Karnataka's Ramayana, unravelling the story of Lava and Kusha

The Valmiki Jayanthi is upon us and Karnataka has all the more reason to celebrate. This is so because the Ramayana came to be written near Bangalore. Another reason for cheer is that the Valmiki Ashrama, the place where Ramayana came to be written, the place where Seetha stayed after Rama banishes her from Ayodhya and the birth place of Rama’s sons Lava and Kusha are all at one place.

What is more important is that this place is just a hour away from Bangalore. I clocked this place as roughly 108 kms from Bangalore.

Located in Kolar district, this holy place is known as Avani. It is small village near Mulabagilu, which was once the provincial capital of the Vijayanagars.

Ten kilometers before Mulabagilu and on the Bangalore Tirupathi Highway, there is a small road going towards the left. A signboard  indicates Avani.

Travel for some time and you will come across a hillock. This is the place, where legend says, that the sons of Ram and Sita-Lava and Kusha-were born. This is called Valmiki or Lava-Kusha hill.

This hill has many small openings and caves. It is more than 3200 feet above sea level.

Lava and Kusha are twins and Seetha was pregnant when she came here. Rama had overheard a washerman scolding his runaway wife.  The washerman was heard saying that he is not Rama to take back a wife who lived with someone else.

Rama decided to pay heed to the words of the washerman and asks Lakshmana to escort Seetha out of his kingdom. During her wanderings, Seetha comes here and finds that there is Valmiki Ashrama here, She decided to stay on here and in course of time, she gives birth to Lava and Kusha,

There is s small cave where Seetha is supposed to have given birth to the twins. A pond nearby is the place where Seetha is supposed to wash her clothes.

There is a small niche on the rock near the cave where Seetha is supposed to have lighted a lamp. When you start climbing the hillock, you come across a rocky seat which is believed to be the exact spot where Rama sat.

There is s small enclosure where Lava and Kusha tied up the Ashwamedha horse that Rama had let loose.

There are temples dedicated to Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrujna here apart from a very ancient temple to Parvathi.

The temples were built by the Nomanba kings and subsequently renovated by the Cholas. In all there are 12 temples in the Ramalingeshwara temple complex.

The temple of Rama is also called Ramalingeshwara and in the background you can see the Valmiki hill. Rajendra Chola built the Ramalingeshwara Temple. There are many Shiva Lingas around the temple and on the Lava Kush hill.  There is a cave where Valmiki lived. Guides will show you the place where Valmiki wrote the Ramayana.

On top of the Valmiki hill, is a temple to  Seetha and Parvathi. Seetha worshipped the idol of Parvathi when she was pregnant. This temple is believed to be so holy that if women perform pooje as per the rituals, they are sure to  get children. My next article will deal with this temple.

This is also the place Rama and his brothers fought against Lava and Kusha and lost. Incidentally, the Mahabharata says this is the very  place where Krishna married Jambavati, the daughter of Jambavata.

There is also a temple of Sharada. With so many temples, Avani has earned the name of being the Gaya of the South.

If you are interested in history or adventure, there is no better spot to stay than Kolar. Visit Kurudamale where there is a mammoth idol of Ganapathi, Virupaksha Temple which is built on the lines of the Virupaksha Temple in Hampi, Narasimha Teertha the abode of Sripadaraja, Mulabagilu which has some ancient temples and Kolar which is famous for the temple of Kolaramma. 

You can stay either at Kolar or Mulabagilu to visit all these place. If you do not have time, you can cover the important temples in a day.

If you are travelling from Bangalore, leave early and visit Avani first. Climb the hill before the day gets hot, Then visit the other spots.

The road from Bangalore to Kolar is superb. However, the traffic leaving from Bangalore is maddening, Therefore, it is advisable to leave early. Do not worry about lunch. There are a lot of good eateries in and around Kolar and Mulabagilu. The Sripadaraja Matha also offers lunch but be in the matha by 12 noon to partake Theertha Prasada.    

   

New silver elephant for Guru Raghavendra at Mantralaya

There is disturbing news for devotees of the Raghavendra Swamy Matha in Mantralaya.

The Matha is likely to discontinue the practice of  using elephants for the Gaja Vahanotsava Seve  that is held in the matha premises. This decision follows a notification by the Andhra Pradesh (Mantralaya) to ban the use of elephants by temples for religious processions and other rituals in mathas and religious places.

This Seve implies that the idol of Rayaru is carried around the temple on an elephant since this ritual is held within the temple.

The notification bans the use of elephants for being used in religious rituals, rites and events within a religious place and this also implies a Matha.

The Raghavendra Swamy Matha, however, seems to be well prepared to face this ban. A magnificent silver elephant decorated with frescos and flowers and placed on a platform which can be pulled by devotes is ready.

The platform and the silver elephant weigh 300 kgs and cost Rs. 2 crores. There is a Karnataka connection to this beautiful addition to the Raghavendra Swamy Matha. More than 50 artistes from Udupi worked for several days to build this silver elephant.

