I have a great pleasure and feel blessed to reproduce an article that came long back in one of the magazine/article called “HRD Times”. Not sure what this magazine is all about….My ananthakoti namaskaram to Shri Hubli Ramaswamy mama for sharing this document with me.
I originally thought of just typing this whole thing and sharing; then I thought of plotting the whole trip on Google Maps – just out of curiosity.
Here is where the fun started. I’ve spent probably several hours to even understand the route. Shri HH Mettur Swamigal’s noting on a city name is 
different than what is in Google Maps. For instance, palli vs palle, ankall vs ankallu …so many like this…some town as note by HH Mettur swamigal is somewhere very far – at least 50 miles – completely confused how Periyava would have walked that far – didn’t match with the kms noted. searching in google maps was so painful….i was so frustrated. Several times I screamed out of frustration “Periyava, how/why you went there. There is no reason for you to walk that much out of the main route – you have to explain me now….” – how silly I was! Twice – after spending of lots of time the whole map got messed up – then I restarted from the scratch.The whole exercise of doing this map resulted in dizziness and fatigue! That is when I experienced “Without His blessing nothing is possible. ”
But don’t forget to note that all my tiredness happened sitting on the bed and the laptop on my lap – wrapped in a warm blanket to beat Chicago cold. Now think of a 80-year old Mahaswamy walked every inch of this map. When I think about that, there is a shiver in my spine! This is no human thing. He walked an average of 12 kms per day – at this time He was 80 years! If He weren’t that Adi Shankara and Parameswara Himself, this is simply not possible. How HH Mettur Swamigal planned this route is beyond imagination. What a great mahan and His great sishya – HH Mettur.
Last but not the least, a must-note on my wife’s part in typing this chronicle – a big help for me in bringing this to you quickly. Without that there is no way this would have happened. appada, my morning coffee is guaranteed 🙂
Whether I picked up more bakthi or not, I picked great insight into Chitoor and Anantapur district – I can even be a tourist guide now for that area!!
My scribbling ends here and some professional editor had written the following.
Enjoy!
Here is the silhouette of HH Mettur swamigal – looks like Him, talks like Him, walks like Him.
We have, with reverence, pleasure in placing before our readers of the notings of Sri Mettur Swamigal. They are not a mere recording of events, but a pilgrimage by us, along with Sri Mettur Swamigal, in the pursuit of purity, as shown by SRI SRI MAHA SWAMIGAL.
One needs a lot of blessings to write about great saints like H.H. Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi Swamigal.
He was the simplest of simple in person. His requirements were the tiniest of tinies – eating, sleeping, walking etc. so to call Him ‘big’ was too small. If He were to be called so, it is for his foresight, thoughts and knowledge. He was arranging to feed those thousands who visited Him to witness the daily poojas but He Himself used to take that saltness morsel. The places he used to stay – cattlesheds, roadsides, even sometimes near railway gates.
During His Pada Yatra in 1970’s at His seventies, persons who used to accompany Him wondered at the speed at which He walked, slept during short 
hours at nights and the pace at which He got up and went about His sojourns, unmindful of who follow and how! He never needed a place to stay and all that He wanted was to know the route! That was perhaps for our sake, since He knew the unknown.
A frail figure of an Engineer was the one to cycle ahead and locate the route, plan, roads etc. It is hard to conceive how this bachelor engineer in his forties (who left his lucrative job and other worldly comforts) was locating places to lead HH! Yes, but that was the way of HH. After all, He had to show to us that He was ignorant and no miracle can be performed by Him.
“Mettur – people know him only by that name, even though His parents have given him a name as “Rajagopalan” – suited HH even in food habits. Perhaps, HH thought that he was the only person who kept a meticulous Dairy Notes of events and places. Maybe He knew that he would follow the path of HH and HH one day would grant him the favour of Sanyasa, which we cannot think of.
Today he is called “Mettur Swamigal” and people may take that view, his 
simplicity as from a simpleton when he says that his walking without footwear in hot sun is only “endurance” and nothing special. One definitely gets the feeling that our culture and heritage has its imprints strongly and the footsteps are not erased.
Kanchi Mutt has always had its greatness. Maybe it is invisible to us who are in the old “Paramparyam” following the treaded path but we do have our Gurus doing poojas and renovating temples to ensure that the footsteps are further deepened for prosperity.
