them is the temple of Ganapati whose deity is also very
ancient (7th century). Sri Vadiraja has visited this place and has
given a very graphic description of the deities and the holiness of
this place in his book ‘Tirtha Prabandha’.

Kukke Subramanya (Nagayala Ksetra)

(Mangalore District, Karnataka)

It is anciently called Kukke Patna, Puspagiri. It is also called
Parasurama Ksetra and Skanda Ksetra.

The details of this place are given in Sahyadri Khanda of Skanda
Purana. It was an ancient ksetra having a history of nearly 1300
years. According to a source, it is a place where Vasuki did penance
the trouble given by Garuda. He did penance and pleased Mahesvara and
existed here as Subramanya getting an asrama from him.

The place is situated on the bank of the rive Kumara-dhara. On the
east, there is a lofty mountain called Kumaradri. Sri Madhvacarya
defeated a Shaiva scholar belonging to Bhattacarya sampradaya and
handed it over to his brother Sri Visnu tirtha. He also gave a Bhu-
varaha Deity and also a samputa containing Narasimha Salagrama in a
sealed condition. As per further details, Sri Visnu tirtha took it to
Sahyacala with him. But on the request of his disciple Sri Aniruddha
Tirtha he sent it to a water place called Darpana tirtha, which was
collected by his successor. Even today pilgrims bathe and worship the
Deity here.

The Ksetra is famous as it has a Kukke linga (Subramanya) and
Narasimha Deity and Salagrama in a sealed samputa. Other Deities in
this matha include Sri Vittala with Rukmini and Satyabhama, Vyasa
Samputa.

This is the holy place where diseases are cured if men and women roll
out of the remnants (ucchista) of Brahmanas left out after eating.
Those who bathe in the Kumaradhara river and visit the temple would
get children, health and long life.

The Adi Subramanya near there is also a sacred place.

The Subramanya Matha located there is now a Vaisnava Matha. It has a
succession of several svamis, right from Sri Visnu Tirtha. Puja
according to the Vaisnava sampradaya is done there. The Ksetra also
boasts of the Mula Brindavana (samadhi) of Aniruddha Tirtha, Sri
Varaha-muni Tirtha and other 19 svamijis of the matha on the bank of
the river Kumara-dhara.

It is belived that Sri Visnu Tirtha is doing penance in the Kumara
Parvata and he would come down to earth when there is a lot of adharma
(irreligion) in the world.

Kumbhakonam (Visnu Divya Tirtha)

(Tamilnadu, Tanjore District)

Its old names are Tirukadandai, Kamagostipura, Kumbhagona,
Kumbhesvarapuri, Kumbhakona. It is called Daksina Kasi Bhaskara
Ksetra, Visnu Divya Ksetra and Siva Ksetra.

Kumbhakonam is a very ancient town on the bank of the river Cauvery.
According to legend, Brahma performed a yajna to receive Amrta Kalasa.
Veda-narayana Svami appeared also before him. (Hence Veda-narayana
temple is near Kubhakonam). Accidently some of the drops leaked out
from the Amrta Kalasa in a circumference of 15 kms and the area became
wet. Hence the place where drops of Amrta fell came to be called
Kumbhagona or Kumbha-kona.

There are at least 49 ancient temples. The majority of them are Saiva
and only five are Vaisnava. The major ones are Sarangapani,
Kumbhesvara, Nagesvaram, Ramasvamy and Cakrapani.

Kumbhesvara Mahadeva is of course the main temple. As such it is
Daksina Kasi for Saivaites. It is an enormous temple too, second only
to Meenaksi temple of Madurai. The chief deity is Kumbhesvara. He is
in the form of big pot. He is adorned with Tripundra Bhasma Tilaka of
Kumkuma and Rudraksi. The temple has a raja-gopuram that 9 stairs
high, which is really an architectural wonder. The temple of his
consort Mangala Nayaki Amma or Mangalambike is in the same premises
separately. There is that Navarathri Mantapa (canopy) which is another
piece of architectural beauty. It is made of a single piece of stone
in which 27 stars and 12 zodiac signs are carved beautifully.

