Sri Lalitha Someshwara Swamy Temple, Somasila.

A VIDEO OF THE TEMPLE:

On Maha Shivaratri day this year (11th March 2021), we were at Somasila, a popular pilgrimage place for the 7th century Sri Lalitha Someshwara Swamy temple and the Krishna River. The presiding deities of this Temple Complex consisting of 15 temples are of Sri Lalitha Devi and of Lord Shiva, including 12 Jyotirlinga temples.

A very silent and thinly populated Somasila village turned out to be an overcrowded place on this festival day with devotees visiting the temple in very large numbers on bikes, cars and buses from nearby and far off places. The whole place was reverberating with devotional songs, temple announcements and later in the evening a Hari Katha and Brahmam Gari Chartithra Natakam being enacted at the temple could be heard on the loudspeakers. We went to the temple for Darshan during noon and later in the evening but decided to return without Darshan because the temple was overcrowded, with not a single person wearing a mask or maintaining social distance.  

However the next day we were at the temple by 6:10 am and we had the temple for ourselves as you can see in the attached pictures and video.

Somasila is a beautiful village located on the left bank of the Krishna River in Nagarkurnool District of Telangana State, at a distance of 9 km from Kollapur town and 200 km from our house in Secunderabad. The drive to Somasila as you are approaching it is a wonderful one surrounded by hills, fields and patches of forest areas.

This 7th-century temple as I mentioned earlier is located on the banks of the Krishna River. But for the festival days, the temple is a very calm and quiet place. Its original location was a short distance away, at the erstwhile Somasila village which is now submerged in Krishna River Reservoir due to the construction of Srisailam Dam. It was built in the 7th century by the Chalukya rulers. It was shifted to the present place to protect it from the water of the Srisailam dam and reservoir. It was very carefully and skilfully shifted slab by slab to retain its original shape and glory. You can see the marking of numbers and symbols on the slabs of the temple, with the help of which the temple was so magnificently reconstructed, under the supervision of the State branch of the Archaeological Society of India and the Endowments Department.

Maha Shivaratri and Karthika Pournami are celebrated with much pomp and fervour here and attract a lot of pilgrims from all over the district and far off places. The Pushkaralu Snanam (holy dips/bath in the river) which takes place during the Krishna Pushkaram once in 12 years witnesses devotees thronging the area due to the belief that all sins are washed away when you take a dip during that period.

A little away in the river lies Sri Sangameswara Swamy temple, totally submerged in the water and surfacing once in a while in summers. Before our visit to Somasila, we came to know that it has partially surfaced and the temple Gopuram is visible. So on Maha Shivaratri day, we went to the boats taking devotees and tourists to this temple but due to the boats getting cramped with people not wearing masks we did not dare to go. However, the next day we made up our mind and tried to go to this temple but there was only one boat and he would not take us until there are twenty passengers and for just the two of us he was demanding the charges of all 20 passengers and it seemed dangerous for just the two of us. So we decided not to go. We are disappointed as we strongly desired to have a glimpse of the temple, after seeing a few videos of it at home. Seeing people in the videos going on boats without life jackets, we went prepared, taking with us our voluminous PFDs - Personal flotation devices. However, we went on a joy ride, on a bigger boat on the river.

We stayed at the nearby Haritha Resort Cottage on the banks of the river, overlooking the beautiful hills and the river.

This outing will always remain in our memory for the leisurely Darshan at this ancient and historical temple of Lalitha Devi and Lord Shiva, the beauty of Somasila and Krishna River, the long ride amidst fields, forests and hills and a very comfortable stay at the Haritha Resort. After a long time, we were happy to see a lot of birds, including the house sparrows and squirrels which were at one time a common sight at our house, and the night sky with countless stars.

And finally, on our way back as advised by some at Somasila, we were extremely happy to visit the ancient and popular 13th century, Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy Temple at Singotam.

With Love to West Bengal!

Good Morning West Bengal!

In a week your elections are due

And I can feel all the turmoil

That is going on around you.

Whenever its election time at your end

The news is mostly disturbing

Voters are subjected to bullying

If that doesn’t work there is bloodshed.

You know that violence is not right

So do not yield to the goons might

Seek the help of the Central Force

And please go out and vote.

Vote judiciously

For development and prosperity

For an eminent position in our Country

And for your happiness and glory.

This is with love, West Bengal!

From one socially responsible

Requesting you to vote on merit

And wishing you all the best.

 

Singotam Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy Temple.

