Chronicle of Sri Paramacharyal’s last padha yatra – Final Part

Last part of His last pada yatra……

Left Kanchipuram on Apr 15, 1978, without any planning (as usual, some might stay) and finally reached Satara on June 23, 1980. I earlier published two parts and here I am combining 3rd and 4th as one. As I plot the route in the map, it is beyond astonishment that it is not humanly possible to walk this roughly 950 kms (one way). Two years of walking – averaging 15 kms per day at His 84 years. Every 15 mts of my plotting I kept saying “this is not possible by any human”….

Thanks to Sri Hubli Ramaswamy mama to help me out with some small village names while plotting and some insights into those places in and around Hubli….

I am repeating this picture as I “think” how He looked during this yathra – how He looked when He was 84 – someone can confirm? In fact all pictures I have posted here are on the same concept….

It would be interesting to know His return from Satara to Kanchipuram. Regardless, I plan to publish this as an e-Book soon. I will update you all once it is ready.

Don’t these maps scare you? Every time, I look at this, it scares me!

• 14.4.79. Sat.: New Year (Siddharthi) started at 4.30 a.m. Midday at Kaddirampur and night stay at Venugopalaswamy Temple, Hospet (12 + 1 km).

• 15.4.79. Sun.: Midday on the bank of  Thungabhadra Canal near Amarawathy – Night – back to Chintamani Mutt. (2 km).

• 21.4.79. Sat.: Left Chintamani Mutt.

• 24.4.79. Tue.: Pradosham at T.B. Dam (5 km).

• 25.4.79. Wed.: To ‘Vyasanagare Gunda’ forest bungalow for Sankara Jayanti celebrations (11 km).

• 26.4.79. Thur.: Amavasya – The forest bungalow situated on the bank of the T.B. reservoir. A fine spot. Sandur Yuvaraja arranged for this place. Sankara Jayanti celebrations went on well. Mulukunda Sri Pada Sastrigal, Principal Ramamurthy Sastrigal, Lakshmi Narasimha Sastrigal of Andhra and other Pandits participated. All the arrangements and Sambhavana to pandits were done by the Yuvaraja.

• 2.5.79. Wed.: T.B. Dam – Vinayaka Anjaneya temple by short-cut (7 km). Night stay at H.R.G. Oil Mills near Hosahalli (8 km).

• 3.5.79. Thur.: Raghavendra Mutt, Koppal (20 km). Night stay at Anjaneya Temple at Dadekal on Gadak road (3 km).

• 4.5.79. Fri.: Dattatreya temple at Tadakal (12 + 1 km). Water scarcity. The well was so deep that water could not be seen even during day time. Night stay at Basaveswara Temple at Banmikkappa (9 km). A tank with good water.

• 5.5.79. Sat.: Hallikari Anjaneya Temple (5 km) to Harlapur (12.5 km). H.H. did not enter the village road to go to Venkateswara Devasthanam as He was very tired.

• 6.5.79. Sun.: Lakkundi (6 km). Temple of an architectural value of Jagannathachar’s School. Night stay at Adi Somapuram (6 km).

• 7.5.79. Mon.: Thrikoteeswarar temple at Gadak. An old temple with fine carvings. The beautiful image of Saraswathi, mutilated by vandalism (4 km).

• 8.5.79. Tue.: After bath in the temple well, went to Hulkoti (8 km).

• 9.5.79. Wed.: Savla Halla (6 km). Went to Annigeri Desai Garden after darshan at Amrutheswar temple (4 +2 km).

• 10.5.79. Thur.: Narasimha Jayanti – Reached Bhadrapur (6 km). Stay at Anjaneya Temple. Night stay at Nalwadi (6 km). Upto Gadak, houses are built only with mud and jawar stalks. Hot days and cold nights. From Gadak onwards, towards Hubli houses are built of Mangalore tile roofs, bricks and cement.