There is a puranic connection between the Mahamakam tank and
Kumbhesvara temple. The tank has spread over 20 acres of land. There
are steps on all four sides of the tank and 16 mantaps around it. They
are called Dyana mantaps. At every magha month (when guru, Makha
naksatra and sun come together parallel to each other), such peculiar
occasions are very rare, and it occurs once in 12 or 13 years. During
this period, lakhs of people come here for tirtha-snana. It is
believed to be very sacred during that period as there will be the
presence of punya tirthas of all sacred rivers including Cauvery and
Ganga in it. There are also 20 punya-tirtha wells in it. There is the
support of Puranas to testify this.

Here there are some Vaisnava temples too. They are Sarangapani and
Cakrapani temples. The Sarangapani temple on the bank of the Mahamakam
tank houses god Sarangapani a very beautiful figure also called Udyoga-
sayana. He does not have bow and arrows in His hands. Sthala-purana
says that he is sleeping there as Sesasayi keeping those weapons under
him. He is recognized as Sri Hari in this posture and worshipped.

According to the legend, Hema Rsi found a female child in the
puskarini. She was called Kumuda-valli. When she was old enough to
marry, the Lord Himself came in a chariot to marry her. Hence the
temple is in the shape of a chariot. As such, the wheels of the
chariot are clearly visible. There are beautiful carvings of the
horses and elephants on its walls. It has a 150 ft high raja-gopuram
which has 12 stairs. Here the temple rites are performed according to
the Panca-ratra Agama tradition.

Another great temple is that of Cakrapani. It is the only temple in
India exclusively dedicated to Lord Visnu in His sudarsana cakra.
According to legend, Brahma found this Sudarsana cakra while bathing
in the Cauvery river.

Kumbhakonam is a sacred and important place for Vaisnavas. This has
been described as Visnu-divya ksetra. The place is sanctified as
dwelling and learning for many and as a famous seat if learning. Every
village and hamlet boasted of Vaisnava scholars. Here where the three
great Madhva Sampradaya sannyasis, Vijayendra Raghavendra and
Sudhindra Tirtha lived. The samadhi of Sri Vijayendra Tirtha is a
famous one here. Living for 97 years, Sri Vijayendra Tirtha
established Dvaita Vedanta on a firm footing by defeating all rivals
in discourses and known to have been responsible for laying a strong
foundation for Madhva Philosophy and Religion.

Kancipura (Hari-Hara Ksetra)

(Temple Capital of Tamilnadu)

The word Kanchi stands for gold and puram a place. Hence it is the
golden city of Kanchipuram having a history of 3500 years. It is
sometimes known as Shiva-Visnu Kanchi or Hara-Hari Ksetra. It is one
of the seven moksa-dayaka ksetras, where one has to start or end one’s
life in order to get deliverance from the repeated cycle of birth and
death. It is one of India’s spectacular temple cities on the bank of
Kabai or Vegavathi river. It is said that Visvakarma the architect of
Devas built it. It is also known as Satyavrta ksetra known for
honesty.

Mythologically, it is Ka or Brahma who worshipped Lord Visnu here.
Hence it is called Kancipurama. It is said to be golden town with 181
temples and one several sacred cities of India (along with Kashi,
Haridvara, Avanthi, Dvaraka, Mathura, Ayodhya). It was visited by the
noted Chinese traveler Huien Tsang who has recorded his impressions in
his book ‘Records of the Western world.” According to him, it was an
international center of literary eminence and a seat of learning
having students from across the country. Students were studying
various branches of the Vedas, philosophy, science, scriptures
centuries back. What is more, Ramanuja, the ninth century saint and
founder of Visistadvaitavada had his earlier education and later
entered the ascetic order here. It is a place known to have been where
Sri Vyasatirtha stayed for years and known to have won many panditas
in vakyarthas.

The Kailasanatha temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is one of the earliest
temples. The thousand year old Kailasanatha temple dedicated Shiva is
a Pallava creation. It looks as if a chariot from heaven has descended
on the earth. The sanctum enshrines a shodasakona lingam of black
color. The vimana rises over the sanctum like a pyramid. Ekamresvara
Temple is one of the largest temples dedicated to Shiva. It has spread
over 9 hectares (200 acres) having a huge Gopuram (192 ft) the highest
in South India. Its massive outer wall attract everybody’s attention.
The chief deity here is ekamresvara or the lord of the mango tree. In
one of its enclosures there is a very old mango tree with four
branches representing the four vedas. Legend relate that it is here
goddess Parvati did penance.

