Pandharpur Kolhapur Yatra - Part 2

Despite sleeping well past 11 p.m. on 25/11/21, the enthusiastic group of Yatris were ready by 6.15 a.m. for another darshan of Lord Vittal on 26/12/21. Only one yatri who was tired didn't join the group.

We proceeded in the TT towards the side where the queue starts. As we neared the spot, we found a lot of devotees already in the line. And many more were converging from various places. We walked barefoot till the end of the queue which was several hundred metres away from the temple. The line was moving steadily though. Some of us felt that waiting in the queue for too long would impact the rest of the programme and hence we decided to come out.

We were standing in the tiny lane deciding what to do next. Suddenly, a man came to us and told us that in this month (Margashish), it is believed that the Lord resides at a nearby place called Vishnu Paad (feet). He suggested that we go and have darshan of the Lord at this place.

We then decided to have tea at a roadside vendor. While we were having tea, another couple of guys standing there suggested that we should go for Vishnu Paad darshan. When we showed our inclination, they offered to ferry us on their boat there at a nominal price of Rs. 100 per person.

We agreed and arranged for the TT to go to our hotel which was 2 kms away and bring the yatri who was left behind there. In the meantime, we visited three small but nice temples near the river banks.

The first temple we visited was that of Dwarakadeesh (Krishna). A beautiful temple which had no visitors but us. A lady rung the temple bell as we stepped into the temple making us feel specially blessed. The temple priest had just stepped into the sanctum and was lighting the lamps. The atmosphere was peaceful & serene.

There is a small flight of stairs near the entrance which we climbed and soon we were on the terrace which had a breathtaking view of the Chandrabagha* river. It was dawn and the Sun had just come out. There was a slight fog and the vision was hazy yet heavenly.

*The Bhima river is called Chandrabagha here as it flows in a crescent shape near the temple.

We took some pictures in this scenic spot. And stayed a while to absorb the beauty of the moment 

We then came out and visited a Shri Ram temple opposite this temple. This temple opens only at 8 a.m. we were told. We could still view the deities from a distance. It is believed that Lord Ram came here during His exile while searching for Sita Devi.

Later we had a darshan of Lord Shiva at a tiny temple adjoining the Dwarakadeesh temple. It is in a poor shape & poorly maintained but still has positive vibrations. An old lady was inside the sanctum offering worship to Lord Shiva.

While we were having darshan of the temples and waiting for our co-yatri to join us, the boatman was hanging out nearby. He was patiently waiting for his first income of the day and fending off competition by saying this group is already booked with him.

By 7.30 a.m. we were boarding the small row boat. It was shaking in the water making it slightly difficult to maintain balance. All 15 Yatris were soon aboard and our boatman pushed the boat into the waters and himself climbed in.

Bhagvat (our boatman) made sure that the team was seated evenly and the boat was balanced well. Swiftly & strongly he started taking the boat towards the middle of the river. The weather was nice and the silence coupled with the cool morning breeze was pleasurable. We were far away from the shore and there was nothing around us but clean fresh water. Bhavat informed us that the depth here was approximately 40 feet and we suddenly realised that we didn't know how to swim and had no life jackets. We were at the mercy of Lord Vittal and the skills of Bhagvat.

In all my past visits, I had never seen the Chandrabagha so full of water or so clean. This year, the Bhima river is especially holy with the presence of Pushkaram after the Jupiter Transit in November, 2021. The presence of Pushkaram specially purifies the river as well as everyone who resorts to it or bathes in it. We were blessed to sprinkle ourselves with this holy water. Some of us would have loved to have a holy dip too but time was a constraint.

Almost 2 kms away from the river bank, we came to a spot where we could see the top of the Narad Muni temple which was submerged in the river. Bhagvat took the boat around the temple in a clockwise direction. He also told us that people pray to Narad Muni here to have conjugal bliss & harmony. It is believed that Narad Muni visits here daily to have darshan of Vishnu Paad which is less than 50 metres away.

Bhagvat also mentioned that there are 12 Jyotirlingas in the waters below which are submerged and can be seen only when the water levels go down. He mentioned that the waters are full due to heavy rainfall in the recent past. Also, there is Tisangi dam nearby which holds the water in the river from flowing away.

