By V S Krishnan

As the Cochin-Patna Express arrived at Coimbatore, it was 10 PM, Sunday, the 23rd September 2002. The bogie that I had to board was a different one. Unlike other bogies that carried different passengers to different destinations, all the passengers of this bogie had one common destination, the abode of the Lord and one common objective - worship. It was a holy mission to the famous temples of Orissa and Andhra under the auspicious of Kerala Brahmana Sabha, Thrissur.

As I boarded and settled in my berth, wondering how the hectic days ahead would be, I heard someone advising my fellow passenger in the opposite berth. "Annapurni, nanna pothikko". nalla thanuppu irukku" ("Annapurni, cover yourself properly; it is very cold"). I could not see the person called Annapurni as she had covered herself fully. Now she made some movements by which it became a total coverage. Anyway, thinking that after all I am not going to be in bad company, I too retired for the day.

As the brilliant rays of the dawning sun peeped through our compartment the next day, I woke up and settled myself in the seat. It was then I suddenly saw the person called Annapurni, siting right opposite my berth, sipping her coffee. She was 75 plus, head shaven and clad in white Pudavai, the marks of widow-hood. It is a matter of luck who one gets as a co-passenger in a long journey. But I gradually realized that I was lucky too. Annapurni Paatti, as it turned out, was found to be a most versatile personality, full of energy, enthusiasm, knowledge and talent.

At Chennai Central, we were received by our friends with packets of idly, puliyodharai etc. Refueling of the train as well as its passengers over, the train started its onward journey. With the vigour and energy provided by idly and coffee, some of the ladies started a Bhajan session. It gained momentum as more members joined in. The sound of music was so overwhelming that it silenced even the clattering sounds of the train.

September 25, 2002: We have set foot to the beautiful city of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa, the land of magnificent monuments, temples and antiquities. Two buses, arranged by Sabha , were waiting at the Station to pick us up. We proceeded to a choultry to get ourselves ready. Our first visit was to Lingaraj temple. Built by King Lalatendu Kesari in the 11th century AD, this temple is situated in the heart of the town. Lord Shiva is the presiding deity and there are many subsidiary deities too. According to legend, once Lord Shiva decided to relocate from Banaras and He selected Utkal as the ideal place to settle. A temple to have sanctity should have a river by its side and Lord Mahavishnu provided drops of water from all sacred rivers, which formed into Bindu Sarovar. The Shiva Linga here is situated in the middle resembling that of Kasi and devotees came in circle (Pradhakshina) chanting mantras. Pradakshina signifies that a devotee walks the path of life with God in the centre. Some of us conducted the Puja with the help of a purohit.

After worshiping the subordinate deities and admiring the beauty of the sculptures, we went back to our bus to continue our journey. Suddenly, one of our co-passengers, Sumathi noticed that her suitcase was missing. All our attempts to locate it were in vain. Though Sumathi kept her cool, our team leader, Viswanatha Iyer, has made good her loss to some extent.

After worshiping ISKON temple and also Sita Ramaswamy temple, we proceeded to the famous sun temple at Konarak. This temple is carved as a chariot of Sun God with 24 wheels and driven by seven horses. It was built by the King Langula Narasimha Deo around l3th century. It is said that 12 years of revenue and the services of about 1200 artisans had gone into making this gigantic 228 feet structure. The artisans have created a most beautiful poem in sculpture. The guide explained that the whole foundation of the temple is made on two magnetic steel structures. While some foreign invaders tried to uproot them the edifice started crumbling down in parts. This magnificent temple still retains its charm and continues to attract tourists from far and near.

When the guide was taking us round explaining, all our attention were diverted to the top of the temple where at one frame of opening facing us, Annapurni Paatti was standing and waiving at us. As if the four columns of the opening-gate serving as a frame, the beaming Paatti provided a good picture. Almost all the cameras clicked that rare sight. Later, on asking her what made her go that top alone, she replied: " I thought all of you were heading for top. As I may not be able to keep pace with you, I thought I will go in advance; but for some reasons, none of you came up."

Not able to take our eyes off that beautiful masterpiece of art, we left Konarak reluctantly. Another attraction of Puri is its beach. So vast that even our eyes cannot reach, the sea was indeed a wonderful sight. All our earthly problems seem like a storm in a teacup. We are too preoccupied with our squabbles that we have no time to admire the greatness of the nature. In order to make this life more meaningful we must transcend our state of mind to a higher realm and broaden our vision. Some ventured into the sea for a bath, while others like me, enjoyed it all from a distance. The waves, like our desires, keep on multiplying and advancing towards the shores with great expectations, only to be shattered ultimately at the shore.

