Visit to Melkote CheluvaNarayana Temple -

Chella pillai Perumal and His consorts at Melkpte Temple

Chelluva narayana temple at Melkote

On 18th noon after an insipid lunch at the hotel we left for Melkote by cab to have a darshan of Chelluva Narayana and  also see the idol of Ramanuja which he himself is said to have conscreted transferring  some his Powers and part of his self at  the request of the populace of melkote who couldn't bear the separation from their beloved acharaya as and when he decided to repair back to Srirangam.

For several miles the landscape was lush and picturesque.Bouquets of rose tinted flowers atop slender white and tall boughs of sugar cane swayed bewitchingly and a carpet of green rice fields with a dusting of gold ,the colour of ripening rice spread as far as the eyes could behold.An pleasant surprise and a delicious feast to eyes gone weary of seeing only man made machines ,crowding the streets ad distancing oneself from what one is madeof--earth, water, air and sky.
All the small and quaint houses on the road side were painted red with some advt or the other.

The landscape turned a bit arid and stony as we neared Melkote and spotted the Narsimhar temple atop a hill where Prahalada is said to have meditated.It therefore predates the Narayana temple below.

The town is just as i remember it .Not much changes .The Narayana temple was built by Hoysala ruler Vishnu vardhan in 11 th cent ad after he embraced Sri vaishnavism ,taken in by the personality and the healing powers of Ramanuja who had taken refuge in his kingdom after fleeing violent  sectarian persecution by a fanatical chola king  in his hometown in Tamilnadu  .This temple enshrining chelluva narayana was consecrated by Ramanuja.

Many figurines adorning the temple depict dasaavatar, various classical poses and mudras of dancing girls, rishis performing yoga and so on.Many of the figures have their limbs loped off.But the granite pillared mantap with its rich carvings of dancing Krishna performing various feats are intact.An cunning carving of an animal that looked like an elephant from one angle and like a horse from another angle caught my attention.The woven basket like filigree work in stone on several pillars are a testimony to skill and artistry of the sculptors of days gone by.
The main as well as the processional deity are bewitching.So is the idol of Ramanuja.The beauty of the panchaloka [--alloy-]-processional deity known as chellapillai was mesmerising and made me wonder whether there was any credence[ as the dates from history  simply don't match ,there was no sultanate at time of Ramanuja , it came after him, maybe this story has been spun for communal harmony  ] in the story that when ramanuja came seeking this particular idol from the Delhi sultans spoils of war and was allowed to take it ,the  young daughter of the sultan who played with this idol and was her favourite couldn't bear the separation and therefore followed Ramanuja hoping to retrieve it  and passed away.
A tiny figurine at the base of  the idols Naryana somewhat like Lakshmi caught my eyes. The priest explained that it was that of Bibi nachiar  --the daughter of that sultan ,installed there in commemoration of her unsullied and deep devotion to chella pillai.

The climb to the hill enshrining Narsimhar was strenuous.The skies drakened and the nambi narayana [also consecrated by ramanuja] temple in the next stop a few kms away was closed.

The lights were out and the village--Thodanoor was plunged in early darkness of the night.Yet i didn't want to miss having a look and feel of the lake said to have been dug by ramanuja during is exile in here.

Fireflies flitted and a pale Venus shone through cloudy skies as i sprinkled the water over head and watched the silent dark lake.Not a single person was around.Was such a huge lake actually dug by Ramanuja?Most probably.Digging wells and ponds for good of people is enjoined in our shastras.He had a large gathering of devoted disciples and they had a lot of time at disposal being forcibly kept away from their regular hectic religious activities .

On our return the colourful fields had become dark and forlorn silhouettes ,reminding one of constant cycles .They were carefully tended so that they may grow lushly only to be reaped to make  a living and then to be  cut and disposed off.

written on 19 .11.13  9 pm tuesday in train