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.

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. 

Accommodation at Tirupathi

Vyasa Raja or Vyasa Raya is one of the most important Madhwa saints. He is ranked alongside Madhwacharya and Jaya Theertha or Teekacharya in his knowledge and eradication of Madhwa philosophy.

The seer occupies a unique place in the annals of Madhwa papampare. He is the founder of both Vyasa Koota and Dasa Koota and it was he who gave an impetus to Dasa Sahitya.

Vyasa Raja’s Guru was Bramanye Theertha of Abbur and his vidya Guru was Sripadaraja of Mulabagal. Vyasa Raja and Srinivasa Theertha, also of Vyasaraja Matha and successor of Vyasa Raja, were products of the Vidyapeeta of Sripadaraja at Mulabagal.

Sripadaraja deputed Vyasa Raja to perform poojas to Srinivasa at Tirupathi. Vyasa Raja stayed on in Tirupathi for 12 long years from 1486 to 1498 and every day performed pooja to Srinivasa.

He also set up a matha in the hill town and it came to be known as Vyasaraja matha.

The Vyasaraja matha in Tirumala has once again started offering accommodation for pilgrims visiting the lord of seven hills. The rooms can be booked at any one of the Bangalore One Centres in Bangalore.

The matha has tied up with Bangalore One Centre to facilitate pilgrims to book accommodations at Tirumala. There are 75 Bangalore One centres in Bangalore and devotees and pilgrims can book accommodation at any of the centres.

In case you need further details, please call 080 26610097.

A hair raising story of Tirupathi

This is literally hair raising. There is only one institution in the world  where hair fetches revenue in crores and this seems to be increasing year by year.

This is the temple of Venkateshwara, Balaji or Srinivasa in Tirupathi in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The richest temple in India in terms of revenue, this is the only temple which earns a minimum of one tenth of  crores it earns annually by way of hair offered by devotees.

The revenue that the TTD, the controlling body of the temple,  gets by way of hair donation was a whopping Rs. 200 crores during 2011-12. This was one tenth of the total revenue of Rs. 1949 crores that the temple earned during the period.   

Well, this hair raising revenue seems to be on the rise year by year. The TTD itself had projected a modest Rs. 150 crores from tonsuring heads for 2012-13 but the earlier year’s figures itself have crossed last year’s figures.

Every year, thousands of people, including women, visit the temple to get their heads tonsured to Lord Venkateshwara, in keeping with a centuries-old tradition.

This age-old tradition has spawned a multi-crore business in the TTD itself. The TTD auctions and exports human hair export and much of it is used world wide for making wigs and artificial hair.

In keeping with the latest developments in technology, the TTD from last year has taken up e-auctioning of hair. Last year, as many as 49 traders participated in the hair auction and bid huge amounts for various categories of hair.

Don’t lose hair over the auction. It was held in two phases - first in September 2011 and then again in March 2012. While 466 tonnes of hair was auctioned in the first phase, 95 tonnes of hair was sold in the second phase.

The hairy business is not so easy as tonsuring. The hair offered is broadly divided into five categories depending on the length and texture - hair longer than 31 inches; 16- 30 inches; 10-15 inches; five-nine inches; and the last category is of less than five inches. There is also a sixth variety, grey hair, donated by senior citizens. This has almost zero demand.

The hair varying between 16 to 30 inches put up for e-auction fetched the TTD an amount of Rs 53.54 cr at a bidding price of Rs 18,700 per kilo, while the hair varying between 10 to 15 inches earned a remarkable profit of Rs 6.18 cr.

The variety of hair ranging from 5 to 9 inches in size fetched Rs 93.57 lakh.

By the way, each category of hair has its own name and unique characteristic. The long and uniformly trimmed hair is called Remy  and this has huge demand in Europe and the US, where it is woven into wigs.

The non-Remy hair, broken and short, has huge demand in China, which in turn makes wigs and sells it in the American and African market, especially Nigeria.

In the domestic market, Tirumala hair is popular in Mumbai for making wigs for filmstars.

The hairy tale has a tradition that goes back to centuries. Devotees believe that while offering hair, they casts off all the vices, vanities and sins. Srinivasa pardons them and showers them with love and affection.

