Indian Villages-3

These are some more photographs from my travels. I hope you like them.

You can see our women folk be it urban or rural strive hard rather more than men. But they dont get equal pay or recognition. Many a time its the lady of the house who supports the family members through her earnings. Here you can see some work relating to laying or road going on along the high way. See the way the ladies wear their saris. This is the way women (especially rural women) wear it when they work in fields.

Below is a fruit vendor selling, watermelons. Its quite hot in summer in India. So you see such vendors on the roadside. Its a very cheap and effective way to quench thirst.

Below you can see the coconut seller. These are tender ones with lot of water only. As the fruit ripens, the meat appears. Tender cocnut water is highly nutritious and good during summertime as it not only quenches thirst but also energizes by supplying salts and other nutrients like water melons. Its quite popular drink in South India.

You can also see a cobbler sitting under an umbrella mending footwear. Their tools are so simple. You can also see a little Panwala-beetle leaves and beetle nut seller who sell nut powder, cigarettes and bidis.

You can see fruit sellers selling various fruits of the season. They just have a plastic sheet or an old bedsheets to protect them from heat and dust during the hot summers. Its mostly apples, oranges, grapes during the early summer months. Lateron its musk melons, water melons, cucumbers and the likes. You can see a milk man on his bike, with his cans. Since it was in the afternoon, he might have been on his way home after selling the milk in the morning.

Below you can see the green fields, dotted with palms and grooves. I feel at peace when I look at such sights. I wish I could be there to enjoy them.

I am back

Friends! Here I am back for a very brief period. I wanted to share so many things with you very badly. I will do so as time permits. It was hot there. But back home its much pleasant. Thank God for that. 

I enjoyed my travels, my stay and of coarse loads of work. But now I have a very short break, want to spend that with my family.

I have my experiments with TAST 2010 to share. Apart from that celebrations of Sri Rama Navami, new Rangoli designs, new recipes, latest saris and much more

Keep watching my blog......

Enjoying my travels....

Hi Friends. I am busy with travelling and my work. Its quite hot here. I am exploring the TAST second week and third week stitches. But I am afraid I am not able to post the pictures. There seems to be some problem. Its quite frustrating as to why I cannot load them. May be the net I use in the net center is slow or some problem with the computers. I think I have to wait till I get to post these from my own computer at home. Hey the spell check is also not working and I dont know how to make it work. So you may come accross many a printers devils.

Here the people are gearing up for celebrating Sri Rama Navami on 24th. Where I am staying, Lord Rama is worshipped with great reverence. So there is large scale celebrations of Rama Navami. Navami or 9th day of Chaithra month is supposed to be the day on which Lord Rama was born. But here in Andhra Pradesh, his marraige with Sita is also celebrated on the day. If I am lucky, I will be able to can some of the celebrations. I am eager to I used to participate as a child. Now after a long time I am going to do so again. For nine days starting from 24th, these celebrations go on. There are also some special dishes made on this occassion. I am afraid I can only share these recepies only after I come back.

I am also shopping liesurely in my limited spare time, especially for cottons and silks. The range here is mind boggling. Oh I also landed my hands on some of the Kalamkari patches. I am very exicited to share them with you. But alas! I cant. I have also bought some plain saris, on which I can applique them. But that will have to wait till I return home as I dont have any stitching resources here.

So keep an eye on my blog......

Indian Villages-2

Here are some more pictures from my travels. You can see the lone Plam tree, amidst the lovely green fields. Actually Palms are quite common in South Indian country side.

Below is the quite shaded grove on the road side. There is a small tent and also a structure made of mud and dried palm leaves. You can see people relaxing in the shade away from the hot Sun.Isnt it quite beautiful? Usually villagers relax under the shades of trees, chatting up, drinking tea or buttermilk during the hot summer afternoons. Infact its quite cool under the trees than under the tin roofs.

The mountains in the distant and the rolling fileds under the blue sky....

