Sholingur trip ... 8th Jan 2019

Akkara kani

Mikkanai, maraiyay virintha villakai ennul

pukkanai pugazh ser polikindra pon malaiyai

thakkanai, kadigai thadan kundrin

misai irundha akkara kaniyai...adaindhu uyindhu ponene

    

The Lord atop the hill Sholingur hill is the sweetest hence is called Sakkara kani or akkara kani by Thirumangai azhwar.

We had the good fortune to travel to this place as a group, a small group of 5 and went by a very comfortable Ola cab from Chennai ,the travel time was about two and half hours only. Breakfast on the go  was bread sandwiches and bananas.

I must mention here that all of us were past the age of 60 but had the enthusiasm of 10 year old  as we joked and laughed all through the way.

As we looked up at the temple, atop  the steep hill, we realised that we were in for a tough day, but one of our group was so agile and fit that we took our motivation from her and followed  as she went springing from step to step encouraging us  reading the number of steps. I must mention here that the steps leading us up are   very well laid , so well spaced out and clean with well placed hand rails and a roof that we didn't feel the early morning chill nor the suns heat as we came down.

It is a good 1400 steps ,the gradient is very good and gradual but for the last few steps. We reached the top in about 50 minutes.  As we reached we found but a handful of bakthas we joined in with them for a darshan of Sree Amirthapala valli thayar who sits in resplendent glory blessing all with her bounty. The way naturally leads us to this sweetest of the sweet Lords  Lord Nrisimha who sits in a yogic posture  with a Saligrama garland and a Dasavathara  belt in gold.

In the front of the lord  there is a smaller Lakshmi Nrisimha moorthy and in the last pedestal there stand three stalwarts...The Adaiseshan with his five heads but in human form, our very own Kannan and of course Garudan the constant  companion  of Kannan.

The Ramar sannidhi has his family blessing us with his Sudharshana Chakram always assuring us of security.

The walls are covered with a gold plating hence  giving us the rich feeling that we are in Hallowed Presence , we stand humbled and with us stand little monkeys too hoping to get a nibble at the fruits or prasad.

Monkeys are here,   everywhere  on the way up inside the temple and even inside the Sanctum Sanctorium. 

The  way leads to the prasada stall and we hungrily bought  puliyodharai, thayir sadam and some crispy vadai and inside behind the food stall is a small ante room where monkeys don't come ,so the stall man directed us there ,we ate heartily and with our guts satiated we started the walk downhill again with our most fit friend leading the way calling out the number of steps to encourage us.

On our way down, to our left , in a small claering we found a dilapidated mandapam and wondered what this could have been used for...

There was  a tender coconut shop which was a saviour to our tired legs.....as if it reached our legs straightaway, but the fact is that we all felt very refreshed with such sweet coconut water that we had new enthusiasm.

We have a small drive to reach the chinna malai as it is called ,,the smaller hill where Hanuman has chosen to reside facing Our Sweet Nrisimha .....

Although we were quite diffident in the beginning about the 408 steps to be faced we did it and reached the top in about 25 minutes again the steps are very well spaced out maintained very well .

The Hanuman,  I feel sits in the opposite hill keeping a stern eye on all the goings on and keeping guard.

The temple was being washed as the crowd was less hence we waited in a small mandapam and I would call this small waiting time as the best part of our trip for as we lay down tiredly on the bare but cool floor we all had a power nap , the likes of which I've never had, and felt totally refreshed .Washing done we went in and had darshan of Yoga Hanuman  sitting regally with a crown made in gold with Rama Pattabhishekam carved on it.

Here Hanuman has 4 hands sitting in yogic posture always meditating on Rama.

As we come out there is a sannidhi for Ranganatha who is just about 3 feet long lying down sideways looking at us ,as if asking us if we had good darshan?

There is Kothandaramar sannidhi too.

   

All this done we embarked upon our journey down which was a little difficult because of the tightness in our legs but we managed it in record time and sat down at the coffee shop and ordered tea. Hot tea was welcome and we bundled into our car ,very awake and full of the mornings enthusiasm. As we  recalled our days events , we drove past a village  which was familiar and had a picture taken there at the signpost. ..Rangaji's father's mother's birth place....

                  

It was a very pleasant trip for all of us and the highlight of our trip back was the stop to buy vegetables sold on the roadside from the farms nearby. Tender fresh spinach, tender lady's fingers, very tender brinjals were all that we bought and today's lunch  was more flavourful with all this.

   

I would suggest that bakthas visit this temple at a younger age though age is but a number.