[ There are many things remarkable about Mahaswami of Kanchi. One of them was His constant movement from place to place, spreading the message of Sanatana Dharma, by expounding its principal tenets in a language that is simple and lucid, exhorting people to keep alive the study of the Vedas and follow its teachings, encouraging Vedic Scholars, interpreting the ancient scriptures, holding up the beauties of Sanskrit poetry, and not the least, setting a personal example of austere living that bordered on self-denial.
Sri Mahaswami, after His assumption to the Peetam, in 1907 at the age of 13, started on his great Vijaya Yatra in 1919 that lasted till 1939, a period of 20 years. The Yatra took him to all the districts of Tamil Nadu, Malabar and Cochin in Kerala, the Andhra area and, through Vidarbha, to Varanasi and Calcutta.
In the late fifties (1957-1958) His Holiness stayed in Madras and gave discourses that, thanks to the arduous labours of some of His devotees, have been preserved in print.
During 1966-68, His Holiness toured Andhra Pradesh and presided over the All India Vedic Convention at Vijayawada, and the Agama, Silpa, Folklore, Sadas at Kalahasti, Secunderabad and Rajahmundry.
In April 1978, His Holiness started on a long Pada Yatra through Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra, and returned to Kanchipuram only in April 1984. During the last of his six-year Pada Yatra, one of the devotees of the Mutt, Sri Mettur Swamigal maintained a day-to-day dairy of the Mahaswami’s activities. The dairy, spread over 82 pages, had been written in light blue ink. As it started fading out, Sri A. Kuppuswami, a great devotee of the Mahaswami, took the work of engaging a person to write over the faded lines once again so that the pages could be xeroxed. But, the person whom he had engaged had hardly completed 29 pages, when he had to leave Kanchipuram for Madras. Sri Kuppuswami himself copied out the rest of the pages and made the whole dairy available to us.]
I intend to add more info in this map…….This can become a permanent record of this maha padha yatra.
Click on the “View larger map” to see the map for viewing pleasure.
- 15.4.78. – Sat.: H.H. suddenly left Sivasthanam at 3.00 a.m. After darshan at Kamakshi Temple and at the Math of Sureswaracharyal, H.H. proceeded to Kezhambi. Biksha and night stay (13 km).
- 16.4.78. – Sun.: Ramanavami – Reached Tirupputkuzhi. Night stay at Damal (8km).
- 17.4.78. – Mon.: Siru Karuppur. Night halt at Walajpet (16 km).
- 18.4.78. – Tue.: Lalapet – Kaththarikkuppam (17 km).
- 19.4.78. – Wed.: Noon – Annaikkattur and night halt at Ponnai (16 km).
- 20.4.78. – Thu.: Noon river snanam, and Pradosha Puja. Night stay at the road-side village of Krishnapuram (11 km).
- 21.4.78. – Fri.: Theosophical Society, Chittoor (11 km). Night halt at Darmarajagudi, Maitappalli, on Palamner road (11 km).
- 22.4.78. – Sat.: Moogali Venkatagiri (11 km). Night stay at Mugali (7 km) Mugaleeswarar – Kamakshi temple – continuous water flow from Nandi’s mouth.
- 23.4.78. – Sun.: Palamner (23 km) Kalluppatti, 8 km from Palamner.
- 25.4.78. – Tue.: Basavarajakandiga (10 km).
- 26.4.78. – Wed.: Punganur (19 km). Stay at Somanathaswamy and Veerabbadraswamy temples. Sri Siddaiya Chettiar and his son Krishnamurthy, great devotees, and were allowed to apply ointment to the footsores in H.H’s feet. Footsores caused by walking.
- 27.4.78. – Thur.: Moolam.
- 28.4.78. – Fri.: Day time at Bhaganapalli flour mill (5 km). Evening anushtanam at Sugalmet Elementary School for aborigins. Night stay at Idirpalli ( 8 km).
- 29.4.78. – Sat.: Day time ‘Gopana Bani’ of Major Narasimha Naidu (5.5 km). Night stay at Srinivasa Perumal Temple at Madanapalli.
- 1.5.78. – Mon.: Siva temple on the Bangalore road (15 km). Elevation 2231 ft. M.S.L. Horslay Hills (2.9 km). Night halt at flour mill (7.5 km) on the way to C.T.M. ( 8 km).
