[vittal]

Day 9 & 10: We had a relaxed time at Radisson Hotel as we attended a 2-days symposium at Hyderabad.


Day 11:

Summary of the day:
Date: 26-Mar-2018 (Monday)
Distance Travelled during the day: 605 Km
Time Taken: 08:00 hrs (apart from going to Chilkur Balaji)
Route taken: Chilkur Balaji temple, Jadcherla, Mehbubnagar, Karnool, Dhone, Gooty, Ananthapur, Penukonda, Chikkaballapur, Nandi Hills, Devanahalli (towards Bengaluru Airport), into Nehru ORR of Hyderabad
Places visited: Chilkur Balaji Temple


Though we got ready early, we decided to have breakfast at the Hotel and visit Chilkur Balaji temple on the way. We checked out and were out of our hotel at 8:00 am, reached Chilkur Balaji Temple around 8:30 am. This was our first visit to this temple, though I have been in Hyderabad earlier. Reaching temple with the help of google maps was easy and did not have much traffic on the route as we took Nehru ORR. After parking our car at the temple parking (charges Rs20), we deposited our mobile phone at the temple. We were given a locker with a lock and key to put our mobile phones, as mobiles are not allowed inside the temple premises.

As soon as we entered into the temple premises in the inner shrine, we saw lots of people and thought it might be too crowded during the day to have darshan. Upon enquiring from a person doing the circumambulation or “parikrama”, he mentioned that all the people were doing the “parikarama”. We had the darshan of Balaji, with no crowd to go or queue inside the gharbhgraha. It’s a small idol of the lord Bajali. Usually we do parikrama when we visit the temple. Again we enquired from a young person who was doing parikrama who first asked me whether it was my first visit to the temple. Upon confirming, he mentioned that devotees would take 11 parikramas or circumambulations and once the wish is fulfilled they would do 108 parikramas (see below for details of the temple from Wikipedia). We found a lot of young students doing their pradakshinas for blessings.


Chilkoor Balaji Temple
popularly known as "Visa Balaji Temple'', is an ancient Hindu temple of Lord Balaji in Hyderabad. It is one of the oldest temples in Hyderabad built during the time of Madanna and Akkanna, the uncles of Bhakta Ramadas.

This temple has no hundi and neither accepts any money from devotees. VAK Books also known as the Voice of Temples with religious news is available here. This is one of the special Temples in India with no green channel or privileges for VIP's.

History and legend
From the style, structure and appearance, it can be inferred that the temple was built half a millennium ago. Set in sylvan surroundings, Chilkur Balaji Temple attracts millions of pilgrims every year and is an ideal place for sequestered retreat and meditation. It enjoyed in the past, great days of pomp and glory.

The temple is one of the oldest in Hyderabad, having been built during the time of Akkanna and Madanna, the uncles of Bhakta Ramdas. According to tradition, a devotee who used to visit Tirupati every year could not do so on one occasion owing to serious ill health. Lord Venkateshwara appeared in his dream and said, "I am right here in the nearby forest. You don't have to worry." The devotee at once moved to the place indicated by the Lord in the dream and saw a molehill there, which he dug up. Accidentally, the axe struck Lord Balaji's idol (covered by the molehill) below the chin and on the chest. Surprisingly blood started flowing profusely from the "wounds", flooding the ground and turning it scarlet. The devotee could not believe his eyes. He could not believe his ears when he heard a voice from the air saying, "Flood the molehill with cow's milk." When the devotee did so, a Swayambhu idol of Lord Balaji accompanied by Sridevi and Bhoodevi (a rare combination) was found, and this idol was installed with the due rites and a temple built for it.

Sri Balaji Venkateshwara, the Pratyaksha Daiva in Kaliyuga, is thus available at Chilkur to shower blessings on His devotees who for any reason are unable to go to Tirupati. Many devout worshippers flock to the temple to receive the blessings of the Lord and his consorts throughout the year particularly during Poolangi, Annakota and Brahmothsavams.

The unique feature of this idol is that lotus flowers are held in three hands and the fourth hand is in a position towards the lotus feet which signifies the doctrine of Saranagathi.

Circumambulations
During a visit the devotee goes through the usual rituals of prayer, including 11 circumambulations of the inner shrine, and makes a vow. Once the wish is fulfilled devotees then walk 108 times around the sanctum sanctorum. The majority of wishes by devotees are visa related, thus Chilkur Balaji is also referred to as 'Visa' Balaji. The 11 circumambulations represent the secret of creation — 11 means "1 soul and 1 body" — uniting both with devotion and full determination to fulfill wish, dedicate on the lord; there is no second, everything is god. In the 108 circumambulations, 1 represents the Existence, Almighty, God (Paramathma, Balaji in the minds of the devotee), 0 represents Creation (Illusionary World, Jagath) and 8 represents the time Human Body takes to come to this universe-8 months (Jivatma).


Continuing our travelogue after details about Chilkur Balaji Temple.
We did 11 parikramas and were out of the temple to our parking lot in an hours time. It was worth a visit to this temple, having darshan of the Lord Balaji.

We left at around 9:30 am from the temple for Bengaluru. It was a comfortable drive from Hyderabad to Bengaluru, fully toll road. Traffic was welcoming us when we reached Bengaluru, but to our surprise it was not much worse traffic since we entered into Bengaluru outskirts at 4:15 pm. We reached home at 5:30 pm.


It was a very satisfied feeling to have finished most of Andhra destinations that were in our bucket list.

The Grandeur of Andhra and Telangana is indeed awe inspiring.