agiripalli narasimha kshetram

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhakti list members:

 

As a follow up to Sriman Jairam's posting on Agiripalli, I asked my

father (Sri. Vangipuram Dhruvanarayana) to provide me with some

details of Agiripalli Sri Shobhanachala Swamy Temple. Here is his

recollection of this temple.

 

Agiripalli Sri Shobhanachala Swamy Temple is sacred to all Sri

Vaishnavas. The story, as we were told by our elders, goes like this.

 

Sri Mahavishnu and Sri Mahadeva were visiting the earth. It was

evening time, when they were near this place. They were looking for a

place to stay over for the night. They saw this place among the

mountains and thick green forest. They were impressed with the scenic

beauty and the tranquility of the place. They decided to spend the

night in the scenic and peaceful environment. Sri Mahavishnu wanted

to perform evening sandhya vandanam and requested Sri Mahadeva to

find a suitable place for their stay. Sri Mahadeva, after searching

for a while, found a nice place on the top of the mountain and

settled down there, forgetting to inform Sri Maha Vishnu. Sri Maha

Vishnu waited for some time for Sri Maha Deva to return, but finding

that Sri Maha Deva did not come back, he went in search of him. When

he found that Sri Maha Deva settled down comfortably on the top of

the mountain, Sri Maha Vishnu felt some what angry and thumped the

head of Sri Maha Deva with his fist and cursed that no body will

visit him without having the Darshan of self (Sri Maha Visnu). Saying

this, Sri Maha Vishnu came down in two steps and settled down at the

foot of the Mountain.

 

Even now, one can notice the impression of the fingers on the top of

the sacred Siva Lingam and the two large stone slabs (representing

the imprint of the foot steps of the Lord).

 

Lord Sri Maha Vishnu is known in this place as Sri Shobhanachala

Swamy (Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy) with Mother Sri Rajya Lakshmi.

Lord Sri Maha Vishnu is considered here as Shobana or happy or shanta

Murty (after pacification by Bhakta Prahlada).

 

In the Zamindari days (about 50 years ago), the temple vibhavam is

the talk of every one in Krishna and Guntur Districts. Agiripalli

Ratha Saptami (celebrated in Chaitra Lunar Month??) used to be listed

as an important event in the Telugu Calendars of those times. On that

day Perumal with Sri Maha Lskshmi is taken round the mountain in a

chariot (Ratham) drawn by people. The Ratham is stored in a tall

building in front of the temple, which is a land mark. There is a

light (Akhandam) on the mountain that is visible even from the

outskirts of Vijayawada city. People believe that this Akhandam

(endless) lights through out the day and night and never

extinguishes. If that happens (God forbid), that is Pralayam or the

end of the world.

 

People used to tell us the reverence of the Nuzivid Zamindars towards

the Lord. It appears, as the story goes, that the Lord used to appear

in the dream of the Zamindars and demand that the Pooja and the

Bhogam should be performed immediately. The next day, the Zamindar

would visit the temple in Agiripalli and obey the orders of the Lord.

There used to be a Sanskrit Pathasala in Agiripalli village, which is

well known.

 

Agiripalli village is well laid out. The village is in a square

shape at the foot of the mountain, virtually at the foot of the feet

of the Lord. There are small hamlets attached to the village. There

are four streets, enveloping the square. At the four corners, there

are four Koluvu Mandapams. The One Great Mantapam known as Kotayi is

where the Lord comes down on important Utsavam days like in Dhanur

Masam, Chaitra Masam (Utsavas) and is in Koluvu (Durbar), with all

the alankaranams and Sevas. In our child hood days, it appeared to us

that every body used to participate in those festivities with

devotion. Among the Perumalla bhogams, apart from the traditional

bhogams which Shri Vaishnavas offer to the Lord, the Chitti Garelu

(miniature adas) are very famous. Even now, when we think of those

Chitti Garelu, we feel the presence of the Lord and the pleasant

taste of his Maha Prasadam.

 

Agiripalli produced eminent people like Dr. S. Bhagavantam (Former

Scientific Advisor to the Defence Ministry), Smt. Malati Chandur

(Andhra Prabha Weekly Womens section editor) and another famous

chemical engineer (I don't know the full name but he is from

Kolachalmala family, I think). There used to be once famous

Shobhanachala Film Studio, named after the Swamy of Agiripalli. These

are some of the things I know about Agiripalli. I am sorry that I am

not able to present information about the Sthala Puranam, which

requires a visit to the place and the local library.

 

With regards.

 

Venkata Atiraj Anand