He then took us to the nearby Vishnu Paad temple which was on the shore but just inside the river. When we walked into the small temple, we were suprised to see hundreds of Swallows flying in & out of the temple. They have made nests on the ceiling of the temple using the soil from the river which mixed with their saliva forms the walls of the nest. All nests are conjoined with each other much like row houses. The opening of the nest faces the floor. The birds go in by first clinging to the doorway and then squeezing in. Each bird makes it a point to only enter its own house and avoids the hundred others nearby. How they find out and how they maintain discipline is a mystery but certainly worth learning from.

The temple itself is small and open from all sides. It has 16 pillars supporting the ceiling. In the centre is a stone which has the footmarks which are believed to be those of Lords Vishnu, Vittal and Krishna and some cow hooves. On the first day of Margashirsha the sandals of Lord Vitthal are taken to Vishnupad Temple and on the last day of the same month the chariot of Lord Vitthal is brought to this temple in a grand procession.

We had darshan of the Vishnu Paad, heard the story of the place from the priest and then clicked some pictures of ourselves. We then proceeded to the small Janabai shrine which was about 50 metres in the shore. 

Janabai was a low-caste maidservant and poet. She was taken as a five-year-old child to the temple of the god Vitthal. She refused to leave, telling her parents that although they loved her, they would in time have to give her away in marriage, and instead she wished to remain in the temple and devote herself to God.

Janabai was then taken in by the poet Namdev as his maid. Janabai was also a poet, and is said to have composed over 300 hymns to the god Vitthal. The deity was said to have appeared to her and helped her with her daily tasks – her songs described him as her fellow serving maid. They are usually shown grinding at the mill together.

At this shrine also, there is a rock which has foot marks which are believed to be of Lord Vitthal. After this, we came back to the boat and were quickly rowed back to the boarding point by Bhagvat.

We thanked him profusely for giving us an amazing experience.

Pandharpur Kolhapur Yatra - Part 1

Our trip to Pandharpur started very early on 25/12/21. The Tempo Traveller (TT) picked up 12 Yatris from Chembur as well as our packed breakfast. Three of us got on board at 7.30 a.m. and we were on our way. The road was crowded with many vehicles going out of the city to enjoy the long weekend. We were on the expressway towards Pune by 8 a.m. At around 9 a.m., after the first toll at Khalapur, we stopped for breakfast. 

The packed 'surprise' breakfast comprised of Kesari, Pongal & Vada with coconut chutney. It tasted heavenly and we washed it down with tea from a nearby shop.

By 9.30 a.m. we were on the road again when we encountered severe traffic jams on the expressway. It was partly due to the ongoing repair work at various stretches and partly due to the breakdown of several vehicles which were not in good condition. We were crawling slowly and started getting worried about the same.

Thankfully, the group of 15 were keeping ourselves engaged with banter & humour. We also had some good devotional songs being played on the music system of the TT.

As we reached the outskirts of Pune, the TT driver who did not have any GPS to guide him decided to take his familiar shorter route. That probably was a bad decision as the road here were chock-a-block with vehicles of all types. We were still in Greater Pune till 2.30 p.m.when we stopped at a roadside restaurant called Elite for lunch.

The restaurant had good washroom facilities for the guests and also served food as fast as possible. The place was clean and the food was good. The pricing was also reasonable - about Rs. 200/- per person.

After the refreshing meal, we were on our way towards our destination. The traffic had eased by this time. The rest of the journey was smooth as we reached our hotel Marigold Regency at around 6.45 p.m. This is a relatively new hotel having been inaugurated only a few months before. The hotel had quite a few teething issues like geyser not working, bathroom door not closing etc. After freshening up and doing our evening prayers, we changed from the travel attire to a darshan attire (meaning the ladies wore Sarees and the gents wore Dhotis).

We left for the temple by around 7.30 p.m. There wasn't much crowd there. We were told that since the advent of Covid19, only darshan from a distance was allowed. This is called Mukh-darshan. In the past, we could get Charan-darshan where we were allowed to put our head on the feet of the deity.

One of the Yatris had some local contact who facilitated early darshan by breaking into the queue. As we were a large party, only 12 could get this. Three of us joined the regular queue and it took us approx. 35-40 minutes to get His darshan.

