Belgaum, Karnataka, India
5 April 2004
Visit to Bhuvara Nrsimha Temple at Halsi Village, 4 April
2004
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| We went by car 35 kilometers out of Belgaum to Halsi, a
small village that is the site of an ancient Nrsimha temple.
Now we are standing in front of Lord Nrsimha's ratha cart.
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| At the entrance of the temple. This Mandira was constructed
more than a thousand years ago. The Deity, named Bhuvara Nrsimha,
was worshiped at this spot long before this particular temple
was built; the Pandavas visited this place 5000 years ago.
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| Kurma stays in the exact center of the temple floorspace
as the support of the entire structure. |
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| The Deity of Lord Varahadeva. |
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Sri Bhuvara Nrsimha ki jaya! This Deity
is self-manifest.
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| The Deity of Sri Yoga Narayana. |
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| The utsava-murtis of Sri-Sri Laksmi-Nrsimhadeva. They ride
on the ratha cart during festivals. |
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| A machine for beating a drum, clanging a gong and ringing
two bells during puja! |
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| Lord Sri Bhuvara Nrsimha and Srimati Laksmi-devi are now
ready for abhiseka. |
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The Lord's garland of saligram silas.
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| Lord Yoga Narayana is undressed to receive His snana
(bath) through the bathing ceremony for the Bhuvara Nrsimha Deity.
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| The abhiseka begins. |
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| Closeup view of small murtis of Laksmi-Nrsimha and Laksmi-Varaha.
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The pujari now bathes the Deity in milk.
The brahmanas who do this worship are coming in a family parampara that
goes back to the time of the construction of the present temple.
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| Laksmiji is now bathed in milk. |
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| The priest has placed the small murtis and the saligram
garland into a pan for cleansing. |
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| He dries Lord Bhuvara Nrsimha with a towel. |
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| The Deity is dressed, decorated, and garlanded. The
pujari offers Him coconut and bananas, and then arati. |
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| Worship of Sri Yoga Narayana and Sri Varaha is included
in the arati to Sri-Sri Laksmi-Bhuvara Nrsimhadeva. |
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| The temple seen from the side opposite the main entrance.
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| In a shrine on the same grounds as the Bhuvara Nrsimha Mandira, these
Deities of Vitthala (Sri Krsna), Rukmini and Satyabhama are worshiped.
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At the entrance to the shrine of Sri-Sri-Sri
Rukmini-Krsna-Satyabhama.
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| The Bhuvara Nrsimha Mandira seen from another angle. |
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Beneath Tulasi-devi's shrine the brahmanas
have buried an Ugra-Nrsimha Deity that was formerly worshiped in the
temple. They put Ugra-Nrsimha here because when He was in the temple,
many fires would break out. The fires were displays of the Lord's
displeasure with the offenses the priests commited in their puja.
Since He was buried under Tulasi-devi, Ugra-Nrsimha has been peaceful.
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Sunday Feast at ISKCON Belgaum
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