Madhwa Pilgrimages

List of places of importance for Maadhwas in Karnataka

Sri Jambavanta  pratistapit Sri Lord Paschima mukha Mukhya Pranadevaru very rare situated at Makthal  of Mahabub nagar District of Andhra Pradesh. It is also near to Raichur of Karnataka (Just 40 kms away).  The speciality of this temple is there is no roof  on garbhalayam. the roof should build with in one day i.e from morning to evening with river water. Here swamy tilt a side because of prayer of archaka who is short in size.

This will list the yatra places in Uttar Pradesh related to Madhwas

Bhuvaneshwar is the capital of Orissa

Sri Vyasaraja, one among the saint-trinity (muni-traya) of Dwaita philosophy, had installed 732 Hanuman idols across the country.

Some of them are popular and continue to have pooja to this day, as these Hanuman idols are considered powerful, while some are remotely located and not worshipped.

There are two popular powerful Hanuman temples in Bangalore, installed by Vyasaraja:

One is in City Market also known as K.R Market and is popularly called Kote Anjeneya temple, because it lies in the vicinity of Tipu Sultan's Fort in Bangalore. Getting to this place is easiest by public transport since there is no place for parking private vehicles.

Another Hanuman temple is on the busy Bazaar street in Ulsoor. It lies right in the middle of Bazaar street between Ulsoor main road and the Gurudwara road. Also it is hardly 5 mins by walk from the Someshwara temple built in the Chola dynasty (13th century A.D).

Some of the photos of the Hanuman idols:

These idols are from Achnoor, Bandiwad, Kurubugatti, Madalagatti, Nugge keri, Tualsigeri, bichali, brahmanyapura and bellary respectively.

Madalagatti and Nuggekeri idols were installed by Janamejaya, but later Sri Vyasarajaru did a praaNa-pratishTaa to these idols.

The above two Hanumas are from Hubli - Bengeri and Nagshettikoppa respectively.

“Brahmanda Darshanam- Adi Ranga, Madhya Ranga, Antya Ranga” in 24hrs !

What is Brahmanda Darshana?

• One Supreme God, One Single Day, One Sacred River
• Two Different States
• Three Different Places, Three unique Islands
• Four Travel Legs – BLR-SRPatna-Madhya Ranga-Sri Rangam-BLR
• 24 Hours of total Running time to see, praise, think of Lord Sri Ranganatha Swamy,
• 900 kms of total distance to travel.

A long trip of 900kms to be covered in a single day with the darshana of Lord Ranganath at Sri Ranga patna, Shivanasamudra and Sri Rangam (Trichy).

 History about Kaveri and formation of Islands:

Once at the base of Himalayas, River Ganga, Kaveri, Yamuna and Saraswathi were playing. One Gandharva saw these rivers playing and worshipped them. Seeing this all the 4 of them stated that he worshipped only one among them. They started arguing on whom he actually worshipped. The argument continued but didn’t stop. Yamuna and Saraswathi stopped their quarrel. But to Ganga and Kaveri it continued. Finally, they both went to Sriman Narayana. River Ganga explained to Narayana that since she originated from the feet of Narayana, she is bigger and mightier than Kaveri. Sriman Narayana accepted it. But, Kaveri doesn’t accept it and performs a strong penance. Finally, Narayana appears to her, assures to sleep on the bank of Kaveri and she will be the garland (Maala) on his chest, which will the better position than Ganga, who is found in his feet. She also asks Him to wash her sins away which are collected from the innumerous devotees who take a dip in her. He blesses her by residing in not one but three places. The three are hence called Adi, Madhya and Antya Ranga.

Those willing to visit Srirangapattana can take the Ramanagar, Maddur, Mandya in dark to reach by 5am, the banks of River Kaveri at Sri Rangapatnam! Taking a bath at this place is highly recommended.

