Kadmanivasi: WORSHIP

WORSHIP

Every Saturday is temple day for Ramani and he has been going to the temple for the past so many years. So this Saturday, we were very fortunate to be in Vizag as this gave us the opportunity to pray at the Simhachalam temple, 18 km away.

We learnt that Simhachalam means the hill of the lion (Simha: Lion ; Achala: one which cannot be moved, viz. hill) and the temple atop the hill was constructed in the 11^th century by the King Sri Krishnadevaraya. The temple is dedicated to Lord Narasimha, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, who killed the demon King Hiranyakashapu. The presiding deity here is Varaha Lakshminarasimha and the idol resembles a Shivalingam covered with sandal paste.

We have all heard the story of King Hiranyakashyapu, who desired to be worshipped by his subjects. But Prahalada, his son, was a devotee of Lord Narayana and refused to accept his father as his God. This enraged the king who devised many ways to kill his own son. Once, he tried to hurl Bhakta Prahalad down the mountain but Lord Vishnu came to his rescue. Lord Narayana jumped from his Garuda to save the young prince Prahlada, and his feet sank deep into the earth. It is believed that this temple came up in the place were the Lord stood to protect Prahaladha and hence the lord’s feet are not visible in the temple.

In October 2007, the Government of Andhra Pradesh approved a master plan for the development of the region on similar lines of Tirumala. The construction work is on and this was a hindrance as we were unable to take in the beauty of the temple. The road leading to the top traverses the Eastern Ghats, which at this point, is green, beautiful and picturesque. There are trees and mango groves and I fervently prayed that they would not be uprooted in the name of development

Once we reached the temple premises, we learnt that a special ticket of Rs. 100 would take us by lift for direct darshanam of the Lord and an extra Rs. 50, would enable us to offer archana and pray at the Sanctum Sanctorum. We were able to spend ten minutes praying to the Lord.

However, certain issues still trouble me. Why not open the doors of the temple to all devotees so that everyone can pray as equals? And why do volunteers have to push the bhaktas as they stand in prayer? Can a system be evolved which helps the devotees to move forward without obstructing those waiting for darshan?

As we made our way back, we learnt some more trivia about the temple. The Simhachalam temple faces West unlike so many others which face East. An east-facing entrance, according to religious belief, brings prosperity while a west-facing one brings victory.