This silver elephant will replace the wooden elephant that was being used till last year. The present pontiff of the Raghavendra Swamy Matha, Suyatheendra Theertha, will dedicate the silver elephant to Rayaru on November 1, this year.

Though this notification is restricted to Andhra Pradesh, it may not be far off when other states, including Karnataka,  too follow suit.

The use of elephants by and in temples and for religious and entertainment purposes goes back to thousands of years.

Man domesticated the elephant as it was the most intelligent of all the animals. It also came to be used in wars. The Mughal Emperor, Jahangir,  is believed to have more than a lakh captive elephants.

Historical records and contemporary texts say that he had 1,13,000 elephants in his kingdom.

Unfortunately, India today has less number of elephant than what Jahangir had. India had about 1,00,000 wild elephants at the turn of the century. Today, it is just 80,000 and another  1,000 domesticated elephants.         

The Indian elephant is also known as the Asian elephant and it is much different from the African elephant. India is home to about 60 per cent of wild Asian elephants and 20 per cent of  domesticated elephants.

In India, elephants have been used for religious events and  processions. The famous Dasara procession in Mysore and the elephant festival at Thrissur in Kerala are some examples of this. Temples in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhar Pradesh have a tradition of  keeping elephants and using them for every day events.

Apart from temples, private organizations and even some individuals have kept elephants. Studies indicate that around  3,000 elephants are privately owned.  

Concerned over the rapid destruction of the elephant habitat and killing of elephants, the Central Government formulated Project Elephant in 1992. Elephant reserves have also been set up.

Even the Karnataka High Court has taken the issue of elephant conservation very seriously. When P.D. Dinakar was the Chief Justice of the Karnataka High Court, he had taken up a suo moto petition on elephant deaths due to electrocution. The High Court has been hearing this petition at regular intervals and made valuable suggestions to the State Government for implementing steps to save the elephant from extinction.   

The General who killed his 63 wives

Monuments generally inspire awe and wonder and monuments of India never cease to amaze. There are very few monuments that elicit the emotion of  disgust and revulsion.  One such monument is the Saath Kabar (meaning: sixty graves) in Bijapur.

Saath Kabar, as the name itself means, is the grave of 60 persons. The structure, which is in ruins, stands a mute spectator to the tragedy that unfolded at this very spot several hundred years ago.

Ali Adil Shah 2 was the ruling monarch of the Adil Shah dynasty and Bijapur was his capital. The Emperor was facing difficulties as he was facing attacks from the Mughals on the one hand and Shivaji from the other.

Try as he might, Ali Adil Shah 2 had not been able to reign in Shivaji. The astute Maratha strongman was slowly but surely chipping away at the foundations of  the Adil Shahi Empire.

Both the Adil Shah and the Queen Mother called Afzal Khan sometime in 1659.

Afzal Khan was one of the most decorated and brave generals of Bijapur. He had led the Bijou army to several victories. Both the Queen Mother and Ali Adil Shah 2 asked him to take on Shivaji. “If need be, kill Shivaji”,  they said.

Afzal Khan had 64 wives and concubines in his harem. All of them were residing in his palace in Bijapur city.

After his return from the royal court, Afzal Khan made preparations to take on Shivaji. His first task was to raise an army so that he could take on Shivaji militarily. He recruited people with experience, courage and knowledge of the Maratha terrain in his army.

His third task was to ensure that his army of 12,000 soldiers whom he had specifically recruited were paid. He then thought about an idea to pay his army. He would raid and demolish temples en route to Pratapgarh where Shivaji was stationed to pay for the Army.

His army included elephants, horses, camels and  several canons.

A great believer in astrology, Afzal Khan decided to consult his favourite astrologer before confronting Shivaji.

Afzal Khan spent hours with several astrologers. All the astrologers, including his favourite astrologer, told him indirectly that he would lose the war. Their refrain was “Your  wives will not outlive you.”

Afzal Khan also consulted a Sufi saint who was known for his prophecies. The saint point blank told him that this would be his last campaign.

Afzal Khan had come to believe in astrology as the predictions had always come true. His faith in astrology had increased every time he won a war. He became so superstitious that he would venture for war only after consulting astrologers.  

Though Afzal Khan remained undaunted by the prophecy and decided to go ahead with the war on Shivaji, he had one worry. That worry was not about him or the impending death that the astrologers had predicated to him.

Afzal Khan was a zealous Muslim and he had loved his wives and mistresses and he did not want them to fall into another man’s hands after his death. He then began wondering how he could safeguard the honour of his women.’

Had it been only a few women, Afzal had not doubt that he would have had them murdered. But he had 64 wives. He thought long and hard and finally came upon a solution.

Afzal Khan had seen a deep well near Navraspur which was five kms from Bijapur city. Navraspur was an abandoned city after the death of Ibrahim Adil Shah  2 and there were no people nearby. The village of Torvi was a little away and it was mostly Hindu in population.

