Chava Kiran’s Blog

On this Ugadi week end we went to Jamalapuram.  I have many rich memories associated with this place, from my childhood. Now the temple outward vision has become much more glorified, many riches and facilities were added, starting from steps leading to hill-top to actual Sanctum Sanctorum. Looks like many of the donors are residents of USA. The name America is visible at many places. Sometimes I feel that the future historians may call our age as golden-age. In Particular when I observe the development of our temples.

This time we went in cars, but the case was different in my childhood. When I was a small kid I remember one pilgrimage to Jamalapuram in which we used bullock cart to reach Khammam railway station. On that day we started very early in the morning, i.e. around 4PM and reached Khammam railway station to catch first train to Errupalem. From Errupalem we reached Jamalapuram in a bus, a heavily crowded bus. As the years passed bullock carts were replaced with zeeps, Autos. With the improvements in quality of road infrastructure we started taking bus route to Madhira instead of train to Errupalem.

Actually Lord Venkateswara here is my mother’s side family favorite God. My Grand-father (perhaps his father, his Grandfather etc..) used to go to this temple once in every year. He used to take pilgrimage with family members and with all the cows and calves. In my childhood my mother described all these pilgrimages in detail. I planned to write a short-story in Telugu without using any English word, but that is not yet finished. I believe one of the reasons for my passion to write is all the stories my mother told me. Oops I am writing all the information to be described in my autobiography. Ok, let us go back to Jamalapuram. Yes this Lord Venkateswara is my mother’s side family favorite deity. Once grandmother Yashoda (యశోదమ్ముమ్మ) told me that my father’s side fore-fathers are all veera Saivaites (valorous devotees of Siva). So what? Hmm there is very much interesting stuff here. Every year the family used to celebrate Veerabhadra koluvu (Lord Veerabhadra’s glorification gathering). In these gatherings participants are supposed to show their valor by using daggers, needles, knifes on different parts of one’s own body. For example pierce tongue with a needle, penetrate arrows into body. Alas! My grandfather’s fathers (or his grand fathers) while dividing family property given away this to their cousins. Thanks Grandpa. On this shivaraatri day I read one news article in which two male people from Adilabad(?) village sacrificed themselves by jumping into sacrificial fire inside temple walls of Srisailam. The power of devotional faith! It seems they believed in re-incarnation immediately by the grace of Shiva. (as shown in movies?). Also recently I saw devotees from Karnataka showing their valor at Srisailam by doing all kind of stuff like piercing needle in tongue. Once again thanks grandpa.

I am not sure about my family deity before my parents getting married. But after their marriage Lord Venkateswara settled proudly in my home. My father occasionally taught me devotion for Rama in two or three sentences. Last week while arranging all my books I found a partially written Rama kOTi. Perhaps I will re-start and finish it one day. Actually this Bhadrachalam Srirama is too great, I read in eemaaTa about Tyagaraja’s family deity as Bhadrachalam Rama! Even I like Bhadrachalam Rama and Sita very much. I will visit that place again. Hanuma are you listening? Any call sheets? J

Let us again go back to Jamalapuram. This time we went to darshan directly, but in my childhood even though we have taken bath in freezing 4AM, another bath is compulsory with the well water here. Anyhow this well water used to be warm and feels good. Even this well also changed a lot. In the beginning people used to manually get water from the well. After that they built a tank beside it and used to pump water using electric motors. But due to heavy power cuts people still used to get water manually. Now the well is not in use. People are taking bath using the water pumped to tank from a village over-head tank.

We went to darshan and took pulihara as prasadam. After coming down the hill all the ladies (my mother, aunt, maternal aunt..) started preparing parama-annam. Even the way paramaannam prepared is changed. Previously people used to cook using wood fire. But now there are temple maintained gas stoves. We paid 25 rupee for the gas stove for one time preparation. Now we have come like this, but in my childhood we used to come with lot more food items. In particular pulihara, curd. Also depending upon availability of time my mother used to prepare gavvalu (a sweet in the shape of small conch shell), arisalu (a sweet made up of rice flour, sugar), chekka gaarelu, kaarappoosa etc.. But the interesting this is we are not allowed to touch them before darshan! Also my father used to buy pack of 10 mullugarralu (a thin long bamboo stick with a pointed needle in the front – used in agriculture to control ox while plough) Now I haven’t seen any sign of people selling them. But there are people on cycle who are carrying bamboo from nearby forest, perhaps illegally. It is surprising to see the forest here is still alive. I have seen many forests just disappear in the last couple of decades.

There is one interesting this me and my younger sister used to jump in. The visit to Jamalapuram is much more interesting to both of us because of toys available there. I remember seeing lots of shops there. But now there are only three shops. We used to buy toys like chittikappa (small-frog, a small instrument when pressed makes sound), horn, and so many other things which different varieties of sounds with different sound qualities. This time me and my sister searched for toys of our favorite kind, but couldn’t find any. Looks like the trend changed. Finally I ended up buying a small whistle and my little niece bought a whistle, helicopter, ball, cap, and some dummy kitchen stuff.

Once the parama annam is ready we ate it up and then took rest for some time. On the way visited goSaala, Padmavati temple.

One more incident. When I was 6 or 7 years old. We went to Kallurappayya tirnaala (another festival dedicated to Lord Shiva at Kallure ) I asked my second maternal aunt for a grant of two rupee. But she refused unless I tell about the cause. I know what will happen if I say about what I am going to do with that two rupee. After several asks and refuses finally we went to home. I was so sad about not buying something I liked in that festival. Once we are at home, my aunt told me she searched for a toy-watch so that I can wear and enjoy it, but she couldn’t find it in any shop. O God! I requested that two rupee to buy toy-watch!

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జమలాపురం ప్రయాణం - జమలాపురం ప్రయాణాలు. (Read this on my Telugu Blog)

This week end we went to aalankrita Resorts. That was lot of fun ++.

A Lotus in the resorts!

Expecting more details? photos? – sorry was so lazy to take more snaps and to write more.

Here is a much detailed description from Best Friend.

వారాంతంలో అలంకృత రిసార్ట్స్లో టీం + కుటుంబాలు (Read this on my Telugu Blog)