As we got into the bus, it started to move towards our next destination, Puri. Puri, the seat of Lord Jagannath, is the most important and sacred location in a pilgrim's map. It was here Adi Sankara, who kindled a spiritual awakening among Hindus by his Advaitha philosophy, established one of the four Mutts. The main path to the temple was very wide extending beyond 100 feet. It has been so formed for the three chariots to pass through freely during the Rath Yatra. The road was very crowded. There were shops selling fancy articles, textiles and handicrafts at a modest price. The people all seemed very innocent. For travelling from our location to the temple, a distance of around 2 km. two of us engaged a cycle-rickshaw. On reaching the temple, he demanded a fare that raised our eyebrows, just Rs. 5/-. It was something unbelievable for a Coimbatorian like me who would have had to pay atleast 10 times for this distance there.

The Jagannath temple was vibrant with activities like Bhajan, discourses and chanting of mantras even in that late hour. We inched our way towards the sanctum sanctorum marveling at the artistic structures. This temple is one of the four main Holy centers of India. The construction of this 215-ft. height temple was started by Chodaganga Deva and completed by King Ananga Bhimas Deva in 12th century AD. The three presiding deities are Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Jagannath. The unique feature of this temple is that unlike other temples, the idols are carved in wood. Again, unlike other temples where the Lord appears in consort with his wife, here the Lord Jagannath appears with brother and sister. A wife is remotely associated with carnal desires. Lord Jagannath is conceived as Yogeswara, the Lord who can be reached only by renunciation of all human desires. With this principle in view the Lord here appears in company with his brother and sister. But King Pratap Rudra who succeeded the thrown did not agree with this concept. He introduced a practice of dance by devadasis inside the temple. It is said that no other temple in India is subjected to so many influences as in Jagannath temple. By adopting the principle of different cults, not only of Hinduism but also of Budhism and Jainism, a sort of cultural synthesis has taken place in Jagannath temple. The Jagannath temple is also a classic example of equality of women and equality of all classes. Here is the story behind it. Lakshmi, wife of Lord Jagannath goes out of the premises to see for herself how are things. She meets Chandalini, a low caste woman. Furious by this, Lord Jagannath refuses entry for Lakshmi at the temple. Lakshmi then orders Viswakarma to construct a separate temple for her and remains there. Devoid of the presence of Lakshmi, the lonely Jaganath loses all his wealth to the Vetals. Ultimately, the Lord concedes the importance of Lakshmi and accepts her. When we heard this story being narrated by a Pundit, a friend remarked: "I can understand the plight of the Lord as more or less the same thing happened to me. When I objected to my wife's outing and shopping, she went to her Porantham (house of birth) and she returned only after I conceded her right to shopping. "

We reached the temple late in the evening and worshipped the subordinate deities and waited for the main gate of the sanctum sanctorum to open. We were told that only at 12 night the door would be opened. Some enthusiasts among us started a Bhajan and soon there formed a small crowd to hear and enjoy this "Madrasi Bhajan". As the sacred doors opened, there were huge cries of "Jaganath" "Jagannath". The sounds of the huge bell reverberating in the air, the pundit conducted the Aarti (deepa aradhana or offering of light) to the Lord of the Universe. We reached the pinnacle of bliss, watching this rare sight to our heart's content. "Oh! God," I prayed, "lead me from darkness to light". During the famous Ratha Yatra, there is a practice of the descendent of the King cleaning the area with a broomstick, a job normally done by low-caste workers. This symbolically highlights the need for a casteless society and the need to remove our ego.

Our original programme was to halt at Puri but since a bandh had been declared, to avoid being stranded at Puri, we decided to return to Bhubaneswar immediately. On reaching Bhubaneswar around 3 AM we checked into a hotel. The next day we observed the bandh, forced to observe rather, by remaining mostly indoor and left Bhubaneswar by Coramandal Express in the night.

September 27, 2002: Early morning, we alighted at Vizag and proceed to Simhachalam. After our bath at a Kalyana Mandap at the foothill, we went by Devasthanam bus to the hilltop. It was here that Maha Vishnu appeared in the form of Narasimha to protect his devotee, Prahlada. The deity, Varaha Narasimha, is covered with sandal paste throughout the year. It is believed that this will provide the cooling effect to the Lord who appeared in a rage from out of a pillar. Only on one day during the Visakha month, the chandan is removed and large number of devotees congregate to have a special darshan of the Lord at this point. The pillar from which Narasimha appeared is also situated there and devotees were seen embracing it with both their hands.

