Hamsa Lekhha Travel diaries: June 2016

Vizag ---- RK beach @ night

Route: Vizag (MVP colony )--- RK beach

Vehicle: Honda Activa

Trip members :2

Date of travel: 10^th June 2016 (Wednesday)

Journey To RK beach on Honda Activa !!!!!

RK beach or Ramakrishna beach is in the coast of Bay of Bengal, the beach is the vibrant testimony. A visit to Vizag is surely incomplete without a visit to RK Beach. Making it most obvious and must visit place, at about 06:30 pm coined an idea to have a glimpse of beach in the town of beaches.

To reach– it can be reached from anywhere from the city. We parked our vehicle in front of Novotel’s entrance, and I being an ardent lover of panipuri could not stop after seeing it at the beach. It was not as good as we have it in Hyderabad.

we started walking on sand and sat at one place at the shore. Lots of people were lazing on the sand with their families and some of them were playing with the waves. Despite being crowded the mystic beauty of sea and the color of water which is bluish could not be missed. Spending some time at beach was memorable. The sun was almost off his duty, so it was dark, due to dark I did not concentrated much on walking in beach sand. There are Shops selling all kind of food items at beach & we can see that no clankering of the vendors,but after panipuri effect could not dare enough to taste them. I saw some people enjoying their horse rides. I just forgot everything around me and was rather focused in listening to sounds of waves standing at sea shore. When I stood at the edge of the seashore I was enjoying the cool breeze, and the waves hitting my foot it was memorable.

Cruelty minds!!!!!

Walking on beach sands is mesmerizing thing, spent some quality time at beach,meanwhile I observed people are very crazy they can't simply enjoy the nature without hurting it.Here irritated incident is they hurt sea animals I don’t understand why????

A crab unfortunately was gushed out of sea waves to shore some people caught it and when it tried to defence itself they killed it for no reason.

I could not stop my anger on them but could not do anything at the same time ,as I am outsider, with this disappointment I moved off from the beach.

Quick Info !!!

Vicinity around beach is

Kalimatha temple
Victory at sea stupa
Kursura submarine museum
Jagadamba theatre

Sorry for bad photography !!!!

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Srikakulam Part 5 --- Yendala mallikarjuna swamy--Gaint Sivalingam ----Tekali----ravivalasa

Route: Srikakulam Srimukhalingam to Tekali Yendala Mallikarjuna Swamy

NH—5 Chennai -Kolkata Highway

Vehicle: Honda Activa

Trip members :2

Temple timings: 6am to 7pm

Date of travel: 9^th June 2016 (Wednesday)

Trip plan !!!!!

To cover Arsavalli, Srikurmam, Srimukhalingam, Tekali Yendala Mallikarjuna Swamy

Journey from Srimukhalingam to Tekali Yendala Mallikarjuna Swamy on Honda Activa !!!!!

We started around 3 pm from Srimukhalingam to NH5 and headed towards Tekali which is 18 kilometers from highway. The temple is located in Tekali ,Ravivalasa village which is five kilometers away from the highway.After travelling to some extent inside the village we cross lush green farms & coconut trees ,we get two railway crossings and two gateways ,from here deep inside the village on left side we see second gateway, head inside a kilometer here we see the temple.

The temple premises are newly built but Siva lingam is ancient .The Siva Linga here is swayambhu and called as Sri Yendala Mallikarjuna Swamy.Here the sivalinga is 20metres height and 3meters in width and said it has been built in Tretayuga--- Ramayan era.This temple is said to be associated with Mahabaratha too ,Pandavas while in exile visited this temple & met Markandeya maharshi.

In front of Mammoth Sivalinga there are four Nandis installed. There is a live star turtle which stays at the feet of lord siva.We can climb steps & go up to see the view of the village and Sivalingam.Usually devotees perform abhishekam from here.

Besides temple there is water pond called as Sitamma pushkarini & at entrance hill top we see huge goddess idol called as Lalitha devi.And beside hill top there is lotus pond.

Significance!!!!

