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2023 - The Year That Was

Places impact you for a variety of reasons. And the same place impacts different people in different ways. This is especially true when it comes to spiritual experiences, where every single person’s experience is unique. And personally, every spiritual experience is unique, the same person can have different deeply spiritual experiences at different places, at different times. This thought has emerged because of my own experiences over the years, but especially so this year, with different and unique experiences at various places I have visited recently. I began this year with a visit to Baroda (Vadodara) with friends. It was meant to be a relaxed trip, a touristy trip, with our sons. We enjoyed ourselves to the hilt, but the highlight of that trip was a visit to the Lakulisha temple at Pavagadh. It was the iconography of the temple that I connected with, and I spent a few hours simply lost in the details of the figures carved around the temple. There was an indefinable connect with

Temples in and around Sringeri


Sringeri is a small village with the Ashram dominating it. However, the area is steeped in ancient history and mythology. Sringeri gets its name from the sage Rishyasringa, who resided in these forests. In fact, the roots of this holy place go back even further, to the sage’s father, the sage Vibhandaka, who meditated here.

Spire of the Sringeswara Temple



As the legend goes, the sage Vibhandaka was deep in meditation, and the King of the Gods, Indra, wanted to disrupt his penance. He sent the divine damsel, Urvashi, to tempt the sage. She succeeded, and the result of their union was a child. It is said that the child was born with a slight protrusion like a horn or an antler, hence was called Rishyasringa – the deer sage. Urvashi, her work done, returned to her abode in the heavens, leaving the sage to care for the child alone. The sage was now filled with anger against all women, and brought up his son all by himself, in his haven in the forests. Thus the child grew to be a man, completely out of contact with all humanity, oblivious to the existence of women.

Meanwhile, in the region of Anga (present day Bihar), there was a severe drought, and the royal preceptor advised King Romapada that only the arrival of Rishyasringa would bring rain to his kingdom. Romapada had one daughter  - Shantha  (it is said that she was the daughter of King Dasaratha, adopted by Romapada) – and he sent her to bring the revered sage to his kingdom. Shantha set off accompanied by her retinue. They expected to find a sage, but found instead a young man who looked exceptionally handsome. However, their surprise was nothing compared to that of Rishyasringa, who had never seen such a beautiful person before. He was completely bowled over, and, his father being away, agreed to set off for Anga at once. Hardly had he set foot in Anga, that the rains began, and quenched the thirst of the parched land. The king was so happy that he offered his daughter’s hand in marriage to the sage. Rishyasringa was only too happy to accept and he lived with his wife in Anga for some time. It is said that when King Dasaratha wanted to perform the Putra Kameshti Yagna to beget a son, it was Rishyasringa he approached. The sage presided over the yagna, which resulted in the birth of the four princes of Ayodhya.

Once Rishyasringa felt he had lived enough in the material world, he went in search of his father, accompanied by his wife, Shantha. They searched high and low for him, but the sage had moved, grieved over the loss of his son. They eventually located him on the banks of the Tunga river, at present day Sringeri, deep in meditation. They served the sage while he lived, and, after he passed, they settled nearby, and spent the rest of their life meditating on Lord Shiva.

Malahanikareswara Temple


The lingam that sage Vibhandaka prayed to, is enshrined at the Malahanikareswara Temple at Sringeri. The name Malahanikareswara means ‘destroyer of the impurities of the soul’. The temple stands on a small hillock amidst the bustling market of Sringeri. It is so small that you can barely glimpse it over the shops, hotels and lodges that have turned up in recent times, yet once you enter the temple complex, is so peaceful that we forget that the market is just at the foothills! The only ones who disturb the peace here are monkeys!!




At Kigga, about 10 Km away, is another temple – the Sringeswara Temple. This is where Rishyasringa and his wife Shantha spent the better part of their lives meditating. The lingam here is shaped like a rudraksha, with a horn like projection on the top. It is believed that both, Rishyasringa and Shantha merged with the Lord together, and this lingam symbolises both of them. It is said that prayers to Sringeswara ensure plentiful rains.




