G9-THE TEMPLE  AT PATHAGUTTA-1

By PragyanSharma Polavarapu

As already mentioned the "Pathagutta temple" was the original abode of Lord Narasimha since centuries and is situated on a low almost ground level hillock which is on outskirts of Yadadri town. Let us call the temple only with the most beautiful Telugu name "Pathagutta"-- the most beautiful name spoken by uncounted millions of Telugu people for more than a century i.e. since the times when big temples with “gopurams” were constructed a century ago on the giant monolithic Yadadri hill . The temple is  simple and unostentatious without towers  even in its renovated state but is vast  inside with big RCC roofed halls, partitions and railings made of bright steel tubes ,smooth floors  ,electric lighting etc. There is a great “Dhwaja Stambham”(god almighty’s flag post).

 The original   temple in old times must have had great reputation in surrounding areas for its serene spiritual environment and must have attracted thousands of devotees throughout the year for hundreds of years.  Vast numbers of rural people from agricultural communities are greatly attracted by its spiritual environment. "Pathagutta temple" and other temple-related structures found there exist on a vast sized ground-level stony surface made of flat and very wide and long boulders lying horizontally. Scientists say that the boulders existed since hundreds of millions of years but they were not buried in the soil up to the depth as we see in present time. Millions years ago they were several meters high above the surrounding ground. The colossal- sized boulders are now almost fully buried in earth.  It appears that generations of stone workers cut stone slabs here. There are the chisel marks at some places.

  There is daily a steady stream of devotees from morning to evening. The Patha Gutta temple looks so beautiful in sylvan surroundings and near farmlands faraway from city noises. There are green bushes and some big trees all over the boulder-ridden area.  However the kilometers- long road leading to the temple from Yadadri main town  has acquired the new urban look. Most of the buildings on the temple road are new RCC topped buildings and a few have two floors and three floors. We can see many cars and motorbikes on the road. Daily large scale “pujas” (prayers) and rituals are conducted at the temple. All the prescribed temple festivals as performed in the Yadadri hill temples are also performed here.

Legend says that  Lord Narasimha ,(an incarnation of Lord Vishnu the  great emperor of the universe)  often travelled on  the route in  a magnificent  golden chariot  with his queen Goddess Laxmi (Mother of the Universe and goddess of all wealth in the universe) and accompanied by great gods. There are big hoof marks of the “horses of Emperor's golden chariot” on the surface of the long horizontal boulders .The temple and the other related temple structures lie in the shade of  a giant  tree . On one side of the tree there is Lord Narasimha's temple with its  RCC roofed halls which are well lighted and newly painted . On the other side of the tree is the simple but magnificent ancient temple of the mighty Lord Hanuman, the guardian and disciple of Lord Narasimha. The temple of Lord Hanuman is at a height on the stony ground and is reached by a flight of a hundred steps all painted in big orange and white stripes on the front side. Lord Hanuman's new renovated temple is a comparatively smaller RCC roofed structure and is  painted entirely in deep  orange the symbol  of Hindu hermits and symbol of the Lord Hanuman cult. The old stair way exists under the shade of the big tree. There are monkeys playing on the lower branches out to snatch fruits and “prasadam” packets from the hands of many devotees going up and down the temple steps. There are also some beggars sitting alongside the stairway in the  shade. The scene looks so pleasant in the bright morning hours.

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Let us now investigate about the route to Pathagutta temple. From the Hyderabad-Warangal highway we turn onto the branch road leading to Yadadri town. It is a nice new four lane road of about five   kilometers and links to the wider six lane roads leading to the great new temple on Yadadri hill amidst nice flowerbeds and newly planted trees. The new nice wide road  to the hill top is also linked to this road. As we travel on this road there is a big road junction near the newly constructed “gopuram” at the entrance of a  new stairway direct to the top  of  Yadadri hill (for travelers who wish to walk all the way up). 

From the junction a wide road branches towards the old town where Pathagutta temple is situated. Surprisingly we see many horse- drawn carriages on the road to Pathagutta in this age of cars and two wheelers. There is a belief among devotees that the great god almighty travelled on these routes always in a horse drawn chariot--a dazzling heavenly golden chariot drawn by heavenly horses. As proof there exist big marks of horse hoofs on the stony land beside the temple (as already stated above). Traditional devotees feel that because of this reason going to temple in a horse carriage is auspicious. There are several colorfully painted horse carriages at the junction waiting to take devotees to the Pathagutta temple. 

 There are  two or three colorfully painted  welcome arches   on the road  .The area near the Pathagutta temple wears a traditional old town  appearance  with  busy crowded small  bazars selling  "pooja" related  items like orange colored silk  flags, coconuts, fruits, flowers , little brass bells and lamp stands, multicolor photos of gods and of course  toys. Everything in the shop is orange or yellow hued-- the colors greatly revered by Hindu religious people.