Afzal Khan went to the area and surveyed the surroundings. He then hatched a brutal plan to murder all his wives. He called all of them on the pretext of holding a feats and had them drowned one by one in the well. Two of his wives fled after they came to know of the gruesome fate they would have to undergo.

Of the wives  was caught, while the other managed to flee. The woman, who was caught, was brought to the well, screaming for mercy. Alas, the brave General showed no mercy and threw her into the well. He removed the bodied with the help of a bamboo pole and built 63 graved for them near the well. One grave is empty as nobody could trace the runaway woman.

The grave of the 63 women came to be known as Saat Kabar. The well can be seen even today. There are no records to show what the Adil Shah Emperor or others thought of the murderous act.

What happened next is that Afzal Khan tried to kill Shivaji at Pratapgarh by deceit and was killed by the great Maratha on November 10, 1659. Shivaji was such a noble king that he built a memorial for Afzal Khan in Pratapgarh and also allowed Afzal Khan’s son to take away his father’s body.

The building surrounding the graves is nothing much to write about. It does not have any grace or artistry which is generally associated with the monuments of Bijapur. However, no monument in Bijapur or even India can match this one for the gruesome incident.              

There are only a few parallels in history about such similar incidents. The one that comes to the mind is the drowning of 280 women of his harem by the Ottoman Emperor Ibrahim the Mad. Ibrahim suspected that one of his women had an affair with somebody else. Instead of finding out who it was , he threw all of them into the Bosperous Sea.

Incidentally, Ibrahim the Mad was obsessed  with fat women and he even made a obsess woman, Sheker Pare of Georgia,  the probably he would loose his life.

Henry Cousens has written about the graves and also of  the killing of the 63 wives.  

Jumping from the tree of immortality

Nature has always played a major role in Hindu religion and even philosophy. Whether it is the solar system or the five elements, Hinduism has given them all a very prominent place.
Hindus not only worship many animals but also trees and plants. The banyan tree, coconut tree and  Tulasi plant are all examples of the high regard we have for all things that belong to nature.
One of the most respected trees in India is the Akshayavat tree in Allahabad. It is a banyan tree, which is supposed to be indestructible.
This tree is today located within the beautiful fort of Allahabad which was built by the Mughal Emperor Akbar.
The tree is a very ancient one and it is mentioned in almost all our religious texts.  It has a hallowed history. The tree is so important mythologically that hundreds of people over several centuries have jumped from it into the Ganga beneath to attain immortality.
The tree is above the Patalapuri Temple in the fort and it stands on a niche of a depression or a tunnel which is supposed to lead to Triveni Sangam. Our religious texts say that the tree is so divine that if a mortal jumps from it, he attains immortality.
The tree is, therefore, also known as the tree of immortality. Today, one has to take the permission of the Camp Commandant of the fort to enter the area as it is under the jurisdiction of the Army.
Long long ago, a Rishi, Markendaya, asked Narayana to show his divine power, Narayana flooded the whole world and only this Banyan tree survived the swirling waters. Rama took shelter under this tree along with Lakshmana and Seetha.
Another story associated with this tree is that Rishi Shuka gave a discourse on Geethe to Parikshit under this tree.
Rama is supposed to have given Pinda daan  near the Patalpuri temple for his forefathers. Besides, the Triveni Sangam which is just a few kms away is the sacred confluence of three rivers-Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathi.
The Chinese traveller Huen Tsang, visited Allahabad in 644 AD which then was called Prayag and he has given a graphic account of the city.
Huen Tsang says the tree was surrounded by human bones. This is a reference to people jumping from a tree in Prayag. The British historian, General Cunnigham, identifies this tree with the Akshayavat.
One the Jain Thirthankaras, Rishaba, also meditated beneath this tree. Trees at  Gaya and Varanasi are also worshipped as Akshayavat. The Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya is believed to be an offshoot of the tree at Allahabad.
Tibetans say Gautam Buddha visited Prayag and he planted a seed of the Akshayavat near Mount Kailash. There are several ancient texts which refer to this tree.
Apart from the Akshayavat, our texts also refer to coconut trees as Kalpavriksha and several other sacred trees. The sacred grove near temples is another special feature of our religion.

The world's first pediatrician

Not many know that Raavana was the great grandson of Brahma. He is also the world’s first pediatrician (specialist in children’s disease).

Ravaana’s grandfather was sage Pulasthi who was one of the six sons of Brahma. Pulasthi had a son called Vishrava.

Vishrava married a second time. His second wife was Kaikasi and Ravaana was their son. Ravana’s other brothers are Kuberaa, Vibheeshana, Kumbakarana, Kara and Dushana.

Ravaana ruled over Lanka 5,000 years ago and religious texts of Lanka and India say he was well-versed in ten arts. The arts are medicine (ayurveda), music (He invented the bow stringed violin and also sand the first ragas), astronomy,   acupuncture, metallurgy, architecture.

