AHOBILAM …AHOO BALAM!!
S Nandhini
Among the 108 Vaishnava
divya desams , Ahobilam is one. It is situated in the Nallamalla forest of
Andhra Pradesh, near Cudappah. Faith has it , that the Nrisimha Avtaram happened here to save Bhakta Prahlada . I also
believe that this avataram of Sriman
Narayan proves that He is Omnipresent and if one calls unto Him with complete Bhakti and dheerga saranagathi
the Lord will appear to save His Bhakta, in the blink of an eye!!!
As the Sloka goes,
Pitruthvaam
anyeshu avichaarya thoornnam
Sthambae
avathaarastham ananya labhyam
Lakshmi
nrisimham sharanam prabhdhyae!!!
Visiting this divya
desam is a challenging one because most
of the Nine sannidhis
of Sri Nrisimha swamy is situated in the Vedadri and Garudaadri hills.
Accessibility to Four of them that comprise the lower Ahobilam is possible by jeep through hilly terrain,
rocky, bumpy and dusty roads. The remaining Five are in upper Ahobilam.
Accessibility to these Five sannidhis
in
Upper Ahobilam is possible, (with the grace and blessing Sri Nrisimha swamy )
only by foot.
With God given feet, a
bamboo staff to serve as additional support during the physically exacting climb,
(especially if you are above 50 years) His nama on
your lips and prayers in your heart will alone make the darshan possible.
Sharing below our
experiences of the visit to this punya kshetram
DAY 1 : 27th Dec 2019 from
2.00 PM
I. SRI PAVANA NRISIMHA
SWAMY (PLANET – BUDHAN)
The access to this temple is by a 45 minutes jeep drive on a
boulder ridden , muddy track through the bamboo forest. The Lord is seen seated
in Suka Aasan here , under the umbrella of the Seven hooded Adhishesha
embracing Sri Chenju Lakshmi Ammavaru on his left , while the right hand shows
the abaya hastam.
After the samhara of
Hiranya kasipu, Sri Nrisimha swamy, happened to meet the tribal beauty who
alone was able to look at the Lion faced Lord without any fear. The Lord
marries her much to the happiness of the Chenju Tribes who were the inhabitants
of that area.
II . SRI CHATRAVATA
NRISIMHA SWAMY (PLANET- KETHU)
This is our next
stop after a quick and fairly easy drive
in the jeep . The largest of the Sri Nrisimha swamy moorthys , the Lord is seen
seated here under the umbrella of the Banyan tree( hence the name chatravata)With
the sankha and chakra in two hands, the other right hand in abayahastha mudra
and the other left hand is shown keeping
the thala. (rhythm)
After the samhara of Hiranyakasipu, two gandharvas “AAhaa”
and “oohoo” attempted to please the Lord with their musical rendition. They are
seen as the two dwarapalakas at the entrance of the sannidhis.
III.SRI YOGANANDA
NRISIMHA SWAMY (PLANET – SANI)
This is our next stop
after a short drive. The Lord is seen seated here in Yoga mudra posture facing
south. It is believed that the Lord gave lessons on Rajya paripalanam here to
Bhakta Prahalada.
IV.SRI BHARGAVA
NRISIMHA SWAMY (PLANET -SOORYAN)
After a short drive, on
fairly good roads, we reach this sannidhi. It is situated on the top of a small
hillock which we reached after a small trek though uneven path followed, by a
climb of about 130 steps. It is believed that Sage Parasurama during his visit
here wanted to see the Lord. In response to his request the Lord appeared and
showed to Parasurama his all the Ten
avatars.
The Lord here is seen seated
with Hiranyakasipu thrown down on his
leg, disemboweled. The moorty here was taken away for Balalayam and hence we were
only able to see the framed picture. As we descend the steps, there is a square
pond on the right side called Bhargava theertham or Akshaya theertham which has
never run dry.
PRAHALADHA VARADHAR –
SRI LAKSHMI NRISIMHA SWAMY
Thus ,by about 6.30 pm ,were
were able have darshan of the Four
sannidhi and reached our place of stay . After a short break, we
proceeded to visit the Prahalada varadar Temple. Here Sri Lakshmi Nrisimha
swamy is seen as santha swaroopi, with his consort Ma Lakshmi seated on his left thigh, His hand
embracing her.