• 11.5.79. Fri.: Pournami – Vapanam – Stay at Siva Temple, Shinguppi (6 km).

• 12.5.79. Sat.: Night stay at a private farm house. (11 km).

• 13.5.79. Sun.: H.H.’s Janma Nakshatram – went to Rly. Golf maidan, Hubli (6 km). Homam at Maruthi Temple at Ashok Nagar. Performed by over 150 pandits under Sri Balachandra Sastrigal. H.H. went to the homasala in the afternoon and returned. We stayed in  D.S. Gurusankar’s house. Wide and extensive news coverage in the Kannada dailies – Advocate H.B. Kulkarni took an active part.

• 15.5.79. Tue.: Moolam.

• 17.5.79. Thur.: Vijayanagar (2 km) and then to Habid Garden at Amarkol. (8 km).

• 18.5.79. Fri.: Dharwar, Sanskrit Patasala (13 km).

• 2.6.79. Sat.: Reached Mummigath (9 km). Night stay at Venkapuram Durga temple (9 km).

• 3.6.79. Sun.: Kittur Vittal Mandir (15 km) – Historical place, where Chennamma fought East India Company.

• 14.6.79. Thur.: National Highway Store House at Ambadaghatti (9 km). Night stay at Narasimha Devasthanam, on the bank of Malaprabha (2 km). Reached M.K. Hubbali (9 km).

• 15.6.79. Fri.: Anjaneya Temple at Hire Bagawadi (10 km).

• 16.6.79. Sat.: Halage Durga Temple (13 km).

• 17.6.79. Sun.: Gurudev Ranade Hall Belgaum (8 km).

• 28.6.79. Fri.: Sambra Airport Maruthi Temple (5 km). [Eswara and Ganesha also installed]

• 1.7.79. Sun.: Kudichi (5 km).

• 9.7.79. Mon.: Vyasa Puja. Belgaum is a good town. Groceries, vegetables etc. are good and devotees who came for darshan were mostly educated and well behaved.

• 6.9.79. Thur.: Vishvarupa Yatra – H.H. went to the nearby Maruthi Temple and Lakshmi Temple.

• 8.9.79. Sat.: Back to Gurudev Mandir.

• 16.9.79. Sun.: Suddenly started in the morning and went to Sambura (14 km).

• 17.9.79. Mon.: Yathi Mahalayam ‘Bhagavat – Pada Aradana’, suddenly ordered by H.H. and grandly performed at Krishnamurthy’s house.

• 18.9.79. Tue.: Karadi Guddhi (9 km). Jambukeshwar Kshetram – Pradosham. Very heavy rain at night.

• 19.9.79. Wed.: Sutkatti P.W.D. bungalow (5 km).

• 20.9.79. Thur.: Midday Somanathi. Night stay at the ‘Grama Devada’ Temple at Chachadi (15 km).

• 21.9.79. Fri.: Sankameswar Temple in the same village. After Navarathri, the most moving send-off.

• 1.10.79. Mon.: Left for Seivachidambaram Temple at Kingeri village (13 km). Night stay at the temple.

• 2.10.79. Tue.: To Murgod. After staying in the Mallikarjuna Temple H.H. went to Chidambaraswamy Janmasthalam – Dwadasi and Pradosham.

• 4.10.79. Thur.: Night stay at Halki Cross P.W.D. Bungalow (5.5. km).

• 5.10.79. Fri.: Yergatti (11 km). Banhatti Pumping Station (9 km).

• 6.10.79. Sat.: Kaivalyasramam at Manali on the bank of Mahaprabha (Malapahari). A nice place. After Hospet all these areas are black soil areas. Jawar is the staple food in Gadag, Belgaum, Hubli, Dharwar areas. Bullocks are huge. Lingayat dominated village. Lot of brahmins assembled for Dwadasi on the 2^nd. Most of them still remain. People are very hospitable as in other places of this region.

• 8.10.79. Mon.: Night stay at Benhatti Durga Temple (8 km).

