Bruce and his code for Tirupathi

Who has not heard of Robert Bruce, the hero of Scotland. Born Robert I (1274-1329), he is more widely known as Robert the Bruce, the King of Scotand, from 1306 to 1329. He fought successfully during his reign to regain Scotland’s place as an independent nation, and is today remembered in Scotland as a national hero. However, there is one more Bruce and he is closely connected to the East India Company and British India. A British civil officer, this Bruce had a hand in drafting the first set of administrative rules for the Srinivasa or Venkataramana Temple in Tirumala. Unfortunately, he remains relatively unknown and even today mention Bruce and the majority of people link him to the heroic Scot King.

The Indian Bruce, as we will call him here, formulated a set of rules which came to be known as  Bruce's Code. This code, which operated for several years, is a set of rules for the management and administration of temples of  Tirumala and Tirupathi and it was enacted by the East India Company way back in 1821.

Bruce was the District Commissioner of Chitooor under which Tirupathi-Tirumala came. He drafted a set of  42 rules to ease the administration of temples. These rules were drawn from the existing customs and traditions practiced in the temple and  they did not interfere in the day-to-day affairs of the temples.

The British found themselves the masters of  South India after they killed Tipu Sultan in the fourth and final Anglo-Mysore War of 1799. Except for the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Marathas, there was no other major power in south India.  The British found themselves ruling over a fairly large part of south India, including the province of Tirumala-Tirupathi.

The vast wealth of the temple and its huge income was a major attraction to the East India Company. The company decided to take over the management of the temple and Bruce, the then district commissioner, framed the rules. The main objective of the Bruce Code, as it came to be called, was to generate fixed revenue to the company and also to prevent misappropriation and mismanagement of temple funds. The rules or the Bruce Code were in force till 1842-1843 when Queen Victoria of England stripped the company of all powers to administer Hindu temples.

The Srinivasa Temple, till then, had been generously endowed with and funded by scores of Hindu Kingdoms, including the Pallavas, Cholas, Hoysalas and Vijayanagars. After the Vijayanagar Empire disappeared in the mid 17^th century (1665), the area of Thondaimandalam came under Muslim rulers including Golconda. When the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb, extinguished Golconda in 1687, Tirupathi-Tirumala came under the Mughals. It was in 1710 that Thondaimandalama became a separate Kingdom and Sadatullah Khan became its first Nawab. In 1748, the Nawab of Arcot first assigned the revenue of the Tirupathi temple to the East India Company. In 1782, Hyder Ali of Mysore, captured the region but he did not interfere with the administration of the temple. In 1801, the East India Company took over the administration of the temple from the Nawab of Arcot.

In 1803, Bruce, the then Collector of  Chitoor, sent a report to the board of revenues of the East India Company showing the full account of the institution, along with details of pujas, expenses, and extent of lands. This report was known as Statton’s Report on the Tirupati Pagoda. These reports formed the basis on which the company controlled the temple till 1821. The report was accepted and the code was prepared on July 25, 1821 and it was in force for a little over two decades.

The Bruce Code makes for fascinating reading. It states that food offering were made to the deity six times a day. To pay for this, erstwhile rules had donated the revenues of 432 villages surrounding Tirupathi to the temple. When the temple came under the Sultans, the Nawab of Arcot and finally the Company, the offerings were reduced to three times a day-morning, noon and night.     

Between 1805-16, there were many instances and complaints about misappropriation and mismanagement of  temple funds and when they were brought to the notice of board, the East India Company passed Regulation VII of 1817 to check such buses. Through the regulation provided only superintendence and not management, the board interfered in almost all aspects of the administration.

Such interference in the Tirupathi temple continued till the Court of Directors in England strongly resented the participation of the Company in idolatry and ordered its relinquishment of their administration of religious endowments. This order was signed by Queen Victoria in 1842-43 when the administration of the temple was transferred to the Hathiramji Mutt, Tirupati. It was only in 1932 that the TTD was formed to administer the temple.

Budgeting Venkateshwara

Very few institutions apart from Governments and undertakings like the Indian Railways present budgets every year. Every year, the regular budget in India is receded by the Railway Budget. However, there is another institution in India whose budget is awaited as eagerly as the Union Budget and the Railway Budget and this is the budget of the famous Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), which manages the Lord Venkateswara or Srinivasa temple in Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh.

The TTD budget is generally regarded as the largest religious budget in India and one of the largest on the world.

The TTD, a month ago, approved a Rs.2,401 crore budget for 2014-15. This is an increase of over six percent compared to 2013-14 budget of Rs.2,248 crore.
It has budgeted a massive Rs.900 crore as offerings by devotees in the “hundi” or offering box. This is as against Rs. 859 crores it had targeted under this head last year. Apart from this amount, it is targetting Rs.655 crore as interest on its money and other valuables deposited in national banks (Last year, it was Rs. 555 crores).
Another massive and rather regular revenue earner for the TTD is  human hair. Thousands of devotees offer hair to the Lord every day and the “hairaising” sale is expected to fetch Rs.220 crore. This is as against Rs.200 crore that the TTD earned last year.

It also stands to gain Rs.190 crore though sale of  Darshan tickets, Rs.130 crore through sale of  prasada and Rs.108 crore through rentals of its properties all over India.

The interest on investments deposited by the TTD in national banks is placed at  Rs 555 crore.
Since it is one of the biggest employers in the region, payment of salaries and wages to its 9,000 staff will cost it Rs.400 crore. This is in addition to 7000 employees and twelve other temples it runs in other parts of the country.