Lord Ranganatha has his morning pooja starting at 5.30 am. There are idols all around the praakaara and a pradakshine namaskara will show all the deities. In one corner one can see "Benne Krishna” and “Benne Anjaneya ”,(idol smeared with butter, good to apply some on eyelashes).Then there is Sri Tirupati Balaji,a peep through the eye hole to visualize Sri Narasimha Swamy devaru(the door is closed for most time of the day),Ranga Nayaki (Sri Lakshmi), Mukhya Prana, Garuda and Sri Sudarshana Swamy.

The beauty of the temple walls has many questions about the architecture in the early era unanswered! How could such huge stones be carved so elegantly, lifted only with muscle power and built into a structure!

Lord Ranganath with a charm on His face, laying calmly on Shesha with Sri Lakshmi sitting near his lotus feet and as said, two eyes are not enough to visualize Him.

Ranga ninna kondaduva..  It is an exquisite sight!

(Story about Tippu Sultan: It is said that Tippu Sultan was destroying temples in his kingdom. His eyes once fell on the Ranganatha temple at Sri Ranga patnam. He set out to destroy that, but as he entered the temple's gates, he tripped and fell down. He looked up to hear Ranganatha laughing and mocking him that "A person who can’t walk properly is trying to destroy me!" that scared the wits out of him and he apologized and left in haste. This incident led to the fact that most Vishnu temples in south India are named Ranganatha temple even though the main deity is not Ranganatha. It was believed that Tippu resisted entering such temples and also developed a sense of Fearful Respect)

Visit of "Adi Ranga" can thus be completed.

Madhya Ranga
One can move towards Madhya ranga from Srirangapatna, through Bannur off the highway. The whole drive is a treat to watch with rural scenic background.

It takes around one and half hours of bumpy drive to Madhyaranga temple at Shivanasamudra. Lord Ranganatha is small and cute here than compared to the size of Srirangapatna. There is Sri Lakshmi temple in the same premises.

Two goals are thus accomplished.

Antya Ranga Yatre

Leaving Shivanasamudra, one can reach Kollegal in 30 mins time. The task is now to drive through the hilly curves of Male Mahadeshwar Betta. The road is narrow but gives a breathtaking scenery around! Lush green forests on either side... High mountain peaks of around 450 m above the sea level. Driving through the hair pin curves of ghat section needs to be very tactical and so is the descent, which thus leads to the Male Mahadeswara village.

Crossing the border at Palar, one can enter Tamilnadu and sense the temperature running hot. The private vehicle one takes, needs to have an AC!
The road is very smooth , but since even the mile stones would be in Tamil, it would make any traveler difficult to identify the village or the city ahead!
After an hours ride through the plain lands one can reach Mettur. The dam is magnificient and the Bridge across the river, dam on one side and the village on the other provides simply exquisite scene!

After traveling through Mechili, Omalur one can reach Salem
(There are few vegetarian hotels for new travelers and there is Adyar Anand Bhavan).
Note: It is advised for the travelers to do all the Darshans without food. The alternatives are:
Carry some home made snacks with you for breakfast )
If one has to have food, one may skip the breakfast and have Theertha Prasada either at Salem or Bhavani / Erode (different route from Mettur).
The contact details of all the Mutts are available at the end of the content.

One may also plan to visit Namakkal which is one hour driver on NH7 from Salem.

One will be dumbstruck at the sight of Lord Ugra Narasimha swamy at Namakkal. The tall standing statue is rarest of its kind in the whole Asia. It is also declared a protected monument by Archaeological survey of India. There is also a Prana devaru temple. Sri Prana Deva, Aanjaneya is tall and has no top shelter.
Very nearby to the temple on the hill top is a fort which looks like a film city set and at the foot hill is another Lord Sri Ranganath temple.

Sthala Mahime at Namkkal:
Lord Hanuman was once carrying the Saligrama of Lord Narasimha. He reached a place where Sri Mahalakshmi was doing a penance, when it was about time for His evening Sandhyavandane. Since Saligrama was not to be kept on the ground, Hanuman handed over this Saligrama to Sri Lakshmidevi and proceeded to do his evening oblations.
After a while, Lakshmidevi realised that she was unable to bear the weight of the Saligrama which started growing and becoming heavy. She placed the saligrama on the ground and this Saligrama of Lord Narasimha started growing into a mountain.
Since this Saligrama was Lord Narasimha's saligrama, an udbhava-murthy of Lord Narasimha was observed on the top of the temple.

