Paraśurāma and Dāmodara Devasthānas
This is a temple in which these two deities, Paraśurāma and Dāmodara, are installed in two separate rooms. It is situated near the Śrī Kāśī Maṭha, opposite the Kāmākṣī Temple.
It is said that this temple was established by descendants of Dāma Prabhu, who came to Bhatkal from the Maṭhagrāma of Goa.
Their descendants presently living in Bhatkal are:
- Rāma Prabhu, son of Charda Prabhu;
- Paraśurāma Prabhu;
- Gopāla Prabhu, son of Paraśurāma Prabhu.
When Dāma Prabhu, son of their ancestor Viṭṭhala Prabhu, was living in Madgaon, a copper-plate charter was issued to him by Bhujabalarāya of Vidyānagara in Śaka 1374. This copper plate was preserved in this temple.
A copy of the inscription is available in the Sarasvatī Maṇḍala.
It is said that the said inscription may have been taken away by the sister of Nāgūr Vāsudeva Pai, the widow of the last surviving member of the family of the priest (bhaṭṭa) who served the deity. This matter should be investigated and ascertained.
Tirumala Devasthāna
The father of the aforementioned Rāma Prabhu, namely Charda Prabhu, gave the site where the Kāśī Maṭha now stands, together with some property, to Śrī Bhuvanendra Svāmī in the year 188_.
Note - The above seems to be gifted due to the below incident given in Shri V.A. Shenai's book.
On another occasion, when H.H Shri Swamiji was in Bhatkal, one Cherdayya Prabhu (63 years) belonging to Goud Sarasvata Brahmana community approached H.H Shri Swamiji with his wife and narrated their pitiable condition, for they had no issues. Filled with compassion H.H Shri Swamiji gave them a mantra pinda. Later a son, was born to the couple. Shri Rama Prabhu, the son lived upto a ripe old age and died some years ago.
Because of this, Śrī Bhuvanendra Svāmī constructed the Kāśī Maṭha at its present location. Previously, the Kāśī Maṭha had been situated in Hoṇḍada Keri.
It is said that the Maṭha at Hoṇḍada Keri had originally been constructed by the Malyas. His son Joga Malya subsequently issued a gift charter to Śrī Yādavendra Tīrtha Svāmī in Śaka 1529, in the year Parābhava.
A copy of this inscription is given at end of the article.
This Maṭha was formerly known by the name Tirumala Devasthāna. It continues to be known by that name even today.
There are also separate gift charters given to this Maṭha during the time of Bhuvanendra Svāmī by members of the aforementioned Prabhu family.
Śrī Kāmākṣī Devasthāna
The aforementioned Kāśī Maṭha had originally been constructed by the Malyas at Hoṇḍada Keri. According to the inscription written by Joga Malya for Yādavendra Tīrtha of the Kāśī Maṭha, the Malyas also constructed the Kāmākṣī Temple adjacent to the Maṭha at Hoṇḍada Keri.
The same temple was subsequently brought from Hoṇḍada Keri and reconstructed along the roadside at the place where the Kāśī Maṭha now stands.
This is a family deity temple (kuladevasthāna). It has kullavi families such as Vaḍēra Beṭṭu Kamath, etc.
The building is in good condition.
Donation Charter issued by Joga Malya
A copy of the donation charter issued by Joga Malya, son of Ananta Malya of Bhatkal, to Śrī Yādavendra Tīrtha Śrīpāda Vaḍēra:
namastuṅga-śiraś-cumbi-candra-cāmara-cārave
trailokya-nagarārambha-mūla-stambhāya śambhave ||
“Salutations to Śambhu, whose lofty head is kissed by the moon, who is beautiful like a cāmara, and who is the foundational pillar upon which the city of the three worlds rests.”
Svasti. In the victorious Śālivāhana Śaka year 1529, Parābhava year, on Vaiśākha Śukla 15, Monday, to the revered Śrī Yādavendra Tīrtha Śrīpāda Vaḍēra, who was the great-grand-disciple of the revered Surendra Tīrtha Śrīpāda Vaḍēra, who was himself born from the lotus-like hands of the revered Vijendra Tīrtha Śrīpāda Vaḍēra, the worshipper of the divine lotus feet of Śrī Rāmacandra Deva, the great Paramahaṃsa Parivrājakācārya, thoroughly versed in the oceans of pada, vākya and pramāṇa, independent in all branches of knowledge, and the great preceptor who established the Śrī Vaiṣṇava doctrine—
Joga Malya, son of Ananta Malya of Bhatkal, gives this religious endowment (dharma-sādhana).
