As already mentioned the "Pathagutta temple" was the original abode of Lord Narasimha since centuries and is situated on a low almost ground level hillock which is on outskirts of Yadadri town. Let us call the temple only with the most beautiful Telugu name "Pathagutta"-- the most beautiful name spoken by uncounted millions of Telugu people for more than a century i.e. since the times when big temples with “gopurams” were constructed a century ago on the giant monolithic Yadadri hill . The temple is simple and unostentatious without towers even in its renovated state but is vast inside with big RCC roofed halls, partitions and railings made of bright steel tubes ,smooth floors ,electric lighting etc. There is a great “Dhwaja Stambham”(god almighty’s flag post).
The original temple in old times must
have had great reputation in surrounding areas for its
serene spiritual environment and must have attracted thousands of
devotees throughout the year for hundreds of years. Vast numbers of rural
people from agricultural communities are greatly attracted by its spiritual
environment. "Pathagutta temple" and other temple-related
structures found there exist on a vast sized ground-level stony
surface made of flat and very wide and long boulders lying horizontally. Scientists
say that the boulders existed since hundreds of millions of years but they were
not buried in the soil up to the depth as we see in present time. Millions
years ago they were several meters high above the surrounding ground. The
colossal- sized boulders are now almost fully buried in earth. It appears
that generations of stone workers cut stone slabs here. There are the
chisel marks at some places.
There is daily a steady stream of devotees from
morning to evening. The Patha Gutta temple looks so beautiful in sylvan
surroundings and near farmlands faraway from city noises. There are green
bushes and some big trees all over the boulder-ridden area. However
the kilometers- long road leading to the temple from Yadadri main town
has acquired the new urban look. Most of the buildings on the temple road
are new RCC topped buildings and a few have two floors and three floors. We can
see many cars and motorbikes on the road. Daily large scale “pujas”
(prayers) and rituals are conducted at the temple. All the prescribed temple
festivals as performed in the Yadadri hill temples are also
performed here.
Legend says that Lord Narasimha ,(an incarnation of Lord
Vishnu the great emperor of the universe) often travelled on
the route in a magnificent golden chariot with his queen Goddess
Laxmi (Mother of the Universe and goddess of all wealth in the universe) and
accompanied by great gods. There are big hoof marks of the “horses of
Emperor's golden chariot” on the surface of the long horizontal boulders .The
temple and the other related temple structures lie in the shade of a
giant tree . On one side of the tree there is Lord Narasimha's temple
with its RCC roofed halls which are well lighted and newly painted . On
the other side of the tree is the simple but magnificent ancient temple
of the mighty Lord Hanuman, the guardian and disciple of Lord Narasimha. The
temple of Lord Hanuman is at a height on the stony ground and is reached by a
flight of a hundred steps all painted in big orange and white stripes on
the front side. Lord Hanuman's new renovated temple is a comparatively
smaller RCC roofed structure and is painted entirely in deep orange
the symbol of Hindu hermits and symbol of the Lord Hanuman cult. The
old stair way exists under the shade of the big tree. There are monkeys playing
on the lower branches out to snatch fruits and “prasadam” packets from the
hands of many devotees going up and down the temple steps. There are also some
beggars sitting alongside the stairway in the shade. The scene looks so
pleasant in the bright morning hours.
******
Let us now investigate about the route to Pathagutta temple. From
the Hyderabad-Warangal highway we turn onto the branch road leading to Yadadri
town. It is a nice new four lane road of about five
kilometers and links to the wider six lane roads leading to the great new
temple on Yadadri hill amidst nice flowerbeds and newly planted trees. The new
nice wide road to the hill top is also linked to this road. As we travel
on this road there is a big road junction near the newly constructed “gopuram”
at the entrance of a new stairway direct to the top of
Yadadri hill (for travelers who wish to walk all the way up).
From the junction a wide road branches towards the
old town where Pathagutta temple is situated. Surprisingly we see many
horse- drawn carriages on the road to Pathagutta in this age of cars
and two wheelers. There is a belief among devotees that the great god
almighty travelled on these routes always in a horse drawn
chariot--a dazzling heavenly golden chariot drawn by heavenly horses. As
proof there exist big marks of horse hoofs on the stony land beside the temple
(as already stated above). Traditional devotees feel that because of this
reason going to temple in a horse carriage is auspicious. There are several
colorfully painted horse carriages at the junction waiting to take
devotees to the Pathagutta temple.
There are two or three colorfully painted
welcome arches on the road .The area near the Pathagutta
temple wears a traditional old town appearance with busy
crowded small bazars selling "pooja" related items
like orange colored silk flags, coconuts, fruits, flowers , little brass
bells and lamp stands, multicolor photos of gods and of course toys.
Everything in the shop is orange or yellow hued-- the colors greatly revered by
Hindu religious people.
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