- 2.5.78. – Tue.: C.T.M. Siva temple where H.H. had stayed for 45 days, 40 yrs back, during His Varanasi Yatra (6.5 + 2 km).
- 3.5.78. – Wed.: Ekadasi – Poolanandalapalli (3 km). Noon stay Vayalpad Vyeya Choultry ( Padmanabha Gupta) (5 km).
- 4.5.78. – Thur.: Night stay Poolanandalapalli 5 km.
- 5.5.78. – Fri.: Gamigundi at the foot of the hill in C.T.M. A beautiful spot (2 km from C.T.M.) Night stay at Siva temple (1 km). Sri Venkatramana and his wife had darshan in the evening at the time of H.H’s visit.
- 6.5.78. – Sat.: Amavasya.
- 7.5.78. – Sun.: Midday in the coconut grove at Reddivarpalli. Night stay at Ankul (8 km) in the Rama temple (10 km from Madanapalle).
- 8.5.78. – Mon.: Kumbarakota on the link road of Madanapalli – Ananthapur – Madanapalli – Cudappa main road (2.5 km). Night stay at Rama Temple.
- 9.5.78. – Tue.: C.T.M. bypassing Ankul very a difficult thorny track (5 km). Night stay in a grove near Reddivaripalayam.
- 10.5.78. – Wed.: Gavigundi and then C.T.M. (6 + 1 km).
- 11.5.78. – Thur & 12.5.78. – Fri.: SANKARA JAYANTI
- 13.5.78. – Sat.: Morning stay at Hanuman Temple and night stay at Vayalpad (8 km).
- 14.5.78. – Sun.: Tharikonda Lakshmi Narasimhaswami Temple (6 km).
- 15.5.78. – Mon.: Returned on the Vayalpad road – Night stay at Sivkripa Plastic Industries (5 km).
- 16.5.78. – Tue.: Gale at high speed like cyclone.
- 17.5.78. – Wed.: Huge neem trees sway violently. Blisters on the feet give unbearable pain to H.H.
- 18.5.78. – Thur.: Went to Vayalpad for Ekadasi Avagaha Snanam and returned (2 km).
- 19.5.78. – Fri.: To C.T.M. (9 km).
- 21.5.78. – Sun.: Narasimha Jayanti – Avathaara Kattam by Kakavakkam Subramanya Sastrigal.
- 25.5.78. – Thur.: Ankallu (8 km).
- 26.5.78. – Fri.: Gantlamadunu (8 km) Amarnarayanaswamy temple – Night stay at Narasimha temple (7 km).
- 27.5.78. – Sat.: Gattu Venkateswara temple (4 km).
- 28.5.78. – Sun.: Beerangi Kothakota (7 km). Night stay at Kannika Parameswari temple (7 km).
- 29.5.78. – Mon.: Night stay at Pulikkal Adiseshan temple (6.5 km).
- 30.5.78. – Tue.: Midday reached Mulakala Cherugu – Groundnut Mill (6.5 km). Proceeded on Kathri road and entered Ananthapur District.
- 1.6.78. – Thur.: Reached Tanakkal after Ekadasi snanam in Papagni river.
- 2.6.78. – Fri.: Started very early. After stay at Nallacherugu, proceeded to Chimayelampalli (18 km).
- 3.6.78. – Sat.: Kadiri Narasimha Swami Temple. – (9 km) a very big temple – Lot of monkeys – after Pradosha puja, went to Hanuman temple at Kuttakola. (4 km).
- 4.6.78. – Sun.: Kalasamudram forest bungalow (9 km).
- 5.6.78. – Mon.: Amavasya snanam at Madyaleru. Midday Enamalavarpalli cow-shed Malakavemula (7 km). Night stay in an unfinished house at Nallasethipalle.
- 6.6.78. – Tue.: Cattle-shed (3.5 km – km short of Mudugabba). Night stay in a road side tent at Sankapalle (7.5 km).
- 7.6.78. – Wed.: Ralla Ananthapuram (5 km). Evening snanam at Chitravathi river (7.8 km). H.H. did not stay at the camp arranged but proceeded to Dammapuram (6.2 km) Mounam.
- 8.6.78. – Thur.: Bathlapalle High School (6 km). Night stay just after Sanjeevapuram (6.5 km) in the mango grove.