The Lord Vittal was adorned in beautiful yellow cloth and looked very attractive & adorable. He was wearing His crown made up of a cloth of matching colour and was also wearing a single garland. He seemed as eager to see us as we were to have His darshan. The viewing distance was approximately 25-30 feet. As the 3 of us who joined the queue were among the last Yatris of the day, we were allowed to stand for a longer time. We could chant a few slokas during the time we stood there. We were blessed with a wonderful darshan of the Lord.

We came out by 9.45 p.m and the entire group went for dinner at a good Thali restaurant called Savera located at Shivaji Chowk, Pandharpur. The food as well as service was excellent and we were famished. After a hearty dinner (costing just Rs. 230 per person), we went back to our Hotel by around 11 p.m.

Thus ended the eventful & hectic first day of our yatra.

Ashta Vinayak Yatra - March 2021 (Part 8 of 8)

After darshan of Vighneshwar of Ozhar, we departed towards Lenyadri (18 kms away) which was the last of the Ashta Vinayak temples. This temple is very unique and very different from all other Ashta Vainayak temples. It is situated in a cave in the middle of a rocky mountain. Lenyadri literally means mountain cave in Marathi. It is here that Devi Parvati had done penance for 12 long years to get a son meditating on the word "Gam" which was taught to Her by Lord Shiva Himself. Pleased with this Ganesha resolved to be Her son and when She worshiped a clay image of a child, it came to life and He was born. Hence, He is known here as Girijatmaja (Atmaja of Girija or son of Girija).

There are some 30 such caves here and each has several sculptures inside them. These are believed to be of Buddhist origin. One has to walk up 340 steep steps to reach here. These caves are protected & maintained by Archealogical Survey of India. One has to purchase a ticket of Rs. 25 per person to be able to go up to the caves. For the people with health issues, there are Dholis (a kind of Palanquin in which 4 people carry the person on their shoulders) to reach to the top. These are available at a very reasonable cost of Rs. 1000/- per person for the two way journey.

Two of our Yatris preferred to use the Dholi while the rest of us walked up slowly in the hot mid-day Sun. Luckily there was a strong breeze blowing which reduced the heat. Many of us were carrying hats / caps to protect from the bright light. Some were even wearing cooling glasses. The walk up took about 30 minutes with frequent short halts to catch our breath. Once we reached the top, the view was breath-taking. 

The cave temple was empty when we reached with only the Pujari to keep company to the Lord. The cave is large & squarish in shape with each side about 40-50 feet and ceiling at a good height of about 10-12 feet. We got the opportunity to go very near the Lord and offer an Aarti to Him. It was a divine feeling and an apt end to the Yatra with a nice joint worship done here. Later we took pictures and sat inside the cave for a while before departing from the place. The climb down was faster as we reached in about 15 minutes. 

At a restaurant, we had some cool drinks (lemonade / lassi) before departing from Lenyadri. As we reached the town nearby, we stooped at a restaurant for lunch which comprised of a vegetarian thali - Maharashtrian style. As there are very few tourists these days, restaurants cook food only based on orders. So, while we had to wait a while for lunch to be served, we were happy to get hot & fresh food. It was delicious and very cheap.

After lunch, we departed on a long drive back (143 kms) towards Mumbai passing through several hills and forests along the way. By the time we reached back, it was nearly 7.30 p.m. In 3 days we had covered over 900 kms to get wonderful darshan of Ashta Vinayak. It was a lovely yatra and we were indeed blessed that all 8 of us could see all 8 Ganesh with so much comfort and ease.

I hope you all enjoyed reading this short description of our yatra. If this is of any help to future Yatris, we will consider ourselves blessed to be of help. A link to all the photos & videos of the yatra is given below.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/S8dRLK7ZvJpmPGoPA

Ashta Vinayak Yatra - March 2021 (Part 7)

On the morning of 30th March, 2021, we woke up a little later than usual. It was the last day of our yatra and we had only two more temple to cover before heading back home. We assembled at the hotel lobby by 8.15 a.m. The checkout was very smooth. By 8.40 am. we had departed from Pune and were on our way to Ozhar Vighneshwar temple which was about 85 k.m.s away on the Pune Nashik highway. On the way, we stopped at a small hotel for breakfast which comprised on Poha, Vada, Dosa and masala tea. 