The belief is that its the same Ugra Narsimha who comes here right after the Samhara of Hiranya Kashipu, so the right bottom hand palm is still red in colour.  Everybody was very frightened looking at this ugra roopa of Lord Narasimha and Sri Lakshmi devi had to pacify Him. To this day, it is a ritual to first visit Lakshmi Devi and then Sri Narasimha.
There is also this ritual of offering lemon to the Lord to keep Him cool.

Right opposite to Lord Narasimha is Lord MukhyaPrana - Hanumanta. There is no roof-top or shelter to either of the deities. It is believed that Hanumanta did not want a shelter on top of His head as He saw that His Lord Sri Narasimha also did not have a shelter on top of His head.
Sri Hari also came out with his shanta-roopa as Sri Ranganatha elsewhere on the mountain.

Sri Rangam
Continuing the onward journey towards Trichy for about 100 kms on NH7, one can reach Srirangam. One may get to see the first sight of a tall gopuram before reaching SriRangam, illuminated with colorful lights
From Raja gopuram one will have to pass through four gigantic gopurams and will find shops all around.

Sthala Mahime –Sri Rangam: Srirangam is the foremost of the eight self-manifested (swayam vyakta Kshetras) of Lord Vishnu. It is also considered one of the 108 main Vishnu temples (Divya desams). This temple is also known as Thiruvaranga Tirupati, Periyakoil, Bhoolokha Vaikuntam, Bhogamantapam. This Vaishnava temple is enormous in size with 156 acres in extent. It has seven prakaras or enclosures. These enclosures are formed by thick and huge rampart walls which run round the sanctum. There are 21 magnificent towers in all prakaras providing a unique sight to any visitor. This temple lies on an islet formed by the twin rivers Cauvery and Coleroon. In this sthalam, Sri Ranganatha Swamy is found inside the Aranga Vimaanam, Keeping 5 headed Aadhi sesha as the bed, his legs stretched along the direction of the sun's upcoming side (East) direction from where the moon in the evening rises and facing the South direction (the direction of Lord Yama). The Lord also sees Lanka from there. Behind him is North and the idol of Sri Lakshmi is found in the north. His right hand is kept under his head as a "Pillow" and the left hand is on his lap and it is pointed towards His feet.


Sthala Purana as per Sri Pada Raja Mutt, Sri Rangam: Chathurmukha Brahma was worshipping the idol of Sri Ranganatha Swamy (SRS), in his moola roopa at Brahma Loka. Raja Ikshwaku, did Tapas for several years and got this idol from Brahma on Sage Vasishta’s instructions for his and the kingdom’s well being. He was worshipping the same afterwards at Ayodhya. After Ramavathara and final Pattabhisheka of Sri Rama, where he gave away gifts to all the people who helped him conquer Lanka and Ravana, Vibhishana wanted Rama to come back to Lanka and grace the throne. Rama politely declined and said he had several others incarnations pending for the good cause and he offered the Sri Ranganatha Swamy’s idol to Vibhishana and said that is himself and he can have it at Lanka.
Vibhishana, satisfied with this, took the Vigraha and proceeded to Lanka. At this place Sri Rangam, it was evening and he wanted to do his sandhyavandane. He gave the idol to Sri Lakshmi and asked her to take care of it. But Sri Lakshmi felt the idol to be very heavy and kept it on the ground. Then Lord Sri Ranganatha swamy became stationed here itself and did not budge even when Vibhishana tried to pull it out of the ground. Lord assured Vibhishana, he has to settle down here, to take care of his commitment to River Kaveri, and that he would always have an eye on Lanka from here itself. This is how Lord Sri Ranganatha Swamy got settled down at Sri Rangam.