The texts Bisajjya Grantha and Nadi Shasthra says Ravaana and his grandfather Pulasthi had actively participated in musical  conferences held Janasthan Pura now in  Pakistan.

Ravaana was a pioneer is Arka Shastra. In this system of Ayurveda, herbs were used to cure diseases. He wrote Arka Prakasa, a book on tinctures and extracts from herbs. He was a master in preparing tinctures that cured wounds instantly. He knew the amount of Mercury to be used in herbal preparation to cure diseases.

Nadi Pariksha is a book on how to examine a person by checking his pulse.

He is also the author of Kumara Tantra or Ravaana Samhita which is an incomplete poetical composition. This work shows the depth and expertise of Ravaana on medicines and drugs to be used to cure diseases. There is information on how to deal with diseases suffered by children. The book starts with a chapter on motherhood and the diseases suffered by expectant mothers and the manner in which they have to be treated.

This book can be described as the first text in the world on pediatrics. It contains twelve chapters. Some of the diseases of children discussed are hiccups, vomiting, dysentery, diarrohea, ulcer of the mouth, post-teething problems  and swelling of the navel.

He wrote the book at the request of Mandodari when she was pregnant. Nadi-pariksha (a short work in 96 verses give the details of pulse-examination).

In Arkya Prakasha, he deals with astronomy of his times. The book is interesting as it is based on conversation between Ravaana and his wife Mandodari. It is the form of question and answer. Another work is Ravaana Samhita. It deals with astrology. Even today, astrologers refer it as it has details on how to predict one’s future.

The Madhwa mathas

The Madhwa or Dwaitha tradition traces their lineage to one of the most renowned and influential philosophers of all times-Madhwacharya. It was this great philosopher who gave an added impetus to the Dwaitha school of thought and brought it to the forefront.

Though Madhwacharya did not start any Matha on his own, he was instrumental in anointing eight disciples to look after the Krishna Temple in Udupi.  The eight disciples came from different villages around Udupi and today these mathas are better known as the Asta Mathas or eight mathas of Udupi.

Apart from these eight disciples, the Acharya had four disciples all of  whom he initiated into the Dwaitha pontificate. The four in order are: Padmanabha Theertha, Narahari Theertha, Madhava Theertha and Akshoba Theertha.  

There have been divisions and sub-divisions of  the mathas right from the time of Padmanabha Theertha. Today, we have nearly 30 main mathas and a host of smaller ones.

I do not wish to go into the reasons for the division of the mathas as they can lead to unnecessary controversy which is always best avoided, I will endeavour to place the facts as it is. I have depended on the History of Dwaitha literature by Mr B,N, K Sharma, the writings of  many Dwaitha scholars and several other credible sources.

The first Peethadhipathi of the Dwaitha kingdom, accepted by all the mathas, is Narayana. He is followed by Chaturmukha Brahma, Sanakaadi, Durvasa, Jnananidhi, Garudavana, Kaivalya, Jnanaesha, Parathirtha, Satyaprajna, Prajuna Theertha, several others and then comes Achuta Preksha Theertha.

Achuta Preksha Theertha gives Deekshe to Madhwacharya. The Acharya in turn passes on the baton to Padmanabha Theertha (His brindavana is at Nava Brindana). In 1324, Padanabha Theertha gives Deekshe to Lakshmidhara Theertha who starts the Sripadaraja Matha. Padmanabha Theertha  was followed by Narahari Theerta (brindavana at Chakretheertha, Hampi), Madhava Theertha (brindavana at Mannur ) and Akshoba Theertha (brindavana at Malkhed). Madhava Theertha appoints Madurai Theertha to head the Thambihalli Matha.

Madhava Theertha selects Akshoba Theertha to succeed him. Akshoba Theertha helps set up two mathas. He is succeeded by Jaya Theertha or Teekachar. Jayatheertha is followed by Vidyadhiraja Theertha.

It was during the time of Vidyadhiraja that the first division of Madhaw matha took place. He had nominated Rajendra Theertha as his successor. Rajendra Theertha had gone on sanchara (travel) and did not come when Vidyaraja was ill. Therefore, Rajendra Theertha’s brother Kavindra Theertha was named as the head of the Dwaitha matha. When Rajendra returned, he found Kavindra had already occupied the post. Rajendra Theertha then came to south Karnataka and founded the Vyasaraja Matha. (The pontiffs after Rajendra Theertha in the Vyasaraja matha were Jayadwaja Theertha, Purushottama Theertha, Bramanye Theertha and Vyasa Theertha).

Kavindra Theertha was followed by Vagisha Theertha (He gave Deekshe to Vadiraja). The brindavanas of both Kavindra Theertha and Vageesha Theertha are at Nava Brindavana.