Another Rs.155 crore is budgeted as outsourcing expenses. Besides, the TTD has set aside Rs.109 crore for propagation of  Hindu dharma, Rs.88 crore for education and Rs.92 crore for health and sanitation. It has also set aside Rs.52 crore on vigilance and security and Rs.56 crore on hospitals operated by it.

The budget this year and those of the earlier years show that the sacred abode of the “Lord of  Seven Hills’, shows no sign of recession.

The Lord’s abode, it seems, is immune from recession. Year by year, the TTD coffers are getting richer and richer and there is no end to the ever growing queue of  devotees and their offerings.

The budget also shows a rising graph every year and this shows the faith that the people have in the Lord. Is this a lesson that our politicians and bureaucrats can learn.      

The Kulkarni who became a Dasa

He was always a well dressed man and he was a official of the erstwhile Gadwal Kingdom or the Gadhwal Samasthana.

The Samshtahan was once part of  Raichur district and is now part of  Mahabubnagar district of Andhra Pradesh. It was once ruled by Somashekar Ananda Reddy, who was also known as Somanadri.

Gadwal had developed around a fort built by him.

He was born at Darur near Gadwal and he soon entered the service of the royal court as a Kulkarni or official of the accounts department who collected taxes. His father too has served as Kulkarni.

The ruler of Gadwal, Soma Bhupala, was unable to accept the well-dressed youth as a courtier. The Kulkarni was always dressed with a beautiful white dhoti and a shawl  with a peta or head gear on his head. His shining black hair was combed back and around his neck was a necklace made of Pearls and Gold.

The ruler was also jealous of the popularity of  the youth and, hence, he insulted him.

Disgusted with the act of the ruler,  the Kulkarni decided to  end his life. He put his hand in a snake bill or Huttha so that he would be bitten by a snake. However, his hand encountered something solid and when he dug up the mound, he found a beautiful “Anjaneya” which he later realized had been consecrated by Vyasa Raya several centuries ago.

Amazed at the finding, the Kulkarni performed “ugra tapasya” and he was blessed by Vijaya Dasa who gave him the ankita  “Sri Guruvijaya Vithala” in his dream. Since then, the Kulkarni is better  known as Shesha Dasaru or Modakallu Sesha Dasa (1810-1865).

His first composition was on Anjaneya and it goes as follows:

 “ನಂಬಿದೆ ನಿನ್ನ ಪಾದ ಮುಖ್ಯ್ಯ ಪ್ರಾಣ ... ಡಿಂಭದೊಳಗೆ ಹರಿಯ ಬಿಂಬ ಪೊಳ್ಯುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡು..... ಶ್ರೀ ಗುರು ವಿಜಯ ವಿಟ್ಠಲನ ಪಾದಕೆ ಬಾಗಿದ ಭವದೂರ ಜಾಗರ ಮೂರುತಿ ” |

During earlier days, he was running a chatra or guest house for pilgrims visiting Modalakallu. This is the very place where Lord  Srinivasa descended on earth and accepted the “Ugra tapasya” observed by Rudra Devaru.

Shesha Dasaru stayed at Modalakallu for several years and he has composed innumerable songs and devaranamas. He is believed to be an amsha of Arjuna and in many of his compositions, he has narrated his experiences as Arjuna with Lord Krishna.

He says after Arjuna, he took rebirth as Teekacharya or Jayatheerta.

He also wrote a commentary on Sri Harikathamritasara of   Jagannatha Dasa of Manvi. The Srinivasa Temple in Modalakallu is where Srinivasa himself came. Hence, it is called Swyambhu Srinivasa. Sesha Dasaru stayed at the temple and performed pooje regularly.

The Srinivasa Stotra

The Srinivasa Stotra is composed by Vyasa Raja or Vyasa Theertha (1447-1539), one of the most venerable Madhwa sages and the previous avatar of Raghavendra Swamy (1595-1671).

Vyasa Raja first studied under Brahanye Theertha of Abbur and subsequently under Sripadaraja of Mulabagal. Both Bramanye Theertha and Sripasaraja were cousin brothers and it was Bramanye Theertha who identified young Yathiraja as the future star of Madha parampare and took him to his ashrama in Abbur. He then gave him the name Vyasa Theertha.

Vyasa Raja studied at Kanchi and then at Mulabagal in the university of Vedas and Shastras founded by Sripadaraja.

It was Sripadaraja who asked Vyasa Raja to head for Vijayanagar or Hampi and take over as the Raja Guru. Vyasa Raja was the Raja guru for six Emperors of the Vijayanagar dynasty, including Narasimha, Thammarayawhen they ruled from Chandragiri and Saluva Narasimha I and Saluva Narasimha II, Narasa Nayaka, Thuluva Narasimha, Krishnadevaraya and Achyuthadevaraya  from Hampi. He was thus the Raja Guru of Vijayanagar for 54 years (1485 - 1539).

By then, Bramanye Theertha had passed away and Vyasa Raja had succeeded to the Sri Matha in 1476.

Before coming to the court of  the Vijayanagar, Vyasa Raja performed pooje to Srinivasa at Tirupathi for twelve continuous years from 1486 to 1498. He was then stationed in Chandragiri near Tirupathi. He reformed the temple practices and streamlined the administration but he never once imposed the Vaishnava practice. He continued the practices as it had existed.

A great devotee of Srinivasa, he consecrated a temple to this god in Chennapatna and this exists even today just besides the Varadaraja Swamy temple established by Ramanajucharya.