Here is an interesting one. This is a typical village dwelling. The roof top is covered with clay tiles. There is a little shade with tin sheetsin the front yard. In summer it could be quite hot under the tin roof. You can see the clothes drying and ofcoarse the Red hot chillies for which Andhra is famous for, drying in the Sun. I could not capture it properly due to the stones in front of the house. Its quite common to find the agriculutural produce, like corn, lentils, chillies etc, drying out in the front or back yards under the hot Sun.

Here is again the various shades of greens...

 

This was taken sometime in the late afternoon. So you can see the shadows. 

Hope you have liked them too. Some more next time.....

Indian Villages-1

I never observed that I had completed hundred posts on my blog. It was quite difficult and I had to struggle initially with paucity of time. But all you appreciation and encouragement has spurred me on.  I just dont want my blog to have posts on one or two subjects alone. It should reflect my culture, my life and my country with bits of everything a I see as I comprehend and as I feel I want all of you to share with me...

Well, in celebration of my century and of coarse my life......here is what is dear to me most...India;

India was and perhaps still is basically a country of villages. People are dependent on agriculture and related industries. With a climatic and geographical zones so different at various places, it is really a boon to India that various crops can be harvested. Kashmir has a cold climate like the Western countries. Here all the fruits like, apples, cherries, spices like cardamom, dry fruits, saffron can be grown. Punjab and other areas are fertile with water from the river sources. Hence various crops like the wheat, maize, sugarcane etc are grown in bounty.Rajasthan and Gujrath regions, are hot and covered by desserts. So we get some of the products like the dates and the dessert ber (its a kind of berry). Down South, its highly fertile and also has a very long coast line. We grow, rice, spices, coconuts, sugarcane, groundnuts and other oil seeds, tamarind, grapes, pomegranates etc are cultivated.

Well, I love our villages and village folk. Simple and frugal living, struggling lives., lots of problems like poverty,  debts, lack of even basic amenities, ...yet, there is a contentment, satisfaction, living near to nature in pollution free atmospheres which is not available in city life. Only if we can help them even in a small way....

Here are some of the scenes I tried to capture. But since I was doing so from a moving vehicle  some of them lack clarity and will be fuzzy. Sorry for that. I am a novice with a camera; even digital at that...lol!

These are the typical scenes of villages one gets along the roads, we travel.. See the rolling hills in the distance, a blue sky, various shades of greens and yellows, dotted with huge trees and tall palms every now and then and then of coarse the water and reflections of nature in the water. Oh so beautiful!

Here you can see the green fields, with the tall palms and other trees as boundaries. Some poets describe  this as Mother Nature wearing a sari in various shades of green...isnt the thought beautiful?

As my vehicle was moving with speed, I was suddenly caught with this one.  Amateur that I am,I  fumbled, mumbled, panicked and some how managed to click it. The greenery, the blue skies, the still water, the little rocks and islands in the water with greenery and little white egrets. You can see the green moss under the still water.

I think they are called egrets, they stalk the cattle along with the wild mynas and are found a plenty in our fields.

Here is perhaps a better view. Well every photographer gets caught with surprises like these. The coll and calm ones, the ones with more patience and the ones who are more experienced, but of coarse the ones with lots of LUCK in their favour can click it at the right moment. Mine was more luck  than skill. I just did not know whether to drink in the beauty of the nature or aim and get a picture. Perhaps I just did it as a reflex action? I don't remember at all accept for the fear that I passed a very beautiful chance. Until I had a look at it, I just kept on cursing myself for being so slow to react. But then I got it OK. Hey I think I did well?

Here you can see the cattle tied in ones yard, the farm implements and machinery, hay stack, dust and the greenery. You can see the a Babool trees on one side and tamarind on the other, which are quite common on our country side.

Babool trees as they are called in Hindi are the Acasia or commonly known as Gum Arabica, are called as Thumma Chetllu in Telugu. These are very medium sized, hardy  trees with long thorns and small leaves. So they are saved from the cattle and can with stand serious drought conditions. Its medicinal properties are well known to Indains since ancient times. They are used as protective hedges, help in vegetating arid and semi arid regions, used as fuel by the village folk and also give shade. Its good for teeth hence used in tooth pastes.