On our way back to Vizag, we worshiped the Dharma Saastha temple. It was almost 1 PM and we had our brunch (break-fast-cum-lunch) at our friend, Vaidyanathan's house. We really enjoyed the soft, white and delicious Idlis prepared and served by Vaidyanathan's family. Thanking him for all the help and hospitality he rendered, we continued our journey. It was at that time some one pointed out that Ravi, one of our volunteers, was missing. After stopping the vehicle two friends went back to look for him. There they heard a knocking sound from behind a toilet. Apparently, Ravi had bolted the door inside too tightly that he could not open it. Our man gave a push and the door was opened. Someone then said: " Ravi, I told you, go slow on idlis; but you did not listen".

After halting at Annavaram, we procceeded to Satya Narayana temple. A function in any Andhra house invariably starts with an invocation prayer to Satya Narayana. It is believed that Lord Satyanarayana shows us the clear way to salvation. A Pundit performed the Satyanarayana Puja in a very elaborate way. At the end of the Puja, he gave a fine discourse, in pure literary Tamil, the importance of Satyanarayana Puja for about an hour.

After the ceremony was over, we approached and talked to him in Tamil. Now, we were in for a big surprise. He said, he does not know Tamil at all! Then how come he was able to speak so fluently in literary Tamil for about an hour? "Simple" he said: "I made it all by heart. When your representative came to me earlier for conducting the Puja, I realized I should not mechanically conduct the puja. I should be able to explain the importance and significance of this Puja in a language that you understand. So, with the help of a Tamil Pundit, I wrote everything in Telugu script and made it by heart." He did not even look at the huge offerings we have given and instead he was always stressing the importance of Satyanarayana Puja. He was really an embodiment of dedication and devotion.

September 28, 2002: From Annavaram it was a long winding journey through the thick forests and jungles to Badrachalam. We checked in the Pilgrim Centre. After a dip at the holy Godvari River, we went to the temple of Lord Rama at Bhadrachalam. The captivating Rajagopuram was leaping towards the sky. The place derives it name from Bhadra, a great devotee of Lord Rama who did penance to attain salvation and Lord Rama appeared before him to grant his prayers. According to legend, an idol of Rama was found lying in the forest. All devotees wished that a temple should be constructed by installing this idol of Rama. Kunjerala Gopanna who was a great devotee of Rama had a vision that he should take upon himself this task. Gopanna who was in the service of the Nizam administration requested Tanisha, the head of the Dept. permission to construct the temple. When the permission did not come in time he went ahead with the construction in anticipation of approval. When the Tanisha came to know this, he ordered punishment by putting Gopanna in jail. Gopanna took it in his stride and spent 12 years in jail by singing the glory of the God. He composed Dasarathi Sathakam, a book of hundred poems in praise of Lord Rama. These hymns are still sung in the temple. It is believed that Rama and Lakshmana disguised as representatives sent by Gopanna paid the dues to the Tanisha. According to a more rational theory, the Tanisha saw this in his dream and waking up in the morning he ordered release of Gopanna. Gopanna who later came to be known as Bhakta Ramadas expoused the cause of devotion to Lord Rama. There is a separate temple for Ramadas nearby. As I stood in front of the deity, I recollected my younger days when my mother used to narrate the story of Bhakta Ramadas. We returned with a great sense of satisfaction to our pilgrim centre camp. The local wing of the Andhra Brahmana Sabha arranged a grand feast for us.

September 29, 2002: Long before the rays of the sun started reaching the earth, we set out for the next stage of our divine mission. It was a long journey of about 10 hours. Visiting Panaka Narasimha temple on the way, we reached Vijayawada in the evening. We checked in a hotel and after freshening up proceeded to Kanaka Durga temple atop the hill. The Krishna River flowing nearby makes this city holy and prosperous. It is said that Lord Shiva has subjected even Goddess Durga to severe test. The Goddess proved her steadfastness and sincerity in these tests. As Durga was supposed to be of black complexion, the pleased Lord endowed her with the golden hue and so she came to be known as "Kanaka Durga". We found the city of Vijayawda very beautiful. It was only here that we got some respite and some ladies resorted to their favourite hobby of shopping, while their husbands looked on helplessly. That reminded me of a comment made by my friend: "While walking, I always hold my wife's hand. If I let free, she goes for shopping."