The route to Ozhar was fairly smooth. All along we saw Sugarcane crops planted. We played songs to enjoy the journey which was completed in about 2 hours. We reached around 11.15 a.m. The temple is near a very scenic river called Kukadi. The infrastructure in this temple town was fairly good making it comfortable for tourists. The river nearby helps in keeping the place cool with a nice breeze blowing. 

As per several Puranas, a king Abhinandana once performed a sacrifice and failed to give a share of the offerings to Lord Indra who was upset and invoked a demon called Vighnasura to destroy the sacrifice. The sages present were advised by Shiva, to whom they rushed for help, to pray to Lord Ganesha. When the sages prayed to Ganesha, He came and gave battle to the Asura who was defeated. He thus became known as Vighneshwara or Vignahara (Remover of Obstacles). It is believed that when Lord Ganesh is invoked before any activity, obstacles will not come in the way. The relieved sages consecrated an idol of Lord Vighneshwara at Ozhar. 

The east facing temple can be reached by climbing a flight of steps. The idol, like all Ashtavinayaks, is believed to be Swayambhu (self-existent). The doorway to the temple is colourful and guarded by two gate-keepers. The courtyard of the temple is renovated and tiled with nice plants all around. The main temple is serene and filled with murals and colorful sculptures. We could walk in towards the Sanctum immediately and have a superb darshan of Vignahara Ganesh ji. In our hearts, we thanked Him for removing all obstacles from our journey. Without His divine blessings, it could not have been such a smooth yatra. 

After this, we came out and took our customary pictures to remember the occasion. The courtyard and the doorway provided a nice backdrop for the photos. After this, we walked back towards our vehicle for the short ride towards Lenyadri which is at a distance of less than 20 k.m.s from Ozhar.

Ashta Vinayak Yatra - March 2021 (Part 6)

The drive to Siddhatek was about 70 kms which took us nearly two hours to reach after passing through the town of Daund. Along the way, we stopped at a roadside Sugarcane juice shop and had nice fresh juice to cool & quench our thirst. It was nearly one p.m. when we reached and parked outside the  main temple.

The temple is situated on a hillock on the northern bank of the river Bhima surrounded by a thick foliage of Babul trees. We were informed that to propitiate the deity, devotees often do circumambulation of the hillock seven times, even though there is no paved road and the path passes through thorny shrubs.

Ganesh ji here is with his trunk turned to the right. Usually, the trunk of Ganesh is depicted turned to his left. It is believed that the right-trunked Ganesha is very powerful, but difficult to please. This is the only Ashtavinayaka shrine where the deity has his trunk to the right. Traditionally, a Ganesha whose trunk is to the right is named "Siddhi-Vinayaka", the giver of siddhi (accomplishment, success, supernatural powers).

Legend goes that Lord Vishnu performed penance at Siddhatek, invoking Ganesha with his mantra – "Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah". Pleased, Ganesha bestowed His blessings and various siddhis ("powers") on Vishnu who went on to fight and slays the demons Madhu & Kaithabh who were disturbing Brahma in His process of Creation. The place where Vishnu acquired siddhis was thereafter known as Siddhatek.

We walked in and climbed the few steps to reach the temple after buying some offering from a shop outside. The temple was nearly empty as was the case with all others temples we visited during this yatra. The Sanctum was cool from inside although there were no air-conditioning in sight. We had a nice long darshan of the Lord and could offer our prayers in leisure.

After that we drove back towards Pune. As it was very hot & we wero hungry,  we decided not to halt for lunch. Instead we are some fruits & snacks that our co-yatri had thoughtfully carried. We reached Pune by 5.30 p.m covering nearly 115 kms in about 3 hours.

That evening, at 7 p.m., we had an early dinner at a hotel called "Horn OK Please" at Ferguson Road, Pune. The hotel is made to appear as a Dhaba and serves pure vegetarian Punjabi food. The food was delicious and the pricing reasonable. They do not have many Jain fare (without onion & garlic) though. After this, we went back to our hotel tired but happy to have covered 6 out of 8 temples of the yatra.

Ashta Vinayak Yatra - March, 2021 (Part 5)

After a wonderful darshan of Chintamani Ganesh and good breakfast at Theur, we proceeded towards Moregaon. The distance of approx 60 kms could be covered in an hour and half.  As we drove towards Moregaon, we saw huge areas under sugarcane cultivation. This crop consumes too much water which is a scarce resource in these parts. There were hardly any trees along the fields or the roads. 