Well tamarind as you know are very huge trees, give shade and also the sour fruits which are used extensively in our cooking as souring agent.

The scenes are so idyllic ...Some more in my next post...Hope you have liked them as much as I do...

Please do leave your comments and suggestions.

I am away

Hi friends, I am away from my home travelling. I am staying with my cousins and catching up with all thats going on after a long time. There is no TV or computer to distract me. So I am at peace, catching on my (much needed) sleep, soaking on the beauty of the surroundings and the nature- in general, relaxing and unwinding after a long time.

Oh I may not be able to post much for a week or so. But I will try to post some though. Its so hot here where I have come. I am busy with my work. But I am also collecting some books on various topics. 

Guess what? I landed my hands on some of the most beautiful books on Rangoli. I am trying to explore more on this subject.

I am also trying to go out in my spare time to look at the latest fashions, trends and designs in saris and blouses. This being the beginning of summer time, its time for cottons to come out. Lots of whites and other pastel shades with lovely block prints too in the market. I loved some of the applique work on saris. Was so tempted to buy one. But I would like to survey the market more before buying some. 

So watch out for some of the latest new designs. I am enjoying my stay here, though its hot during the day. Its pleasant during the nights but boy very sultry. I am enjoying tall glasses of cool juices, sherbeths, ices and bites of  refreshing seasonal fruits like the water melons. I am also enjoying showing off my culinary skills (quite shamelessly) by experimenting and cooking something new.

So bye for now...Keep a watch on my blog......

Hyderabad

I just happened to go through my stash of photographs tonight. Well here are two of them which I want to share with you. Both are of the City of Hyderabad, a city which is more than 400 years old. The culture, languages spoken and the cuisine are unique to this city. This is a place which has a blend of both South Indian and North Indian cultures. But still it has evolved into a unique one of its own.

Actually Hyderabad is a twin city-Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

This is a lake which used to cater to the city's water requirement till some years back. But land grabbing and constructions obstructing the flow of rain water into this lake has drastically decreased the inflow of water , so much so that we had drought just two three years back.  This used to be a very famous and perhaps one of the few picnic spots we had. As a child we used to love to go there for picnics. Even now people do go there for picnics especially during the rainy season.  But it has lost its charm now and is much neglected spot.

This photograph was taken on a very cloudy day when we visited there. Every time I visit this place its quite nostalgic. I remember the picnics we had as children with our family, friends and relatives.

 

This is the lake man made, which connects the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad. This was developed by one of our late Chief Ministers, Shri NT Rama Rao. On a bright sunny day, one can see the little boats sailing in the waters from the local sailing club. At nights, its is beautifully lit with lights, and has two flotels. During the summer, this place is thronged by masses who want to escape the confines of their flats and also to relax in the cool breeze.They sell ice creams, corn cobs and other such snacks. One one side we have Eat Street, which contains some small eateries. We also have various exhibitions conducted here; like the book fair, arts and crafts, kite festival and so on.

Chandragiri Fort

Chandragiri Fort is near Tirupati. It is a very famous monument and has lot of historical importance. This fort is said to have been built around 11th century. For nearly three centuries Chandragiri was ruled by Yadavarayas -a dynasty. Later on around 1367,this was brought into control by the famous Vijayanagara emperors, who were famous for their architecture, renovation/construction of temples, literature, music and other arts. They made Chandragiri as their fourth capital and shifted here when Penukonda (their capital) was attacked by the Golconda sultans. Later on however, Golconda sultans sized the fort and subsequently the fort was taken over by the Mysore rulers. After 1790 this fort lost its importance and sort of went into oblivion.

The fort when built was fortified with bastions and a steep moat all around. Later on around 16th century many other structures like the temples etc were added by the then rulers. The entire fort consists of Raja's Mahal (King's Palace), Rani's Mahal (Queen's Palace), eight temples some dedicated to Shiva and some to Vishnu, and a Bath.