Vyasa Raja has composed several kritis and stotras on Srinivasa and Krishna. If Krishna Nee Begane Baro is his most famous composition on Krishna, this stotra on Srinivasa is equally famous.

The lyrics of the Srinivasa stotra in Kannada and English are as follows:      

ಶ್ರೀ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸಸ್ತೋತ್ರಮ್

ಪ್ರಾತಃ ಸ್ಮರಾಮಿ ರಮಯಾ ಸಹ ವೇಂಕಟೇಶಂ

ಮಂದಸ್ಮಿತಂ ಮುಖಸರೋರುಹಕಾಂತಿರಮ್ಯಮ್ |

ಮಾಣಿಕ್ಯಕಾಂತಿವಿಲಸನ್ಮುಕುಟೋರ್ಧ್ವಪುಂಡ್ರಂ

ಪದ್ಮಾಕ್ಷಲಕ್ಷಮಣಿಕುಂಡಲಮಂಡಿತಾಂಗಮ್ || ೧ ||

ಪ್ರಾತರ್ಭಜಾಮಿ ಕರರಮ್ಯಸುಶಂಖಚಕ್ರಂ

ಭಕ್ತಾಭಯಪ್ರದಕಟಿಸ್ಥಲದತ್ತಪಾಣಿಮ್ |

ಶ್ರೀವತ್ಸಕೌಸ್ತುಭಲಸನ್ಮಣಿಕಾಂಚನಾಢ್ಯಂ

ಪೀತಾಂಬರಂ ಮದನಕೋಟಿಸುಮೋಹನಾಂಗಮ್ || ೨ ||

ಪ್ರಾತರ್ನಮಾಮಿ ಪರಮಾತ್ಮಪದಾರವಿಂದ-

ಮಾನಂದಸಾಂದ್ರನಿಲಯಂ ಮಣಿನೂಪುರಾಢ್ಯಮ್ |

ಏತತ್ ಸಮಸ್ತಜಗತಾಮಿತಿ ದರ್ಶಯಂತಂ

ವೈಕುಂಠಮತ್ರ ಭಜತಾಂ ಕರಪಲ್ಲವೇನ || ೩ ||

ವ್ಯಾಸರಾಜಯತಿಪ್ರೋಕ್ತಂ ಶ್ಲೋಕತ್ರಯಮಿದಂ ಶುಭಮ್ |

ಪ್ರಾತಃಕಾಲೇ ಪಠೇದ್ಯಸ್ತು ಪಾಪೇಭ್ಯೋ ಮುಚ್ಯತೇ ನರಃ ||

|| ಇತಿ ಶ್ರೀವ್ಯಾಸರಾಜಶ್ರೀಚರಣವಿರಚಿತಂ ಶ್ರೀನಿವಾಸಸ್ತೋತ್ರಮ್ ||

The lyrics in English is as follows:

prAtaH smarAmi ramayA saha vEMkaTESaM
maMdasmitaM muKasarOruhakAMtiramyam |
mANikyakAMtivilasanmukuTOrdhvapuMDraM
padmAkShalakShamaNikuMDalamaMDitAMgam || 1 ||

prAtarBajAmi kararamyasuSaMKachakraM
BaktABayapradakaTisthaladattapANim |
SrIvatsakaustuBalasanmaNikAMchanADhyaM
pItAMbaraM madanakOTisumOhanAMgam || 2 ||

prAtarnamAmi paramAtmapadAraviMda-
mAnaMdasAMdranilayaM maNinUpurADhyam |
Etat samastajagatAmiti darSayaMtaM
vaikuMThamatra BajatAM karapallavEna || 3 ||

vyAsarAjayatiprOktaM SlOkatrayamidaM SuBam |
prAtaHkAlE paThEdyastu pApEByO muchyatE naraH ||
|| iti SrIvyAsarAjaSrIcharaNavirachitaM SrInivAsastOtram ||

Vyasa Raja and Purandara Dasa together visited the Apremeya Swamy temple at Dodda Malur on the Bangalore-Mysore Road just a little distance away from Chennapatna.

This temple stands on the banks of the Kanva and legend has it that Rama, Lakshmana and Sita stayed here for some time on their way to Vana Vasa. The idols of Srinivasa here is very beautiful as is the idol of Ambegallu Krishna.

When Purandara Dasa saw the small idol of Krishna, he spontaneously sang “Jagadodarana”. He also composed several songs when he saw the idol of Srinivasa consecrated by Vyasa Raja at Chennapatna.   

The Lord's toe that broke

The ongoing imbroglio over the formation of Telangana has disrupted normal life in Andhra Pradesh. It has also affected tourist and pilgrim flow to and from Andhra Pradesh and Tirumala-Tirupathi is no exception.

The temple town of Tirupathi is renowned for housing the richest temple in the world-now it is the second richest after Guravayoor. This is the temple of Srinivasa, Venkateshwara or Balaji.

The temple is the life and soul of  Indians and any event or happening is not only national but also international news. However, one sad event that occurred at the abode of the Lord of Seven Hills but this has not received adequate attention and perhaps one of the reasons is the Telangana issue.

What happened has left the devotes and the orthodox shocked.  
The left big toe of the revered holy feet of Lord Venkateswara at Srivari Padalu, which is about 7 kilometres from the main temple that houses the deity of Srinivasa, came apart.

TTD officials believe that  breaking of coconuts by devotees could have damaged the toe. A day after the incident came to light, the TTD took up patch work and posted security at the place

The Srivari Padalu is believed to be the very place where Lord Venkateswara first landed from Vaikuntam in search of his abode, which is now the sanctum santorum of the Balaji temple.