Description of the boundaries and the endowment
The wording of the grant is as follows:
“Previously, my father Ananta Malya constructed the temple of our village deity Kāmākṣī. Subsequently, I constructed the Viṣṇu shrine, Tirumala Temple, on the site where our house and residential quarter stood.
Its four boundaries are as follows:
- to the south, the wall/boundary of the Kāmākṣī deity's temple;
- to the south, the boundary wall (pāgāra) that I constructed for this site;
- to the west, the Nadavarāja street;
and within these four boundaries stands the Tirumala Deva Temple.
I hereby give to you, with formal transfer of the endowment, the Tirumala Deva, the deity installed there, together with the Dindi festival, the various worship services and other ritual arrangements connected with the deity, so that the worship may be performed.
For the expenses of the services conducted in the presence of the deity, my father Ananta Malya had previously assigned certain lands as religious endowment from the huttalli [temple endowment] property.
These included:
- in Tāmbana, Nālkoṇḍa-gadde — 2½ muḍi;
- in Gōḷī-aḍikoḍage — 3 muḍi;
- another field — 3 muḍi;
and land yielding 13½ muḍi of rice annually, etc.
In my father Ananta Malya's name, at the presence of Tirumala Deva in the temple, the following religious services are to be conducted, including aṅgaraṅga naivedya, feeding/charity (anna-satra), and other observances.”
Specific ritual endowments
The charter then specifies the following provisions:
- For the Amṛtapadi of Tirumala Deva — 5 muḍi of rice.
- For the rice requirement on Dvādaśī, for 12 persons — 1 hāṇe of rice.
- For the Dvādaśī observance — 15 muḍi? / 3½ muḍi [the manuscript wording/numerals here are difficult].
- For the Harijāgara on the 15th of the month of Kārtika — rice.
- For the great festival at night on Uttāna Dvādaśī — 1 muḍi of rice.
- For the Vanabhojana festival on Kārtika Śukla 15 — 1 muḍi of rice.
- For Ekādaśī jāgaraṇa — oil, 9 hāṇe, and rice, 1 muḍi.
- In Kārtika, Vaiśākha and other months, for the lamp used during the night reading of the Nāga Purāṇa — 5 hāṇe of oil and 1 muḍi of rice.
- In the Dhanurmāsa, for the naivedya offered after the morning bath — rice for 15 days, amounting to 13½ muḍi.
“You shall continue to administer this religious endowment of 13½ muḍi of rice.
At the Tirumala Deva shrine, whenever the prescribed festivals are held, I and the sthānikas shall come and participate in the religious services and dedicate them to Kṛṣṇa.
Likewise, Martumallya [probably a member of the same family] had previously established a perpetual lamp (nandādīpa) in the name of his father Nārāyaṇa Mallya. The property associated with this, consisting of the rights/interest connected with eight houses of Śeṭṭi Keri, was written over as religious property of the deity.
The original garati [a specified payment/endowment] of Īramma Śeṭṭi, amounting to Rs. 2-0-0, is attached to the perpetual lamp maintained in the presence of Kāmākṣī Devī.
The tax (teru) on this property is payable to the palace.
In addition, two eḷaṇa āḍada taxes [term unclear] are to be paid by Tirumala Deva, and the perpetual lamp in the name of Nārāyaṇa Mallya is to be maintained.
You have been conducting the worship in this temple up to the present.
If, at any time, you have to leave on a pilgrimage, you shall entrust the worship to a suitable Brahmin of our community.
You shall continue to carry out the renovation and customary upkeep of the temple.
We, who have been the sthānikas, have been overseeing the administration of this temple.
Under this written deed, you shall continue together with your disciple lineage and my descendants.
This is the deed granted accordingly.”
Witnesses
“The witnesses to this agreement are:
- Lakabāḷa Prabhu, son of Nārāṇa Prabhu;
- Lakaraśa Kamati, son of Lakaraśa Kamati;
and, with the mutual consent of these persons, this deed was written by Kāvaya, son of Ravaḷappa Śānubhoga."
No comments:
Post a Comment