Raja's Mahal is a beautiful example of Indo-Saracenic architechture, for which the Vijayanagar emperors were famous for. It is an imposing three storyed structure, constructed with stone, bricks and lime-mortar as was the then tradition. No timber was used in the construction.
The crowning towers represent the Hindu architectural elements. The central tower is huge, raising through two stories covers the Durbar Hall, where the Emperors conducted their stately business. The magnificent and massive pillars support the three storyed structure.

One can see the fine finishing on the walls using plaster and decorated with stucco. It is said that here in the Durbar Hall, Sri Rangaraya donated the site for construction of St. George Fort to the British in 1640.This palace now houses a museum.

Rani's Mahal is similar to that of the Raja's Mahal in design and structure, but much smaller. Interestingly the ground floor is pillared open space, the first floor contains quarters with a beautiful well adorned tower.


Though this was popularly know as queen's palace, the records available in the fort show that this was commander's quarters. May be that explains the stable like structure in the ground floor.



The temples and other structures along with a Bath are very beautiful. The Bath is connected to the Rani Mahal through an underground tunnel.

This is the wall surrounding the Fort and other structures. This was a very long and sturdy one and still as strong as it was earlier.

We could only visit this around five in the evening. we were really spell bound by the huge and lengthy wall running around the entire fort and its gardens and other structures, beautiful palaces, temples, the architecture, and their beauty the can be seen even today. We marveled at the expertise and skill of the then artisans. There was a sense of peace and tranquility. I could imagine the Kings, Queens and royalty enjoying the various arts and music. It is said that many a literary gems were written here.

But as the Sun began to set, we had to leave with a heavy heart, for our rest rooms leaving back the beautiful Fort thinking of all the royalty and the festivities, their grandeur in good old days, as Vijayanagar Empire was famous for the sale of heaps of gems and many precious stones on the main street of its bazars like one would sell the vegetables or fruits.

Tirupathi

Hi! I just wanted to share some of my moments when I recently visited the temple of Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupathi.

ABOUT THE TEMPLE

Tirupathi is the most famous temple town situated in Chittoor District in the State of Andhra Pradesh. The main deity here is Lord Venkateswara.

The chain of Seven Hills known as Saptha(seven) Giris(hills) consisits of Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudari, Anjanadri, Vrishbhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. These are together known as Tirumala. The Lords temple is on the seventh hill-Venkatadri or Venkatachalam at an altitude of 840m (2,800 ft). That is why HE is also know as Venkatachalapathi, Edukonadalawada and Saptha Girishwara-meaning Lord of Seven Hills.

It is believed in Hindu Mythology that Lord Vishnu one of the Holy Trinities of- Brahma(The Creator), Vishnu( The Preserver ) and Shiva ( The Destroyer), has come down to earth in person (later turned into a stone or statue) to reside at this place for the entire period known as Kali Yuga. So by visiting HIM in the temple is visiting Lord Vishnu himself.

The exact origin or beginnings of the temple is not known. Some point out that this temple was referred to in the ancient Rigveda. It is a fact that by 5th century AD it was a well established center. But during the rule of the Vijayanagara Emperors this temple was improved and the rulers donated lots of gold, jewels lands and huge donations especially by the famous Emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya.

The temple itself was renovated and constructed by the Vijayanagara Rulers. Many other rulers like the Marathas and from Mysore and Gadwal also made donations and other offerings to the temple.

In 1843, with the coming of the East India Company, the administration of the Sri Venkateswara temple and a number of shrines was entrusted to Seva Dassji of the Hathiramji Mutt at Tirumala as Vicaranakarta for nearly a century until 1932, when Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams (TTD) as per the TTDAct 1932 was established.

The temple is the richest and the most visited place of worship in the world. The temple is visited by large number of piligrims.

