My tour to Polavaram, Annavaram etc.

Sai Ram. I am sharing my experiences in the month of October 2008, when I visited Polavaram, Pithapuram etc., in the company of three friends.

 

8^th October 2008

 

We (myself, my friend Paritala Gopi Krishna from ILO, New Delhi, Kotamraju Srinivas, a great Sai devotee and Gopi Krishna’s nephew – sorry for not remembering his name) left Hyderabad by APSRTC bus to Vijayawada. I went by public transport (City bus run by APSRTC) to Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station, Imlibun. It started raining and I had to walk a few yards in that rain. I got drenched but did not mind. The other three came by an auto and were getting late. The bus driver and conductor of the Vijayawada bus were gracious enough to wait since they also knew the problems of Hyderabad traffic and esp. since the seats were already reserved. The nephew of Gopi Krishna, an young man who is in his final year of engineering degree did not have a reservation. But the friendly conductor and driver agreed to let him board if he is willing to adjust and sit somewhere and if needed, behind the driver’s seat (on full payment of course). It was a peak season for travels because of the many holidays for Vijayadasami (Dusserah).

 

Well, any way we were on our way and the nephew got a seat after all, and that too near us only because of a no-show by some one else. We stopped at some Dhaba (road side restaurant) near Suryapet. We did not fancy the food being served inside, esp. as all of us are strict vegetarians. We had some fruits and biscuits with us, which we shared. We reached Vijayawada around midnight and took an auto to go to the house of Shri Appalaraju, a friend of Gopi Krishna. He gave us reed mats to spread out and sleep on the second floor of his house. The stair case was very narrow and it was difficult to negotiate. But we had a good sleep and in the morning finished our ablutions.

 

9^th October 2008

 

He gave us tea and he also arranged for a taxi (cab) to take us on our travels. We had good breakfast in a tiffin center (a self-service breakfast centre) near his house and set off. We reached Polavaram and went to the house of a man, popularly called as Babu garu. He is a householder and has set up a sort of temple in the first floor of his house. It was 9^th October and Vijayadasami as per the lunar calendar. There was a puja in his temple to Sri Lalitha / Durga, the Divine Mother. Then there was a mini homam followed by Purna Ahuti (Sacrificial offering to the Fire). I was not getting impressed by his looks or learning etc., but kept silent and was praying to my Guru Sai, whose idol was also there and of course, I paid my respects to the idols and photos of various Gods and Goddesses there (Dattatreya + Venkateswara in one idol, an interesting sight), Durga etc. Then suddenly, I sort of heard the inner voice (probably prompted by Guru) asking me to feel His presence every where and be open (stop being hyper critical). Immediately, I relaxed and then found that the man was quite sincere after all. I bowed to the Guru in him.

 

We were requested to take ‘Prasadam’ (lunch) and we accepted. I could not eat most of the items that they served because of my GERD, but could take some sweet, some dal (lentils) with rice and butter milk.

 

After lunch, we took his leave and left to Samalkot, where the temple of Kumara Arama (Siva), one of the Pancha Aramas (5 main Siva temples) of Andhra Pradesh is located. It is a rather old temple and we had good darshan. We then proceeded to Drakshaaramam and had darshan of Siva and Manikeshwari there. Drakshaaramam is famous as a Siva Aramam and also as a Shaktisthal or Shakti Peetham, one of the 18 main temples of Goddess Sati.

 

After that, we reached Kakinada, were met at a Restaurant by Shri Raju a friend of Gopi Krishna and after dinner were provided with accommodation for the night in his house. We also met Sri Sasidhar, a technocrat who gave up his job in the IT sector and who studied Sanskrit and Vedas etc. and who agreed to meet us at Sri Raju’s house. We also met another friend and his wife who were friends of Gopi Krishna in Delhi and who now settled down in Kakinada.