We reached Moregaon by 11 a.m. and proceeded towards the temple. The temple is a short walk away from the parking place and the heat was making it look longer. We had to walk through small village roads where they had tied plastic sheet above the road to protect from the Sun. If only people grow more trees, we would have natural shade as well as cool breeze & also attract rains.

The temple is at a higher level - perhaps built on a small hillock. We had to climb few steps to reach the temple. As usual, no crowds and easy entry as well as darshan of the Lord Mayureshwar sitting majestically with Riddhi & Siddhi on either side,  awaiting His devotees. He is known as Mayureshwar as He rode on a peacock and also become this place used to be inhabited by many peacocks.

The Morgaon temple is not only the most important temple in the Ashtavinayak circuit, but also is described as "India's foremost Ganesha pilgrimage"

Morgaon is the adhya pitha – foremost centre of worship of the Ganapatya sect, which considers Ganesha as the Supreme Being. It attracts the greatest number of pilgrims in the Ashtavinayak circuit. This location is believed to be as holy as Kashi / Varanasi.

Legend links the temple to killing of the demon Sindhu by Ganesha. The exact date of building of the temple is unknown, though the Ganapatya saint Moraya Gosavi is known to be associated with it. The temple flourished due to the patronage of the Peshwa rulers and descendants of Moraya Gosavi.

After finishing darshan and doing my mid day prayers just outside the Sanctum beneath a Hanuman temple, we came around the temple. The heat being high, we couldn't linger there for long. We soon departed for Siddhatek after brief halt at a footwear store to buy a pair of slippers for one of our yatris whose sandals had broken.

Ashta Vinayak Yatra - March 2021 (Part 4)

On the morning of 29th March, we woke up early, finished our morning ablutions & prayers and assembled at the hotel lobby by 7.30 a.m. Soon we were on our way to Theur to have darshan of Chitamani Ganesh. Theur is just 20 kms away from our hotel, which in the early morning light traffic took us no time to reach. Being Holi, streets were nearly empty.

We reached the temple parking lot by 8.30 a.m. The beautiful temple is about 50 meters away from here. There were few shops open at that time. 

When we entered the temple, it was almost empty and we could have darshan immediately. We chanted our prayers, and made our offerings to the Lord. As we did the customary circumambulation in the clockwise direction, we saw a cute Lakshmi Narayan temple behind the main Ganesh temple. 

The temple is believed to have been built by Ganpatya Saint Morya Gosavi and was renovated by various Peshwa rulers who were drawn to the temple. Legend goes that the wish-granting jewel Chintamani was retrieved by Ganesh ji for His devotee Sage Kapila from the greedy king Gana. It is here that Lord Ganesh pacified the uneasy mind of Lord Brahma who meditated on Him. 

The courtyard of the temple was very quaint and beautiful but we were not allowed to take pictures of ourselves here. Hence, we took pictures at the main doorway of the temple on our way out. We later had breakfast of Poha (the traditional Maharashtrian dish of cooked Puffed rice), Batata vada and Masala tea at a restaurant near the parking area. 

By 9.15 or so, that place had become a mini-market place for local villagers who came in various vehicles to sell their farm produce. The vegetables and fruits were fresh and chemical free and we bought Guavas and Chikoos to carry back home. After that we departed for our next destination - Moregaon to have darshan of Mayureshwar. 

Ashta Vinayak Yatra - March, 2021 (Part 3)

We checked into Novotel at Viman Nagar, Pune at around 3.15 p.m. Initially, the security of the hotel did not allow entry to our LCV as this was unusual for them. They are used to guests coming in private sedans or taxis. It took some time for him to get the clearance. Then there was a long wait at the reception to sign up. The air-con was not cool enough and the reception gave a vague explanation for it. Finally, after nearly 30 minutes, we were allotted our rooms. 

The rooms were very comfortable and spacious. We had a refreshing bath and hot cup of coffee post that. After relaxing for an hour or so, we assembled again to go to our next destination - Ranjangaon Maha Ganapati temple.

Ranjangaon was 44 kms away from our hotel - a short hour long drive. Thanks to Covid19, there were few vehicles on the road and we reached our destination by 6.15 p.m. The beautiful well maintained east facing temple is very close to the parking lot. The temple was built by Sardar Kine around the Sanctum constructed by Peshwa Madhavrao. During the dakshinayan (Southern movement of the Sun), the rays of the Sun fall on the Swayambu deity. 