Vageesha  Theertha was succeeded by Ramachandra Theertha (Brindavana at Yeregol in Gulbarga) when the second division of the Matha took place. Ramachandra Theertha had nominated Vibhdendra Theertha as his successor. When Ramachandra Theertha fell ill, he could not hand over the reigns of the matha to Vibhdendra as he was on tour. He then handed over the peeta to Vidyanidhi Theertha.

Vibhdendra Theertha goes to Kumbakonam and founds the Kumbokanam Matha. This later transforms into the Raghavendra Swamy Matha. Vidyanidhi Theertha is followed by Raghunatha Theertha. This unbroken line of  peetadhipathis is called Uttaradhi Matha.

Decades after Vyasa Theertha, the Vyasa Raya matha splits into Abbur (Kundapur) and Sosale Vyasa Raya Matha.  In the context of all these happenings, the asta mathas continue the tradition of looking after the Krishna Temple in Udupi. There is no break in their matha history.

Madhava Theertha is the founder of Kanva matha or Veda Matha. His brindavana is at Buddhini. Lakshmi Manohara theertha of Shirur matha gave deekshe to Madhava Theerthe to set up the Kanva Madhwa Matha.

The first patron of the Madava matha of Tambihalli or Majjage halli Matha of Kolar is Madurai Theertha. Sagarkatte is the youngst of the Madhwa mathas. It was set up in 1920 by Pradyumna Theertha.

Some of the main mathas are as follows:                     

         

1.        Palimar Matha

2.        Adamar Matha

3.        Krishnapura Matha

4.        Puttige Matha

5.        Shirur Matha

6.        Sode Matha or Vadiraja Matha

7.        Kanioor Matha

8.        Pejavara Matha. (These eight are the Asta Mathas)

9.        Uttaradhi Matha

10.   Sripadaraja Matha

11.   Bhandarakeri Matha

12.   Subramanya Matha

13.   Chitrapura Matha

14.   Bhimanakatte Matha

15.    Kanva Matha

16.   Sagarakatte (Vyasaraja) Matha

17.   Kashi Matha

18.   Partagali Jeevottama Matha

19.   Raghavendra Matha

20.   Sosale Vyasaraja Matha, T Narsipura

21.   Kundapura Vyasaraja Matha, Abbur

22.   Baligaru Arya Akshobhya Tirtha Matha

23.   Kudli Arya Akshobhya Tirtha Matha

24.   Tambihalli or Majjagehalli Matha

I have relied on the parampare of the maths and several Madhwa texts to source material for this article. Readers can write if there is any discrepancy in the article. They can also send in their suggestions.   

Ravana's violin

Though the modern day violin is a western instrument,  its origin can be traced to a mythological figure in the Ramayana. This figure is none other than Ravana, the tragic villain of the epic and the king of Lanka who dies at the hands of Rama.

Ravana was skilled in many shastras, including astrology, Ayurveda and music. Of course that he was a matchless warrior is beyond doubt. But not many know that the earliest form of violin owes its origin to Ravana.

The violin in its present form came from mediaeval Europe. The first four-stringed violin was made by Andrea Amati of Italy. In India, the present day violin is believed to have been introduced by the East India Company and the early Portuguese. Records indicate that Baluswamy Dikshitar (1786-1859) learnt the violin in its present form from an English band master of the military band at Fort St. George in Madras.

Dikshitar, who was the brother of  Muthuswamy Dikshitar, one of the music trinity of Thyagaraja and  Shamba Shastry, helped adapt the violin to Carnatic music. He learnt violin for three years. He later became the court musician of Attaiyapuram in 1824.

A minister in the Marratha court of Tanjore, Varappa Iyer,  once visited the house of the British Govenor in Chennai. He was a scholar in music and knew English, The Governor gifted the minister the violin and also a piano. He then began accompanying some local musicians on the violin. Even today., there is a road in Tanjore named after him.

Vadivelu (1810 to 1845), of the four Tanjore brothers, was an earlier pioneer of the violin in Carnatic music. All the brothers were disciples of Muthuswamy Dikshitar. In 1834, Swathi Tirunal presented a violin made of ivory to Vadivelu.   

Vaduivelu was the Asthana Vidwan in Travancore during the reign of Swathi Tirunal (1813-1837).

At around the same time, the Portuguese Christian missionaries made extensive use of the violin during church services and also taught the use of the violin to converts. The violin thus came to be very popular in Goa, Kerala and other places where the Portuguese had their factories.

With the violin sharing a stringed bond with the veena and tamboori, the violin soon became an integral part of the Carnatic music ensemble. However, India had been familiar with bow like or stringed instruments from centuries.

The Mallikarjuna temple in Vijayawada built during the 10^th century and the Nataraja temple in Chidambaram during the 12^th century have sculptures playing a bow like stringed instrument. Even today, Rajasthan has continued with the tradition of a bow string. This tradition goes back to several centuries.