It is one of the holiest of the places of worship atop Tirumala and it is here that the feet are worshipped. It is situated a little ahead of the Sila Thoranam or naturally formed geological stone arch at Tirumala.

It is known as the first foot step of the lord which he set on this piece of earth. The foot marks are visible and the direction of the feet points towards the new sanctum sanctorum of the Srinivasa Temple.

The Srivari Padalu is the highest hill top among the seven hills and it offers a spectacular view of  Tirupathi and surroundings of Tirumala. This is Naraynadri or the Hill of Narayana. This is one of the few places where TTD buses or transport do not operate. So, we  have to either walk or take our own transport. You can also walk on the paved stairs to reach this place as there is no other alternative.
There is a tree nearby where people tie threads so that their wishes get fulfilled. Some people leave their visiting cards of business for growth and prosperity.

Photography is allowed here and there are no charges. 

This strike even affects God

The ongoing (disturbed) political situation in Andhra Pradesh seems to have not only led to an upheaval in the lives of  people there but it has also affected the Gods living in the State. Andhra Pradesh is in turmoil and the Samaikyandhra agitation by the people is against the decision of the Congress led UPA Government at the Centre to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh.
Vehicles going to and coming from Tirupathi has come down alarmingly and though there are no major incidents of arson or disturbances, road and rail services have been hit.

This has resulted in a drop in the number of pilgrims visiting Tirupathi. There is today less queue at Tirupathi and the waiting times has slashed considerably. Even free darshan is available without much ado.

Generally, people have to wait anywhere from twelve to fifteen hours for a darshan of Srinaivasa or Balaji. Now, the wait is just a few hours and almost all seves are easily available and all entry posts less crowded.

Rooms and hotels are less crowded in the temple town and tickets for various seves are more easily available. The daily hundi  or offering box collection at the temple has reduced. The hundi collections during the last month was much less than the normal Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.6 crore a day in cash donation.

Nowadays, the hundi collection is anywhere between Rs. 60 lakh to Rs 1 crore. The collection on weekends has also seen a drop and it stands at Rs 1.6 crore to Rs. 2 crore a day and this is a fairly drastic fall from about Rs. 2 crore to Rs.2.5 crore reported or rather counted every day.

The daily offerings of gold, silver and other precious items such as diamonds has also seen a decrease though they are yet to be enumerated. The TTD has a system of  counting the cash collection on a daily basis. The calculation of the non-cash items happens once in three months or at the TTD’s convenience and these include gold, jewellery, diamond and other articles .
One of the main reasons for the drop in arrivals at Tirupathi is the decision of employees of Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation to go on strike against the decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh, which was first announced in July-end. The strike has affected bus services to the temple town and pilgrims and visitor numbers have fallen from 60,000 to 70,000 persons a day to 40,000 a day. In an year, the annual footfalls is anywhere between 2.5 crores to 3 crores.

However, people still continue to visit the pilgrim town as more than 50 per dent of the visitors are those who use private vehicles, mainly cars, tempos and private buses.  

TTD figures show that 60 per cent of the pilgrims who view Srinivasa avail free darshan facility with 16 per cent opting for the Rs 50 Sudarshan token. Pilgrims of Rs 300 Pratyeka Pravesha (special entry) darshan stand third at 13 per cent. Apart from them, there are seven lakh seva ticket holders, 7.5 lakh physically challenged persons and four lakh parents of infants, besides seven lakh VIP Break darshan ticket holders and they constitute the remaining 3 per cent.

All these people have to view the Lord in a day between 19 to 20 hours and on some days it falls to 14 hours on account of special rituals and sevas.
Incidentally, last Friday, Tirupati reverberated with slogans of  Jai Samaikhyandhra as more than 10,000 employees of TTD took out a massive rally. This is the first time in the 80-year-old history of the TTD that 5,000 of its employees went on mass leave and the rest joined in the protests. Besides, students and faculty members of various TTD-run educational institutions also took part in the rally.

However, the TTD has come to the rescue of pilgrims visiting Tirumala. It has pressed into service its own fleet of Dharma Ratham buses to ferry pilgrims from the Tirupati railway station to Alipiri, the foot of Tirumala hills.

When hotels and eateries remained closed for two days during the strike call, the TTD arranged breakfast and lunch for the visitors alighting at the railway station and also at Alipiri. The TTD provided upma, sambar rice and curd rice to 45,000 persons and served milk to 16,000 visitors on Friday last.

Chief Vigilance and Security Officer G.V.G. Ashok Kumar was seen personally serving milk to the devotees who climbed the hill on foot.

The TTD operated 500 trips with the 16 buses between the two points in the city, transporting 35,000 passengers.

However, the strike has not affected Mantralaya as it borders Karnataka and many people go to the temple town from Raichur side.

Srinivasa of Vyasaraja and Ramanuja

This known the world over as the Toy town. Apart from the toys, the silk manufactured here is part of the famous Mysore Silk collection.

Located almost halfway between Bangalore and Mysore, this town sees thousands of vehicles pass by every day. Unfortunately, only a handful deign to stay back here and explore its ancient roots. The vast majority stop at the many famous eateries in and around the town and once finished they head back to either to Mysore or Bangalore.

What many travelers miss seeing is that this is the very place where two of the greatest philosophers stayed back for some time. Both the philosophers have left behind their love and devotion for the same God they worshipped in two different traditions.

