KARPARA KSHETRA - VRIKSHARUPA NARASIMHA

The Aswartha Vriksha lying adjacent to the temple has yet another interesting story to tell, but this happened in the recent past and in the Kaliyuga only. It appears, the ancestor of the present temple priest Narappayya by name went to Tirupathi on foot once. On reaching the destination, he felt tired and slept, postponing his visit to the temple to the next day. He had a dream. A strange one too. Lord Venkateswara appearing to him said, "Your place my dear is a holier kshetra and I have been abiding there for yugas, you need not have come here, better go home at once and you will have my darsan there. I will follow you in the form of cow, but mind you not to turn back till you reach your destination. Start now," The pious Narappayya deeming it a great fortune started.

After several days of ardeous journey, he reached home. Just at this moment he heard the sounds of anklet bells. He turned his head. What did he find there? Oh wonderful! Found he then there an enchanting image Sri Venkateswara and a sapling of an Aswartha tree. Highly elated, he began offering pujas, like Ksheerabhishek. Sahastranamapuja, etc. to them with unbounded fervor. People listening to that don - soaked story commenced praying to lord Venkateswara with due rituals. Their desires were fulfilled; and they crossed every kind of hurdle standing in their way. So the popularity of the divinity spread afar and quick, and in course of time, it became a famous thirtha Kshetra, attracting thousands of worshippers. The Aswartha sapling too grew steadily and became a big tree. And it too received due worship by the visiting devotional community, since Bhagavan Krishna proclaimed that the papal tree is the best among the Vriksha santati, family of trees and He abides in it for ever. Belief is fortified by concrete examples. So new traditions were introduced. They are accelerating its progress sans break.

Location : The temple lies in Karpar, accessible by four wheelers from Bijapur, Karnataka.

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