Among temples, mathas and pithas, the Sri Adi Sankara’s first pitha
here is known as Kamakoti. It is also known as sarvajïa pitha. The
Kamakshi Amman temple is dedicated to Parvati. This is a very imposing
temple. According to the legend, Gauri who had become ugly on Shiva’s
displeasure again took the form of Kamakshi here.

Kanci, Vaisnavism and Vaisnava temples

Kancipuram constitutes one of the three important centers of
Vaisnavism in South India. Others being Koil (Srirangam) and Tirumalai
Tirupathi.

a) Vaikuthanatha Svamy temple

It is one of temples dedicated to Lord Visnu dating back to 9th
century. It has three sanctums one on top of another. The Deities
occupy there in standing, reclining and seated poses. Vardarajaswamy
Perumal temple is on a hillock known as Hastigiri. It is another
enormous monument with massive outer walls and a 1000 pillared hall.
It is a reknowned archeological monument of the palce. One of its
notable sculptural features is a huge chain carved out of a single
piece of stone. The divine couple are Sri Varadaraja and the Perundevi
Thayar (Mahalaksmi). His lower right hand is in Abhaya hastam posture.
In other hands He is holds the mace, conch and cakra. He is a
beautiful figure with a striking countenance. Puranas tell that the
Deity Sri Varadaraja was created out of the Yoga-bhumi of Brahma-deva.
Hence, this worshipable Deity (ista-murti) grants requests rising in
the heart of the worshipper.

It is told that it was this Lord who gave Sri Ramanuja the six basic
tenets which are the building blocks for the grand edifice of Visista-
advaita-vada system of philosophy.

b) The Pandava-duta Perumal and Ulagalanda Perumal temples

These two temples are unique in many aspects. The first one possesses
a massive Deity of Lord Narayana in sitting posture, rising to the
height of 28 feet. Another standing massive figure of Trivikrama 35
feet in height is found in Ulagalanda Perumal temple.

c) Astabhujam Temple

Lord Visnu has assumed an unusual form with 8 arms.

d) Velukkai Tempel

The temple is like that of one at Ahobilam in Andhra Pradesha.
Velukkai means a place where Lord Narasimha is happily settled. The
main sannidhi is for Narasimha. He is called Velukkai Alari and
Singavelu. He is sitting in yoga posture.

e) Tiruvenkata temple

This is one of the oldest temples in Kancipuram. The God is known as
Yadokthkari. He is in lying posture and hence is known as
Bhogashayana.

Lepakshi (The village of the blinded eye)

(Andhra Pradesha, Ananthapur District)

Lepakshi is a small village but has become famous for the several
beautiful temples of Papanathesvara, Lord Rama, Durga and
Veerabhadresvara. The chief temple is of Veerabhadra (1550 AD). It is
built on a low rocky hill which is called Kurma Shaila. It is so
called because the hill is like a tortoise in shape. It is also a
reknowned place where the best specimens of the mural paintings and
sculptures of Vijayanagara times are available. The temple is believed
to have been founded by Saint Agastya.

The kalyana-mantapa (canopy) is a specimen of Vijayangara
architecture. There are shrines of Ramesvara and Goapasvamy. The walls
of the sanctum and the ceiling are full of mural paintings. There is a
colossal Nandi (bull carrier of Lord Siva) at about a half Km from the
temple. It is carved out of a monolithic rock measuring 15ft high and
30 ft long. It is said to be the most beautiful and the largest
sculpture in India. It is a highly ornamented figure also.

The temple thus is famous architecturally and religiously attracting a
large number of pilgrims.

Mulabagilu (Brindavan Ksetra)

(Karnataka, Kolar District)

The Deity of Anjaneya (10 feet) installed very near the bus stand is
5000 years old. It is said that Arjuna installed it there.
Venkataramana temple is also there within its compound.