There is an interesting story about how head tonsuring originated here. Thousands of years ago, Srinivasa or Balaji was hit on his head by a shepherd, when he was a cow giving milk to him. A small portion of Srinivasa’s scalp became bald.

A Gandharva princess, Neela Devi,  noticed the bald patch and she immediately cut off a portion of her hair and with magical power  implanted it on Srinivasa’s scalp.

Srinivasa is pleased by the devotion of Neela Devi.  As hair is a beautiful aspect of the female, he promises her that all his devotees who come to his abode should render their hair to him, and she would be the recipient of all the hair received. Hence it is believed that hair offered by the devotees is accepted by Neela Devi herself. The hill, Neeladri, is one among seven hills of Tirupathi and it is  named after her.

By the way, the West has fallen in a big way for Indian hair. Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paris Hilton,  Nicole Richie and many more won’t use any other hair except Indian.

Hollywood and European cine stars insist on Indian hair extensions and nothing less, claiming that they are the best. Indian hair was used for Samantha Morton's hairdo in the film “Enduring Love”.

Hair extensions are now common in the West. It is the name for bonding fake or human hair to one's scalp to make tresses look longer, lush and thick.

Indian hair outbeats all other hair. They are strong, durable and can be fashioned in any manner-curly, coloured and blow-dried

Did you know that exclusive saloons in London and other cities in UK charge a minimum of £500 for hair extensions which need replacement every six weeks.

Much of this hair comes from Tirupati. Such hair has been nicknamed as Temple hair. There are more than 50 saloons in London alone providing Indian temple hair and this hairy business is booming.

Some of the hair, many tonnes in fact, find their way to the hair factories of Eluru, a town in Andhra Pradesh. Eluru has some of the biggest hair processing factories in India. Commission agents from Eluru, Bangalore and Chennai make a visit after every two and half months to make bids for the hair that the temple authorities auction.
The hair is packed and transported to the factories where they are given a good wash. They are then treated after separation and smoked and packed in locks. Two hundred strands of a 16 inch hair would make one pack and would fetch 30 cents if it is sold to buyers in Italy and $1.5 in the US.

Several decades earlier, people tonsured hair in their own houses and then came to Tirupathi. Subsequently, they could summon a barber to the cottage in Tirupathi and get a tonsure.  But now, people make it a point to visit Tirupathi and offer hair and this is known as Kalyan Katta.

On their part, devotees say Kalyana Katta is a symbolic gesture of surrendering ego to God. In all, 600 barbers cut hair of 10,000 devotees daily for the purpose.

There are 60 women barbers too. Each barber is trained to tonsure 60 heads during a six-hour shift. There is a separate enclosure in the temple town for the Kalyana Katta ceremony. The daily amount of hair collected is over a ton.

Every six hours, the cut hair is collected, put in sealed containers and stored till the day of the annual auction. The auction attracts the highest bidders from across the Globe. Some reports claim that the hair goes to German and Italian pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies for Rs 7,000 per kilo.

Once the devotees donate hair, they take a dip in the holy Pushkarini and then visit the shrine of Balaji.

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”

When Munroe ate Tirupathi prasada

Till the laddus came to be distributed as prasada from the 1940s, the Srinivasa or Balaji Temple of Tirupathi every day distributed a special variety of pongal called Munroe Prabhu Kangalam.

This Munroe was none other than the man who had spoken to Raghavendra Swamy in Mantralaya. How did Munroe’s name come to be associated with a sacred dish of one of the most holy temples of India. Well, there is story behind it.    

The Tirupathi prasada, comprising pongal and vada is famous and it is associated with curing many diseases and debilities. One of the many beneficiaries of this prasada is the British Governor, Sir Thomas Munroe.

Munroe is well-known among the devotes of Raghavendra Swamy as the person who spoke to Rayaru when he visited Mantralaya. The act of Munroe speaking to Rayaru who was sitting in his Brindavana is now part of the Mantralaya folklore.

But, how many know that the same Munroe also visited Tirupathi and he was cured of an ailment only after eating with his bare hands the prasada of Srinivasa.

Munroe was a Scottish soldier and he joined the East India Company. A natural athlete, he was a superb boxer and an all-rounder in sports during his school days in Glascow.