 

10^th October 2008

 

We were served nice coffee (Gopi Krishna does not take coffee, but the others including me took) and were served hot IDLI by the wonderful lady of the house (unfortunately I did not get her name). We had nice satsang with Sri Sasidhar for a couple of hours. We tool leave of them and started off for Pithapuram, which is a few miles away.

 

Once we reached Pithapuram, we visited the temple of Kukkuteswara Swamy (Siva), Puruhootika Devi (Shakti) and Dattatreya (the Combined aspect of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva). We also went to the new temple for Dattatreya, Who took birth as Sripada Sri Vallabha in Pithapuram a few hundreds of years earlier. Near that temple, we met Sri Nirgun Baba (Gopal Baba), a holy man whom Gopi Krishna wanted to meet. We spent a few minutes there. We could not visit the Kunti Madhava Swamy Temple and another Datta temple built by the devotees of Sri Ganapathi Satchidananda Swamy of Mysore Datta Peetham in Pithapuram.

 

We left Pithapuram and reached Annavaram, the famous abode of Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy, an aspect of Vishnu. Satya means Truth. Narayana and Vishnu refer to the all pervading eternal God, Who is Truth. It is a very famous temple of Andhra Pradesh and there was heavy crowd. Thanks to an acquaintance of Gopi Krishna, we got VIP darshan and could come out in quick time. I was feeling a little guilty at this VIP treatment since many other devotees were waiting for hours, but that is God’s will. I too used to wait like that in some temples at other times. We also visited the temple of Siva, Sri Rama etc. in the same complex.

 

We left that place and drove back to Vijayawada and reached the city by evening. Another friend of Gopi Krishna was waiting for him and we (myself, Gopi Krishna and that man) went to his house to visit his ailing wife. Spent some time there and we (Gopi Krishna and myself) returned to the house of Sri Appalaraju.

 

11^th October 2008

 

Myself and the other friend Kotamraju Srinivas were debating and decided that we will finish breakfast and go to the Bus Station at Vijayawada as our attempts to get train reservations did not succeed due to the holiday rush. Gopikrishna and his nephew were to get down at Warangal and hence decided to take their chances in the Inter City Express between Guntur and Secunderabad in the evening. My friend Gopi Krishna had some other work – he had to meet a Swamiji  of Bihar School of Yoga, Vijayawada branch and then inspect a land for sale along with him and a few friends with the future plans of setting up an Ashram in future. He also wanted to visit a Siva temple and the Kanaka Durga temple, which is of course the main temple of Vijayawada (Vijaya Watika). We (myself and Srinivas) were in a dilemma since we were worried about the prospect of standing in the crowded train till Secunderabad. We decided, albeit reluctantly to take leave of Gopi Krishna in the morning itself and go to the Bus Station, where the prospects of our getting a bus were much better. Thinking all these things, we went to have our breakfast. Now the whole drama or fun started.

 

As we were returning, again a voice started in the mind (yes, you are thinking I am eccentric and you are right!). The Mother (Kanaka Durga, the presiding Deity of Vijayawada) was asking me: Having come this far, will you go without seeing me? And the voice was insistent and I was reduced to tears at the love of the Divine Mother. I composed myself and asked my friend Srinivas whether he had any urgent work at Secunderabad / Hyderabad (twin cities) and if not, whether we can go even late in the night so that we will reach Hyderabad in the morning of next day at the latest. He agreed since he did not have any such urgent mission at Hyderabad that evening.

 

So, we revised our plans and told Gopi Krishna that we were joining him. He too was very happy esp. when I told him about my experience (voices in the head). A friend of his brought a SUV and we went in that to the Ashram of Swamiji (Jnana Chaitanya ji) and picked him up. Together we went to the Siva Kshetram, a few kilometers further on the road to Amaravati. The land was also adjacent to the temple and we found the area very peaceful. We went to the temple and we found the vibrations very soothing and very powerful esp. in one particular place. We dropped the Swamiji at his Ashram and he asked us to have the darshan of Kanaka Durga and come back for lunch at his place. We returned to Vijayawada and got down at the Prakasam Barrage as the owner of that vehicle had urgent personal work.