- 9.6.78. – Fri.: Elikapalli groundnut field (8 km). Night stay – Mounam broken.
- 10.6.78. – Sat.: Akuthota Palle groundnut field (5 km).
- 11.6.78. – Sun.: Sankara Matam Siva Temple, Ananthapur (9 km).
- 12.6.78. – Mon.: Tungabadhra canal.
- 14.6.78. – Wed.: Night stay at Maruru T. (8.6 km).
- 15.6.78. – Thur.: Roadside Siva temple at Mukthapura.
- 16.6.78. – Fri.: Dharmavaram Chennakesavan Temple (8 km). Night stay at Sayappa’s farm at Mallenapalle (6.5 km). Sri Sayappa is the Karnam who received H.H. 45 years ago with his wife during His Kasi Yatra.
- 17.6.78. – Sat.: Sankameswara Temple at the confluence of Chatravathi and two other small streams (7 km). Rama temple with navagrahas newly constructed. H.H.’s visit in Sri Muka year is engraved in a rock. At that time, He had camped at Santaleswaram 3.2 km away and visited this place.
- 18.6.78. – Sun.: Dwadasi – Pradosham.
- 20.6.78. – Tue.: Pournima.
- 22.6.78. – Thur.: Dammapuram.
- 23.6.78. – Fri.: H.H. approved F.R.P samples for rickshaw fabrication.
- 24 & 25. – Sat & Sun.: Brilliant exposition by H.H.
- 29.6.78. – Thur.: H.H. to Rathrapalli – Another day of exhilarating Bashya Patam for two hours. Proceeded to Malyavantham Hanuman temple on Tadpatri Road (5 km).
- 30.6.78. – Fri.: Chinnasubba Naidu’s thottam at Pappura.
- 1.7.78. – Sat.: Ekadasi snanam in canal and stay at Alam Venkatiah’s house at Bondalawadi (1 km).
- 2.7.78. – Sun.: Dwadasi – Pradosham – Went to Narpla (5 km) stay at Siva temple.
- 3.7.78. – Mon.: Nadimitholu Karnam’s thottam (5 km). Bondlawada Karnam Subha Rama Rao is still accompanying us. All orange growing areas. (invited to Hagari for Vyasa Puja).
- 4.7.78. – Tue.: After Amavasya snanam in the same canal (1 km) before Nadimithottam and Biksha, proceeded to Malapalli (6 km) for night stay.
(…..to be continued…..)
Kannadasan’s lines come to my mind::
அதோ, அவர் எங்கே போகிறார் என்று சொல்லாமலேயே போய் கொண்டு இருக்கிறார். இந்த வயதிலும் எந்த வாகனத்திலும் ஏறாமல் போய்க்கொண்டிருக்கிறார்.
அதுவே உங்கள் யோகமாக இருக்கட்டும்……
Categories: Devotee Experiences, Mahesh's Picks
Can we have a look at both the Holy Padukas please Mr. Sundar? I just happened to read your article.
I had a rare blessing to visit and stay with Mahaperiyava in his Mahagaon camp in 1982 June and Dec,1982 when he was just residing in a dilapidated mantap where there was a Goshala.All of us slept outside the mantap which was infested with mosquitos as it was very close to Goshala. We were not able to get a wink of sleep though we were all very excited to be with Mahaperiyava.At the dawn during Viswaroopa darshan I made a fervent prayer that I should be blessed to carry his Padukas on my head for ever.He simply nodded and it was given after he returned to Kanchi in 1991 when he asked whether I would give him another pair.I said yes and he gave the sandal padukas
What is there to tell? Simply Prayerful efforts by so many Blessed People! Maha Periyava will bless you all for these stupendous efforts. These chronicles on reading will give the same effort as Bhagavatha PaaraayaNam! Jaya Jaya Shankara, Hara Hara Shankara!
Very moving account Mahesh. What an effort by you and Bhuvana. Shankara.
thank you for the great post! And thank you Maha periyava for inspiring you to do such noble work!
Perhaps this chronicle might be of interest also!
http://www.kamakoti.org/kamakoti/books/chittoor1931/index.html
thank you so much. i think i already posted….however, this is great to read multiple padha yatras. thanks again….
