Simhachalam

Tuesday we went to visit Simhachalam. On Monday night, Krishnayya gave us some background on the place. The idol enshrined in Simhachalam is unusual partially because it has aspects of both the gods Shiva and Vishnu. An image with indistinct features is covered in sandal paste, which once a year is removed and the idol is shown to the public, although no one really gets a very good look at it. The rest of the year it is kept in the innermost recesses of the temple, and very few, even Hindus, get to see it. Those who do see it generally have to pay very heavy fees.

The hereditary trustee of the temple is the king of this area. There is a picture of his father inside the temple, P. V. G. Raju, who Krishnayya informed me was one of the first Indian socialist kings and donated huge portions of his land and wealth to the people. The current king is a friend of Dr. Nuckolls, and through this connection we were able to go into the innermost shrine and see the idol.

Our friend Krishna Prasad, whom we call K. P., told us that people like to come to Simhachalam because it has very good vibrations, and that only Indians can come there. Since we are there, it means that we were Indians and were somehow connected to it in our past lives. I don't think it could have been a happy connection in my case, though, because the vibrations I got from the place were not that great, especially from the idol. It was all very interesting nonetheless. (K. P. is the guy behind Becky's shoulder in the first picture.)

Dr. Nuckolls and Krishnayya believe that the god inside the paste is actually a very old tribal god who has had a Hindu mythology overlaid on it. The confusion between Vishnu and Shiva is one of the reasons for this, but there are also unusual connections between low caste groups, more original inhabitants of this area, and the necessary ceremonies connected with the idol. The folk legends connected with it and the different name given it by some of these low caste groups are other indicators, among other things.

This is a stone chariot inside the temple grounds. The folk legend with the origin of the idol involves a flying chariot.



These columns are made of stone, but they sound like metal when you tap those hanging teethlike things.



Elephants, I like elephants.






This picture, the one underneath the one of the elephant drain, is not actually evidence of ancient Hindu child sacrifice or anything like that. It references an old story about a king who was granted a boon from the gods. He asked to not be killed on land or sea, by man, beast, or god, by arrow, sickness, spear, etc., intending to make it so that he could live forever. This displeased the gods, so they created a man-lion who took him up between the heavens and the earth and disembowelled him with his hands. It's supposed to remind you not to be prideful. There were several erotic images on this temple, most of them mutilated supposedly by the invading Muslims, but some temporary blockades obstructed our access to that section of the temple walls that had most of those, thankfully.