OFFERINGS

One of the peculiar offerings made here to Lord by the devotees is offering their hair by tonsuring their heads. Especially in Hindus the tonsuring of hair of a male( even female) child within one year or in the third year is an important ceremony. Its considered as auspicious to get the first tonsure done here. Its a tradition observed in most South Indian families.Till then the hair of the child is not removed at all.

Many devotees have their head tonsured as an offer. When one is in difficulties or desires something, they promise the Lord that on fulfillment of their desires they will offer their hair to Him.The daily amount of hair collected is over a ton. The hair thus gathered is sold in public auction periodically to national and international buyers for use in wigs and other such cosmetic purposes, bringing over six million dollars to the temple's treasury.

Apart from this, devotees offer cash, gold, silver, jewels, gems according to their wishes.They put this into a box known as Hundi .The average income is around Rs 10 lakh per day and annual income is considered to be around 125 million dollars. Koluvu Srinivasa is brought daily in the morning and seated on a silver chair. He is the guardian Deity who is believed to supervise the temple affairs. The calendar of the day (Panchangam) and the accounts of the temple are read to him every day.

Pilgrims can also participate in various paid Sevas (various types of prayers or ritualsor offerings). All this money earned from the temple is used for supporting, various social, religious and charitable institutions across the country including University for Women, educational institutions, hospitals, institutions offering religious studies and upkeep of various ancient temples across India.

Since it is second only to Vatican in its earnings, the temple is also known as "Vatican of the East".

PRASADAM

Laddu Prasadam -that is a sweet dish offered to the Lord here is world famous Many other Prasadams are like Dhadhojanam (curd rice), Pulihora (tamarind rice), Vada, Pongali and Chakkera pongali(sweet) are also offered and are available to the devotees. Free meals are provided daily to the pilgrims.

One can either reach the temple at Tirumala by walk from Tirupathi or by cars or buses. However, I love to go by walk, along with friends and family. Its a route of 16Km and has 4000 steps, surrounded by beautiful jungles. Most of the route is covered by overhead shelters protecting the pilgrims from sun and rain. It takes around two to four hours to climb the hills. En route there are stalls offering refreshments. Its advisable to start early in the morning say 4 am to avoid the heat. Its an experience to go by this route by foot surrounded by the nature and chanting the name of the Lord. We come across people from various walks of lives. Newly married couples often visit this shrine in their wedding costumes. Many marriages are also held here in the premises of the Lord and it is considered to be auspicious to do so.

Groups of families, friends, youngsters, children, senior citizens from various cultures, speaking different languages can be found happily climbing the path. The most striking aspect I find is the rural folk with immense belief in the Lord, who come here in huge groups from all over India and climb the path singing and chanting in praise of the Lord.

This time though we went by car since my mom cannot walk all the way.

This is at the base of the seven hills in Tirupathi, from where we start our ascent to Tirumala by vehicles, after checking of our vehicles. Such beautiful and majestic mountains of the Lord. This is the route taken by the vehicles. there is a separate route for those who go by foot.

This is en route; a view of the mountains before us.

Both the routes up and down are with hair pin bends and with many curves. One may feel nauseous while climbing up or coming down so may have to go very slowly sometimes stopping in between. But the views from there are breath taking.

This is the building where the name of the Lord is chanted continuously. We had to stop here while my brother was getting his head tonsured as an offering to the Lord.Besides this is the place where free meals is served to the pilgrims.

Wind mills on the mountains. Harvesting the wind power.



On the way to the Lords Temple. These are shopping complexes, where one can buy bangles, vermilion, turmeric, statues and photos of various deities and various items made of copper and brass used in our daily rituals by Hindus, like oil lamps, bells etc, toys and dolls for children both traditional and modern, utensils used in a kitchen and many more. These are a regular feature near every temple in India.

There is a tank next to the temple called Swami Pushkarini.

The Vimana (dome), known as Ananda Nilayam (Abode of happiness), is above the Deity's main room. It is covered in solid gold. The Dwajasthamba (flag-pole ) is gold-plated, and the gates that guard the inner sanctum are also covered with gold. The entire visit inside the temple creates an awesome feeling as it is gold plated with intricate carvings. reflecting the lights from the crystal chandeliers. The pilgrims who reach inside forget everything and chant Lords names- Govinda, Govinda. They are just eager to have a glimpse of the Lord.