Narasimha Tirtha is only 2 kms from the Mulabagal town. This is the
holies of the holy places for Vaisnavas. There is the holy, all
weather puskarini called Nrsimha tirtha. Inside the matha, there is
the Deity of Yoga-pattika Nrsimha on the boulder. According to the
legend, Sri Aksobhya tirtha the direct disciple of Sri Madhavacarya
had come for a verbal duel to Sri Vidyaranya. He drew the picture of
Lord Narasimha on a rock with holy charcoal (Angara) and Lord
Narasimha appeared on it. Sri Aksobhya Tirtha prayed Narasimha for
success in the Vyakartha. Hence He is known as a Svayama Vyakta murti
(self manifest Deity). The matha is called Sripadraja Matha.
Sripadaraja who was head of this matha ruled the pitha from 1412 to
1504 AD. He contributed a lot to Bhakti poetry during his lifetime.
His efforts to establish Madhva siddhanta on firm foundation found
fruit during his lifetime.

Recently the mrttika vrindavana (Samadhi) of Sri Padmanabha tirtha is
inaugurated.

Madhurai (The beating heart of Tamils)

(Tamilnadu)

Its name is said to have derived Tamil word “Madhuram” meaning
sweetness. The Sthala-purana states that when King Kulashekhara
Pandyana first built the city. He is aid to have sprinkled the whole
town with drops of sweet nectar shaken from his locks to purify and
bless the city. Due to the scent and smell of the heavenly substance,
the entire area become sweet, hence the name of the city.

Madhurai is described as the Athens of the East and so, probably the
oldest city on the bank of the Vagai river in Tamil Nadu having a
history of 2500 years. It has a hoary antiquity and in that way, it is
a unique place.

It is now a temple of vast proportions. It is built over a site
measuring 850 ft x 725 ft (almost a rectangle) in the heart of city.
It is popularly known as Meenakshi Sundareshvara Temple or even more
briefly Meenakshi Temple. The temple has 11 gopurams soaring high.
They are not straight but having sloping sides. One of them is Chitra
gopuram on the east. It is 100 feet high with 7 storeys and covered
with elaborate carvings of endless legendary deities (totally 1511
sculputed figures).

The temple is full of exquisite carvings and sculptures. It is a mix
of several architectural styles of Dravidian, Vijayanagara and Naik
rulers. The temple is dedicated to Meenaksi. (Hence one of Sakti
pithas.) She is so called because her eyes resemble the shape of a
fish.

Mangalagiri (Maha Narasimha Ksetra)

(Andhra Pradesa)

Mangala-giri means auspicious hill. Part of east ghats. The place is
also called Totadri because the mountain is in the shape of reclining
elephant. It is famous as one of the eight maha-ksetras and one of
panca Narasimha ksetras. Its origin is traced in Satya-yuga as
recorded in Brahma-vaivarta purana. The Ksetra-pala of this place is
Hanuman himself. He was asked to stay there permanently by Sri Rama
before He left for Vaikuntha. This cave temple on a hill has 480
steps.

According to legend Prahlada offered sweet liquid to appease the anger
of God and hence only Jaggery paneeyam is offered to the God by the
visiting devotees. But the method of offering jaggery water to Him is
also wonderful. When it is poured into His mouth a gurgling sound is
heard and it is clearly audible. Another wonder is that half of what
is offered is drunk and half of it is thrown out and is given as
Prasadam. Another wonder seen here is that not a single ant is seen
here.

A visit could also be made to another temple at the foot of the hill.
i.e. of Laksmi-narayana Swami. Its origin is traced to the times of
Yudhisthira who is said to be the founder. The gopuram of this temple
is having 11 storeys and nearly 170 years old. It is the tallest
gopuram in the whole of Andhra Pradesa. It looks like any of the
spires of Cambodian country. The Laksmi Puskarini which is nearby is
also considered very holy as Maha-laksmi is said to have bathed in it.

Mantrayalam (Mantra Siddhi Ksetra)

(Andhra Pradesa, Karnool District, Adoni Talkua)

Sri Raghavedra is known as Kaliyuga-Kamadhenu. He is one of the great
souls that the world had never seen. He is one such whose life and
teaching is unique and outstanding.