It is believed that Tirupathi Venkatachalapathy visited this
place before His wedding to Padmavathy ammavaru. The temple has beautifully
carved pillars and temple gopuram. There is also the dwajasthambam and a
Jeyasthambam which has been erected by Kings who defended the temple
successfully from the attacks of those belonging
to other faiths.
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With a fulfilled heart,
and a physically exhausted body and an untiring spirit we reached our place of
stay and crashed into our bed….and sank into sleep!!!
DAY
2; 28 DEC 2019.
The day dawned with the
chirping of the birds and the margazhi chill wafting into our rooms. When on
such pilgrimages , sudden new opportunities present themselves which kind of
reiterates one’s faith and I believe it
God’s own way of telling me, “ I AM HERE FOR YOU”.
Yes, one such opportunity presented itself
when we got to participate in the Vishwaroopa Darshan of Prahlada Vardar Sri
Lakshmi Nrisimhar form 4 .00 am to 5.30 am.
An hour and a half of reciting
hymns from naalayira divya prabandham…thiruppavai
melts one’s heart ..transports one to a very different plane of existence, to
say the least. The heart is overwhelmed … tears start rolling down. Prayers
freeze as words cease to be spoken” You
know it all Mahaprabhu”.
After quick and a good homely breakfast of hot
idlis , Pongal and crispy vadas we start our journey to the foot hills of the
Garudaadri hills to begin our trek to Upper Ahobilam. WE begin our ascent
chanting the sloka
Ugram veeram mahavishnum
Jwalanthm sava tho muham
Nrisimham bheeshanam badhram
Mrithyuur mrithyur namaam
yaham.
V SRI AHOBILA NRISIMHA
SWAMY (PLANET -GURU)
After climbing about 60
to 70 steps , we reach this sannidhi. The Lord(ugra moorthy) here is swayambu
Moorthy and is seen seated inside a cave. After the samhara of Hiranyakasipu,
the Lord appeared here to give darshan to the Devas and Garuda. Seated opposite
to him is Bhakta Prahalada.
It is believed that
Lord Rama visited this place during his search for Ma Sita. A Siva Linga is
also seen here close to which one can see the Moorthy of Sri Rama.
Shri Adi shankara is
said to have regained both his arms
which he had lost to Kaabaligar and composed the Lakshmi Nrisimha Karavalamba
stotram, which has the refrain “ mama dehi karavalambam”.
Yes His hands alone can
guide us through this samsara saagaraa!! Adi sankara also installed the Sudharshana chakra here,
which one gets to worship. Close by is the sannidhi of Sri. Chenju Lakshmi ammavru seated in Padmasana.
Just outside the
sannidhi , there is a small circular
area that is cordoned off by chains and small wooden pillars. It is believed to
be the sealed entrance to an underground
cave. In 1513, the 6th Jeeyar of Sri Ahobila Mutt, SRI JESTA
PARANGUSA YATHEENDRA MAHA DESIKAR, one day descended into this very cave to offer his daily pooja and never returned after doing so.
A place steeped in such
profound beliefs, leaves you feeling inept
to comprehend the greatness of the Almighty.
Emerging from the
temple, we were welcomed with our guide
Sri Bala , who was seen standing with well dried and sturdy bamboo staffs in his hands. We are handed
over one each and now we are all set to trek up the hills to the remaining Four
sannidhis . Some how even at this moment there was not a single thought in my
mind, “ will I be able to do it..how am I going to climb??”. Just took the
staff and started the trek chanting His
holy name
As we begin our trek,
we pass by a 100 pillared hall the
Kalakshepa Mandapam, where spiritual discourses were held by the Jeeyars of
Ahobila mutt. After a trek of about 40 mins through boulder and pebble
strewn winding non existent narrow path,
amidst the running streams and puddles of cool water, we reach the next
sannidhi.
VI.