அற்புதம் எனச் சொல்வதைத் தவிர வேறு வார்த்தையே கிடைக்கவில்லை!
இந்தப் புனித யாத்திரையில் பெரியவா சென்றுகொண்டிருந்தபோது,[1978-ல்] குரோம்பேட்டையில் [சிட்லபாக்கத்தில்] இருக்கும் ஸ்ரீ மங்கள விநாயகர், அன்னபூரணி கோவிலில் பிரதிஷ்டை செய்வதற்கென மஹாபலிபுரத்தில் செய்யப்பட்ட அன்னபூரணி கற்சிலையைப் பெரியவாளிடம் காட்டி ஆசீர்வாதம் பெற்றபின்பே பிரதிஷ்டை பண்ணணும்னு முடிவெடுத்து, ஒரு வாடகைக் காரை அமர்த்திக்கொண்டு, ஏதோ சித்தூர் பக்கமாகப் போய்க்கொண்டிருக்கிறாரென அறிந்ததும், வழியெல்லாம் ஆங்காங்கே தேடி விசாரித்துக்கொண்டு, விடிகாலை சுமார் 3 மணி அளவில், சித்தூர் தாண்டி ஒருசில மைல்கள் தாண்டி ஒரு ரோட்டோர மண்டபத்தில் ஒருசில விளக்குகள் எரிந்துகொண்டிருக்க, அங்கே விசாரிக்க, உள்ளே பெரியவா நித்ரையில் இருப்பதாக அறிந்து, ஆனந்தமடைந்து, அங்கேயே காத்திருக்கலாம் என நிச்சயித்த ஒரு அரை மணிக்குள்ளாகவே, ‘என்ன சத்தம்?’ என்றபடி மலர்ந்த முகத்துடன் வெளியே வந்து தரிசனம் தந்து, விஷயம் அறிந்ததும், ஆர்வத்துடன் காருக்கே வந்து, டிக்கியைத் திறக்கச் சொல்லி, வைக்கோல் பிரியால் சுற்றப்பட்டிருந்த சிலையை, அதையெல்லாம் அவிழ்க்கச் சொல்லி, கையிலிருந்த டார்ச் லைட் வெளிச்சத்தில் ஒவ்வொரு அங்கமாக உற்றுக் கவனித்து, திருக்கரங்களால் தொட்டுத் தடவி ஆசீர்வதித்து, [நாங்கள் கொண்டு சென்றிருந்த] புஷ்பங்களை அதன் மீது தூவி, ‘க்ஷேமமாப் போயிட்டு வாங்கோ’ என வாஞ்சையுடன் சொல்லிவிட்டு, தனது நடை பயணத்தை மஹான் தொடர, அவர் பின்னாலேயே கொஞ்ச தூரம் சென்றுவிட்டு, நாங்கள் திரும்பிய அந்த ஆனந்த அனுபவம் இதைப் படித்ததும் மீண்டும் மனக்கண் முன்னே ஓடி விழிகளை நீரால் நிறைக்கிறது!
ஜெய ஜெய சங்கர! ஹர ஹர சங்கர!
What a great incident to read?! Thanks for sharing….
Seeing the picture of maha periyaval in sleeping posture,reminds me lord sri ranganadhaa himself……just his manushya shareeram(body) is there lieing there.inner soul is prevailing everywhere…..what a simplicity..we are not fit enough to praise this maha tapasvi..siva siva
we praising Him?! that would be an apacharam! let us only do namaskaram and beg for forgiveness for all mistakes we do – knowingly and unknowingly.
Dears! Chillirkkiradhu…Jay Jay sankara..Hara Hara Sankara..!!!
We are blessed to have the article of Maha periyava’s yatra through you. I do not have any words to express my feelings and thanks, to you. Every day will get up seeing maha periyava on my mobile and most of the time there will be a mail from this blog. you are bringing maha periyava, very close to us. Once again thank you so much Mr. Mahesh.
Pranaam Mahesh
Very good work – I could feel from from your words -how elated you are while Thinking/speaking/writing about Periyavaa! Prayers to Periyavaa that this Holy work continue for long long time & you get all the needed time & energy for the Holy work.
A great job. Thanks for bringing out the details of Periyava’s padayatra. No words to describe “Kannadasan’s kannottam” about HH.
R.Kumaraswamy.