The bow like instrument in Rajasthan is  believed to have originated from Ravana more than 5,000 years ago. During the time of Ravana, it was called Ravanahatha.

The Ravanahatha is 22 inches in length and it is made of wood. It has three octaves. It was primarily made of coconut shells and bamboo.

Ravana was a master of  Ravanahatha.  He could play it so well, that even Shiva was moved by it. In Rajasthan, the legend is that Hanuman picked up the instrument from Lanka and came to Rajasthan where it underwent suitable changes. Thus, it is India that the oldest bow instrument originated.

Ravana also composed Shiva Thandava which is popular even today

The ancient temples of bangalore

Bangalore perhaps is the most cosmopolitan city in India and it has people from almost all the states in the country, so much so that Kannadigaes are in a minority.
The secular character of Bangalore can be gauged from the fact that Bangalore has more than a thousand temples, 100 churches, 40 Jain temples and religious institutions, three Gurudwaras, two Buddhists Viharas or monasteries and two Parsi temples.
The population of the city has touched 85 lakhs and people keep on pouring into the City. The number of religious institutions also seems to be increasing every day and new places of worship are being built in almost all the localities. The members of the Jewish   community are planning to set up their place of worship.
The 2001 census report says almost 74 per cent of Bangalore’s population are Hindus,13 per cent Muslims, 5.7 per cent are Christians and 1 per cent Jains.
In this article, I will try to trace some of the temples of Bangalore.
The oldest temple in Bangalore is believed to be the Chokanatha Temple dedicated to Vishnu. It is in Domlur and was built by Raja Raja Chola. So that makes this structure more than a thousand year old.

The temple was renovated 25 years ago. Raja Raja constructed the temple after he conquered Yelahanka.  The ten avatars of Vishnu, called the Dashavatara, are sculpted on the temple pillars. There are inscriptions in the temple going back to the Cholas. Domlur is  referred to as Tombaluru.

The smaller idols of  Sridevi and Bhoodevi are placed alongside the main idol of Vishnu.

There is an Anjaneya Temple nearby which is worth a visit.

Another old temple is the Someshwara Temple at Ulsoor.  The temple is near the MEG Centre and in recent years has become very famous.

It was built around the 12^th century and it was renovated by the Yelahanka Nada Prabhus.  Legend says that Kempe Gowda found treasure on the spot and built this temple after the deity of Someshwara came in his dream.

The Gavi Gangadheshwara Temple is a marvel in temple architecture built by Kempe Gowda. Located in Gavipuram Guttahalli, behind Ramakrishna Ashrama  (off Bull Temple road), it houses a beautiful linga carved of granite.
There is an idol dedicated to Agni, the god of fire. This is one of the oldest cave temples in Bangalore and it houses several other idols. The cave, according to Hindu mythology, dates back to the Trehta Yuga.
There are two tunnels  in the cave, both of which are blocked. One of them is supposed to lead to Shivagange , which is 60 kms from Bangalore and another to Kashi, which is more than a 1,000 kms away.
The Bull Temple is supposed to have been built by Kempe Gowda in 1537. The Bull or the Nandi is one of the biggest of its kind in India. The Dodda Ganesha and Shiva Temples are situated nearby.

The Kadu Malleswarama temple in Malleswara has a link with the Maratha Emperor Shivaji.  The temple originally belonged to Shivaji’s step brother Venkoji.

Venkoji came across a Shivalinga buried in mud and he constructed this temple in 1669.

The temple of Shiva at Begur, just a few minutes from the Central Silk Board on the Bangalore-Hosur Road, dates back to 1000 AD. This temple is very important as the first mention of Bangalore is found in an inscription here

The Kote Venkataramanaswamy Temple was built more than 300 years ago by Chikkadevaraya Wdoeyar. It is adjoining the summer palace of Tipu.  The Garuda Sthamba has a small  depression. This happened during the fourth Mysore War between Tipu Sultan and the British, A cannon fired by the British hot the Garuda Sthamba.

The Gali Anjaneya Temple on Mysore Road is believed to have been consecrated by Vyasa Theertha. It is at the confluence of two rivers but today the rivers are full of sewage. The oldest Hanuman temple is in Yelahanka.Other temples dedicated to Hanuman are near the Bangalore Fort, in front of Minto Eye Hospital and  JP Nagar 3^rd Phase.

A beautiful temple to Ranganathaswamy is located off Avenue Road. It was built during the 16^th century and is in the Vijayanagar style. The temple is adorned with carved granite pillars. It is on Ranganathaswamy Street.

There is a temple dedicated to Kashi Vishveshvaraiah in Balepet.It was built in 1840. There is also a temple to Dharmaraya on OTC Road where the Karaga procession commences.   The temple has deities of the five Pandavas and Draupadi. It was built more than 800 years ago by the Thigala community. Immamadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar visited the temple in 1811 and presented two swords for performing Aluguseve.