SRI MAALOLA NRISIMHA SWAMY( PLANET SUKRAN)
(
Maa- sri lakshmi; lolan – fond of, priyan)
After the samhara of
Hiranyakasipu, Sri Narisimha swamy is seen seated with Maa Lakshmi on His left
thigh , sporting the sanghu and chakra in two hands. With the other left he embraces the goddess Lakshmi and the
right hand showing the abhaya hastham. He is seated in suka aasan left leg
folded and the right leg hanging down, as Sowmya roopan.The Lord and Maa
Lakshmi is seated on Garuda , who in turn is seen seated on Koorma , the
tortoise.
The Utsava Moorthy of Maalola Nrisimha swamy travels along with
the sri Ahobila Mutt Jeeyar and
Thiruvaaradhanam is performed every day.
We sat down and recited
the Lakshmi Ashtotharam and Vishnu Sahasranamam at the Perumal sannidhi. At
every stop , the heart overflowed with gratitude, and the lachrymal glands chose to express
them as tears!!!
PRAHALADA PADASALA:
There is path leading
from Sri Maalaola Nrisimha swamy sannidhi to PRAHALADA PADASALA. The distance
is about 300 meters from here…but the climb to a small cave is quite steep and
tricky , with narrow steps and takes about 40 minutes.
There is a plateau of
bare flat rocks at the entrance to the cave, where Prahalada is believed to
have spent time with his class mates reciting the holy name of Sriman Narayana.
Crawling on all our
fours, we enter the cave and find ourselves seated inside, bathed in light by a
single oil lit lamp.
Here we are able to see the Moorthy of Sri
Nrisimha swamy and Prahalad is seated to his right receiving his akshara
abhyasa. This is the place. where Bhakta Prahalada had his schooling done.
VII. SRI JWALA NRISIMHA
SWAMY( PLANET- SEVVAI)
The climb continues.
The trek to Jwala Nrisimha swamy is the most difficult, physically
demanding and exhausting one. The path
progressively gets tougher, narrower and precarious- with the hill on one side
and a sheer drop of many hundreds of feet
on the other. At certain places you have crudely constructed steps,
without railings though. Your focus needs to be on the steps, one at a time, which at certain
places you have to ascend ..and in some places descend.
There were certain
places , where the thought of giving up, flashed, though momentarily within me . Again chanting the
sloka, helped me dig deep into my resolve and with the voice of my best friend
Guhan calling out “ Nandhuma, come… say it ..ugram veeram..” pushed me to take
the next step.
There was a small stretch where, a wooden bridge was under repair.
We stopped here to have a small break and we were able to see a man selling
Kuchi ice cream..the only refreshment available.!! Our hands reached out for
one and it seemed to be just the thing
our parched mouths and throats were waiting for.!!
The spirits rejuvenated, we
continue the ascent on the final stretch…and at last we are able to see the
Jwala Nrisimha sannidhi inside the cave. The last few 100 steps were wet and
cool with the water from the Bhavanasini river trickling down above our heads
as a fine drizzle…Lo Behold!!..there we are at the entrance of the cave carved
out of a huge boulder…the entire cave is lit by the light of a single oil lamp and you are able to see Five
moorthys here.
Right in the middle is
the Moorthy of Sri Jwala Nrisimha swamy, left leg folded and right leg hanging
down. He is seen here as ashta bhuja dhaari ( eight hands,) with Hiranyakasipu
laid on his lap.
2
hands hold the sankha and chakra
2
hands tearing into the abdomen of Hiranyakasipu
1
hand holding down his head and 1 holding
down his legs
2
hands disemboweling Hiranyakasipu…
Seated
at the feet of the Lord is Bala Bhakta
Prahalada
To the left of this
Moorthy is the Moorthy of Nrisimha swamy
emerging from the broken pillar with the lion face.
To the right of Jwala
nrisimha Moorthy , is another Moorthy which shows Nrisimha swamy engaged in a
hand locked battle with Hiranyakasipu.
To the left of this
Moorthy is the idol of Sri Sukracharya, the guru of the asuras, witnessing the avataram unfold, in utter disbelief . Next to the idol of
Sukracharya, watching the events unfolding helplessly , is Garuda.
The Priest here performed
the archana on our request and the arthi, narrating the significance of all the moorthys. Then , when we least expected it… the
priest proceeded to sprinkle upon us a liberal dose of holy water, which is the best blessing one
could ask for.