In 1779, he joined the English Army in Madras as an Infantry cadet. He fought in the wars against Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan.

After the death of Tipu in 1799, he was from 1800 to 1807 made incharge of the northern districts ceded to the British by the Nizam of Hyderabad.

It was in the northern districts he first introduced the Ryotwari system of land revenue collected from farmers. This system continues even today with several modifications.

He went back to England and returned to Madras in 1814 and was given the special assignment of reforming the police and judicial system of Madras Presidency. In 1820, he was appointed as the Governor of Madras  and it was during this tenure that he visited Tirupathi and had a taste of the prasada.

As Tirupathi came under the Madras Presidency, Munroe was told about the deity of Srinivasa and thousands of people who came to the temple.

Income from temples in those years formed a major part of the revenue for the East India company.  A devout Christian, Munroe closely scrutinised the accounts of temples, including that of Balaji but rarely visited them.

He once went to Tirupathi and decided to look around the temple. As he was inspecting the premises, he found hundreds of clean shaven devotes eating pongal from their bare hands. While children were eating the pongal with relish, the old people were seen squatting on the ground and eating the prasada.

Now here is where there are two versions of what further happened.

This is the first version.

Munroe appeared disgusted by the manner in which the people were eating pongal with their bare hands. He asked the officials to maintain hygyine and directed them to collect all the pongal prasada and throw them out. He lectured to the devotes, telling them they would get diahorrea and cholera if they ate pongal.

The officials accompanying Munroe forced the devotes to throw out the prasada. Munroe went away satisfied that he had put an end to a “dirty” practice, as he called it. The pain increased to such an extent that the remedies that he took on his own did not work.

The administration rushed a number doctors to Munroe but none could cure his stomach pain. Munroe endured sleepless nights and he was reduced to such a state that he was amenable to any suggestion or remedy that would cure him.

A Hindu official in his entrouge suggested that Munroe would be better off if he took some prasada from the Srinivasa temple.

When Munroe demurred, the official bravely remarked that he was suffering as he had forced the devotees to throw away a sacred dish. “Eat it and you will be cured,” he said.  Left with no alternative, Munroe began eating the very pongal which he had ordered to be thrown away.

The first fistful of pongal he ate gave him a strange satisfaction. The more he ate, the less the pain became and by the time he ate the entire pongal, the stomach pain had subsided.’

Munroe realised the enormity of  his wrong order and directed the temple authorities to resume giving prasada to the devotees. He also lifted all the restrictions that he had wanted to impose or imposed on the temple and the distribution of prasada.

He also ordered the revenue authorities of the area to set aside a part of the revenue collected from Kodapaayal village near Tirupathi to be made over to the temple for preparing and distributing the pongal prasada. He also personally created an endowment for the prasada which continues to be placed before the Lord of Seven Hills even today.

This pongal prasada was given to all the devotees who visited Tirupathi tili 1940 when it was replaced by the laddus. Till then the pongal was known as Munroe Prabhu Kangalam.

The incident had a seminal effect on Munroe and his family. They al became ardent devotees of Srinivasa and never missed an opportunity in praising the Lord.

The second version of the story is not so romantic. It says Munro was frequently  suffering from stomach pain and no doctor could cure it or come out with a remedy.

Munroe had several secretaries each of whom were delegated with a specific task. One of his secretary was a Hindu and he suggested to Munro to take a vow that he would visit Tirpuathi if he was cured of the ailment.

Munroe vowed to visit Tirupathi if he was cured. Of course, the stomach ailment went away and a grateful Munroe came down to Tirpuathi from Madras where he was headquartered and prayed to Srinivasa. He also created an endowment in which daily prasada in his name is offered to Srinivasa. The TTD continues this endowment even to this day.

He died of cholera when he was visiting the northern areas of the Madras Presidency. This death, as I see it, could be attributed to his insensitive remark to the devotees that they would die of cholera of they ate pongal.

Karnataka and the story of Tirupathi laddus

Did you know that there is a Karnataka connection to the world famous Tirpuathi laddus.

The ghee or butter in the mouth –watering laddus, which are a gastronomic delight, is supplied by the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) which owns and sells its products under the Nandini brand.