It is believed that Lord Shiva sought the blessings of Ganesh ji at this place before proceeding to destroy Tripurasur. Ganesh ji can be observed sitting in a cross legged position with trunk turned towards left and with Riddhi & Siddhi on two sides. He is known as Maha Ganapati here. There is a small Shiva temple on one side of the temple. There is also a Vittal Rukmai temple on another side.

We had a comfortable darshan with no one asking as to move away. Sufficient time was available for chanting our prayers, offering our prostrations and filling our eyes & mind with His image. There is a nice courtyard around the temple where we relaxed for a while and took pictures. When we came out, we could see a large bonfire made for celebrating Holi in the outer ring of the temple.

It was nearly dark when we came out of the temple. The birds were settling down for the night in a nearby tree and each wishing each other 'good night' loudly. We boarded the vehicle and stopped at a restaurant on the way for a sumptuous dinner. By the time, we returned to our hotel, it was nearly 10 p.m. We slept soundly that night tired after a long day in which we had driven more than 300 kms...

Ashta Vinayak Yatra - March, 2021 (Part 2)

Although Pali is only 38 kms from Mahad, it turned out to be longest & most painful part of our yatra. The roads were in very poor shape due to the concreting work being done. Our vehicle was shaking & rocking making us feel terrible. Additionally, it was getting warmer as it was mid-day and the dust from the roads made us feel suffocated.

It took nearly 2 hours to reach Pali and we were glad when we entered the town. The temple was a short walk away from the parking lot. As in the case of Mahad, this temple too had very few devotees. We were now certain that Covid19 had drastically reduced the flow of devotees. Due to this, all the traders / shopkeepers who depend on tourist inflows are having a terrible time. We were told that business is down 90% since Covid restrictions began.

Ballaleshwar Ganapati temple in Pali is probably the only temple named after a devotee of the Lord. The temple is so constructed that the Sun's rays falls on the east facing Deity during worship. The Lord with His trunk turned left has Riddhi & Siddhi waving fans in the silver background. Moreshwar Vittal Sindkar (Dhige) built this temple in 1640 and it was renovated in 1760. 

Legend has it that a young boy named Ballal was an ardent devotee of the Lord and he was once blessed with a darshan of the Lord after intense prayers. Ganesh ji came in the form of a Sadhu. Ballal recognised the Lord and prayed that He always stays in that place and bless the devotees who come here. The Lord agreed and also said that His name will be preceded by Ballal's name. It is a practice here to have a darshan of Dhundi Vinayak before seeing the Lord. Dhundi Vinayak is the original swaymbhu which was worshipped by young Ballal. 

We had a leisurely darshan of both Dhundi Vinayak and Sri Ballaleshwar Ganesh. We had ample time to recite our prayers, do our prostrations and pradakshina. Unlike Mahad, here we were not allowed to go inside the Sanctum and had to be content with the darshan from a distance.

After darshan, we came out and had a taste of the subsidised lunch (Rs.20 per meal) which comprises of rice, daal, sabzi, sweet and pickle. We then treated ourselves with sugarcane juice in one of the shops outside the temple premises.

We then boarded for a long trip to Pune. Unfortunately, we had to return via Khopoli which meant going over the bad roads one more time. This road trip to Pali & back was the worst part of our entire yatra. We were relieved once we touched the expressway to go to Pune.

The trip to Pune was long and we decided to have our packed lunch in the vehicle itself. It comprised of lemon rice, chips, wafers and curd rice washed down with cool bottled water. When we reached our hotel at 3.15 p.m, we were ready for a short nap to feel refreshed and prepare ourselves for the next trip in the evening to Ranjangaon...

Ashta Vinayak Yatra - March, 2021 (Part 1)

Our Yatra group of 8 families was very keen on doing the Ashta Vinayak yatra for quite some time. The Ashta Vinayak Yatra refers to a pilgrimage to the eight temples dedicated to Lord Ganesh (son of Shiva & Parvati) that are situated around Pune in Maharashtra. In February of 2021, we firmed up our plans to do this yatra in end March, 2021. The yatra was planned to coincide with Holi festival so that minimum leave is taken by working people.

