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It was one of those days when my mum and grandparents wanted me to take them to Papparapatti, which is a small village in the district of Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu. This place is famous for the Raghavendra Swamy Temple and is fondly called the "Dakshina Mantralaya" meaning Mantralaya of the South.
As per what I had read, Papparapatti was once ruled by the Hoysala dynasty and was part of the Old Mysore city about 800 years ago. It is at a distance of 10 km from Dharmapuri, and about 100 km from Bangalore.
The temple of Varadaraja Swamy along with his consorts Bhudevi and Sridevi was constructed by one of the Hoysala dynasty rulers.
It's quite normal to plan a trip with your friends; but this time I had to take a break from that routine of mine and had to travel with the senior citizens of my family.
Our Journey To Pauparapatti...
We started our journey from Bangalore at 6 AM in the morning in our car via Hosur Road (SH 17).
We had packed snacks and dosas from home, so we did not stop at any place for breakfast. Since I was smitten by this jaw-dropping beauty around me while on the drive, I made sure to park the car under one of the trees to have our breakfast.
With the cold breeze blowing on the faces and the chirping of birds in the background it was a perfect spot for an early morning breakfast. We were just ten minutes away from the temple, more than the tummies; it was our hearts that were at bliss.
Read More : Places To Visit In Dharmapuri
Roads leading to Papparapatti are filled with mango-groves on either sides, the scenic beauty of the village sure can take you back in time and you would certainly relive those moments from one of the old movie scenes you'd have seen - the ones shot in villages. We reached Pauparapatti at around 8:30 AM.
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Details On The Temple
The temple complex is spread across a large area and is an apt place to spend time peacefully amidst the divine ambience. The temple complex also has shrines of Lord Hanuman, Lord Venu Gopala Swamy and the saint Madhwacharya. Also, there is a huge well which serves as a water source for the temple.
The temple of Sri Raghavendra Swamy Brundavana here is just 97 years old; however, the Varadaraja Swamy Temple has a history that dates back to more than a thousand years. The story on how the Brundavana came into existence here is pretty interesting.
As per what I heard from the locals, the priest who was in charge of the temple had no heir for a long time and the one who was born had liver complaints. The family then decided to visit Mantralaya in Andhra Pradesh to seek the blessings of Raghavendra Swamy and after offering their prayers at the temple, their child was completely cured. Later, a temple for Raghavendra Swamy was built in Pauparapatti as per a dream that the priest had.
As per the story, I got to know that after being blessed at Mantralaya, the priest of the temple was in search of a good sculptor to make the Brundavana. A sculptor in Bangalore had prepared one for a Mutt in Bellary and the same night he dreamt of an old man instructing him to hand over the readily available Brundavana to the priest who would be coming in search of him.
I also got to know that in the year 1996, during his visit to this place, Sushameendra Theertha told his devotees that Mantralaya looked exactly like Papparapatti 40 years ago and hence he coined the same as "Dakshina Mantralaya" or Mantralaya of the South.
Lunch is not served at the temple premises. However, you may call the priest of the temple and get it arranged before-hand. There are no hotels around since it is a small village, you can also choose to carry food from home as well.
Hogenakkal Falls - An Exciting Attraction (38 km From Pauparapatti)
After spending a peaceful day at the temple and in the divine atmosphere, we thought of visiting Hogenakkal waterfalls, which is at a distance of 38 km from the temple. They were more excited than I was and my mother had started to think about the awesome coracle ride at the falls.
After an amazing experience at the waterfalls, the spicy churmuri and the cucumber slices that we had in the evening were something that we savoured to the best.
We started from there at 6 PM and as we were ready to head back home, I felt the need to return to this holy place called Pauparapatti again. It was one of the most divine spiritual experiences that I had and would surely recommend this place to all those seeking Raghavendra Swamy's blessings.