September 30, 2002: Our convoy of two vehicles continued their onward journey from Vijayawada to Srisalam. Despite being September, it was very hot. On the way, the tyre of one bus got punctured and we had to wait till a replacement wheel was installed. Out of curiosity I went inside the other bus to see how they were all taking the journey. There, I could not believe my ears! Annapurni Paatti was giving a fine music recital, keeping all her fellow passengers spell-bound. She was rendering Oothukadu Venkatasubha Iyer's song "Alai Payudhe" with dexterity and feeling. I made a plea that Annapurani Paatti should shift to our bus so that we could also enjoy her music. The plea was vehemently turned down with shouts: "No, No". It was a measure of how high Annapurani Patti's value had soared.

Our next halt was at Srisailam in Kurnool District. Situated on the side of River Krishna and surrounded by beautiful hills, Srisailam is one of the important Shaivite pilgrim centers of South India. The presiding deity is known as Mallikarjuna Swami. The unique feature of Srisailam is its four gateways. In each of the four directions there are Sakthipeedas and Mahakshetras or temples; each place having its own significance. On the eastern side is Tripurantakeswardu, on the southern side in Cuddapah Dist. is Siddhavateswara Swami, on the western side is Jogulamba Sakti Peedam and on the northern side in Mahaboobnagar Dist. is Umamaheswara. The towering temple structure called Gopuram on all the four sides looked really majestic. It is believed that one who worships at this temple with single-minded devotion will be endowed with knowledge (Gjana) as well as power (sakthi). As we stood in front of the deity, Lord Shiva, we felt fortunate like never before. By cherishing these divine moments in our hearts, we returned to our rest place. The Srisailam Unit of the Andhra Brahmana Sangham had arranged a very sumptuous dinner for us here.

October 1, 2002: We moved on to our next destination, Kalahasti, one of the most sacred Shiva temples in South, known as Dakshina Kailasa. This temple is surrounded by huge mountains and sanctified by river Swarnamukhi. Inside the Garba Graha, the centre place, is the unique and sacred Vayu Linga which is considered to be a naturally formed one (Swyambu). The linga is covered by a golden screen. Two sets of oil lamps keep burning in front of the Linga. While one set is always flickering, the other one burns steadily. This surprising phenomenon signifies the mind of an ordinary mortal and the mind of a devotee who has realized God. There are various other features like Patala Vinayaka at the basement, the idol of Dkashninamurthi holding forth torch of flames (symbol of knowledge), the Linga bearing the symbols of a spider, serpent and elephant. It is believed that all these features reflect the tenets of the 18 stanzas of Isopanishad.

The Upanishads constitute the concluding portions of Vedas. They form the basis of Hindu way of life. Manifestation of Brahman in the human body is called Atman and the essence of the Upanishad is the idea that both the Atman (the individual) should merge with Brahman (the ultimate reality). A sincere payer to Kalahastheeswara will help the Jeevathma to realize that its real identity lies by merging with the Paramathma. The Lord helps an ardent devotee to get the vision and the knowledge to know what is Real.

There is the story of a Brahmin from Tirunelveli whose son, Karamba engaged himself in a weaving profession. He did not lead a righteous life but at the end donated a cloth woven by him to adore the Sivalinga as a mark of atonement. Because of his misdeeds and because he was thinking at the time of his death about the fine art of weaving, he was born as a spider in the next birth. This spider worshipped Lord Shiva at Kalahasti for several years. The Lord ultimately granted this spider salvation. Sri Kala Hasti abounds in legends. There is another story of Kannappan which reveals how one can attain salvation through the means of pure Bhakti Marga (path of devotion). Kannappan, the hunter worshiped the Lord of Kalahasti in his own clumsy manner by offering pieces of meat and collecting the water in his mouth for Abhisheka to the Linga. As he approached the Linga one day, he saw tears and blood trickling down the left eye of the Linga. Moved beyond words, Kannappa pierced his own left eye and fixed it on the idol. When he saw that the right eye of the Lord was also affected, by placing his leg on that particular spot for identification, he pierced his right eye also and fixed it on the Lord. God not only restored his eyes later but also granted him salvation. At the temple of such great significance and sanctity, we worshipped the Lord and felt elated at this moment of glory in our life. Sri Kalahasti is also reputed as Rahu Ketu Kshethra. Of the nine Grahas, Rahu and Ketu are very important as they influence our life to a great extent. Special prayers here can ward off the ill effects caused by the planetary positions of Rahu and Kethu. Some of our colleagues conducted special Puja to propitiate these two Grahas. It was a most serene atmosphere that pervaded this temple and one should make it a point to visit this temple atleast once in his lifetime to make this life worthy. "Our very presence here has fulfilled our mission " a friend observed. For any one looking for "Gjana" (enlightenment) or 'Moksha" (Salvation) Kalahasti should be the ideal and ultimate destination.