The main Sanctum Sanctorum and the beauty of Lord Ranganatha with Sri Lakshmi Devi is worth watching a thousand times. If planned properly, one can spend some extra time having the darshan of the Lord here. After all, completing the Brahmanda darshan is an enthralling moment for all!
 
Thus the final destination of the Brahmanda darshan can be accomplished!

The temple complex at SriRangam is vast and one will need to spend at least an hour with a proper guide. There are shops all around the temple complex and there are pancha loha idols available. There are few shops that sell beautiful Gold art paintings of Tanjore for a heavy price.

While returning, one may return through Salem and follow the NH7 to pass via Dharmapuri Krishnagiri and Hosur.

Sri Vyasarajaru @ Sri Rangam

Sri Rangam, which is a Vaishnavite Holy Place, has Jambukeshwar, another Shivite holy place next to it. They both had a dispute on the jurisdiction of the area between them. The same dispute was solved by Sri Vyasarajaru, by getting the consensus of the people for a Single Breath Run from the Ranga Dhwaja to Nandi Dhwaja. The area from which Srigalu started running and to the place where he took the first breath was to be given to Vaishnavites. The people of Sri Rangam were regardful to Srigalu for this achievement. Srigalu has installed a Mukhya Prana Murthi at the place where he started, which is seen even today. When Srigalu came for SRS Darshan, he also had a Prathyaksha Dardhana of Shesha Shayi. This lead to the composition of “Seridano Seridano Jagadeesha…” When Sri Vysarajaru was at Sri Rangam, he started a Briahd Grantha “Chandrika” which later on became famous as one of the Vyasa Thraya. There is a Chandrika Mantap even today inside the temple, where he used to write..There is a Vysaraja Mutt even today within the temple praakaara.

Contact Deatails:
1)Sri Raghothama Achar
Sri Swarnavarna Theertha Brindavana Sannidhi
48, South Chittirai Street,
Sri Ranga – ph: 0431 243 1344

2)Sri Sumateendra Swami Brindavana Sannidhanam
(Sri Raghavendra Swami Mutt Srirangam)
Raghavendrapuram,
Srirangam
Trichy - 620 006
Phone- 0431-2432981

Other SriPadaraja Mutt contacts enroute:
Hosur - Sri Krishna Subbanna / Sri Venkata Subbu - 04344 243 764
Dharmapuri - Sri Sethu Madhavan - 04342 264 748
Erode - Sri Krishnamurthy Achar - 0424 222 3141
Salem - Sri Ravi, 135A, Agraharam, - 226 5758
Sri Mushnam- Sri Sethumadhavan - 04144 25023

More info can be obtained from:
JOINT COMMISSIONER / EXECUTIVE OFFICER,
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam,
Tiruchy - 620 006.
Tamilnadu,
India.
Tel: + 91- 0431 - 2432246
Fax: + 91- 0431 - 2436666

Baroda, now known as Vadodara has few Madhwas living and practicing the Madhwa philosophy.

The below is the address of Rayar Math at Baroda:

Shree Raghavendra Swami Mutt,
(Shree Hanuman Mandir),
Parth Bhoomi Vibhag,
Makarpura,
Vadodra - 390 010
Ph No : 0265-2652301
Mobiles:- 94269 84088, 94284 29013

This place is about 6kms from the railway station.

There is Delhi Madhva sangha and also a Krishna Mandir. Teertha Prasad and accomodation arrangements can be made if informed in advance.

There is Sri Krishna Mandir at Safardarjung Enclave

Contact details are as below:

Temple Landline: 011-2610 9648 (Pranesh)

Sri Narayanachar

Archaka

9810460497

Sri Venkatesh ( cook ) : 9871264629

Sri Narayana Kulkarni ( secy )  : 9971801407

There is  Sri Raghavendra Swamy Matha ( mantralayam branch)

Contact

Sri vasant Rao

Manager,

011 2617 2892

There is also a Krishna Math (Pejawar Math) at Vasant Kunj

Contact - 011 5593 6632