Time: Feb 9-10 2008
Place: Manthralaya, Panchamukhi, Bichchale and Chippagiri
Company: Parents and brother’s in-laws
Highlights:
Day 1: River bath. Water receding by the year. As usual. Darshan from up close, thanks to mom’s relatives. Saw the garlanding. Meditation hall and pooja. Lunch.
Went to Bichchale, about 30 kms from Manthralaya. Place where Raghavendra swamy’s best disciple Appannacharya was born. Saw Appannacharya’s house which is more than 400 years old. Raghavendra Swamy used to sleep and pray in that house and the place where he used to sleep and pray is marked for Pooja.
R Swamy did penance in this place for about 13 years. Beautiful place with nice gushing river just beside the Brindavan. Absolute peace and a perfect place to perform penance.
Place called so for this reason: Appannacharya used to beg (bikshe) and he used to tie the obtained rice in cloth and put it up on a tree. After the Pooja was done, he used to sprinkle the holy water on that rice and it used to become food. Henceforth and with time it came to be called Bichchale.
Place has other notable things like grinding machine which was used to cook R Swamy’s favorite dishes, both swamy’s self (found and) placed idols, etc. Supposedly a very powerful place where ‘dreams come true’.
Then went to Panchamukhi. R Swamy did penance here for 12 years after which he was asked by the Gods to enter Brindavan in Manchale (which is now called Manthralaya). R Swamy was Prahallad in one generation, Vyasaraja in another generation and R Swamy in this generation.
Day 2: Went to Chippagiri via Adoni and Aloor. Place is known for Vijayadasaru’s holy place. Again, nice serene place, amidst farm lands, and situated outside the city limits. It was in this place that he found an idol inside a small pond (which is now a holy pool) and did Pooja to it. Upon death, this idol was kept on his burial and a small sanctum sanctorum is constructed as hinted by Vijayadasaru through one of his great disciple’s dreams. Finally went to Kasapuram near Guntakal. Famous lord Hanuman temple.