Sri Raghavendra adorned one of the Maha-peethas founded by
Srimadacarya for nearly 50 years (from 1624 to 1671 AD). He was like
Prahlada in devotion and was scholar unmatched. He was a radiant monk,
a true yogi, a write of profound treatises and a saint with
compassion. He fully believed in the Dvaita philosophy propagated by
Sri Madhvacarya. He proclaimed to the world through his writing and
teaching that the world is real and the master of the world is Sriman
Narayana.

He was a saint of many excellences. He was a master of varied fields
like logic, grammar, mimamsa, veda, literature, music, yoga, and
dharam-sastra. His works are 47. Among them Vedatraya vykhyana, pratha
sankalpa gadya are some.

Mantralaya is a holy place. The place where Sri Raghavedra entered
samdhi (vrndavana) is not an ordinary place. Sri Prahlada had
performed a yajna there. Hence it is the holiest of the holy places.
Pilgrims who come here in thousands perform holy acts of Pradaksina
and namana as many times as they wish to do, after having a holy bath
in the Tungabhadra river.

The puja Deities of the Matha worshipped here are also very great.
They are mula-Rama worshipped by Brahma, Dasavatara pitha worshipped
by Sarvajna, Digvijaya Rama, Vyasa musti given by Sri Vedavyasa to Sri
Madhvacarya, Vaikuntha Vasudeva murti worshipped by Nila-devi,
Balamuri shankha and Jayarama worshipped by Jayatirtha.

Melukote (Badri of the South)

Melukote literally means ‘loft fort’, but it is known for its temple
than for the fort. It is a celebrated holy center situated on the
rocky hills of Yadugiri.

This hill shrine is believed to have been worshipped since Krta-yuga.
Lord Vishnu Himself is believed to have given the presiding and the
processional Deities to Brahma. Brahma gave the presiding Deity to His
manasa-putra Sanata-kumara who installed it in Bhuloka. The
processional Deity was worshipped by Rama and other Iksvaku rulers. In
Dvapara-yuga, the Deity came to the hands of Lord Krishna. He
decorated it with a diamond crown and accompanied to this place with
Balarama and the Yadavas. Hence this place is known as Yadavagiri or
Yadugiri.

This shrine is held as sacred as Tirupathi, Kanci or Srirangam. This
shrine and place is closely associated with the life of Sri
Ramanujacarya, the 11th century Vaisnava saint and philosopher. It is
he who lived in Melkote for 14 years and unearthed Deity mula Tiru-
narayana from an ant-hill surrounded by Tulasi plants.

The temple of Chaluva-narayana-svami is on a flat hill. He is the
chief Deity (1110 AD). It is said to have been once worshipped by Adi-
sesa Himself. He is an enchanting Vishnu Deity holding His conchshell,
cakra, and gada.

The God is capped with a golden headwear studded with diamonds and
rubies during Vairamudi, Rajamudi and Krishnarajamudi festivals and
taken in a procession.

Malkhed (Jayaksetra)

(Karnataka, Sedam Tq, Gulbarga District)

This place is now holy due to the existence of several mula vrndavanas
(Samadhis) of the Uttaradi Matha on the bank of the river Kagini. They
are of of Aksobhya Tirtha, Jayatirtha and Raghunatha Tirtha. Sri
Jayatirtha whose mula-vrndavana is here was a person who continued the
Vedantic tradition (Dvaita vada) established by Sri Madhvacaraya. He
is hailed as tikacarya as he was a prolific commentator on Madhva’s
works – his works number 22 and his magnum opus being “Sriman Nyaya
Sudha”. He not only wrote exhaustive and elaborate commentaries but
also traveled all over North India. He shone like a polestar on the
spiritual firmament for 22 years and enter Brindavana in 1387 AD.

Nava-Vrndavana (Karnataka)

The place is called Kaladri Parvat in the Puranas.

It is an island place at the juxtaposition of Bellary and Raichur
districts. Here are the mula-vrndavans (samadhis) of Sri Padmanabha
Tirtha and eight others belonging to Madhva Sect. They include Sri
Padmanabha Tirtha, Sri Kaveendra Tirtha, Sri Vyasa-tirtha, Raghuvarya
Tirtha, Sri Govinda Wodeyar, Sri Srinivasa Tirtha, Sri Rama Tirtha and
Sri Sudheendra Tirtha.