Dear Sri.Mahesh,
I have no words to express my thanks for the efforts taken to bring forth the cronicle Part 1. May Maha Periava bless you to
continued your service.
magesh no words jaya jaya sankara hara hara sankara
My eyes shed tears when I see the photograph of our swami slept outside of a demolished building.He sacrificed every thing for the well being of mankind.Follow him,his teachings is the only way to reform us to perfect from materialistic nature of mind.
Simply outstanding. Seeing this great Yogi sleeping on the floor without any comfort will bring tears to any decent human being. Never will there be another one like him.
மாளிகைகளை மகாபெரியவற்காக நிர்மாணிக்க லட்சோப லட்சம் பேர் தயாராக இருக்க, இடிபாடுகள், பூச்சி பொட்டுக்கள் நடுவில் நம் மகாபெரியவா! இத்தனை தியாகமும் யாருக்காக? நமக்காகத்தனே? நாம் என்ன பிரதி செய்ய வேண்டும்? மகாபெரியவாளின் உயிர் மூச்சாக இருக்கும் வேத முழக்கம் விளங்க, செழிக்க நம்மால் ஆனதை செய்வோமா? ஜெய ஜெய சங்கர ஹர ஹர சங்கர.
Thanks to all wonderfull job, Jaya jaya Sankara Hara Hara Sankara
Dear all,
This is only part 1 of this whole trip. Once typing and mapping is done, I will publish the rest of the parts.
Also, click on the “view larger map”, keep double clicking to see the zoomed in roads – you can drag the map to see the path clearly…
Thank you Mahesh…….love your writngs on Periyva….thanks a lot. I always look forward for your notifications and writings on Periyava….You are the few people who kindle Periyavas thought all the time in my life. thanks
Dear All,
KODI Namamskars at his holy feet
Here is a personality who lived a contented life and shown the future generation that without any desire you can live in the most simplest way aspiring nothing If all of us shed out our ego and practise what is not possible way , adopting HH way God will change our life My KOdi Namaskars at HIS holy feet Whoever has taken the pain to publish this article deserves evryones prayers to bless them
I have no words to express but to thank you. But for blessings of Maha Periyaval, you would not have got so much information on this. It is a great sustained and appreciable task. My Pranams and Anantha Koti Namaskarams to Sri Maha Periyava and Sri Mettur Swamigal.
Balasubramanian NR
While reading though “Darsanam” by Shri.Ra.Ganapati, before embarking on this yatra, mahaPeriyava says Shri AnjaneyaSwamy(Shri Anantananda Swamigal) that he is going to take up a long journey and says that Anantananda Swamigal is now too old to be with him in that yatra and that he should go to kasi and stay there. Anantananda Swamigal was nearly 10years elder by age to Periyaval. But Periyava himself was 84 years old then. If any one reads that article without knowing the age of Periyava, they would imagine that a young or middle aged man was talking to an elderly person.
It cannot be from the human strength – to eat nothing, stick to so many regulations and take up tasks beyond thought for the age.
Hara Hara Shankara Jaya Jaya Shankara
Dear Mahesh,
Manamarndha nanri; ellam avar seyal; This information is wonderful and beyond words; HIS simple life (see the picture where he is sleeping among rubbles); Adiyen cried through the whole article. Infact, only yesterday we (with my wife) were discussing to MAP the route of HIS first patha yatra; hope adiyen will soon start it with his blessings.
Hara Hara Sankara Jaya Jaya Sankara
Mahesh,
You are blessed to bring us these many details about Sri Mahaperiyava and Sri Mettur Swamigal. Great commendable efforts.
Anantha Koti Namaskarams to Sri MahaPeriyava and Sri Mettur Swamigal.
As usual Kaviarasu touches and stays in our hearts for the royal grand narration and description of Mahayogi in his words.
Jaya Jaya Shankara, Hara Hara Shankara!
Dear Mahesh,
We are blessed to get the entire PAda YAtra details/itinerary through you! Thank you so much….Jaya Jaya Shankara! Hara Hara Shankara!!
Sri Mahesh, great work, i hope you have translated diary in tamil into english. excellent translation of trip details. How you got the idea of bringing the whole trip on Google Maps? Excellent work, Great effort, Kilometeres, journey time etc. are great details. Big thanks to Mrs.Mahesh. Unimaginable Yatra by Periyava, All these things done by Periyava for Loka Shemam. Lets all pray Periyava to come back to Kanchi as Periyava
I don’t want to take undue credit. I didn’t translate this. It was in English to begin with.