In the beginning, 6 couples decided to join the yatra. The other 2 couldn't join due to personal reasons. As the travel date came closer, 2 more couples dropped off due to close family members getting Covid19. The rest of us i.e. 4 couples were determined not to miss the opportunity. Also, we felt that we should complete the yatra before the 2nd outbreak of Covid19 results in a stringent lockdown situation like 2020.

So, on 28th March, 2021 we 8 yatris started our Ashtavinayak yatra at 7 a.m. after chanting "Ganpati Bappa Morya" and seeking His blessings for a safe & successful yatra. We had hired a light commercial vehicle (Force Traveller) for the yatra. It was a 22 seater air-conditioned vehicle driven by a young driver called Raju.

We first drove towards Mahad to have darshan of the VaradVinayak (Vinayak who gives boons to His devotees). On the way, our driver played nice Tamil religious songs which made us feel we were driving around in Tamil Nadu. We reached Mahad by 8.30 a.m. and were dropped off right outside the temple.

The temple is situated in a scenic place with a small pond beside the temple. Behind the temple is a small temple of Shri Dattatreya and of Shani, Rahu & Ketu along with Hanuman. The temple also has a Yatri Niwas (lodge) and offers subsidised meals to all yatris. The entire village has come up in the area around the temple.

Mahad village is situated in Khalapur taluka of Raigad District. Legend has it that a Rishi by name Vachaknavi was visited by a ruler by name Rukmangada, and during the visit, the Rishipatni Mukundaa expressed her attraction to the king. The king turned her down leaving her seething in anger. In the meanwhile, Indra, the king of the Devas came down to the earth in the disguise of Rukmangada and accepted her amorous moves. 

An illegitimate son Grutshmadha was born out of their union. The son, learning of the story of his birth was grief stricken, and prayed to Ganesha in Bhadrakavana for absolvement of the sins of everyone concerned. His prayers were granted by Varadavinayak of Bhadrakavana (now Mahad).

Shree Dhondu Paudkar in 1690 A.D found the swayambhu idol of Shree Varadvinayak in a lake. This idol was kept in a nearby goddess temple for some time. Afterwards in 1725 A.D Varadvinayak temple was built by Peshva Sardar Ramji Mahadev Biwalkar & he gifted this to the Village.

Varadavinayak is portrayed, seated on an east facing throne. Stone images of his consorts Siddhi and Riddhi are also seen in the temple. A lamp in this temple is said to have been glowing uninterrupted for over a hundred years.

The temple was unusually empty when we arrived probably due to Covid19 fears and the fact that we arrived early in the morning. After a comfortable darshan, we could circumambulate the temple clockwise, chant our prayers and offer our prostrations to Him.

After this we took pictures outside the temple, some of which are posted here in this blog. We then had our packed Breakfast comprising of Idlis, Vadas with chutney followed by masala tea from a nearby restaurant.

After this, we departed around 10 a.m. to our next destination which was Pali.

Srirangapatna & Melukote Yatra on 31/01/2021

During a recent visit to Bengaluru to attend a wedding, we managed to get one day to do a short but sweet yatra. We were four couples who went together for our yatra which is described below.

On the cold morning of 31^st Jan, 2021, we woke up early at 5 a.m. and after finishing our ablutions and morning prayers, we awaited the Tempo Traveller (TT) which was to take us to our destination. The TT came slightly late and we left by 6.15 a.m. which was a delay of fifteen minutes. The air was cold and crisp at that time as the Sun had yet not risen. Soon, we were en-route to Srirangapatinam which was our destination.

 The first hour of the drive was uneventful as some of us were busy catching up on our morning chanting of prayers. At around 8.30 we halted at a hotel called Kamat Lokaruchi for breakfast. The food here was excellent (Thatte Idli & Madhur Vada are their specialities) and it is frequented by many people travelling the Bengaluru-Mysuru road. After breakfast, we had a short 12 km drive to our first halt – the Aprameya Krishna temple. This is in a place called Ambegalu.

The temple is a serene temple just off the highway adjoining an old village. There were hardly any visitors to the temple at that time giving us the opportunity to have a nice leisurely darshan of the Lord. The speciality of the temple is an idol of baby Krishna on His knees holding a ball of butter in His hands. This Krishna was captivating, and it was difficult to depart after seeing Him in that pose. It is said that Saint Purandaradasa composed the famous song "Jagadodhaarana" after seeing Krishna in this pose at this temple. We bought Chikki (peanuts and jaggery mix in the form of a bar of chocolates) from a local vendor which was reasonably priced and had a heavenly taste.

