The Mystic Mahan of Mantralaya

During my last visit to Chennai in 2012, I was suddenly pulled by a strong desire to visit Mantralaya, the holy place of Sri Raghavendra, located on the banks of Tungabadra river in Andhra Pradesh. The nearest railhead to Mantralaya is Mantralayam Road, a sleepy station, about 540 kms by train from Chennai.  For some reasons, I could not make the visit. Later, two interesting incidents followed. 

The first one was in March 2013. While taking a morning walk in the beautiful Evergreen Valley park in San Jose, I met an elderly Indian gentleman.  After introducing myself, I asked his name. With a captivating smile on his face, he replied instantly, "Raghavendra."  He was a retired senior official from ITI, Bangalore, visiting his daughter in San Jose. We became good friends and he introduced me over phone to one of the founder members of Chinmaya Mission who lives in Boston.

Barely a month ago, I attended a Rudra Abhishekam at the home of one of my friends in Chicago. On request, I gave a short introduction to Sri Rudram and the abhishekam followed. After the rituals ended,  a middle-aged gentleman walked up to me and invited me to participate in the next Rudra Abhishekam scheduled the following week-end at his home in Vernon Hills. I asked his name. He said, "Raghavendra."


It seemed as though the Mahan of Mantralaya was calling me to his abode. This time, my thoughtful younger brother made the rail reservations in advance. On December 1, my wife, my brother and I took the Mumbai mail train to Mantralayam Road. From the rail station, we traveled for about 40 minutes in a rickety autoriksha to Mantralaya. After a refreshing bath in the holy Tungabadra river, we stood in line to have a darshan of Sri Raghavendra, believed to be still living in Jeeva Samadhi that he entered in 1671 A.D.

The Entrance to Sri. Raghavendra Temple

Sri Raghavendra is said to be a Mahan in the lineage of the great Narayana devotee Prahlada, followed by Vibhishana (Ravana's brother) and  Vyasateertha, the spiritual leader of the Madhwa school. Born as Venkatanatha in 1595, he discarded his worldly ties, his family and became a Sannyasi. It is believed that the monk chose Mantralaya for his abode because Prahlada had performed penances at this spot and Lord Rama too was at this place that made it very auspicious.  

Ratha Yatra of Lord Prahlada

With folded hands and prayers in our hearts, we had a great darshan of the Mahan at Mantralaya. We took an arduous bone-shaking trip to Bikshalaya (Bichali), the place where Ragahvendra lived (his home is being rebuilt), and Panchamukhi, a rocky temple of Hanuman having five heads. 

Late evening, we witnessed the Ratha Yatra (procession of Chariot) and Dolotswam of Lord Prahlad in the outer prakaram (corridor) of the temple (see picture alongside)

 
Silently, Ragahvendra captures the hearts of millions of pilgrims visiting Mantralaya. The following short and sweet prayer is offered to Sri Raghavendra:

pUjyAya raghavendrAya satya-dharma-ratAya ca /

bhajatAm kalpavRkshAya namatAm kAmadhenave //

Truth (satya) and righteousness (dharma) are the two pillars of Hindu religion. It is applicable to all irrespective of caste or creed.

May KalpakaVriksha, the wish-yielding heavenly tree and Kaamadhenu, the divine Cow bestow on you anything that you desire.