Great work. It’s an interesting experience to navigate through the pada yatra. Places would have changed a lot in the last 3 decades.
Why don’t we make an attempt to repeat it by organizing a rikshaw yatra (unconventional from the traditional rath yatra) and let the current generation in these places know of mahaperiyava? When we do so we will understand two things.
1. How difficult of a task would it have been for Sri. Maheriyava to have done it?
2. We will get to know new experiences from devotees in these areas? At least one experience per day would give us 6 (years) x 365(days) = 2190 experiences.
It’ll be great if we can put forward this idea to HH Pudhuperiyava and seek his blessings to make this happen. It’ll would be ideal if the devotees participating in this yatra follow the same routine of sippandhis in those days. People should understand how simple should life be.
Shri Ganesha Sharma has actually did this few years back and did puja in all the places Periyava stayed. Not sure he went this route. He did show me those pictures. He did mention that several places have disappeared and shopping complexes have come….some are still there….
please see the reply above by me. pudu periava is too old and exhausted to take the same trip but through the same route HH idol was taken and the villagers showed the same enthusiasm. quite a few know that wherever there was no water periava ensured handpumps etc and ensured continuous water supply throughout those places like anantapur etc. n.r.
@Shri.Mahesh, That’s very glad to know. I would be surprised if he has traveled through the same route as we are still searching the route on the map 🙂
@Shri.N.R: Without the anugraham of jagadguru organizing such a yatra isn’t possible. that’s why the suggestion was to seek his blessings and not to request him to join us. I am sure he is too busy these days considering he is at Kolkata today. If we had done this couple of years ago that’s great. We can repeat it if that’s of interest to a new set of devotees. The idea should be to portray the simplicity of periyavaa
Good job, Mahesh and family. Well done. Thanks.
Rewinding the chronicle itself makes us to be in awe. What motivated HH to continue the pursuit? The photo wherein He is shown to be sleeping like a child on such a background is heartrending. Sri Rama must have spent the vanavaasam like that. The record of events is ample evidence to reinforce the simplicity and greatness of HH. Did He enjoy any hospitality in well known retreats? No. He was moving among the poorest of poor, trekking the roads to bring rain and sunshine and prosperity there.
The poor unlettered villagers of those villages would have hardly realised that such a Mahaan was walking on their Bhoomi and the mere sight of Him would have dispelled their agonies, fears and the sins. These folks were greatly blessed, since God resides among such innocent people.
The chronicle can be treated as a sequel to Jagadhguru Divya Charithram.
Mettur Swamigal’s devotion to HH is well known. Now he is in Govindapuram pursuing his meditation and athma vichara on the idyllic surroundings.
the idol of HHPeriava was taken through all these routes recently a couple of years ago in the same route in the same way by walk by his great devotees and was welcomed by those villagers as was done earlier. some of his devotees thought it lucky to walk again at least some distance. one should have seen the enthusiasm shown in feeding the poor. most of HH devotees should have known that whatever be the crowd that came to see HH wherever he was staying the villages fed them sumptuously with whatever is the food habits of those places. n.ramaswami
No one can explain Maha Periyava than the words of Sri Kannadasan.,Kannadasan explain to the devotees, what he find,what he feels when he was in the vicinity of MahaPeriyava. He tell the whole world the greatness of MahaPeriyava, Our Periyava Is a Para Brahma Vasthu, The moola Moorthy,”Brahma.Vishnu And Maheswara” joined together to Protect,Vedas,Shilpsasthram, and very many rare branches of the sastras by our great sages in the past to preserve for the next generation in tact ,and Our Maha Periyaval Of Kanchi Kama KOti Peetam SRI SRI SRI CHANDRASEKHRENDRA SARASWATHI SANKARACHARYA SWAMIGAL SWAMIGAL Got Every Success and now He is in the Adistanam Blessing all Devotees. That Is Very True,If you once Visit there you will experience it yourself.” KANCHI MA NAGAR POKA VEANDUM ,ENGAL KAARUNYA MOORTHYAI KANA VEANDUM”
Actually there is a chronicle by one of the oldest ardent devotees of Mahaperiyava,Shri A.Kuppuswami by the name “Beneath the holy beacon for 70 years” where he recorded the details of his travels with Mahaperiyava covering from 1910 or so.I have the book
Is there a way I can get access to that book?
