Visit to Ahobilam & Vontimitta
Thanks to @srvm and @concorde24 for valuable inputs and guidance.
Topped up fuel full tank just after Thiruttani, before Andhra border. Petrol dearer in Andhra by 10%. This lasted till the return journey upto Chennai.
The Route
Chennai ORR - Pattabiram circle – Thiruvallur – Thiruttani – Renigunta - Kadapa – Allagadda – Narsapuram – Ahobilam. This would be the normal route.
However, road widening going on between Narsapuram and Ahobilam. Hence google directed me to exit much before Allagadda and took me through small villages like Krishnapuram, Bache Palle etc.
These are single lane cutting through farm lands and is very tricky when going into the villages and if one encounters oncoming vehicles. This stretch alone took 45 minutes to cover 20 kms.
Started on the 19th. from home @ 5.45 am and reached Ahobilam @ 1.45 pm. Although packed food from home, had breakfast at K R Bhavan @ Renigunta at about 9 am. Not a bad place to park and eat.
The Stay
Booked online at Haritha. APTDC for two nights. Wouldn’t recommend this for now as lot of construction activity is going on for additional rooms. Also the existing ones are not maintained properly and lacks even basic amenities. The staff was courteous, though. For the quantum of food I ate they charged me less than the list price. There are other options to stay. Malolan guest house run by the Jeer Mutt is strategically located very near to the lower Ahobilam main temple, on the same road.
The Place - Ahobilam
The place reminds one of Shirdi of the early 80s. Those days for 4.30 am Kaakkad aarti, there used to be around 20 people only for darshan, even on a Thursday. Same was the case here. Not a sleepy town. Tea stalls open at 5 am. Early morning Suprabhatham will wake you up at 3.45 am.
Being “dhanur maasam” the air was spiritually charged. Instills a sense of calm and peace.
As the reserved guide was not in town, the alternative guide came in little later. We had darshan of Chakravata Nrusimhar (Ketu) and Yogananda Nrusimhar (Saturn) in the evening. Post that went to the lower Ahobilam main temple for the evening aarti. Due to Swati/Ekadashi there was a fair crowd, but not too much. No “jarugandi”. The prasadam was unbelievably tasty and sumptuous. It seemed to be a special prasadam for the auspicious star/day combination, probably.
Day 2 (Dec.20), after the early morning darshan at the lower Ahobilam main temple, had hot breakfast at Sri Guru Raghavendra hotel and set off for Upper Ahobilam. Covered the following in that order.
Ahobila Nrusimhar(Jupiter/Guru)
Jwala Nrusimhar (Mars/Chevvai/Mangal)
Malola Nrusimhar (Venus/Shukran)
Varaha Nrusimhar (Rahu) and
Karanja Nrusimhar (Moon).
Took the circumambulation trek as suggested by the guide.
Chose to have a paid lunch at Sri Guru Raghavendra hotel as preferred by the guide, instead of at the Annadana Satram. The lunch was homely, but very spicy for my taste. (Must remember to carry along a bottle of ghee next time around when I visit Andhra/TS
).
Post lunch covered Pavana Nrusimhar (Mercury/Budhan) and Bhargava Nrusimhar (Sun) by jeep. Shared the ride with two other couples and hence the cost reduced by 2/3 rd. The journey is off road through forest and doesn’t count for a pleasant ride. The drivers are also rash and try to cover both the above before dusk. Bhargava Nrusimhar shrine opens only from 9 to 11 am and do not open in the evening. The priest would be absent, but one can have darshan through the grilled gate.
Did not ascend Ugra Stambham as the guide vigorously discouraged such an attempt. When we neared that path I indicated to him that even ladies wearing sarees were doing that trek. Probably the guide wasn’t confident enough to undertake that trek.
Finished off the day with a darshan at the lower Ahobilam temple.
Day 3 (Dec 21), after early morning darshan, at the lower Ahobilam, had breakfast, again, at Sri Guru Raghavendra and started for Chennai by 7.25 am.
When I reflect upon the trip, I feel minimum 2 ½ days is required to cover all the places satisfactorily. One full morning to cover the Upper Ahobilam including Ugra Stambham, finish by 12/1 pm and rest for the day. Another morning to cover by trek Pavana Nrusimhar and Bhargava Nrusimhar. And less than an hour to cover Chakravata Nrusimhar and Yoga Nrusimhar which can be covered on the first day afternoon. There is absolutely no need to rush and cram the itinerary. This way one can spend enough time at each shrine peacefully and “take-in” the ambience.
The Guide
It is important to have an experienced guide. Not just to show the path, but also to be informative with the place and shrine. Most of the guides there, I believe, are from the local Chenchu tribe. My guide, came into the town only in year 2000, when he was about 4 years old. Till then he was living in the forest, where his parents and many other family members are still living. Their main occupation is honey harvesting and bamboo cutting. They also act as point men for Forest Officers, Polling Officials etc. He narrated lot of stories, of encounters with wild animals, like bear, leopard etc. These talks made the trek through the forest interesting and less demanding.
Vontimitta
Visited the Kothanda Rama Swamy Temple. Believed to be built in the 14th century. The architecture and carvings are fantastic. Note the unique finish at the bottom of the corner pillars in the photos. Also the location, overlooking the huge lake makes for a pleasant visit.
Inspite of being under the TTD, not sufficient maintenance and upkeep is happening there, both for the temple as well as other facilities. This is really sad given the vast resources at the disposal of TTD.
Left from here after 45 minutes. Wanted to visit Talapakka, but chose to skip it.
Halted at Renigunta (K R Bhavan) for lunch. Not a great place for lunch, but ok. Reached Chennai by 4.45 pm. Could have reached earlier but for the traffic at Thiruvallur-Poonamallee. In hindsight feel should have taken the Pattabiram route.
Would it be a good idea to prefer Chennai – Chittoor – Royachoty – Kadapa over the usual Chennai – Thiruttani - Kadapa ? Adds 35+ kms extra distance. If the roads are better time taken might be the same and if highway facilities are better it might be worth it. Just thinking aloud here.