 

Though there was heavy rush at the temple and our vehicles were not being allowed up the hill, we managed to go up in a vehicle kindly arranged by the temple administration thanks to a cousin of Gopi Krishna pulling a few strings (The Divine Mother was actually arranging all this as you will see in a while). When we went to the hill top, the temple was closed because the Hundi (offer boxes) were opened and the cash and coins etc. were being counted and recorded (the temple is administered by the endowments department and the money is properly accounted). So, we had to wait and as it was hot and humid, I was getting dehydrated due to excessive sweating and was getting weakened and was getting cramps. The Divine Mother knew of course my plight and kindly arranged for us to sit in a place under a fan and  where Vedic Chants are carried out thus ensuring that we get proper rest and the vibrations will heal me.

 

After a few minutes, we got a wonderful darshan of the Goddess from very close distance and we were thrilled. I was really touched by the kindness of the Goddess. We came down the hill and took an auto and went to the ashram of Swamiji. A simple lunch was arranged and though I could not eat many of the items I had enough to fill my stomach. We took leave of the Swamiji and went to the house of Shri Appalaraju and took leave of his family members (he was having his siesta). We went to the railway station and were waiting the arrival of the train from Guntur. As already mentioned, there is no reservation and we have to take our chances. The platform was heavily crowded and we were wondering whether we will be able to board the train, let along get seats. However, after the temple visit, my faith in the Mother was renewed so much that I made a bold statement that the same Mother who gave us such a wonderful darshan in that crowd will also ensure that we get seats in the crowded train!

 

The train came and we boarded but did not find any empty seats in that bogie. Since the train is vestibuled, we started going into the next carriage through the train and in the third or fourth bogie, we did get seats! Thus the mother fulfilled Her mission. I was reminded of the experience of Paramahamsa Yogananda when he was young at Brindavan (read Autobiography of a Yogi by Shri Paramahamsa Yogananda).

 

Gopi Krishna and his nephew got down at Warangal and myself and Srinivas reached Secunderabad / Hyderabad safely. We parted at the railway station with the happy experiences.

 

It was a very satisfying pilgrimage and I felt blessed that the Guru was with me and was guiding me. Sai Ram.

My pilgrimage to Bhadrachalam

Sai Ram. At the request of a friend, I am sharing with the readers my experiences of a recent pilgrimage to Bhadrachalam. If you feel it is rather long, my apologies but I want you to get a feel of the whole tour. Sai Ram. 

15th November 2008

We (myself, my wife Sarala, my friend Arjun, his wife Shobha Rani and his brother Nageshwara Rao) set off in my friend’s Ford Fiesta. We left his house in Old Bowenpally area of Secunderabad around 8:30 AM.  My friend, who is 62, was driving. Though I used to drive a car earlier, I gave up driving around 6 or 7 years ago. Though I took the wheel of his car for a few minutes a couple of years ago, in general we were either going by his car with himself or his son or a driver at the wheel and if there were more people, we were borrowing a bigger vehicle or hiring or traveling by train. Thus, though he is about 2 years elder to me, he had to drive the total distance in this case too.

 

Bhadrachalam is about 325 kilometers (200+ miles) from Hyderabad/Secunderabad. One can go by road as we did or take a train and get down at Bhadrachalam Road railway station and travel by road about 35 km (22 miles). The best route to take by road is this:

 

Hyderabad – Suryapet – Khammam – Kothagudem – Paloncha – Bhadrachalam

 

We took the NH9 (National Highway) to Vijayawada. A few kilometers into the journey, we had a flat tyre, but luckily for us, we were still in the outskirts of the city and hence we could get it fixed by a mechanic at a petrol station (gas station for those of you in US). By the way, the vehicle runs on diesel, not petrol. And the National Highway is not all that broad at many places and the traffic is not all that ruly. So, the average speed will be about 50 to 65 kmph (35 or 40 mph!) and the journey was expected to take about 8 to 10 hours. We left the city by about 9:30 AM.