Sages seem to have been drawn to Sringeri, even after the lapse of aeons, because, after Vibhandaka and Rishyasringa, it was Adi Shankara who came here, and, on the banks of the Tunga, set up his ashram. He installed the idol of Sharada, a form of Saraswati, the goddess of learning, to preside over his temple of learning. To protect her, his students, and their knowledge from harm, he set up temples for guardian deities in the four directions on the perimeter of Sringeri.

In the west is a shrine dedicated to Kere Anjaneya (Hanuman)



In the south is a temple dedicated to Durga



In the north is a shrine to Kali.



And in the east is located a temple to Kala Bhairava, the fierce aspect of Lord Shiva. (I was trying to get a photo of this temple, when I spotted a Giant Wood Spider, on one of the trees around the shrine. Fresh from my experience in Corbett with Karthik, the spider drew my attention at once, and I forgot all about the temple!! So, this is the only shrine I have no photos of!!! And yes, I do have a photo of the spider, which I shall post some other time. A spider doesn’t really fit into a post about temples, does it?)

Information:

The four shrines to the guardian deities, and the Malahanikareshwara temple are all within walking distance of the Sringeri Sharada Temple. Kigga is 10 Km away and plenty of autos are available for the trip. The best way to see all the temples in the shortest time is to hire an auto for visiting all of them. The entire trip takes less than 2 hours, including time spent at the temples. 



Sringeri Factfile:

Distances:
  • Bangalore – 360 Km
  • Mangalore – 110 Km
  • Udupi – 80 Km
  • Shimoga – 105 Km
  • Chickmanglur – 100 Km

How to Reach:

By Road: There are plenty of buses to Sringeri from Bangalore, Mangalore, Udupi and Shimoga.

By Train: The nearest railway station is at Udupi, on the Konkan Railway, and Shimoga on the South Central Railway

By Air: The nearest Airport is at Mangalore.

Where to Stay: The Sringeri Sharada Peetham provides plenty of accommodation for visitors. No advance booking is permitted, but accommodation is provided on a first-come-first-served basis. There are a huge number of rooms, including AC and Non AC rooms, as well as dormitories.
There are also many hotels and lodges in the area.

Where to eat: The Ashram offers food to every devotee, though at stipulated times.. lunch and dinner. There are also plenty of hotels in the area. However, the best option is one of the many messes, which are basically run in houses. The food is home cooked, and simple. Not much variety is available, but what is available is excellent and tasty.




Comments

  1. Anu jee

    Thanks a lot for sharing the legend about the place . I feel just describing and showing a spritual place without legend behind it ,is meaningless like a fruit without seed or taste. And coming to the way you have described is awesome.
    The place seems magnetiszing and alluring with spiritual energies . Its a must go in my next visit.
    Thanks once again .Keep Travelling and Posting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. THanks Vishal! Its a beautiful place. you should certainly go there.

      Delete
  2. Namaskar
    Excellent blog post -so well covered and the story of its great past and the Sage
    I visited Sringeri many years ago but only the main temple of Shree Sharada-
    Sitting on the River nank itself is a great experience.
    This is one of your best Blog posts.
    Many thanks
    TR
    CHennai.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very helpful for pilgrims heading to Sringeri. Nice post.

    http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

    ReplyDelete
  4. There is another legend/mythological story associated with Rishyashringa - as a person who established patriarchy. Let me hunt out the details, Anu and share it with you. I have only visited the Kigga and Malahanikeshwara temples and loved both of them. I was there in the winter of 1997 and the temples were deserted. I still remember the priests welcoming my friends and me with a warm "Banni".

    Have you visited the Annapoorneshwari temple at Hornadu?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. wow! that sure sounds interesting. would love to hear that story too... the temples are still deserted... there was just another family when we visited, and since the priest didnt know tamil or hindi, it was the youngest member of the family who acted as a translator!
      Yes, I have been there too.. wrote a post about it years back, not very detailed though...

      Delete
  5. Good one.. really informative :)

    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. An informative piece about the origin of Sringeri.. Just a small correction that Shimoga falls in South Western Railway and not South Central Railway. Another place in the Sringeri wishlist has been added. :)

    ReplyDelete

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