Travel information for Ahobilam:

Swaati at Sri AhObilam:

         Most of us ,who are regular readers of Sri Nrsimhapriya,would be aware that a small but devoted group of Sri Sannidhi sishyaas,carrying out the divyagyaa of prakrutham Srimad Azhagiasingar,is arranging performance of thirumanjanam to the nava Nrismhas at Sri Ahobilam on every Swaathi day. The devotion of this group could be fully appreciated only if one personally accompanies them on this arduous journey. Adiyen had the sowbhagyam to to be part of the aidyaar kuzhaam on the last Swaathi,and would like to share the spiritually invigorating experience with you all.

      Those of us who have already visited the Gaaruda Sailam,would be inclined to agree cent percent with Sri Kaliyan that sri ahobilam is indeed a “chendru kaandarkariya kOil”.even  several centuries  after the aazhwaar’s mangalaasaasanam,this divyadeEsam conforms to the apt description.though there is a perceptible improvement in the infrastructure after the 600th anniversary celeberations of the Mutt,(the spanking new Maalola guest house ,the telephone exchange and the mini powerstation are testimonials to Sri Azhagiasingar’s lowkika kaarya kushalatha) the upper reaches of Sri Ahobilam are still as untamed as at the aazhwaar’s times; but the swaati group makes mangalaasaasanam considerably easier to the accompanying sri vaishnavaas,than they would find it,were they to travel alone.

      We left chennai at 9.30 pm by the Bombay mail and reached Cuduppah in Andhra pradesh  at 3.30 am. Two tata sumos and a matador van were awaiting us at the railway station and transported us to Sri Ahibilam in two and a half hours.We finished our  praatharanushtaana  in the clean and invigorating  swami  pushkarini ,in front of the keezh ahobilam temple and had a quick  mangalaasasanam of Sri Prahlaadavarada ,resplendent in the silver kavacham ,kireetam and other ornaments lovingly  submitted by prakrutam srimad azhagiasingar .though not one of the nava nrsimhaas,sri prahlaadavarada is no less important and is perhaps the only uthsavamurthy with sowmyaakaara(I am subject to correction on this).the utsava murthys of paavana nrsimha and jwala nrismha  reside in this sannidhi itself,perhaps
to bless those unable to endure the taxing climb to the sannidhis of these moorthies.

      At 8.30 am sharp, we left by van to upper sri ahobilam,where sri ahObilesa and sri
chenchulakshmi thaayar  are the presiding deities.there is also a sannidhi for easwara ,perhaps in his capacity  as the author of manthraraaja padastothram.sri shashta parankusa maha desikan(sixth srimad zhagiasingar) brindaavanam is also to be found here,where He entered a cave to shed his mortal coils. This temple provides the gateway to the hills and upper forests of sri ahobilam,housing the other
nrismha murthies.

Immediately behind the AHOBILESA shrine,we find the aptly named Bhavanaasini,a picturesque
river with numerous falls and crystal clear water,which destroys all types of haapa-aadhyaatmika, aadhibhowthika and aadhideiveeka. Across the Bhava naasini,a short climb away,is the Varaaha
Nrsimha with Aalari sporting  a porcine thirumukhamandalam. Another short climb leads us to Sri Maalola,the  aaraadhya devata of the illustrious lineage of srimad azhagiasingars starting with sri
aadivan satakopa yethindra mahaa desikan,to whom presha manthram and sanyaasam were bestowed
by sri maalola himself,in the garb of a vriddha yati. As is known ,it is the uthsava murthy of this emberumaan who travels aasethu himaachalam,blessing countless sri vaishnavaas and at whose lotus feet(adorned by paadukaas) srimad azhagiasingars have submitted  the bhara of  countless souls,guaranteeing them  sri vaikunta praapthi and freedom from the shackles of mundane life.with lakshmyaa samaalingitha vaama bhaagam,sri maalola now resides in baalalayam,while his sannidhi
is being renovated.