The KMF had participated in the tender process called by the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams (TTD)  for supply of butter and it won the bid hands down. What weighed the tender in favour of the KMF was its buffer stocks of nearly 2500 tonnes of butter and the high quality standards it has set itself.

The KMF sends a tanker of butter every day to Tirupathi, almost all of which is used to make the laddus. These tankers carry about seven to eight tonnes of butter.

On its part, KMF produces 25,000 tonnes of ghee (butter) and the TTD is the largest buyer by a long distance. It picks up 100 tonnes of butter every day.

Apart from Tirpuathi, KMF also supplies its milk powder and its products, including ghee, to several other temples in and outside Karnataka and outlets and shops in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

The coffee beverage chain, Coffee Day, sources its milk requirement from KMF. The coffee day outlets in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have Nandini milk. 

Today, the Nandini brand has established itself in the domestic market. It is the second largest selling mil and milk product brand in India after Amul.

The Kolar-Chikaballapur belt of Bangalore-Kolar  region produces 7,20,000 litres of milk every day and this is much in excess of the demand. It is this excess that allows KMF to maintain buffer stocks and also sell its products to TTD and other bulk consumers.

The cashew nuts, cardamom and other spices that go into the making of the laddu is sourced from the Spices Exchange in Kochi, Kerala.

All pilgrims who go to Tirupathi and visit the Balaji shrine get laddus when they exchange their tickets at the laddu counter. The laddus are also sold at a higher price in the counter.

The system of giving laddu prasad is only a recent appendage, dating back to the late 1930s.

Till the laddus made their entry as prasada, devotees were

contained rice powder mixed with wet jaggery or jaggery liquid.

The first time that laddus were given as prasada was in 1940.

The TTD management decided to make laddus like a hill (kondatha in Telugu) for some exclusive poojas such as Nitya Kalyana and Kalyanotsava. The laddus were initially prepared with sugar and offered to the deity and then handed over as prasada to those who had participated in certain exclusive rituals. They then cost just six paise.

The credit for the laddu prasada goes to a person called Kalyana Iyengar.

Devotees began appreciating the laddus and the demand for them picked up. The TTD then decided to go in for larger distribution of laddus and from 1943, the laddus were offered as prasada for Kalyanothsava.

The laddus were first distributed to all devotees only once a week, that is on Saturdays. This was modified to give lauds to devotees on all days. While those who participated in exclusive rituals were given big size laddus, regular devotes got only small laddus.

In the 1940s, the lauds were prepared by a handful of people belonging to the Mirasi Brahmin sect. This meant that only hereditary trustees of the temple could prepare the laddus.

 Later this system was replaced by constructing huge kitchens for preparing all prasdasa, including laddu, vada and the Mirasi was abolished. In the early days these kitchens used firewood for preparing prasada.

It was in 1984 that gas replaced firewood in the Tirupathi kitchens and over a period of time the kitchens have been mechanized and fully automated. Even the laddu making has been given a makeover.

The list of ingredients that is used every day to prepare the laddu is called Ditta. Nearly 2 lakhs laddus are prepared every day. The laddus for the Lord are prepared separately in the temple kitchen called Potu.

The laddu contains  butter, oil, besan flour , sugar, cashew nuts, cardamom,  raisins and almonds. Sugar is the biggest commodity used in the preparation.

Though the size of the laddu has reduced over the years, the taste has remained the same. No wonder, it is called the Srivari laddu.

The laddus now come the Geographical Indicator (GI) tag, which means that they are the exclusive patent of the Lord of Tirumala.  A petition was filed recently in a court against the GI tag which was dismissed.

Tirupathi is the most visited worship site of the world.  There is another first for Tirupthi. It is also the place where a person visits the temple again and again. It is also the only temple where rituals are booked years and months on advance.

Earlier, some branches of Vijaya Bank in Bangalore booked tickets for sevas at Tirupathi. This system has been discontinued now, though you can give sevas at the Vijaya Bank branch at Tirumala.

In Bangalore, you can get tickets for sevas and more information at the TTD office and temple at Vyalikaval. The laddus are distributed here on a specified day.   

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.