After this, we left straight towards the island town of Srirangapatipam which used to be the preferred place of a number of kings in the past. We reached around 10.30 a.m. and headed straight towards the banks of the holy river Kaveri. Here three of us had a traditional bath (complete with Sankalpam) while the others preferred to just sprinkle themselves with the water. The water was cool and clean and flowing with slight force. We could comfortably sit on the rocks and have a nice refreshing dip.

After this, we had nice coconut water and sugar cane juice as it was getting warm. The Ranganatha temple (reclining Narayana) was very close to the river. Fortunately, there were not many visitors at this temple (probably due to Covid19 restrictions) and we could get a darshan of the Lord within a short time. The deity is similar to the one in Srirangam. Near His feet was the idol of Kaveri Devi signifying that She is as holy as the river Ganga, if not more. There are three temples of Shri Ranganatha known as Adi Ranga (Srirangapatna), Madhya Ranga (Sivasamudra) and Sri Ranga (Srirangam). It is believed that if one visits all 3 temples in the same day, one is qualified for moksha or liberation.

After this darshan, we drove towards the Nimishamba Devi temple which is about 4 kilometres away.

Here we saw a fairly large crowd waiting patiently in queue for an entry into the temple. As we stood it the queue, one man came and offered to escort us directly into the temple by paying a small fee. We happily agreed and within no time we were inside and having a wonderful darshan of the Devi. Her name signifies that She will come to the assistance of Her devotees within moments of remembering Her. The deity was very tastefully decorated with flowers and lemons. She was looking attractive and very pleasing to the eye. There was a rare Krishnashila  Shree Chakram at Her feet. After Her darshan, we saw the other deities in the temple – Vinayaka, Shivalingam, Lakshmi Narayana, Surya Narayana & Hanuman..

 

This temple also has the Holy river Kaveri flowing calmly beside. After this, we had lunch at a nearby restaurant. Lunch consisted of a traditional thali / food platter which everyone enjoyed heartily. Then we proceeded towards Melkote which we reached by 3 p.m. At this time, the temples were closed. We were informed that the Cheluva Narayana Swamy temple, which was consecrated by Sri Ramanuja in the 12^th Century, will open at 3.30 p.m. and we decided to wait outside the temple. A small crowd of devotees had gathered by the time the temple opened. After a short wait, we could have the darshan of Cheluva Narayana who appeared exceptionally beautiful. The Utsava Murthy was also unique and it is believed that this deity was worshipped by both Rama & Krishna.

 

After this lovely darshan, we proceeded towards the Melkote Narasimha temple on top of the rocky hill close to the temple. It is believed that this idol was installed by Prahalada himself. We climbed the 250 + steps to reach the temple. Along the way, we met a local person named Narasimha who is about 70 years old. He carries a pitcher of water several times a day up to the temple where he works in the temple kitchen. This strenuous work that he has been doing for past 45 years (almost non stop without a break) has resulted in him having a lean and fit physique.

He was kind enough to take all of us directly to the Sanctum (by passing the queue) at the time of the opening of the temple for evening darshan. We felt blessed to see the Lord in all His glory from a remarkably proximity (almost touching distance). After this, Shri Narasimha took us inside the temple kitchen (Madapalli) where we had a darshan of LakshmiNarasimhan which is placed inside the temple. We were especially lucky to go there. Later he gave us a lot of sweet prasadam directly from the kitchen. He also invited us to visit the temple during the annual festival around April when thousands of devotees flock from far & near.

 A few of us stood at the temple gates and chanted our prayers and recited portions of Narayaneeyam relating to Narasimha Avtaar. After this, we climbed down back to our TT and left on our return journey to Bengaluru. Along the way, we halted for our evening prayers and then once again for dinner. By the time we reached back it was post 10 p.m. We were exhausted from the 350+ km yatra and ready to crash into bed with sweet memories of a wonderful day spent in good company with memorable darshan of the Lord in different forms.

After doing various yatras for several decades now, I firmly believe that one needs to accompany like-minded friends in order to thoroughly relish and enjoy the experience.