Singotam Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy Temple is located in Singotam village, formerly known as Singapattanam, near Kollapur in the Nagarkurnool district of Telangana State. We chanced upon visiting this ancient and popular temple on 13th March 2021. It was just destiny, God’s calling, that made us visit this ancient and locally very popular temple.

We went to the beautiful Somasila village on the banks of the Krishna River on the 11th of March morning, on the occasion of the Maha Shivaratri festival that day, to visit the famous 7th century Sri Lalitha Someshwara Swamy temple there and for a short sightseeing vacation. The next day was equally important; it was Lalitha Someshwara Swamy Kalyanotsavam day.

 We stayed at the Haritha Resort on the banks of the Krishna River, where the river water reaches up to the top of the foundation of the cottages where we stayed, during the rainy season! At the Lalitha Someshwara Swamy temple, we had a very good Darshan of Lalitha Devi and all the Jyothirlinga temples in that large temple complex. At this temple and the Haritha Resort we were told about Singotam Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy Temple, and its importance and were advised to visit the temple on our way back home.

We reached Somasila from Secunderabad via Kalwakurthy and Kollapur, a distance of 198 km. And on our way back we planned to return home via Jetprole, Pebbair and NH44 National Highway, which is the Bangalore-Hyderabad highway, a distance of 220 km.

On 13th March we had time to stay at the Resort till Noon but as we had nothing more to do at Somasila we checked out by 9:40 am and started our return journey, not planning to visit Singotam Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy Temple. However, after travelling just a few meters on Pebbair Road, we suddenly decided to turn back to reach Kollapur and travelled to visit Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy Temple at Singotam. We were travelling with the help of Google maps which informed us that the temple would close by 11 am. It was 10 am by then and we reached the temple by 10:30 am to have a good Darshan, perform Archana/Harathi rituals and visit the temple surroundings leisurely. However, being Saturday the temple did not close by 11 am.

We are very happy to have visited this temple. It was just destiny, God’s calling, that made us vacate the Resort early and spontaneously turn back on Pebbair Road, to visit this ancient and popular temple.

We witnessed and gathered a lot of information about the temple and it goes as follows:

The temple was built in the 13th century by Surabhi - Raja Sri Singamanaidu who ruled that region then. There is a legend behind the construction of the temple. It tells us that there was a farmer growing crops on his farmland and rearing a cow for his livelihood. While ploughing his land, his plough got obstructed by a black stone. The farmer took the stone from there and placed it aside. But to the surprise of the farmer, the stone got placed in the same place every time he tried to relocate it. The farmer still could not realise the holiness of the stone which was actually a Lingam. Helpless he prayed to Lord Srimannarayana to help him out. Soon the reigning king of the area, Raja Singamanaidu of the Surabhi family had a dream where he was instructed by the Lord to construct a temple where the idol was found and worship it regularly. After that, the king immediately built a temple and sanctified the idol by the Brahmins of the Oruganti dynasty. At that time, a small shrine was built for the Swamy to keep him under shade. The temple of that time is still in the sanctum sanctorum. Later, during the reign of Rani Ratna Mamba, the construction of the Temple which we are seeing today was completed.

Lord Narasimha Swamy is worshipped here in the form of Shiva Lingam. Lord Narasimha Swamy looks majestic in the form of a one-and-a-half-foot-high and one-foot-in-diameter Lingam, wearing Urthvapundras and Tripundras (Panganamas and Vibhutirekhas that is Niluvunamas and Addanamas) with a neatly twisted moustache.

There is a beautiful Koneru/Temple pond adjacent to the temple, which you can see in the attached photographs. Water to this Koneru comes from the nearby Singasamudram, a gigantic lake now a water reservoir spread across more than 10 kilometres area, supplying drinking water to about 100 small and big villages surrounding it and to more than 5,000 acres of agricultural land below it.

The temple site is developed into a beautiful picnic spot with green and lush surroundings. There is an accommodation facility at the temple for the devotees, including at the guest house of the Kollapur kings, just adjacent to the temple.

Devotees can visit the temple on any day; it is however crowded on Saturdays, festival days, auspicious days and during various temple Utsavalu like Brahmotsavam. People also have special occasions/celebrations at the temple premises like weddings, tonsure ceremonies, vehicle pooja and other family functions. The temple is also crowded during winter and summer vacations when devotees come with families to seek blessings.

After this memorable and blessed stay at the temple, we returned home happily via Wanaparthy, Kothapeta and National Highway NH44.