Among them, Sri Padmanabha Tirtha was the direct descendent of Sri
Madhvacarya. Originally belonging to Paithan on the Godavari River, He
was formerly known as Shobhana Bhatta. Having argued with Sri
Madhvacarya and defeated in several discourses he became his chief
disciple. He is the author of 15 books and known as the first and the
foremost teekacarya of Sri Madhva’s books. He worked very hard to
spread Vaisnavism all over the country.

Sri Vyasatirtha is the greatest among saints of the Madhva religion.
His time was the golden period of Dvaita Vedanta. Being born by the
blessings of Brahmanya Tirtha and being educated for twelve years
under Sripada Raja he toured all over India spreading Vaisnava cult
everywhere.

To sum up, the samdhis (Vrandavanas) located here are the holiest
spots in the country. To visit them is sin cleansing. It is also a
beautiful place, an open air health resort and Nature’s sanatorium.

Nanjangud (Siddi Ksetra)

(Karnataka)

The place is called Daksina Kasi.

The temple of Sreekantesvara is situated on the bank of the river
Kapila here. The chief deity is also addressed as Nanjundesvara. This
temple is said to be one of the biggest temples in the whole of
Karnataka. It measures 385 feet long and 160 feet wide with a lofty
gopuram. The gopuram is about 160 feet in height. The top portion of
it is adorned with two golden Kalasas each 3 meters high. The total
spread area of the temple is itself 147 squares.

The temple is rich in Deities, not to be found anywhere (nearly 200).
Half of them are Shiva-lingas. Muslim rule Tippu Sultan were the great
devotees of the god. It is told that the Sultan’s royal elephant which
had lost its eye git back the same due to the grace of the lord of the
temple. He also presented an emerald Linga to the temple, which is
even today can be seen in the temple. Likewise thousands have been
cured of diseases.

Namakkala (Hanuman-Narasimha Ksetra)

(Tamilanadu)

The hill nearby is of Salagrama and the tank is named Kamalalaya. The
fort has the standing image of Pranadeva (17 feet) and another who is
32 feet called Namakkala Hanuman. His form is terrible. He has
protruding tusks and rolling eyes. He is adorned by a bell to its tail
and with a sword handing by his side. There is also the sacred thread
worn by him. But there is no temple for him. He is standing in a
roofless structure. He is facing Lord Nrsimha whose temple is hewn out
of a solid rock. The God is armed with prayoga cakra, sword, conch and
a bow. He is in the act of killing Hiranyakasipu. His rage is
indescribable. Many Vaisnava saints have visited this place.

Pajaka (Kulaguru Ksetra)

(Karnataka, Udupi District)

This is a part of the Parasurama Ksetra created by Parasurama. This is
the birth place of Sri Madhvacarya. Pajaka is encircled by four holy
tirthas. They are Parasu, Dhanusa, Gada and Bana tirthas. One can also
witness the place where Sri Madhva trampled to death Manimantha who
had assumed sarpa-rupa. This is the holiest of the holy places because
Sri Madhavacarya, the incarnation of Hanuman, Bhima and Vayu appeared
here.

Ramesvaram (Benares of the South)

(Tamil-nadu)

Its old names are Gandhamadana. Ramesvaram a conch shaped island is
one among the four dhamas of India (Badri, Puri, Dvaraka are others).
One of the goals of Hindu pilgrims who come here is to pay tribute to
Sri Rama, the hero of the epic Ramayana.

The town’s famous monument is the Rama-natha-svami temple, which is a
gem of later Dravidian style of architecture (12th century). Its
renowned features are its size, its magnificent corridors lined with
massive sculptured pillars. Those pillars are noted for their
elaborate design, style and workmanship. They are the grandest by the
size and most striking according to noted archeologist Fergusson. The
temple covers an area of about 865 feet from east to west and 657 feet
from north to south. One of the pillared corridors is an incredible
4000 feet (largest one in Asia). The pillars are about 12 feet high
and big block of granite richly carved and well proportioned. It is by
far the grandest part and the largest in India.

Legend has it that Sri Ramacandra sanctified this place by worshipping
Siva before building a bridge to Sri Lanka and fighting Ravana and
slaying him. Puranic sources say that Sri Krsna, Balarama and five
Pandava brothers had visited this place and had worshipped Shiva here.
Sri Madhvacarya had also visited this place and had performed one of
his caturmasya vratas here.