People get rid of their skin diseases.As hearsay the mammoth Sivalingam of this temple is the biggest sivalingam growing accordingly to time but local king had to put a nail on the top of sivalingam to stop it from growing, Thats why roof could not be built after nailed now they have built the round of sivalingam for abhishekam .But i have not seen any nail on top of siva lingam.

Quick Information!!!!!

No accomdation source.
This temple is 55 kms from srikakulam.

Srikakulam Part 4--- Srimukhalingam ----- Kalingan architectural gem

Save Temples ... Save our Indian heritage
(This temple is not maintained well with unhygenic surroundings)

Route: Srikurmam to Srimukhalingam

NH-5 : Chennai-Kolkata highway

Vehicle: Honda Activa

Trip members: 2

Temple timings: 6am- 7pm

Date of travel: 9^th June 2016 (Wednesday)

Trip plan!!!

To cover Arasavalli, Srikurmam, Srimukhalingam, TekaliYendalaMallikarjunaSwamy

Journey from Srikurmam to Srimukhalingam on Honda Activa!!!

Srimukha lingam is about 56 kilometers from Srikakulam and 46 kilometers from Srikurmam. From Srikurmam gate way towards Arasavalli you need to take a right after about a kilometer. After travelling for about 10 kilometers on a narrow road, you will find NH 5, travel towards the road that will lead you to Vishakapatnam. Take left turn from Narasannapeta junction; from here we need to travel 25 kilometers inside a remote area. Srimukhalingam comes under Julumuru mandal in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh. It is known as Panchapeeta.

Main diety!!!

The Siva Linga is not stone carved. It is carved by the Indian Butter tree log (ippa chettu in telugu, madhukam in Sanskrit). Lord Siva here is known as Madukeshwar, the temple here also houses with his consort Varahi Parvathi devi.

We see eight Siva Lingas in all directions inside the temple. The temple houses Mukalingeshwara, built in Kalingan Architecture by Eastern Ganga Kings in 9^th century. Goddess here is Varahi (Paravathi), an incarnation of one among Sapta Matrukalu. We knew very little about this temple but headed towards to explore something about this temple.

Here Kshetrapalaka is Lord Vishnu who resides inside main hall on right side. Temple has two entrances one for entry and one for exit. Stepping inside the main entrance we find Nandi mandapa & again another entrance gate, after entering into the 2^nd gate we get into main entrance of the temple. Here Siva Linga is white in color unlike the other black stone Lingas. The temple is not much crowded so it made us to watch the temple very peacefully. The temple premises were depicted with stories of Siva purana. We found some Buddha carvings outside temple premises. This temple is situated on the banks of Vamsadhara. Behind Siva Lingam there is a giant vessel where people put their offerings in the form of rice. I was surprised when the priest was asking us to see the giant vessel. I did not know what it was all about; he explained about it after we came out having darshan of Lord Siva. This temple is built of Red stone in Kalingan architecture. Height of the spire is 65 feet constructed during 9^th century AD by Eastern Ganga rulers. Inscriptions found here are in Odiya. The temple is surrounded by high boundary walls. The temple is Panchayathana and has four sub-shrines around four sides of temple.

Story of huge Vessel behind the main deity!!!

Just behind the main deity there is a huge Vessel which we felt could be brought inside the temple without breaking it and is bigger than the door of Sanctum. One of the priests narrated us the story behind it. A potter-man called Naganna once offered his prayers to this god for children and offered him two Vessels to full fill his wish, one broke while trying to enter into sanctum and the other one was left in the sanctum and he asked god to show his presence. At midnight there was a huge sound in the temple and when people opened the temple they saw the Vessel inside the sanctum sanctorum and Naganna was blessed with a male child. Since then the Vessel is worshipped here.

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Bhimeshwara Temple!!!!

At about 100 yards away from Srimukhalingam is Bhimeshwara Swamy temple and is latest among three temples according to inscriptions. This temple was built by the Ganga king Aniyanka Bhima (982-1016 AD). The temple is built with sanctum and mandapa. A dip in the Vamsadhara River and a visit to shrine is believed to relieve one from the cycle of rebirth.

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Someshwara Swamy temple!!!!

At about half kilometer from the main temple we can see the Someshwara swamy temple which has Lord Siva facing west built in same Kalingan styled architecture.