While one of the tradition is Madhwa Parampare, the other is Srivaishnava. The philosophers of both the traditions have left behind two temples of the same God-Srinivasa-here and this must one of the few such places in India.

In addition to the two Srinivasa temples, there are scores of temples dedicated to Hanuman and one of them was consecrated by Vyasa Raja, the Madhwa saint.

Thus, the city even today has the two temples where the deities are consecrated by two revered saints of yesteryears-Vyasa Raja of the Madhwa parampare and Ramanujacharya of the Srivaishnava fold.

Both the saints stayed in this town and both of them visited and prayed at the Apremaya Temple in nearby Malur. This is the town of Chennapatna in Ramanagar district.        

Vyasa Theertha or Vyasa Raya was a disciple of Sripadara of Mulabagal. He spent twelve years of his life-1486-1498-devoting himself to the worship of Srinivasa in Tirupati.

While in Tirupathi, he set right the anomalies that had crept into the worship of Srinvasa and streamlined the system. Many of the rituals that he instituted is still followed today.

After he returned from Tirupathi, Vyasa Raja spent time at Abbur near Chennapatna. Though the residents of Abbur and Chennapatna were happy about the return of Vyasa Raja, they had one grouse. They had not been able to make the pilgrimage to Tirupathi to see Srinivasa while Vyasa Raja had been seeing the idol daily for 12 years.

The people took this grievance to Vyasa Raja who too had been feeling a void in his heart at not being able to see Srinivasa. Vyasa Raja then decided to consecrate a temple in the name of Srinivasa so that both the people and he himself would be able to see Srinivasa every day.

He then consecrated an idol of Srinivasa in Channapatna which exists even today. This is in the Kundapura Vyasaraja Matha near the fort in Chennapatna.

This Matha is built in Vijayanagara style. The stone pillars are sculpted with relief structures. Vyasa Raja installed the beautiful idol of  Srinivasa in the Garbagriha. The Srinivasa hears bears remarkable similarity to the idol at Tirupathi.

What makes it important from the Madhwa point of view is that it was consecrated and first worshipped by Vyasa Raja. 

There are two entrances to the hall in the matha- one from north and another from the east. This entrance leads to a hall where we can see the Purandara Mantapa.

There is a beautiful story about the construction of this mantapa. Purandara, who was a disciple of Vyasa Raja and his constant companion, visited Chennapatna and stayed here.

He sang and even composed a few of his favourite bhajans in front of Srinivasa. The residents of Chennapatna and surrounding areas, were enthralled by Purandara’s voice and liberally gave alms and money as Dakshine.

Purandara handed the entire proceeds to Vyasa Raja, saying that it belonged to Srinivasa. He also built the mantapa with his own earnings and a grateful Vyasa Raja named it as Purandara Mantapa.

There is a small carved image of Puranadara and Vijaya Dasa in the mantapa which were carved recently. One of the pillars in this Mantapa has a fine sculpture of Vyasatirtha. The Purandaradasa Aradhane is held here annually.

In front of the main building is a small shrine of Anjaneya. This is one of the 732 Anjaneya shrines consecrated by Vyasa Raja. There is an Anjeneya Temple facing the Vyasaraya Matha.

Another temple dedicated to Srinivasa is better known as the Varadaraja Temple. This is one of the oldest temples in Chennapatna.

The deity here is believed to have been installed by Ramanujacharya who came here from Melkote and spent time at nearby Malur. This is a high structure with a spacious inner Prakara.

Its Garbhagriha is squarish with a tall standing image of Varadaraja (Narayana) in Vijayanagar style. There is an Ardhamantapa leading to a spacious Navaranga having six Vijayanagara pillars containing many relief sculptures on them. Over the Garbhagriha is a Dravidian Shikhara. The niches in the Shikhara are carved with stucco images of Dashavatara-the ten avatars of Vishnu.

The Navaranga is faced by a Mukhamantapa with tall massive pillars having impressive relief sculptures depicting Vaishnava episodes. On either sides of the spacious Mukhamantapa are two Jagatis, having Vasantotsava and Kalyana Mantapas. Beside them are small shrines of Alwars and Ramanujacharya.

At the left corner of the Prakara is the Soumyanayaki Ammanavaru temple with a Garbhagriha, a Navaranga and a small open Mukhamantapa.

Beside the road, facing the Varadaraja temple is one more Anjaneya shrine. There is a Kannada inscription in the front entrance of the temple dated 1553 A.D.  It belongs to  Sadashiva Raya of Vijayanagara and mentions Channapatna but the rest of the inscription is defaced.

There are several other temples in Chennapatna which are worth a visit such as the Lakshminarayana and Nilakanteshwara.

The locals say that the Nilakanteshwara Temple was built by Jagadevaraya, the ruler of Chennapatna though archaeologically the structure can be dated to the 18th century. This temple is unique as it has two Nandis or Bull.

The pillars of the Mukhamantapa and outer Mantapa of the temple are in Mysore style. This is a huge structure with one Garbhagriha, two Ardhamantapas and a spacious Navaranga. The Navaranga is rectangular with four central pillars having several modern images engraved on them. The Nandi facing the Garbhagriha is of Mysore times.

The Neelakantaha Linga is very tall and is believed to be old. One more Nandi is placed in the spacious open Mukhamantapa and it is said to have been brought from the precincts of the taluk office. The pillars of the Mukhamantapa contain fine relief sculptures of Shaiva Purana episodes.

Chennapatha is easily accessible either by road or rail. It is 60 kms from Bangalore and it is situated on the Bangalore-Mysore Highway.