 

While we carried some eatables and water with us, we still had to stop for a belated breakfast and also to give my friend some rest. So, we were looking for a decent place. We did not find any decent looking restaurant till a little before Suryapet, which is 140 km (90 miles) from Hyderabad. A few kilometers before that town, we found a place, Hotel Vivera, which doubles up as a Udipi Restaurant (Tiffin Section) and after 11:30 AM as a Punjabi Restaurant! There are some roadside Dhabas but the hygiene is somewhat suspect and the dhabas serve mixed fare (vegetarian and non-vegetarian), thus we were not keen on them (we are vegetarians).

 

After having dosa (a batter of rice and lentils sprit was late and nothing else was available) and tea/coffee, we set off again. We stopped again after passing Khammam around 1:30 PM. Oh, yes, we need to take a left turn at Suryapet to go to Khammam and since the road signs are less than perfect and the car is not equipped with a navigation system, we had to ask at a few places by slowing down and or stopping. All these affect your time to reach your destination. That is India for you. Now days, some mobile phones are equipped with Navigation systems and some cars are being fitted with such systems.

 

We stopped by the roadside, put the parking lights (flashers) on and we went into a small field adjacent. We spread out mats (earlier the mats were being made out of reeds, but now plastic is being used) and spread out the fare of rice, puris (wheat pancakes fried in oil). I took only curd rice (rice mixed with curd / yoghurt) since the other rice preparation was spicy and hence not suited for me (I have GERD and cannot take spicy food).

 

We left after a break of half an hour or so at 2:15 PM. We reached Bhadrachalam around 5 PM. We asked my friend’s cousin, who works and stays there to book two rooms for us. So, we phoned him when we reached and he gave us directions to a place (Ravisai Hotel), which is very near the temple. However, we found that the two decent rooms are upstairs and the staircase was not all that friendly. The rooms at the ground floor were not good at all. When we asked him (all over phone, we did not meet him as it turns out) to try some other place, he was expressing some difficulty and asked us to wait. We waited a few minutes and then my friend and his brother set out to find some place on their own. They were successful and hence we went there, which was a big room with a divider wall in between. The room had only one double bed and so others had to sleep on floor! However, on weekends (Saturday and Sunday), the hotels are heavily booked and thus one has to settle for what one can get, unless the rooms are booked in advance.

 

Well, we settled into the room, got freshened up and went to the temple for darshan. It was raining at that time and hence we had to use an autorickshaw (a three wheeled motorized contraption with a top but the sides are open. And we had to adjust three in the rear and three in the front, including the driver, which is illegal, but these things are common in many places. We got somewhat drenched, which was good but because we did not take bath, which is the normal custom when we visit a temple (purification of the body is the first step in the long and arduous journey for purification of the mind and in a hot country like India, it is physically soothing and relaxing). In this case, we felt that the God is cleansing us with rain water and thus felt happy. We had to buy the ticket for darshan since the que for free darshan was a little more. We paid ten rupees each (about 20 cents in US currency) and we were happier when we realized that we were a few feet closer to the inner temple that way. We also found that if we buy ticket for 100 rupees a couple will be allowed and a short puja will also be done, and thus we get closer still to the inner temple, which is beyond bounds to us because we are not in the traditional dress and we are not considered pure enough to touch the idols of Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana etc. Any way, we were happy to get this darshan and after a few minutes (due to the rain, the crowd was somewhat less it appeared), we were ushered out. We took the teertham (sacred water) etc., and then went around the temple. There is a separate temple within the same compound to Goddess Lakshmi, the Divine Consort of Sri Vishnu, of whom Sri Rama was an Avatar, an incarnation. We went there and also to the museum where the ornaments that were prepared about 400 years ago by Sri Bhakta Ramadasu, the Tehsildar of that area, who was a great devotee of Sri Rama and who was imprisoned by Tanisha, the Muslim ruler of Golconda, under whose jurisdiction that area fell at that time. When Sri Ramadasu could not pay the money spent for the renovation of the temple, it is said that Sri Rama and Sri Lakshmana went in disguise to the Tanisha and paid the money and got the devotee released.

