Andhra abhimAna sthalams: pAthagutta LakshmiNarasimhan Temple

[Guest guest]

Dear bhAgavathas,

 

In continuing with our series on the abhimAna sthalams of Andhra

Pradesh, I present the following on a temple that has a rich

history, but is only now coming to be recognized by devotees,

pAthagutta Sri LakshmiNarasimhan Temple in Yadagiri:

 

According to the sthala purAnam, in trEta yugam, Sri Yadarishi,

the grandson of the noted Rishyasringa, had come to the hills in

what is now the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh to perform

tapas such that he could have the darshanam of Sriman Narayana.

Due to his austerities and his sincere devotion, Sri Anjaneyar

appeared before the rishi and directed him to a nearby grotto

where Perumal and ThAyAr appeared as Sri LakshmiNarasimhan. The

devout sage performed kainkaryam to the Lord here for many years.

After the sage achieved mOksham, Sri LakshmiNarasimhan began to

receive kainkaryam from the local tribal people who had come to

knaw about the sage and about the vaibhavam of the Lord's

archAvatharan. As the tribal people were not able to perform

kainkaryam per the dictates of sAstra, the Lord went to the top

of the hill that bears the name of the rishi who had invoked Him,

and appeared in the five-fold form that is now famous as Sri

Yadagirigutta Vaidya LakshmiNarasimhan Sannidhi.

 

However, the archa that Yadarishi lovingly remained in order to

receive kainkaryam from the nitya sooris. It is this temple,

which is located at the foot of Yadagirigutta, that has come to

be known as Sri pAthagutta (lit. old hill) LakshmiNarasimhan

Temple. The temple is located at the end of a rough gravel road

in the small town of Yadagiri, approximately 5 km from the main

temple. The Lord appears in His

self-manifesting form as a beautiful but rough carving on a large

rock. Remarkably, the rock itself resembles a large vertical

pillar containing a very wide grotto-like crack. It is in the

middle of this crack where SingapirAn appears in His Majestic and

Peaceful form as Malolan. The Lord has 4 arms, the front two

resting on his lap to show that He is yogAsanam, the upper two

holding the sankham and chakram. ThAyAr stands very closely to

His left, and out of Her unbounded Love for Him, seems to be

standing almost just behind Him such that She can rest Her chin

on His Majestic Shoulder. Until recently, this small sannidhi

served as the only temple for many, many years. But, Perumal's

Divine Commands are prompting the construction of a larger temple

that will eventually transform this once small shrine into a

traditional SriVaishnava kshEtram.

 

Two large silver utsavars of Sri Vaidya LakshmiNarasimhan,

replicas of the images on the upper temple, serve as the primary

Deities for worship in this sannidhi. Along with them

are utsavars of Malolan, Dolai Kannan, ChakrathAzhwAr,

Andal, and AzhwArs and AchAryans.

 

Instead of a formal pushkarini, and true to the mood of vaidyam

that the Lord seems to maintain in the area, a small pond said to

possess medicinal propoerties is located on a hillock

overlooking the temple, adjacent to an Anjaneyar sannidhi. It is

said that this small pond, which

is known AkAsa ganga teertham, is filled by a series of small

springs that flow down from the hillsides. One group of these

springs is also said to flow directly onto the moolavar of the

Lord, performing a continuous thirumanjanam kainkaryam to Him.

 

Due to Perumal's sankalpam and anugraham, this once quiet little

shrine is now recharged with a new vitality. At the time of our

visit, rapid construction of a larger temple to house the small

sannidhi was taking place under the guidance of learned

SriVaishnava scholars. The completion of this temple is intended

to transform the small local shrine into a traditional

SriVaishnava kshEtram. Several erudite bhAgavathas are

supporting this noble effort. Recently, through the invitation

of Sri Yadagiri LakshmiNarasimhan Devasthanam, Sri Mukkur

LakshmiNarasimha Thathacharya officated over Sri LakshmiNarasimha

Yagam here. And, between February 17 - February 22, 2000, the

temple hosted a lavish utsavam officiated by HH Sri Tridandi

SrimanNarayana Ramanuja Jeear, during which pratishtai was

performed for ThAyAr, Andal, and Anjaneyar.

 

The temple has received financial support from devotees in India

and the upper Yadagiri Temple Devasthanam. However, much more is

needed in order to realize the vision of having a traditional

SriVaishnava kshEtram at this ancient and sacred place. The

adhyApakar of this temple, Sri Mangalagiri Ramanujan, is

asking for the help and support of interested bhAgavathas.

Donations in the form

of a check made payable to Pathagutta LakshmiNarasimha Swamy

Devasthanam can be sent to:

 

Executive Officer

Pathagutta LakshmiNarasimha Swamy Devasthanam

Peddareddygudam, Madira Datarupalli

Yadagirigutta, Nalgonda District

Andhra Pradesh, India

 

sarva vedAnta vEdhyAya karaNAya mahAtmanE

sarvaloka saraNyAya Sri NrsimhAya mangalam

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

 

Mohan