• 9.10.79. Tue.: Siva Temple at Yergatti near a hospital and a school (9 km).

• 10.10.79. Wed.: Korakuppa Mahalakshmi temple and school (8 km). Night stay at Chandarki Maruthi Temple (6 km). On the way, we saw women and men being engaged in the place of bullocks for ploughing as boys and girls were engaged in villages surrounding Belgaum.

• 11.10.79. Thur.: Khatkol Anjaneya Temples (2 nos) (6 km).

• 12.10.79. Fri.: H.H. was too tired to enter Thargal Fort (1 km inside) and so stayed under a banyan tree on the roadside. The fort is in a very dilapidated condition and there is a Pancha Linga Temple of the Jagannathachar period, on the bank of Malaprabha (10 km). Night stay at Vittoba temple, Ramdurg (11 km).

• 13.10.79. Sat.: H.H. with Srikantan, Balu and Arca Bahadur, with two cycles and without the richshaw, proceeding to Badami and Banasankari.

• 18.10.79. Thur.: H.H. directed Brahmachari Ramakrishnan and myself to proceed to Banasankari in advance. There is here a beautiful idol of Devi on lion and with Chaturbhuja. A big tank with mantapas all around just opposite to the temple.

• 19.10.79. Fri.: Badami Dattatreya Temple (5 km).

• 20.10.79. Sat.: Badami cave temples, Mallikarjuna and Bhuthanatha Temples – all surrounding the Agasthya Tirtha – beautiful sight.

• 21.10.79. Sun.: Muddhalageri Durga Temple (7 km). Very poor people and backward villages.

• 23.10.79. Tue. Rama temple at Hulgeri cross (13 km).

• 24.10.79. Wed.: Rameswaram temple at Konnur, after crossing Malaprabha and entering Dharmapuri dt. (6 km). More than 20 lingams – a good spot.

• 27.10.79. Sat.: Reached Hampehurli (14 km). Stay at Dattatreya temple on the bank of Malaprabha. Quite a few brahmin houses.

• 29.10.79. Mon.: Yennagar (6 km). Where Chidambara Dikshit did Somayagna. Night stay at the Maruthi temple. All the women holding Arathi and lined up on both sides. A real Deepavali.

Part IV

• 30.10.79. Tue.: Went to the exact spot where Chidambara Dikshit did Soma yagna (1 km) and went to Kolachi dam site for night stay (7 km). Vittal temple.

• 31.10.79. Wed.: Ramdurg (8 km). Ekadasi.
  

• 1.1.79. Thur.: Brindavana Dwadasi and Pradosham at the doctor’s house.

• 4.11.79. Sun.: Vapana Pournami. H.H. slightly indisposed. At Ramdurg, the old Maharashtra Brahmin Kingdom, there is a concentration of brahmins. Though only of middle class, united and devoted.

• 6.11.79. Tue.: Venkateswara Temple at Harlapur (10 km) and Katkol (12 km).

• 8.11.79. Thur.: Chandange Maruthi Gudi – Night stay.

• 9.11.79. Fri.: Korkuppa and Yergatii. (Total 22 km).

• 10.11.79. Sat.: Reached a spot before Madanageri Cross (8 km).

• 11.11.79. Sun.: Chik Nandi Kaliamma Gudi.  Others left at the school at Nandihalla by the side – Night stay at Siva temple at Dundamath (8 km).

• 12.11.79. Mon.: Venkatesa Srinivasa temple at Gokak. Ekadasi day snanam  at Gathaprabha. After the previous night stay at Sankara Mutt, on Dwadasi day went to Kaivalyaswami Janmasthanam.

 

• 18.11.79. Sun.: H.H. observed mounam at Chandramouleeswar Sannidhi. Tuesday – to Sankara Mutt for night stay. There are many smartha brahmin houses as in Ramdurg. Houses built with mud walls and roofs generally but there are also houses with Mangalore tile roofs. Gathaprabha river water is polluted by the Indal effluents and the bathing gaths are always occupied by washermen as in Ramdurg. Mostly lanes embedded with rectangular or irregular granite stone blocks. Agriculture and jaggery main business.