Accommodation is available at the Vyasaraja and Raghavendra Swamy Matha in Chennapatna itself. There are many places in and around Channapatna which are worth seeing such as Abbur, the home of Bramanye Theertha, Bramanyapura which has a beautiful idol of Anjaneya, Malur which is famous for the Apremaya Temple housing Srinivasa and the idol of Ambegalu Krishna.      

  

The Dakshina Seshadri of Terakanambi

This is one of the most ancient temple of India. The deity here was at one point of time worshipped by Rama in the Thretha Yuga and also by the Pandavas in the Dwapara Yuga.

Unlike other temples, there are three Kalyanis or water tanks here, each with its own significance. It is here that the Pandavas came to after the wax palace burnt and they worshipped the deity here.  

This is also the exact place where Sage Agastya meditated and Srinivasa gave him a darshan and released him from the curse of Vishwakarma.

This is the temple of Balaji or Srinivasa located at  Huligadri, near Terakanambi in  Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajanagar district.

The small temple is about 80 kms from Mysore and 23 kms from Nanjangud. It is popularly known as Dakshina Sheshadri, a name given in the Varaha Purana. 

The story about the holiness and sacredness of the temple here and the miraculous powers of Srinivasa is contained in six chapters of Varaha Purana.

The idols of Srinivasa in the Huligadri temple was worshipped by Lord Rama in Thretha Yuga and by the Pandavas in Dwapara Yuga. It was here that Srinivasa blessed saints Mandavya and Agastya with his presence.

The temple is built in  the Vijayanagar style and it comes under the Muzrai department. It was called as Seshadri in Krita Yuga, Kanakadri in Treta Yuga, Venkatadri in Dwapara Yuga and Vyagradri in Kali Yuga.

The temple is locally better known as Huligina Muradi.

The three ponds here are sacred and each has its own legend to tell. The first pond is called Dhanushkoti. When Rama came here enroute to Lanka, he did not find any water to bathe. He then shot an arrow here and water began springing up.

Rama bathed in the pool and ten prayed to Srinivasa for success of  his mission.

Another pond to the north of Dhanushkoti is called Veda Pushkarni. When a rakshasa, Somaka, stole the Vedas, Paramapurusha killed him disguised as a fish, collected all the Vedas in the form of Hayagriva and taught them to his son Brahma.

As Paramapurusha was tired, sweat began pouring from his body and some drops of this fell here and created this pond.
Viraja is the third pond and it is about a mile away form the Veda Pushkarni. It is also called Vaikunta Theerta.

There is an interesting legend about how Srinivasa came here.

Mandavya Rishi performed tapas at Pushkar to propitiate Narayana but his wish was not fulfilled. So he left Pushkar and went to  Tirumula and resumed his tapas there. Narayana gave darshana to Mandavya as an old Brahmin and asked him to proceed to Huligina Muradi.

Mandavya then came here an performed penance. Narayana appeared before him and said he would reside here with his consorts Bhoodevi and Neeladevi and also accept daily worship from devotees.

Mandavya then saw with his own eyes Narayana transforming himself in to a statue in the presence of Brahma.

Sage Agastya too was blessed with here. This is how the legend goes.   

When Shiva and Parvathi got married, the ceremony was attended by Brahma, all Gods, Narada, Rishis and almost everybody from the Devaloka. The congregation was so large that the earth could not bear the weight. This resulted in an imbalance between northern and southern hemisphere.

The wedding guests panicked but Vishwakarma, the architect of the Gods, said if Agastya, who weighed equal to three fourth of the world, could be sent to the southern hemisphere, the world would balance equitably again.

Though Agastya obliged and came away here, he was very unhappy as he could not witness the divine wedding. He then cursed Vishwakarma that he should be the lowest among the divines and all his successors in the world should die of penury.

Vishwakarma, in turn, retaliated by cursing Agastya that his mother tongue Tamil should be equated to the language of the evil spirits. He also cursed Agastya to carry the king’s palanquin with no reward besides being forced to eat the demon’s flesh.

Agastya took a dip in Veda Puskarni  to get rid of Vishwakarma's curse. Srinivasa reversed the curse and also told Agastya that his Dravidian language-Tamil- would be equated to the sacred  language of Gods-Sanskrit.

Another story says Yudhistera and the Pandavas, after their escape from the wax palace, heard a voice from heaven advising him to go to Dakshina Seshadri and  worship Srinivasa.

Yudhistera and the other Pandavas bathed at Dhannushkoti and offered prayers to Srinivasa.  It was here that Srinivasa blessed Yudhistera and said that the sufferings of the Pandavas had come to an end and, henceforth, they would enjoy peace and prosperity.  

Adishesha, the mount on which Narayana rests, also prayed here.

There is a story about this too.

Thousands of years ago, Adishesha and Vayu got into a fight and each thought the other as inferior in strength. Both decided to fight out and Meru mountain was chosen as the venue.

Adishesha went round the mountain and encircled it in his grasp. Vayu then tried to get Adisesha to release the grip but to no avail. Vayu then broke the peak of Meru and smashed it on the Earth.

When the peak broke, Adisesha loosened his grip on Meru. One part of the peak came to be called as Venkatadri or Tirumala and the other as Seshadri . Adishesha was unhappy at having lost the contest and came here to pray before Srinivasa.

There is a story about Mandavya rishi too.

Once Srinivasa went hunting on a horseback. He then saw that the demon Vyagrasura was trying to devour Mandavya while he was near Vaikunta Theerta. Srinivasa then cut off the demon’s head with his sword.