The calm, shallow water spread of the sea called Agni Tirtha is hardly
100 feet from the temple is held holy.

The temple of Setu-madhava is located within the main temple itself.
The Deity is extremely beautiful. But both His legs are chained. The
sphatika linga darsana can also be had.

Sonda (Haya-vadana Ksetra)

(Karnataka, Karawar District)

It is a fine place, with its sky-embracing trees, flower bearing
creepers, mild murmuring of rivers, and streams and lotus covered
lakes. Such a place converted into a center of Dvaita Philosophy
propagated and disseminated by a line of saints including Sri Vadiraja
Tirtha (1480-1600) who was the 19th guru in line. He occupies an
honored place in the hierarchy of acaryas of the Madhva tradition. He
wrote over 100 books. The “Tirtha Prabandha” a travelogue written in
Sanskrit is a pilgrim’s hand book par excellence.

Living long for 120 years he entered samadhi live on the bank of
Dhavala-ganga sarovara. He is there blessing people who come there.
His samadhi is a beautiful structure having 27 pillars around it.

The very ancient Trivikrama temple is the chief attraction of the
place. Rama-Trivikrama was the ista-devata of Sri Vadiraja.

Daily worship of the Deities in the Matha here are to Srinivasa with
Sridevi and Bhudevi, Laksmi Narasimha once worshipped by Sri
Bhimasena, Kadagolu Krishna worshipped by Madhvacarya, Vittala-deva
worshipped by Gautama rsi, and Rama-vittala worshipped by Vali.

Çré Raìgam (Sri Rangapattana - Adi-Ranganatha Ksetra) - (The site of
Çré Ranganäth Deity - after which our math is named)

(Karnataka, Mandya district)

Puranically, it is called Gautama Ksetra.

Gautama Rsi is said to have worshipped Lord Ranganatha here. According
to Puranic description Lord Ranganatha chose this place as His abode
at the request of goddess Cauvery. This explains the presence of a
seated figure of Cauvery at the feet of the deity in the Ranganatha
temple.

It is an island 5 km long and 2 kms broad encircled by the river
Cauvery.

The temple of Sri Ranganatha is a very huge one. It has an imposing
gateway with a lofty gopuram. There are two pillars called “Catura-
vimsati” on which 24 Visnu postures are artistically decorated.
Ranganatha who is in the sanctum is 15 feet and in reclining posture
on a seven hooded Adi-sesa. The figure of Laksmi-devi and Gautama-muni
are at his feet. There is also the sannidhi for Lord Shri-nivasa who
is said to have given darsana to Sri Vyasa-tirtha.

82. Srivalliputtur (Vaikuntha of the Vaisnavas)

The place is called Vaikuntha of the Vainsnvas. There are temples of
Shiva, Navanita Krsna, Satyabhama, and Tirupati Srinivasa. The Vata-
patra-sayi temple is said to be 1200 years old. It has the original
Deity of Sri Vishnu in the reclining posture on the couch of Sri Adi-
sesa. It is very old and built even before the birth of Andal. In the
other temple there is Andal Sannidhi. It was built by Pariyalwar. Here
one can experience a unique form of bridal mysticism in which all the
souls are considered a female in relation to the Supreme Being who is
the only man (Purusottama).

The temple here is very big. Its gopuram is itself 196 feet have 12
tiers. Kamba Mahakavi has compared the gopuram to mount Meru. Those
who visit would never fail to have the darsana of Shikara, the wooden
car (century old, the biggest and the heaviest in India) and Kalyani
and express wonder at these.

Sri-Rangam (Dwép Ksetra)

Its old names are Periya Koil, Cholananda Tirupati and Bhu-vaikuntha.

It is a very famous Vaisnava ksetra and first among 108 ksetras of the
Sri Vaisnavas.