This is Lord Vekateshwara or Balaji

It is believed that Lord Venkateswara, is a Swayambhu (self-manifested), 2m (around 6 ft) high Deity made of a jet-black stone and is in a standing pose, standing on a lotus. His two upper arms hold a conch-shell (Shankha) and disk (Chakra). 

If you notice, palm of his lower right hand is turned outward which is known as varada hastha -offering blessings, or assuring all beings that the Lord is there to protect us . Whereas his lower left hand is turned inward which is known as katyavalambita hastha, meaning Lord knows everything, he is aware of everything, nothing takes place without his knowledge or it denotes Gyana or wisdom. 

The Lord's eyes are covered by a large Tilkam in the shape of "U" which is made of camphor. It is believed that Lord Venkateswara's lotus-like eyes are so beautiful that if they remained open and uncovered, the pilgrims who visit him may become enchanted by them and may not want to leave. It is also said that his eyes are covered because His gaze would scorch the entire world.

The Goddess Sri or Lakshmi-the Goddess of wealth and prosperity ,who is Vishnu's consort, resides on the chest of Lord Venkateswara, and that is why he is also known Srinivasa (the one in whom Sri resides). On the other chest Goddess Padmavathy ( believed to be Mother Earth) resides. He is considered as the Kali Yuga Varada, that is Lord of Kali Yuga (the fourth and final age of the Hindu cycle of ages or calender) who grants boons.

He is adorned with various jewels which consist of highly precious gem stones like Sapphires, Emeralds, Pearls, Corals, Diamonds and many others apart from gold and silver etc. His crown is very magnificent and considered to be the only costliest ornament in the world.

Lord Balaji and HIS consort Goddess Alamelu Manga.

Akasa Ganga - sacred waterfall, is five km to the south of the temple. Water is brought from here to the temple for Lord's Abhishekam (a ritual bath). There are also other areas to visit like the Tapovanam-where saints meditated, Srivari Padukalu-the feet of the Lord when he first placed his feet on the mountains, and geological wonders of the stone arch way etc.

All in all its a pleasant and spiritual experience which can only be felt and cannot be explained. When we have the glimpse of the Lord just for a few minutes, we feel all the peace and happiness in the world.

My Travelogues_Ardhagiri

Ardhagiri Sri Veeranjaneya Swamy Temple

This temple which I visited recently is situated at a place called Arakonda(Chittoor District in Andhra Pradesh), around 10 Kms from the famous Kanipakam Temple near Tirupati. Arakonda or Ardhagiri as the place is known, means a piece or part of mountain.

Legend:

This famous temple that attracts devotees from far and wide has a legend.Ramayana is one of the famous epics of India. It is believed that Sita, wife of Lord Rama was abducted by the mighty Ravana, the Demon King, and kept as a prisoner at Lanka (now Srilanka), the island kingdom of Ravana. 


Rama with the help of monkeys,waged a war and killed Ravana to get back Sita. During the battle Lakshmana, younger brother of Rama was battling with Ravana's son Indrajeet or Meghanadh. Rama, Lakshmana and many monkeys became unconscious when Indrajeet used Bramha Astra (the most powerful weapon). 


Hanuman and Vibhishana(Ravana's brother who defected to Rama's camp as Dharma was on Rama's side)  searched for Jambavantha. Jambavantha knew Ayurveda and he told them that there are certain herbs which would help the unconscious and severely hurt monkeys as well as  Rama and Lakshmana. He named these herbs as

• Mrita Sanjivani (helps in restoring the dead to life), 
• Vishalyakarani (helps in extracting weapons and healing all wounds inflicted by weapons), 
• Suvarnakarani ( helps restoring the body to its original complexion) and 
• Sandhani, the great herb (helps in joining severed limbs or fractured bone). 