As the demon’s body fell into Vaikunta Theerta, the demon was transformed into a man. The demon then prayed to Srinivasa for moksha.

The Bandipur national wildlife sanctuary is close by. There is a road right upto the temple. If you want to visit the temple, travel upto Gundlupet and then proceed towards Terukanambi which is to the east of Gundlupet. The temple  is situated on the eastern side of Terukanambi

The Madhwa saint who castigated Srinivasa in his own temple

This Madhwa seer went to the shrine of Srinivasa in Tirupathi. Unfortunately for him, the surging crowds pushed him back and he could not even see the deity of Venkatesha or Srinivasa.

However much he tried, the seer could not get into the sanctum and he was left frustrated. The seer then took out his anger on Venkatesha and exclaimed,

“Aishwarya Madamattosi idanee ma

Mupekshise/ Vaadina kalahe

prapte Ahameva gatistava”

This angry outburst meant  that the Lord was indifferent to persons like him and that he was now intoxicated with the wealth. The composition ends by saying that if there is any dispute over the concept of God, I am the only person you can trust to resolve it in your favour.

A few minutes later, this saint was magically pushed forward and he saw Venkatesha to his heart’s content.

This saint was none other than Kambalur Ramachandra Theertha whose Brindavana is one of the nine in Shenbakkam in Vellore.

Kambalur Ramachandra Theertha was the fifth in succession to the Vyasaraja Matha after Vyasa Raja. ‘He is the only saint whose name is prefixed with the place where he came from-Kambalur.

A vociferous Vaishnava,  Kambalur inspired terror among seers of other Siddanthas. He was also a great scholar and an excellent debator. His opponents feared facing him either in debates or in discussions on religion and philosophy.

He has written a beautiful commentary on Nyaya Sudha and also on Rug Bhashya Teeka, both of which are believed to have greatly influenced Raghavendra Swamy.  

He is called the Sampradaya Pravarthaka of the Vyasa Raja Matha of which he was the 17th pontiff from the lineage of Rajendra Theertha. He headed the matha from 1612 to 1632.

He systematised the customs and traditions of the matha and, hence, the label Sampradaya  Pravarthaka.

He hailed from Kavipalyam in Satyamangala taluk in Coimbatore district. He belonged to the Kambalur lineage which also produced another great Madhwa seer, Vibhudendra Theertha.

He was the eldest son of Kuppachar and he was born in 1575.

He was known for his ferocious exposition of Vaishanava faith. Whenever his palanquin went, it was heralded by drummers and beaters of gong proclaiming the greatness of Madhwa faith and inviting people to debate with him.  

Once when he was teaching students beneath a tree in Vellore, some of  his opponents instigated a person to roll down a boulder on Kambalur’s head.

The boulder halted midway and it fell only after Kambalur got up from the spot. Kambalur asked the devotes to place the boulder in his palanquin and it went wherever he went. When he entered Brindavana in Vellore, he asked his disciples to place the boulder atop the Brindavan.

A disciple of Sripathi Theertha, Kambalur converted hundreds of people to Madhwa Siddantha in Pennathur during his Chaturmasa. The conversion is still talked about and it came after he debated with the scholars of other schools of thought.

His other works include a commentary on Aitareya-Bhashya

and  another on the Tattavaviveka Teeka.

His  dhyana Sloka reads as follows:

“Vamdaaru Kalpatharuve

Vaadhi Kairava Bhanave

Sri Ramachandhra Guruve

Namah Karunya Simdave”

The other Venkateshwara

Billions of people across the globe are familiar with the Srinivasa, Venkatashwara or Balaji Temple in Tirupathi. The temple and the deity is so famous that it needs no introduction or write up.

However, there is another temple of Venkatesha that is not as famous as the one at Tirupathi. But the idol here closely resembles the one at Tirupathi.

This temple of  Venkateshwara is located at Nandalur which is on the Tirupathi –Cuddapah Road. The temple is dedicated to Venkatesha and Maha Lakshmi. There are shrines to a few other gods too. The temple is in Cadappa district which is part of the Dandakaranya forests that Rama, Lakshmana and Sita travelled during their exile.

It might take you an hour and half to the temple from Tirupathi and believe me it is worth a visit. The Venkateshwara here is called Soumyanatha Swamy and it is believed that it was installed by sage Narada several thousands years ago.

Unlike the idol at Tirupathi, the Venkateshwara here is visible from morning to night without any artificial lighting or source of light.

The temple has 108 pillars and it is spread over a vast area (10 acres to be precise). Another unique feature here is that the deity can be seen from a distance of 10 feet from the sanctum sanctorum. The rays of the Sun touch the feet of the deity once an year.

Another unique feature which you can see for yourself  on a full moon day is seeing the idol in a vessel filled with water. The vessel can be placed at a distance of 100 feet and you can see the full reflection of Venkatesha in the water.

I was just left wondering at this magnificent piece of  construction.

As you walk towards the sanctum, the temple and the deity begins to grow on you. The first thing you notice is that the structure is built of red sandstone. There are several inscriptions on the temple walls in Tamil. Many, and I counted about a dozen, of these inscriptions belong to the Telugu Cholas. These rulers are also known as Cholas of Pottapi. At least there of the inscriptions are dated in the 12th century and belong to the period of Vikrama Chola.

There is also an inscription of the Kakatiya ruler Pratapa Rudra Deva. One of the greatest kings of the kakatiya dynasty.

There are several symbols of animals on the temple walls. There is also a carving of  the Sun and the Moon and those of fishes. There is a huge fish engraved on the ceiling of the temple. Locals tell you that the fish will one day come to life and swim into the ocean.