Whole details about this Ksetra are found in Sri-ranga Mahatmya.
According to it, the shrine is of great repute and antiquity. The mula-
vigraha of Sri Ranganatha is self-formed (svayambhu). It is brought to
Bhu-loka by Garuda from God’s abode Ksira-sagara when Brahma did
penance. It was later given to Iksvaku Maharaja by Brahma. Then the
Deity was presented to Vibhisana as a gift, after fighting Ravana and
killing him. As Vibhisana was on the way to Lanka, he placed that
Ranga-vimana in the vicinity of Sri-Rangam to perform ablutions.
Strangely it was not able to be lifted from that place afterwards. So
Vibhisana left for Lanka in despair. A temple was built around the
place by Cholaraja Dharma Varama. Even today it is told that Vibhisana
goes there invisibly and worships him everyday.

It is one of the biggest temples with numerous prakarams, gopurams,
and entrances. Ramanujacaraya made Srirangam as Lela-ranga of the Lord
and made it into a great ksetra. All the Alwars have sung in the
praise of Sri Ranganatha. It was Kulasekhara Alwar, the ruler of
Kerala wrote his famous “Mukunda-mala-stotra” in praise of this Lord.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu spent caturmasya here during His visit to the
south India. He met Sri Prabhodananda Sarasvati, Sri Gopala Bhatta
Gosvami and Sri Venkata Bhatta here.

Çré Raìga-kñetra (Çré Raìgam) is a very famous place. It lies in the
district of Tiruchchiräpalli, about ten miles west of Kumbhakonam and
near the city of Tiruchchiräpalli, on an island in the Käveré River.
The Çré Raìgam temple is the largest in India, and there are seven
walls surrounding it. There are also seven roads leading to Çré
Raìgam. The ancient names of these roads are the road of Dharma, the
road of Räjamahendra, the road of Kulaçekhara, the road of Älinäòana,
the road of Tiruvikrama, the Tirubiòi road of Mäòamäòi-gäisa, and the
road of Aòa-iyävala-indäna. The temple was founded before the reign of
Dharmavarma, who reigned before Räjamahendra. Many celebrated kings
like Kulaçekhara and Yämunäcärya (Älabandäru) resided in the temple of
Çré Raìgam. Yämunäcärya, Çré Rämänuja, Sudarçanäcärya and others also
supervised this temple.

The incarnation of the goddess of fortune known as Godädevé or Çré
Äëòäl was one of the twelve Älvärs, liberated persons known as divya-
süris. She was married to the Deity of Lord Çré Raìganätha, and later
she entered into the body of the Lord. An incarnation of Kärmuka named
Tirumaìga (also one of the Älvärs) acquired some money by stealing and
built the fourth boundary wall of Çré Raìgam. It is said that in the
year 289 of the Age of Kali, the Älvär of the name Toëòaraòippaòi was
born. While engaged in devotional service he fell victim to a
prostitute, and Çré Raìganätha, seeing His devotee so degraded, sent
one of His servants with a golden plate to that prostitute. When the
golden plate was discovered missing from the temple, there was a
search, and it was found in the prostitute’s house. When the devotee
saw Raìganätha’s mercy upon this prostitute, his mistake was
rectified. He then prepared the third boundary wall of the Raìganätha
temple and cultivated a tulasé garden there.

There was also a celebrated disciple of Rämänujäcärya’s known as
Küreça. Çré Rämapilläi was the son of Küreça, and his son was
Vägvijaya Bhaööa, whose son was Vedavyäsa Bhaööa, or Çré
Sudarçanäcärya. When Sudarçanäcärya was an old man, the Muslims
attacked the temple of Raìganätha and killed about twelve hundred Çré
Vaiñëavas. At that time the Deity of Raìganätha was transferred to the
temple of Tirupati, in the kingdom of Vijaya-nagara. The governor of
Gingee, Goppaëärya, brought Çré Raìganätha from the temple of Tirupati
to a place known as Siàha-brahma, where the Lord was situated for
three years. In the year 1293 Çaka (A.D. 1371) the Deity was
reinstalled in the Raìganätha temple. On the eastern wall of the
Raìganätha temple is an inscription written by Vedänta-deçika relating
how Raìganätha was returned to the temple.

Sri-musnam (Bhu-varaha Ksetra)

(Tamilnadu, Cuddalore District)

Tirumutta is the popular name of the place.

Among the several temples dedicated to Boar incarnation of Vishnu,
Srimusnam is one. Sri Madhvacarya had visited the place and had sat
for Caturmasya.