• 25.11.79. Sun.: To Gokak Falls (8 km). A fine place. Textile mill is the main centre of activities. A fine discourse by H.H. about Kanchi mutt. A scintillating account.

• 28.11.79. Wed.: Back to Gokak. Ugar Swamigal did not accompany. Search parties sent.

• 29.11.79. Thur.: Ugar Swamigal was traced at Bagewadi, to the relief of all. Reacjed Arbhavi (8 km). Stay in the Maruthi Mandir.

• 1.12.79. Sat.: H.H. after paaranai reached Gathaprabha (7 km) and stayed at the Health Institute Maruthi temple. After Pradhosha darsanam of Chandramouleeswara, reached Goodu Bassvan temple (7 km) for night stay.

• 3.12.79. Mon.: Karthigai.
  

• 4.12.79.Tue.: H.H. stayed at Goodu – Mounam.
  

• 5.12.79. Wed.: Hukeri Vittal Temple (12 km). There is a well just like an artesian well, only 12” depth and water level remains constant and 3 or 4 more similar wells for the town supply. During drought, the water goes down. Mounam continues.

• 6.12.79. Thur.: After giving dharsan to P.B. started at 3.00 a.m. to reach Yadgud (11 km). Anjaneya, Siva temple. Night stay at Karoshi School (6 km). Mounam continues.

• 7.12.79. Fri.: Datta temple at Chikodi (7 km). Ruppinahalli School for night stay (11 km).

• 8.12.79. Sat.: Ankli Cowshed – cum – Godown of Kare (5 km).

• 9.12.79. Sun.: Snanam in Krishna at Shriguppi (8 km).

• 10.12.79. Mon.: Ugar Khurd (12 km). Stay at Mahadev Temple. Mounam broken to converse with Yuvaraja of Sandhur and again Mounam. Complete breaking of mounam only on 17^th. Problem of snana ghat because of cremation ground nearby.

• [There are no diary entries hereafter till 9-2-1980. We shall continue this diary from 9.2.1980].

• 9.2.80. Sat.: Paramaguru Aradhana with 32 brahmins.

• 17.2.80. Sun.: H.H. started from Ugar Khurl on Sunday, March 2 and reached Miraj on March 5, Wednesday.

• 2.3.80. Sun.: Stay at Sanflikarmala, Ganesh Mandir at Miraj. Total stay at Ugar 82 days.

• 12.4.80. Sat.: Last day of the year Siddharthi.
  

• 13.4.80. Sun.: Tamil New Year Day – Miraj.

• 12.6.80. Thur.: Amavasya. After an hour’s stay at Maluset Mala H.H. proceeded to Sanglikarmala Dattatreya Temple on the bank of the Krishna for night stay (16 km).

• 13.6.80. Fri.: Digraj (10 km). Stay in a Cowshed. Night at Tunga Maruti Temple (2 km).

• 14.6.80. Sat. Ashta Ram Mandir (8 km). Bavachi Cowshed (5 km).

• 15.6.80. Sun.: Ahirwadi Cowshed (5 km). Ishampur Cowshed near bus stand (8 km).

• 16.6.80. Mon.: Nerla Cowshed (6 km).

• 17.6.80. Tue.: Malkhed Cowshed (10 km).

• 18.6.80. Wed.: Nambapur Cowshed  (8 km). Karad Temple Complex at Krishna – Koyna Confluences (8 km).

• 20.6.80. Fri.: Goodshi. Night halt – Varale Bhairav Mandir.

• 21.6.80. Sat.: After Snanam in Krishna reaced Kasuke (10 km). Night stay at Atit Milk dairy (9 km).