Having realized what should be our ultimate destination, we proceeded to our immediate destination, Tirupathi. It was a journey from Dakshina Kailasa to Boologa Vaigundam. We arrived late in the evening and checked in Hotel Bimas, Tirupathi. Hotel Bimas was started by a few Palakkad Iyers (Venkitachalam, a Kolkata friend of mine, being one among them) with a humble beginning and with a noble objective of providing good food to the devotees visiting the temple. Their dedication has paid them rich dividends. Today, they dominate the hotel industry in this pilgrim town with their chain of hotels including a magnificent five-star. As it was not programmed to visit the temple of Venkatachalapathy, the Lord of the Seven Hills, some of the members went to the hill top on their own in the night. The next morning we visited the Kodandarama Swamy temple, Anjaneya Swamy temple and the Govindaraja Swamy temple at the foothill. Govindaraja Swamy idol was in a reclining posture, reminding one of Sri Ananda Padmanabhaswamy of Thiruvananthapuram or Sri Ranganatha of Srirangam. While praying I saw Annapurni Paatti coming along our way and I enquired her why the Lord is in a reclining posture. "Good question", she replied "but wait till I come back from Pradhakshinam". Obviously, Paatti was not willing to compromise any of her practices. After worshipping I came out when Paatti called me and said: "You know the story of how Lord Venkateswara became a debtor of Kubera. He had entrusted the collection responsibility to Govindaraja Perumal, His brother. It was a gigantic task measuring so much of money. It is the tired Perumal taking a rest in between that you find here. " She explained in short.

With the satisfaction of having fulfilled our divine mission, we have now come to the last leg of our pilgrimage. The temple of Tiruttani, the abode of Lord Murugha, is situated atop a small mountain on the Tamil Nadu side of Andhra border. The word Tiruttani is derived from the word Thiru Thanigai. Thanigai in Tamil means, "getting cooled down". Lord Murugha after killing the demon Soorapadman at Thiruchendur was in a very furious state of mind and he was cooled down only after coming here. So this place came to be known as Thiru Thanigai. As the Lord is believed to be in a pleasant frame of mind here, whoever comes here and prays gets whatever his or her wishes fulfilled. Knowing me as an hard-core devotee of Lord Murugha, a colleague remarked: "Now, it is your favourite Lord." As if to prove his comment correct, when we were all worshipping before the Lord, the Pundit took out a big garland from the deity and to put it on me. Surprisingly, he seemed to know that I am an ardent Murugha devotee or else how could he select me of all persons. For a moment I stood motionless. Though all devotees are equal before God, for a moment I felt as if I have been 'specially blessed'. Like each Gopika feels that Krishna belongs to her, perhaps God has His own ways of making every devotee feel that between them it is a special relation.

Exactly what makes relations special? There are various relationships that bind us with others; relations with our family members, friends, neighbours, colleagues etc. It is the inter-relation between members of our family and society that determines our action. Love in varying degree binds such relations. However deep a relation is, it is susceptible to change. Some of you might have heard the title song: "Rishton Ke Bee Roop Badalthe Yai" (Nature of relations keep on changing) in the popular Hindi serial "Saas Bee Kabhi Bahu Thee". However deep and strong a relation may be, it cannot last forever. The only relation that is immortal, that is real, that is ever lasting and endurable is your relation with God. It was a relationship with God that we have endeavored through this Yatra. I returned home with the conviction that I was able to build such a relation. The relationship I was able to build with my tour members like Viswanatha Iyer, Ravi, Sumathi, Vaidyanathan, Annapurni Paati and the Pundit at Satyanarayana temple is also as sacred and valuable as the relationship with God. I reached home with an extreme sense of fulfillment, satisfaction and ecstasy.

Mr. V.S. Krishnan is the son of (late) V.M. Subramania Iyer, Silk Cloth Merchant, Trichur. Having served in Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd. as Marketing Officer at different places in India like Patna, Chennai, Erode, Cochin etc. VSK is now devoting his time, after retirement, by handling instruments like pen, mouse and kinnaram (writing, browsing and bhajan). This is the third of the series contributed by him, the first two being "Paalada Pradhaman" and "Tamil Brahmins of Kerala".