This was it….an overwhelming moment when you feel so
insignificant in the presence of a divine power… that you are but a small speck
in His infinite creation and it is only because of His Grace alone you are
where you are..at the very moment!!! I broke out into an uncontrollable
sob..tears ..tears..tears..were all that I had to offer!!!
As we exit the cave ,
very close to the entrance is the Raktha kund , where it is believed that Sri
Nrisimha swamy washed his hands after the samhara of Hiranyakasipu. The water from the kund is absolutely
refreshing to drink.
UGRA STHAMBAM:
On our way down,
immediately to the left there is a rugged climb that leads to the
UGRA STHAMBAN where the Lord is believed to have appeared first from the
pillar.. The climb is nearly 80 degrees steep and takes at least an hour and
half for seasoned climbers/trekkers, with the small rocks on the hill side as
steps. We could see the saffron flags atop fluttering in the breeze. With
folded hands we paid our obeisance and uttered a prayer to Sri Nrisimha. We now
retrace our trek down wards and reach
the next sannidhi.
VIII
.SRI VARAAHA NARISIMHA SWAMY
(KRODA
NRISIMHA SWAMY; PLANET RAGU)
On the banks of the
Bhavanasini river , within the cave, the Lord appears as two moorthys
One as the wild boar,
Sri Varaaha swamy with Maa bhoomadevi holding on to His tusk as He rescues her
from Hiranyakshan (brother of Hiranyakasipu).
The other is that of Sri Nrisimha
swamy with Maa Lakshmi seated on His Lap, after the samhara of Hiranyakasipu (
father of Bhakta Prahalada ) These two avtars of Sriman Narayana happened in
the Kruta Yuga.
The Priest here
narrated the significance and once again , sprinkled on us the holy water which revitalized the body,
mind and soul!!! He specifically mentioned that a visit to this place bestows
one with protection from enemies and success in all endeavors.
IX
. SRI KARANJA NRISIMHA SWAMY
(KARANJA-
PONGAMIA TREE)(PLANET- CHANDRAN)
Located very near the
entry point of the upper Ahobilam , beside the road, this Nrisimha swamy
sannidhi is the most easily accessible
one. Here, one is able to see Sri Nrisimha swamy seated under the shade
of the Pongamia tree (karungaali maram)
holding the chakra in the right
hand and a bow and arrow in the left hand. Bhakta Hanuman is also seen
in a sannidhi here.
It is believed
that Bhakta Hanuman sat here , under the
Pongamia tree , chanting Raama naama. Pleased with his penance, Lord Nrisimha
appeared before Hanuman.
Hanuman questioned “
Who are You? I was calling upon My Lord
Sri Raama who has a beautiful countenance and holds the bow and arrow in
His hands. He does not scare people with a Lion face , sporting long nails,
like your do.”
Lord Nrisimha replied,”
Bhakta Hanuman, Raama and I are but the
avatars of the same Sriman Narayana. I appreciate your Raama Bhakti and I will
re-appear, before you holding the bow and arrow”.
And so the Moorthy here is
seen holding the bow and arrow in the left hand and a chakra in the right hand.
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deep sense of
gratitude, joy( not happiness) filled our hearts and mind and I uttered
countless number of thanks to the lord for making all this happen. With a totally exhausted physical body, a
completely rejuvenated spirit , with renewed hope and revitalized faith, the pilgrimage to the divya Kshetram
of Aobilam – The hills of Nava Nrisimha drew to a close.
All through this pilgrimage , we , Guhan and I were blessed
to be in the company of Smt Sujatha and Sri Rangarajan, from Delhi and Smt
Malathy and Sri Ramesh from Ambattur and
we were blessed to be able to bond with one another into a well knit
group.
The Skeptic once asked
“ Show me, where is God?”. The Believer replied, “ Show me ,where he is not”
To the skeptic this may
be a narrative of a trekking experience but to the Believer this is a journey
of Faith, for “We Walk Not By Sight… But
By Faith”
Ahobilae, garuda saila
madhyae
Krupavasth kalpitha
sannidhaanam
Lakshmiya samaalingitha
vaama baagam
Lakshmi nrisimha charanam
prabhadyae!!!
Jai nrisimha
Sarvam krishnarpanam.