 

We also visited the other Gods and Goddesses and Alwars (Sri Vaishnava Saints) in the temple complex and returned to the hotel room. We finished dinner and went to sleep.

16th November 2008

We left early in the morning by the car to Kunavaram and from there to Ramagiri, where a temple of Sri Rama is located atop a small hillock. But we did not visit that temple due to lack of time and went to the motorized launches which can accommodate about 100 people. Our program for that day was to take the boat ride in the river Godavari upto Papi Kondalu, a group of hills about 40 km away. There was a stop in between at a place called Perantalapalli where an Ashram built by a Sadhu (Sri Balananda Swami, a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa) was the place to be visited. A few yards away from the river bank, up a slippery slope, we went and got refreshed by washing our feet and hands from the sparkling clear water from a brook that is perennial. The water was very sweet because of its passing over several rocks. The atmosphere inside and outside the Ashram is very serene. I sat down in the Siva Temple of the Ashram for a few minutes of meditation and my usually restless mind felt very peaceful there and I felt a lot of energy going through the body, esp. the upper half into the hands and palms.

 

From that place, the launch took us a few more miles and then stopped at a place, where lunch was served. Rice, a few curries etc. and a sweet (pasta) were the main items and I had to stick to that sweet, plain rice and curd. Since all the travelers were Indians and that too mostly from Andhra Pradesh, there was no problem with that sort of food. North Indians and foreigners would find it difficult to eat that sort of food, unless they are habituated. It is better to carry your own food and water for the day with you and enjoy the scenic beauty of the river and the hills between which the river flows.

 

After lunch, the launch started back the return journey and reached the starting spot by about 5 PM. It was already getting dark and hence we left back for Bhadrachalam without a visit to the temple there. If we had a younger professional driver, we would have spent a few more hours and visited the temple. Night driving is difficult for my friend because of the glare from the oncoming vehicles and the absence of a road divider.

 

17^th November:

 

As per our original plan, we were scheduled to return to Hyderabad, but we postponed our return journey by a day. We went to the main temple again and got the puja performed by paying the 100 rupees ticket. One advantage is that we were able to see the God from very close quarters and received Harathi, a camphor flame offered to the Deities and then to us as a blessing from them.

 

We then saw another temple for Shri Ganesha and Shri Anjaneya (this particular temple is for Abhaya Anjaneya, Abhaya meaning without fear and He is fearless and He also makes us fearless when we worship Him. This temple is about a kilometer or a mile at the most. From there we went to Parnashala, about 35 km (22 miles) from Bhadrachalam. That place is supposed to be where Sri Rama, Sita and Sri Lakshmana stayed during their Vanavas (stay in forest) and from where Ravana abducted Sri Sita. The whole place was a thick forest in Ramayan time but sadly it is all inhabited now and even that particular place is not afforested. Though I did get some good vibrations there because of my deep faith, at the ego level, that place is disappointing.

 

We returned to Bhadrachalam and had our lunch at a fairly decent restaurant (Bhavani Hotel on the main road near the Bus Station. The hotel has a few rooms also and it may be worthwhile to check it out next time.

 

After lunch we went back to our place of stay and took rest for a while. In the evening, we went to a Siva temple near the Rama Temple and paid our respects to Sri Siva there. The temple was crowded because of the devotees who came to light oil lamps, this being Kartik month as per the lunar calendar and being Monday, a day dear to Sri Siva.

 

From Siva temple, we again went to Sri Rama’s temple and had a darshan again.

 

We left Bhadrachalam on the morning of 18^th November and returned to Hyderabad by about 5 PM in the evening, the return journey taking more time because of heavy traffic in the last 30 or 40 miles.

 

All in all it was a spiritually uplifting pilgrimage. Sri Rama willing, we will go again.     

Swamy