Situated in the heart of Malenadu, the ancient place of Koodli beckons one with its verdant paddy fields, areca nut plantations and shimmering sunsets. Driving through these regions, one soaks in the serene and hilly landscape that is teeming with water birds while in the fading light, the larks make their own songs heard mellifluously over the mesmerizing paddy fields.
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En route to Koodli
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| En route to Koodli |
The confluence of the Tunga and Bhadra rivers has its own charms while this ancient village of Koodli with its paleolithic remains has a place in the spiritual heritage as it has seen the footfalls of Adi Shankaracharya and Ubaya Bharati (a scholar from Mithila, Bihar). The legend is that Ubaya Bharati is worshipped in this place as Sharadadevi. After winning his debate over her husband Mandan Mishra, Shankaracharya wanted her to settle down at Dakshinmaya Peeta in the south.
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| The Sangama of Tunga and Bhadra |
Agreeing to this, Ubaya Bharati, (considered to be the incarnation of Goddess Saraswati) followed Shankaracharya with a condition that she would stop when he turned back. But one day, unable to hear the sound of her anklets, Shankaracharya, it seems turned and that was it, she refused to go ahead and stood at the spot which was Koodli and till date, at this place she is worshipped as a goddess.
Tucked away on the banks of the twin rivers, the Rameshwar Temple has one more ancient story to relate to its many visitors and devotees who come from parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and other places in India. Although the town with its many temples was ravaged by the Maratha army in the 1690s, some of them from the Hoyasala times have managed to survive to speak of its historicity.
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| The lady priest |
When we stepped into this temple, a lady priest was holding the fort in absence of her brother, the main priest. On my repeated queries, Bhagyalakshmi who is shy and retiring informed us that most evenings in the absence of her brother, she takes over the priestly duties and also offers to do a pooja for our wellbeing.
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| Performing the pooja |
“I am well versed in all mantras and can perform any rituals. This is my ‘seva’ to the reigning god here. It is an ancient temple under the upkeep of the ASI and many people come here be it a weekday or a weekend. There is a constant stream of devotees and so it becomes difficult for one person to manage. So, I help my brother out,” the lady priest informs us with pride.
Elaborating on the inspiration behind setting up of this temple, she says that Lord Rama was hounded by the sight of King Valli even after his death. Doing penance, Rama came to Koodli and made a ‘Linga’ out of the sand on the river banks. This was done on the advice of Sage Vashishta to overcome the shadowing of Rama by Valli with a huge tail, Bhagyalakshmi adds.
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| A view of the temple |
Many tales and fables talk about Lord Rama's visit in the Aremalenadu (semi-Malenadu) areas from Anegundi to Koodli for penance and therefore, lot of stories are told when one visits these temples. In fact the above story as related by Bhagyalakshmi has been associated with Lakshmi Narasimha temple in Bhadravati too.
“After taking a bath in River Tunga, a linga was installed by Rama amid the chanting of Jaap (Hindu chantings) for 108 times and pooja done with Bilwa leaf (Bengal Quince) so as to fulfill his penance for killing Valli. Now the name of the temple was coined as Rameshvar in the background of Rama installing a linga. This is the history behind setting up of this temple and for many people coming here, it is a celebration of this event or performing Shraddha for their loved ones.”
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| Some of the relics in the temple |
Although, this 12th century temple was maybe built over the ruins of another ancient temple during the rule of the Hoysalas, the historicity of the town of Koodli goes back to the times of Ramayana. Archaeologists have found many relics from the Paleolithic to Neolithic to Megalithic periods in and around this region. Once this ancient land was ruled by various dynasties while humans finding this place ideal, made their homes and resided on the banks of the two rivers since the Old Stone Age.
2 comments:
Thanks for this post. We were just there yesterday ( my husband and I from Delhi).
...it's indeed a very beautiful place. The Samadhi's of various Yogi's here also tell us about the ancientness and religious significance of this place.
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