The pillars of the Mantapa here are different from pillars of other temples. The pillars are standing on head of lions, while in other temples it is the other way around. When asked about this, locals say there is another hidden or underground temple beneath this structure.

The temple has four gopuras facing the four directions. The idol faces East-towards Tirupathi. The idol here has Abhaya Hasta while in Tirupathi, the idol has Kati Hasta. Apart from this, there is no other difference between the two Venkateshwaras.   

The temple was constructed by the Malti kings of Cuddapaha and is in Chola style The Pandyas, Kakatiyas and the Vijayanagar rulers have enriched the temple over the centuries. I could trace the construction of the temple to the 10th century. The style is very similar to the beautiful temple of Arunachala in Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu.        

The State Government sends pearls to this temple every year during July when the Kalyanotsava of  Ventakesha takes place. Another temple nearby where the State sends pearls is to the Ramaswamy Temple at Vontimitta, which is 7 kms from Nandalur.  
There is a shrine of  Yoga Narasimha Swamy near the entrance to  the sanctorum.

Nandalur is 42 kilometers from Cuddapa. It is on the banks of river Cheyyeru. It is archaeologically important as several Buddhist relics were recovered from here This temple is 10 kms from Rajampet. There are plenty of buses plying from Tirupathi, Cuddapa and Rajampet.

The temple is 10 minutes from Rajampet and it is on the right side of the highway while travelling towards Cuddapa.

Vontimitta, nearby, is famous for the Kodandarama or Ramaswamy Temple. The images of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita are carved on a single rock. Legend  has it that Rama, Lakshmana and Sita spent some time here during their Vanavasa.

There are buses and trains from Tirupathi to Nandalur. However, it is better to hire a shared taxi as you can see many other places on the way.

Raghavendra inspired this Haridasa

September 27 is an important date in Haridasa movement. It is the Aradhana of Prasanna Venkata Dasaru.

This Haridasa saint ocupies an important place in Haridasa Sahitya. For one, it was Raghavendra Swami who sent him on way to Tirupathi for Darshana of Srinivasa when Prasanna Venkata (As a boy he was known as Venkanna) was just 12 years old. 
Once he reached Tirupathi and had darshan of Srinivasa, it was the lord himself who scribbled the ankita nama Prasanna Venkata on Venkanna's tongue. Not only that, Srinivasa appeared in the dream of the then Chief Priest of the Srinivasa Temple and asked him to hand over a packet and other items, including a tamboori, to Venkata Dasa.

Venkanna was the second son of Narasappiah and Laskhmi of Bagalkot and he was born in 1680. Venkanna's elder brother was Raghavendra. Narasappaiah belonged to the famous Kakhandiki family in Kakhandiki near Bijapur.
Prasanna Venkata Dasa was a contemporary of other Haridasa greats such as Jagannatha Dasa (the writer of Hari Kathamrutasara), Vijaya Dasaru amd Gopala Dasaru. Not many people know that another notable Haridasa-Mahipati Dasa- was also from the same village and the same agrahara-Brahamanara Agrahara of Kakhandiki in Bijapur.

When Aurangzeb conquered Bijapur in 1686 and took the last Adil Shahi Sultan, Sikander prisoner, he named a Moghul Governor for Bijapur. The Mughals, unlike the Adil Shahis, began harassing Hindus, particularly Brahmins. Many Brahmin families, including Venkanna's father, left Kakhandiki and decided to settle down at Bagalkot which was under Maratha rule. The family choose Bagalkot as it hosted some of  the best known Dwaitha and Vedas schools of the region. 

Narasapaiah and his family settled down on 70th Street which then was known as Killa street, where a large number of Brahmin and Veda pandits lived. It was here that Venkanna was born.By this time, Venkanna's parents were pretty old but they were determined to make Venkanna an erudite Dwaitha scholar like their first son Raghavendra. They performed Upanayanam of Venkanna when he was eight years old. Venkanna's parents died thereafter.

Raghavendra then married Cauvery. He took up job as a priest. Venkanna was left unattended-his brother did not have the time and his sister-in-law too could not take good care of Venkanna.
One day, Venkanna decided to go away from home and joins a group of pilgrims going to Tirupathi. He was just 12 years old then and it is from here that his remarkable journey as a Haridasa starts.

Haridasa, as a movement, began in Karnataka. The Haridasas were essentially in love with Hari or Vishnu and sang his praises. The first Haridasa is Achalananda of Bangalore. He lived in the ninth century. After him, there was a lull and the movement resurfaced during the time of Madhwacharya.
One of Madhwacharya's  direct disciples, Narahari, wrote several devotional songs. It was with the arrival of Sripada Rayaru that the movement really took off. Sripadaraja is generally termed as the pioneer of the movement as for the very first time he wrote songs in Kannada which till then was unheard of. After him came Vyasa Theertha, Purandara Dasa, Kanaka Dasa and other Dasas and this period which corresponded to the Vijayanagar era was the peak of Haridasa movement.       

The Dasa movement waned again and it is then left to Gopala Dasa, Jagannatha Dasa, and Prasanna Venkata Dasa to give it a second lease of life.

After his Tirupathi trip, Prasanna Venkata Dasa visited Mantralaya and saw Guru Raghavendra sitting in the Brindavana. Both have a talk and then Dasaru proceeds towards Bagalkot where he rejoins his brother and sister-in-law. He writes scores of songs and also meets Jagannatha Dasa at his home in Bagalkot.