Jambavantha said that these herbs can be identified by their glow, grow on a mountain named Dronagiri situated in Himalayan ranges between mount Rishbha and mount Kailasha. These herbs were to be brought before sun rise.


Vibhishana asked Hanuman to bring Sushena a very skilful physician residing in Lanka for treating all those who were hurt and fell unconscious. So Hanuman went to Lanka and brought the Physician along with his house.

Himalayas were far away from the Lanka. Hanuman or the monkey God, who could fly long distances in no time and who had immense strength and intelligence was deputed to bring the herb, but before sunrise. Hanuman went to the Himalayas in no time. But he could not differentiate between the various herbs and plants available. It is also said that these herbs hide themselves when someone comes to pluck them. He was enraged by this. So He just plucked the entire mountain and carried back to the place where Lakshmana was lying unconscious. 

Hanuman carrying the Sanjeevani Mountain

During this journey, as He was flying with great velocity, it is believed that a piece of rock from the mountain containing all great herbs, fell into the tank. Since a piece of mountain fell here it got its name of Ardhagiri or Arakonda.

The Tank where the piece of rock fell

Statue of Lord Hanuman in meditative pose

It is believed that the tank never dries up and the water contains medicinal properties. The water when stored, stays fresh for a long time. Its true. Its more than a month since I have brought the water from the tank and it is still fresh. usually water when kept in a container for more than three or four days does not stay fresh.This water when consumed is believed to cure all diseases even acute cases.This has been proved in the cases of Psoriasis, initial stages of TB, asthma, cancer & joint pains. The experiences of the patients who were cured have been recorded and they stand as testimony to it.

This is where the water from the tank is filled. You can see the monkey.

Entrance to the Temple

Small Temple

The God here is Hanuman-the monkey God. He is in the form of Veera or the valorous. The temple is more than 300 years old. The striking feature of the deity is that it faces towards North , which is a rarity. The first says of the sun, fall on the feet of the Lord. As the day progresses, gradually the sun rays disappear after reaching the head of the lord. It is also believed that the ardent devotees and staunch believers can even hear the 'Omkara Nadam' (Chanting of Om) at midnight amidst silence.

The temple is open for public from 05.30 am to 1.30 pm and 01.30 pm to 9.00 pm. On a full moon day it is open till 11 pm.Full moon Day attracts thousands of pilgrims. It is said that prayers offered at night on a full moon day give immense power, peace and happiness. Garlands made of betel leaves, Marrigolds, and Tulasi(Indian Basil), and other flowers are offered to Lord.

Shops selling the flowers n other offerings including Joss Sticks n Camphor

I offered coconuts as is done usually in the temples. I fed these to the monkeys. You can usually find monkeys near the Hanuman temples, as people treat them as the descendants of Hanuman. So they are fed and pampered. But one has to be very careful as they snatch any eatables or spectacles and can be a menace sometimes.

We sat there for sometime as it was very peaceful and quite. Tough it was very hot and humid we felt at peace. We ate the Prasadam-Laddu and Vada -ie offerings made to Lord.

My Travelogues-Kanipakam

Friends recently I visited some temples in Tirupati area. I would like to share some of my travelogues with you. The main problem when we visit the temples is they don't allow cameras or cell phones inside the temple. So one has to deposit them at the counters before going in. There is always a long queue in front of these counters. So one is forced to keep them in car if we travel by car. Many a time this deters me from taking photographs as one has to walk a long distance to recover the camera and take photographs. Moreover one can only take pictures from outside. So I am afraid there are very few pictures. But I would like share what I have along with the legends associated with the Temples. The first part of the series is....

KANIPAKAM TEMPLE

Hindus worship God in various forms. One of them is Ganesha or Vinayaka-the God with an Elephant face. He is worshiped first before starting any venture or even before offering prayers and rituals to other Gods. Here is one temple of Ganesha:

Sri VaraSidhi Vinayaka Swami

The temple of Sri VaraSidhi Vinayaka Swamy is situated on the banks of River Bahuda in Kanipakam village, 12 kms from Chittoor and 70Kms from Tirupathi. The temple was constructed by King Kulothonga Chola I, belonging to the famous and powerful Chola Dynasty (which ruled South India during the later half of the 9th century till the beginning of the 13th centuries). The temple was later expanded by the Emperors of Vijayanagara in 1336.