The temple at Ramanjenaya Gudda near Hanumanthanagar is set in a park. It is worth a visit. The Vasantha Vallabha temple in Vasanthapura off  Kanakapura road is more than 1,000 years old. It is dedicated to Vallabha, a form of Vishnu. It is in a locality called Vasanthapura. It was built by the Cholas.

The Banashankari temple in Banashankari is famous though it is not as old as the temples listed here. The temple is always crowded and it is built on the lines of the Banashankari temple at Banashankari near Pattadakal in Bagalkot district.

The Mookambika Temple in Mahalakshmi layout is visted by devotes for its oracular powers. If you have time visit the Narasimha Temple at Roppena Agrahara. It is more than 400 years old and is very unique. It is called Hari Vaikunta Temple and it is off  Hosur Road.

The TTD office at Vyalikaval behind Choiwdaiah memorial Hall has installed a statue of Srinivasa on the lines of the Srinivasa statue at Tirupathi. You get Tirupathi laddus on specified dates and you cam get information about sevas on Tirupathi from the info counter here.   

There are temples dedicated to Raghavendra in many localities and Jayanagar has two of them. The oldest Raghavendra temple is Sitapathi Agrahara near Central police station. There is the brindavana of Sripadaraja at Narasimha Gudda in B S Krishnappa Layout off Hoskerehalli.

The Vyasa Raya Matha in Basavanagudi has idols of Srinivasa and a brindavana of Raghavendra Swamy. The matha is now under the control of  the Muzrai department.

The Govardhanagiri hill opposite BMS College on Bull Temple Road has a small and beautiful shrine of  Krishna, It was commissioned by the Puttige Matha.

The Devagiri Temple behind Suchitra film academy in Banashankari 2ns stage is famous for the Srinivasa temple.     

Newer temples in Bangalore are ISCKON in Rajajinagar, the Anjenaya temple in Mahalakshmi Layout, Meenakshi temple in Hulimavu and the Nimishamba temple in BEML Layout and Raja Rajeshwaru Temple in Raja Rajeshwari Nagar, the Ragigudda temples and the temples in Hanumathnagar and Basavanagudi.

The Ayappa temple at Jalahalli very famous. There are many other Ayappa temples all over the city. The Sringeri Sharada temple in Shankarapuram and the recently constructed Narasimha Temple in Uttaradhi Temple in Uttraradhi Matha premises on Uttaradhi Matha road (behind National College) in Basavanagudi is a new attraction.  

  

   

What happened to Ashwathamma

                                 What happened to Ashwattama

 Ashwathamma is the son of the redoubtable Dronacharya, the archery Guru of both the Pandavas and Kauravas.

Drona loved his son so much that when Yudhistera deliberately says during the course of the Kurukshetra war that Ashwathamma was dead, Drona lays down his arms and dies.

Ashwathamma swears revenge and murders Dhristadyumna after the war comes to en end. He also kills the children of the Pandavas (borne from Draupadi) with help from Kritavarma and Kripacharya.

The Pandavas peruse Ashwathamma to avenge the death of their sons. When Arjuna and Ashwathamma meet, both fire the Breahmaastra, the most lethal of all weapons.

Both arte then advised to recall the astra as it has the capacity to destroy the entire world. While Arjuan does so, Ashwathamma deliberately redirects the weapon towards the womb of Uttara, the daughter-in-law of Arjuna and the wife of Abhimanyu.

Uttara was pregnant and she was due to deliver Parikshat.

The astra almost burns the foetus, but Krishna manages to put back life into it. Angered over the unfair manner in which Ashwathamma had directed the weapon against an unborn child and a defenseless woman, Krishna decided to curse him.

Since Ashwathamma is a chiranjeevi (one who cannot die), Krishna cannot curse him to death. He, however, curses Ashwathamma to remain in the mortal world and roam in it alone for 6,000 years or till the end of Kali Yuga.

According to Puranic texts, Ashwathamma leaves the Kurukshetra battlefield and goes towards the Arabian peninsula. Another story is that a highly disturbed Ashwathamma is still alive in the form of hurricanes,  cyclones and typhoons.

The fort of Asirgarh in Burnahapur in Madhya Pradesh has an old temple of Shiva. This is the idol to which Ashwathamma is believed to offera red rose every morning. Locals of Junagadh say Ashwathamma still roams about in and around Gir.

Asirgarh fort is almost in ruins. Nepanagar, which has a big newsprint factory, is near Asirgarh.

Sirgarh was the home to Farooqui Adil Shahis (Do not confuse them with the Adil Shahis of Bijapur).  Mughal emperor conquered Asirgarh and stayed back for some time.    

Guru Raya and his Mrithike

There are innumerable instances of the miracles performed by Raghavendra Swamy or Rayaru as he is more popularly known. He has been performing miracles from the Brindavana too.

This is an article about the miracle that Raghavendra Swamy did when he was to touring Bijapur district. I do not know the place where this miracle took place. All I have read about it is that it took place in Bijapur district where a river was flowing nearby.