This was availbale with Mutt book shops some time back.I can scan whenever I find time.It also has some rare photos
I do not think this book is available in Math bookshops. Also a 3 volume collection ‘A Hundred Years of Light’ edited by Sri. A. Kuppuswami Iyer, was published in commemoration of Maha Periyava Centenary, which also is currently not available.Vol 2 contains the famous classic, ” I lived with God” by Dr. D. Sundararaman.. Probably the Math library may have copies. If they could be republished, it would be a great service.If Sir could scan the book and upload, it would be nice! Jaya Jaya Shankara, Hara Hara Shankara!
mahesh you are great. the small note was written by me. actually this came in Dilip a monthly from Bombay by one of the devotees which is not a priced edition and i edited it for an innocuous magazine published by one Mr. Farath Hussain, and got it published so that it reaches many. this diary is not exhaustive and just a sketch kept by mettur with whom i had the fortune of being associated in his cycle journeys/walking journeys to find a small hut, a railway gate or a cowshed for periava to stay if HH wants(!).the fun is sometimes periava used to sleep on the road side itself, get up at three am clap his hands three times and start walking without bothering whether someone follows or not, of course we used to run with Him! HH has walked from Hubli to Dharwad at one stretch about 23 kms that time and lo we were not tired at all. the note appearing on top of each page is by me.
there is extremely more and intricate routes after his touching Hagari and entering Bellary and then to Belgaum from where HH went upto Pune, Sholapur,Pandharpur, Kurnool and back to Kanchipuram. Of course a certain stage the diary got lost and whatever the scrap was available with Mettur was picked up and published. In fact it was very personal for Mettur and he never wanted it to be published but was agahast when he saw this published as he himself did not realise the tedious journeys through Kallum Mullum Medum Pallamum and inspite of our crying Padi Padi etc. all the way joking or chanting slokas like vishnusahasranama. what a wonderful period it was where we were never disturbed by anyone anywhere only enjoying the company of HH!!!!!! n.ramaswami
Mama – I am seeing the scanned image and realize that you wrote that article. Should have mentioned it properly – my bad. Also the writings on the top (in pen) isn’t readable clearly. Let em know if there is anything important written there….
I know you and other devotees are so blessed to walk with Him and enjoy very fine moments…..Meeting folks like you itself is a blessing.
Namaskarams
nothing very special in myscriblings except that anyone can copy and plagiarising such things is healthy!!!!!!no need to mention my name anywhere. have you read paul brunton the great devotee of mahaperivaa and who appeared before him to direct him to bhagavan ramana maharishi. when someone asked HH how it was possible for HH to be present in both places and whether paul bruntun is right HH smiled and replied when you go to bed think of good things and see good things before going to bed!!!!!!!
Excellent job Mahesh n family. you are blessed for sharing such detailed info on Maha Periyaval’s pada yatra. we r speechless. Jaya Jaya Shankara Hara Hara Shankara
What an article to start the bala prriyaval’s jayanthi celebration
Thanks Mahesh
Abaara karuna sindhum gnanatham shantha rubinam sri chandrasekaram gurum pranamami muthanvaham
Yday i had darshan of mahaswami and bala periyava at kanchi mutt today through your blog…
Namaskaram
Fitting lines from Kannadasan..It is My good fortune to have had many darshans of God Himself!
great…. koti namaskarangal with thanks for sharing
Classic… no words to say… Kudos, Mahesh & Hubli Ramaswamy for the intricate details and namaskarams to Mettur Swamigal.
Speechless. The photographs of this great Mahan bring (especially the one where this great soul is sleeping on the ground) tears to my eyes. What can I say.
Humbled
Vijaya
We are really blessed to have got the details of this maha yatra of mahaperiyava from sri mettur swamigal. I too wish to follow the route to see all those places HH Mahaperiyava had visited. Thanks to all your efforts. May mahaperiyava continue to bless you with this sort of inquistiveness to bring out the rare things on His life.
Prakash
Beautifully written! The site of Periva sleeping…bought tears ………Blessed! just reading about Periyava…..