This is the tank or Koneru where we wash our hands and feet
before entering the temple. Every temple has one

The Legend of the Temple

The place was originally known as KaniParkam."Kani" means wetland and "Parkam" means flow of water into wetland. According to the legend of the temple there were three brothers and each one had a handicap. Viz., Dumb, Deaf and Blind. They were farmers, cultivating a small piece of land. In olden days water was drawn from the well by way of 'Piccota System'. As one of them used to irrigate the field through the channels, the other two used to ply on the Piccota. During one such operation they found that the water in the well dried up. One of them climbed down into the well and started digging it up. He was taken aback to see the iron implement hitting a stone like formation. He was shocked to see blood oozing out from it. Within in a few seconds the entire water in the well, turned blood red in colour. Thus, startled by this divine sight, all the three became normal getting rid of their deformities.

The villagers came to know about this miracle and thronged to the well.They tried to deepen the well further. But their attempt proved futile because the 'swayambhu' (the self-manifested) idol of Lord Vinayaka emerged from the swirling waters. Lots of coconuts were offered and the milk from the coconuts covered the entire area. This led to the modification in the usage of the word 'Kaniparakam' and was later pronounced as 'Kanipakam'. Even today the idol is in the original well and the springs of the well are perennial and eternal. During the rainy season, the holy water from the well overflows.The holy water from the well is offered to the devotees as "Theertham".

This is the temple of Kanipkam

This is another view of the temple

Another striking and strange feature of the idol is that it is still growing in size. At present, we can see the knees and the abdomen of the idol. An ardent devotee had offered a 'Kavacham' (Armour) to the Lord, fifty years ago but today it is out of size and doesn't fit the idol.

The Swayambhu idol of Kanipakam known as Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka is famous as up-holder of 'Truth'. Day to day disputes between people are resolved by taking a 'special oath'. The people in the dispute take a holy dip in the temple tank and swear before the lord. It is taken as gospel truth. There are instances when the person who committed that sin voluntarily agrees as soon as he had the dip and much before entering the temple itself. It seems the Lord lawns invisibly on the sinner and makes him repent & feel guilty for his sinful deeds.Many cases of disputes not solved by courts were stated to have been solved here. The glory of the Lord spread far and wide and the honorable courts uphold the 'special oath' in their judicial pronouncements. That is how he is known as "Pramanala Devudu " or God of Pledges.


The legend of Bahuda River

Long ago there lived two brothers Sankha and Likhita. They were on a pilgrimage to Kanipakam. As the journey was tiring, the younger brother Likhita felt hungry. Spotting a mango grove he plucked a mango in spite of objections from his elder brother not to steal. Sankha felt bad and reported this to the ruler of that area and pleaded for punishment for the sin committed during the pilgrimage. Likhita's both hands were chopped of as punishment.

Later they took bath in the river near Kanipakam temple. Lo Behold! The chopped arms were restored to Likhita as soon as he had a dip in the sacred waters of the river. Thus the river beside Kanipakam temple is now known as 'Bahuda' (Bahu means human arm).

This is the temple elephant used for carrying the Lord (Idol) -all decked up in the processions carried out on festivals and other occasions so that people can have a glimpse of Him. many of the pilgrims visiting the temple, especially children feel that being blessed by an elephant is good.

I had a very good darshan (view) of the God as there were not many people. We offered prayers, some flowers, a garland and the priests lighted some camphor known as Arati, as is done in our temples and offered to God. They blessed us all for good health wealth and happiness. I chated with them to know the legends associated with the temple which I have written above. My mother and brother came along with me.

I would like to have your suggestions and comments and also whether you want to know any thing else about this place. Please feel free to voice your thoughts and queries,