          A somewhat more difficult climb  and we arrive at a rocky clearing with fallsof the bhavanaasini ,at the Prahlada padi ,or prahlaada’s school,where  to the asura teachers’entreaties to chant ‘hiranyaya namaha, prahlaada and his classmates responded  with a resounding Naaraayanaya Namaha. As we recall the trials and tribulations the dhaanava sisu underwent for his unflinching faith in Sri Hari,our eyes fill with tears and our hearts with shame at our ‘irumbu pOl valiya nenjam’which slips from the
faith at the least sign of   problems.

     We now retrace our steps to the Varaaha Nrismha sannidhi ,recross the Bhavanaasini  and follow the river’s course,in our quest of Sri Jwaala Nrsimha ,the most remote shrine of all. The way  lies across the river bed strewn with boulders and rocks of all shapes ,which are a real  obstacle course for  city-dwellers like us. After a couple of kilometers of this,we start the climb,a tough one indeed  for  anybody,with an almost vertical slope at places. However we take heart from the numerous pilgrims returning
from the shrine after a dharshan ,who have an encouraging  word  for us,lest the  ardour  make us abandon the quest for the ultimate. This may not be a journey for the weak in flesh  or spirit,but the thought  of what awaits us at the end  ,and the special strength that Nrsimha himself bestows  enable
us to continue,till we reach the Jwala Nrsimha  shrine. Having reached journey’s end ,and standing before the ugramurthy,we find nrsimha  at his angriest best,making mincemeat of hiranyakasipu  with his vajranakhaas. Dushkrit vinaasanam being only an avaanthara prayojanam of the avathaara,we
find the Lord   incarnating himself in the most frightening ,yet most benevolent,man-lion form which prompts  sri nammazhwr to exclaim” yen singappiraan perumai aarayum seermaitthe”.the main purpose of this avathaara,as of the nine others,was  saadhu parithraanam and  “satyam vidhaathum nija bhritya bhaashitham”. It is this Nrismha who must have been in sri kalian’s thoughts when he said “angan gyaalam anja angor aalariyaai avunan ponga aagam vallugiraal pozhndha punithan idam”.   This indeed is the bhagavat swaroopam which formed  the basis for the sree sookthis “munaittha seetram vin sudappoi moovulagum piravum  / anaitthum anja aalariyaai irundha amman”,erintha painghan ilangu pezhvaai eitrodu ithu evvuruvu endru /irindhu vaanor kalangi oda irundha amman”,etc.

           With much reluctance,we retrace our steps downhill ,moving away from this Nrsimha,who is at once magnificent,frightening ,overwhelming and benevolent.( for the adventurous,a further and more difficult  climb would lead to the Ugra Sthambam,where theactual vadham of hiranyakasipu is
reported to have taken place) .if one thinks that the journey down must be easier than the one up,this  journey proves one wrong.    The paavana nrismha shrine involves a similar but less taxing journey,but is nonetheless as rewarding .

       With aching limbs,but fulfilled minds we return to upper ahobilam sannidhi and thence to keezh ahobilam,paying our obeisance on the way to Sri Karanji Nrsimha(with a bow and arrow in his thirukkai). After the welcome thatheyaraadhanam at the ahobila mutt,and after a short rest,we go on to the
shrines of Sri Yogananda Nrismha(the prachina murthi,slightly damaged and no longer having thiruvaaradhanam ,but nonetheless sevyam)and Sri Chhathravata Nrismha,again a magnificent  divya roopam which brings to our minds the desika srisookthi “sataapatala bheeshane sarabhaattahasodhbhate/sphurathkrudhi parisputa bhrukutikepi vakthre krithe”.

     After witnessing the alankaara navaraathri thirumanjanam of sri prahlaada varada,it is time for us to leave for cudappah ,where the organizers,in the true tradition of the sri matam,arrange for dhadhyonnam
before entraining for chennai. Incidentally,the renovated sri ahobila matam is spacious  convenient and the aaradhakar very hospitable.

   Another comfortable journey and we are back in chennai at 6 am,with the resoulution to be of  yethkinchit assistance to the Swaati group,physically,financially or otherwise,and to join them as often as possible in the mangalaasasanam of the Ahobilesaas.

  -dasan,sadagopan.
Nanganallur,Chennai.



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