So after much adue hype, hoopla, e-bookings, waiting lists and e-cancellations (I am yet to confirm whether IRCTC has reimbursed my moolah) we finally embarked on the trip that evaded us 2 times in a row. 3rd time lucky? Possibly.
On June 9th , exactly 2 days after I had shifted to my new residence - we were all set to leave the house for a week long trip that promised to be exiciting , exhausting , sweltering and scincillating all at the same time. I arrived home roughly 1 and half hours before the train's scheduled departure timings. We left home , hurriedly caught an auto and awaited the train at Chennai Central.
We took the Mumbai Mail to Cuddapah and reached Cuddapah at 4:30 am in the morning. (Unbelivably, I was up almost every morning that whole week at 4 or 4:30 am in the morning)
First stop - Ahobilam.
Ahobilam
Chennai -> Cuddapah (via train - this is where the train connectivity stopped)
Cuddapah -> Aaalagadda (via bus)
Aalagadda -> Ahobilam (via bus)
Significance: The Ahobila Mutt (which is very sacred for Vaishnavaites and Vishnu worshippers everywhere) and the Nava Narasimha sannidhis . It took us a day and half (almost 2 days) at Ahobilam to cover all the 9 Narasimha Shrines. Some snapshots of Ahobilam ~
The toughest shrines to reach are the Jwala Narasimha (be prepared for a steep 4-5 km uphill trek to reach the shrine itself) and the Pavana Narasimha (this is in the heart of the forest, as , in literally in the heart - our jeep got punctured 2 times and got stuck along the way and on the way back too!)
There is a spot uphill , further upward from the Jwala Narasimha shrine called the 'Ugra Stambham'. It is said that Lord Narasimha broke open from this spot when Prahlad called upon him. Here are some snaps of the Ugra stambham!
More to come ...
4 comments:
It s said that reaching the last two shrines is impossible and those who have gone beyond the 7th have never returned. Is it just a MYTH?
Obviously :-)
Actually the Jwala Narasimha Shrine (right below the ugra sthambham) is on a very steep face of a hill and the Pavanashini river comes down in the form of water falls on that face of the hill. If you go in June or May , it will be hot but you can walk through. But during rains the river will flow down with force and the path to Jwala Narasimha and Pavana Narasimha (which is mildly, put , in the middle of nowhere) is impossible to reach.
interesting... despite being an atheist i would like to make a trip there one day... hope it would be a good experience... :) n seems like u had a ball... :)
Yeah Srinath, I had a real good time - that trip was a break that was looooooooooong due :-)
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