This miracle is narrated by a cook who used to accompany Raghavendra Swamy everywhere during his sanchara.

Needless to say, the cook was a Brahmin and he was an eye witness to this incident.

The cook was one day conversing with his neighbours in Kumbakonam and during the course of the conversation he mentioned how Guru Raghavendra managed to get one of his devotees married without even bringing the bride and groom face to face.

This is how the incident occurred.

During one of his visits to north Karnataka,  Rayaru halted at a place near Bijapur. Rayaru decided to take bath in the river and then offer pooje to the idol of Moola Rama Devaru.

The rest of the followers too decided to take a dip in the river. Among them was a simpleton called Venkanna. The followers came across Venkanna’s father and asked him why Venkanna was still not married.

Venkanna’s father replied that his son was mentally unsound and that nobody would gave their daughter in marriage to such a person. Some of the followers found that Venkanna was not in his right senses and that he was prone to talking nonsense incessantly.    

That day, Venkanna got an idea that he should marry. He then began broaching the topic of his marriage with the rest of the group. Several members on the group made fun of Venkanna while some humiliated him.

When Venkanna was told that there was nobody to give their daughter in marriage to him, he approached the Brahmin cook and sought his help.

The cook told his listeners that he too made fun of Venkanna. “When you  do not have any money to survive, who ill give you a bride?, he asked.

Venkanna did not know what to do and he innocently asked the cook to tell him the next course of action. The cook really did not have any answer and tried to wriggle out of the problem by asking Venkanna to approach Guru Raghavendra for help.

“Go to Guru Raghavendra and pose your problem to him”, the cook told Venkanna. The answer did not fully satisfy Venkanna and he once again asked the cook what to do if Guru Raghavendra too cannot help him.  The cook was irritated by the question and asked Venkanna to approach Rayaru himself.

Venkanna was so simple and pure at heart that he straightaway walked to the river where Rayaru was taking bath. He stood looking at Rayaru and then made up his mind to seek help from Rayaru.

Venkanna then walked upto Rayaru and said he wanted to tell Rayaru something. Rayaru smiled and told him to go ahead. Venjanna then revealed his wish, Rayaru smiled.

Venkanna appeared dissatisfied with the reaction and once again broached the topic of  his marriage. Rayaru then blessed Venkanna.

Venkanna still stood his ground. Rayaru understood his predicament and spoke to him. “I am a sanyasi. I have given up all worldly things. What can I give you”, he asked. Venkanna summoned courage and exclaimed, “Give me whatever you have.”

Rayaru then gave Venkanna the Mrithike he was holding in his hand when he had come out of the river. Venkanna was overcome with joy and reverentially put the Mrithike in a clothe and held on to it tightly.

Venkanna thought that the Mrithike was very powerful and that it would help him get married. He told everybody about the Mrithike and left the group to search for a women whom he could marry. Venkanna said he would return to the group only after he married.

He began walking and after some time he grew tired. He saw a house of a Brahmin and decided to sleep there itself. He saw that the house had a small balcony and he decided to make a bed for himself there.

He made his bed and was about to sleep when he heard sounds coming from within the house,  He could only sleep fitfully. During the dead of night, Venkanna woke up to find a huge figure standing before him.

Venkanna looked at the figure with sleep in his eyes. He ignored the presence of the figure and decided to go back to sleep. The figure shouted and woke up Venkanna again. It asked him to throw away the clothe as it had some fire in it,  The figure said it was not able to gain access to the house as the clothe was coming in the way. “Throw it away so that I can enter the house”, it said.

Venkanna then opened the bag and found that it contained the  Mrithike Rayaru had given him. As if in a trance, he took a little Mrithike in his hands and put it on the door step. The huge figure asked to be let in. “I am a demon and I have come here to eat the child that was born today”, it tells Venkanna.

The demon tells Venkanna that it will give him anything if he removes the Mrithike. Venkanna asks for gold and the demon brings it.

Venkanna then sprinkles Mrithike on the demon. The demon is freed of the Rakshasha dosha and obtains salvation.

Venkanna then goes to sleep. The next day, when the Brahmin comes out, he sees Venkanna who tells him everything that happened .

The Brahmin realizes that Venkanna has saved his child, He says his children used to die soon after his wife gave birth. Priests had informed him  that some evil spirits were talking away all his new born children.

Venkanna then narrated the reason for his halt. The Brahmin realised that his brother had a daughter Radhamma who was of marriageable age . He immediately decided to get Radhamma married to Venkanna.

Venkanna was overjoyed and he came back to the group and informed them of the events.  The cook then informed Venkanna’s father.

When Rayaru was informed, he merely smiled. He once again turned to Venkanna and smiled at him. This smile and the  Mrithike transformed Venkanna into a normal human being who got married and lived a normal life.

This is the power of Rayaru’s Mrithike. If you believe in it, it will always be there to help you.