SRI YOGA
ANJANEYA SWAMI TEMPLE, SOLINGAR, T NADU
gk kaushik
Bhaktha Prahalad
Prahalad - the son of Hiranyakasyap - had absolute faith in God; there was
not even an iota of doubt in his mind that the Parabrahma exists and
exists everywhere. He believed that the very existence of the universe is an
act of the God - whereas his father believed otherwise. When challenged by
Hiranyakasyap to prove the existence of Parabrahma, Prahlad said that
the God exists in every atom and even in subatomic particles. On hearing this
Hiranyakasyap retorts and asks Prahlad as to whether the God is in the pillar
nearby. Prahlad replies that the God is not only in the pillar but also in
the very words uttered by Hiranyakasyap and also in the sound of those words.
Angered by this and with a view to proving Prahlad wrong Hiranyakasyap hits
the pillar with his mace so as to break it. Lord Vishnu takes the form of
Narasimha ie. Half in the form of Nara [man] and half in the form of Simha
[Lion] and comes out of the pillar and kills Hiranyakasyap - the Rakshas.
Lakshmi Narasimha
The Narasimha avtar of Vishnu is in a ugra [angered] form as it was
taken to avenge the sufferings of true and faithful followers of the God at
the hands of Hiranyakasyap [representing the evil forces]. Therefore, to
worship Narasimha is to worship the destroyer of evil forces. Since Narasimha
is in a ugra form it was considered appropriate that he be worshipped
in his Santha [ mellowed] swaroopa by common mortals. Lord
Narasimha is santha swaroopi when Laksmi is with him [he is then known
as Lakshminarasimha] .
Yoganarasimha of Solingar
He is also in his santha swaroopa when in Yoga form -he is then called
Yoganarasimha. He is in this Yoga form at Solingar - a corrupted version of
the correct name Sozhasingapuram - a place about thirty Kms from Tiruttani in
TamilNadu.
This place was originally known by the name
Kadikachalam, since it was believed that if a person meditates for one "
Kadikai" [meaning one Nazhigai - a unit of time approximately equal to
24 minutes] at this abode of Lord Narasimha he is sure to attain Mukthi.
The temple for the Lord is situated on the top of a
hillock. The hillock is 400 feet tall. The main entrance to the temple is
North facing. The Lord faces East and with his benign looks blesses all those
who go there with devotion and faith. His consort here is known by the name
Amirthavalli Thayar.
Yoga Anjaneya
After
getting down from this hillock and walking some distance there is another
hillock - much shorter than the earlier described. It is about half the
height of the other hillock . There is a temple on the top of this hillock,
for Yoga Anjaneya. The main entrance to this temple is also North facing. The
entrance to the main shrine of lord Yoga Anjaneya is west facing. Lord
Anjaneya in his Yoga posture is facing west - facing Lord Yoga Narasimha in
the other hillock. Another specialty of Yoga Anjaneya is that he has four
hands., Chaturbuja roopa. He wears the Chanku [conch] and the
Chakra [wheel -Sudershana] said to have been given by Lord Yoga
Narasimha himself. Through the hole in the wall opposite to the Yoga
Anjaneys’s sannidhi, one can see the temple Gopuram of Lord Yoga Narasimha.
The temple tank [pushkarani] is known as Hanumantha Thirtham.
Legend
While there are temples at other places for Yoga Narasimha, Solingar is the
only place where Lord Anjaneya can be seen in Yoga posture. He is not only a
Yoga Moorthi but also the Moorthi who established Ahimsa Dharma.
Madurai was then ruled by King Indirathuman and he was fond of hunting. One
day he chased a deer till the deer entered the forest in Sozhasingapuram.
When the deer reached the hillock where presently Yoga Anjaneya’s temple is
situated, it turned into a Jothiswaroop and vanished. On seeing this
wonder the King prostrated before the Jyothi and then and there took
the path of Ahimsa. With Ahimsa as his weapon he could bring
down the evil force - Kumbotharan - and brought peace to the people of
Sozhasingapuram. It is said that as per the wish of Lord Yoga Narasimha, Lord
Anjaneya appeared in the form of Jothi with a view to taking King
Indrathuman to the path of Ahimsa.
Neither of the Lords - Yoga Narasimha or Yoga Anjaneya
– have Uthsavamoorthis. All the uthsavas are performed in Lord
Bhaktavatchalam temple - in the centre of the town Solingar - which is nearly
two Kms from the hillocks. This temple has been built during the regime of
Nayakas and is very spacious. It has big Prakaras and tall Mantaps.
Yoga Anjaneya of Solingar
Lord Yoga Anjaneya is believed to cure persons who are
mentally ill, if they pray at this temple. All that the patient is required
to do is to take bath in the sacred Hanumantha Thirtham and offer
prayers to Lord Yoga Anjaneya. To believe this , one has to see for himself
the miraculous cure that the mentally ill gets at this shrine.
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