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.