• 22.6.80. Sun.: Bharatgaon School (9 km). Urmadi river – night halt Sendre Bhairav Mandir Deviation for N.H. 4.

• 23.6.80. Mon.: Ganapathi Mandir on outskirts of Satara (8 km).

• 24.6.80. Tue.: Sajjanagad (11 km) – Ekadasi – heavy rain throughout the trekstay at Angalayee Amman Mandir. H.H. did not go up to the Ram Mandir because of the existence of the Samadhi of Samartha Ramadass.

• 25.6.80. Wed.: Dwadasi. Returned to Satara Sankar Math  for Pradosham (12 km). Because of fever, dropped the idea of going to Nasik for Chaturmasyam. H.H. acceded to the request of Pandit Kasinatha Sastry to stay at Satara itself.

• 25.7.80. Fri.: H.H. feeling dizzy. Local Doctor Panderker attended – Low pressure could have been the reason.

• 27.7.80. Sun.: Vyasapuja. H.H. continued to feel dizzy. It was a tearful experience to see H.H. struggling hard to overcome the reeling sensation and cold while doing avagaha snanam after vapanam – a lot of people queued up to witness the Vyasapuja in spite of drizzling.

• 28.7.80. Mon.: Giddiness continues particularly when moving from one posture to another whether from sitting to lying down or vice versa.

• 2.8.80. Sat.: H.H. feels dizzy continuously. H.H.’s health was bad since he set foot here. He was generally weak and had continuous cold almost throughout the 3 months’ stay till Visvarupa Yatra, except for the last 15 days. Now, H.H. is not taking blown rice or anything that will germinate and grow. Dr. Kalyanaraman with his father attended on H.H. and found nothing wrong with H.H. and suggested light exercises and intake of enough food. (one can remember this incident narrated by Dr Kalyanaraman in his interview)

• Vinayaka Chaturthi went on for 10 days, this year. 15 vidyarthis and 7 teachers are being maintained out of the interest from the capital of 4 lakhs deposited by ‘Jere’ Swami of Sankeshwar Mutt, who was the first sishya of his Guru, but who separated out and established this mutt at Satara. He was a great pandit. His son-in-law Kasinatha Sastry, is also a great Nyaya Pandit and also his three sons, the 2^nd son excelling others. Rig Veda and Nyaya Sastra are taught in the traditional way. Patasala was very much benefitted by H.H.’s stay as happens wherever he goes. Vidyarthis and children of Sastry’s family were well behaved. Vakyarthams were held whenever Pandits came for darshan. Mettur Ganapaatigal could not complete Parayanam owing to poor health. Vidyaranya Vidya Pitha was registered on 30^th with M.Y. Ghorpade as President and Annadurai Iyengar as Executive Trustee. H.H. has been planning and is still planning out various programmes and schemes for propagating Vidyaranya’s works and establishing a strong institution.

• H.H. is also trying to float a big scheme for an epigraphical and archaeological set up – overall and comprehensive Vidyaranya period inscriptions that may require a lot of money and time. Sankar Vishnu Patil, Velankar, Vishnu Sahoni, Shainanna of Rajatadri Hotel, Anantha Rao Kulkarni, Saradas etc. took active part. Bombay Krishnamurthy, (V.R.N.T) & ‘Economic backwardness’ etc.

Periyava had absolutely no reason to walk 1000 kms one way – He could have stayed in Thenambakkam – but he chose to walk only to bless thousands of people in all these places. Lord Shiva after swallowing alahala and helping devas laid down to rest on Parvathi’s lap at Suruteeswaram (?). Here Periyava has no lap (!) – only hard and uneven floor with all people sitting right there. He is resting, taking all the sufferings – blisters on the feet, dizziness, drenched in rain, cold, fatigue etc to bless us. Let us silently pray His feet, Him – standing farther – without disturbing Him –  we all will be blessed.

My namaskarams to Periyava and HH Mettur Swamigal.

Jaya Jaya Shankara Hara Hara Shankara