Navabrindavan, Anegundi

A glimpse of the Nava Brindavanas

Immediately after writing about the Chintamani temple, at Anegundi I wanted to write about Navabrindavan which is on the other side of the Tungabadra from the Chintamani temple. Nava Brindavan means nine tombs of saints who were predecessors of Sri Raghavendra. The brindavans are situated in a small mound like island in the middle of Tungabadra. The only mode of reaching Navabrindavan is through ferries in summer season. In rainy seasons where the river is flooded, there is no route to reach there, and therefore, blessed are those who have the opportunity to do so. Who are these saints who have their tombs here? Why did they choose to do so at this exact place? Read on.
This was the place where Sangukarna, an angel used to come and collect flowers for the puja of Sriman Narayana in Devaloka. He used to forget himself in the beauty and serenity of this location that he would often return late, well past the time the flowers would be required. Angered by the fact that he often was lost in worldly pleasures, he was cursed to be born as an asura. The child so born to Hiranyakasipu, the demon king, was none other than Prahalada. Prahalada spent hours meditating in the cave on this island. He used to come here from his palace and stay and meditate on Narayana. The place where the homa kunta of Prahalada once stood now bears the moola brindavana of Sri Raghavendra ( at Mantralaya) and the place where Prahalada meditated and where Sangukarna spent several hours collecting choice flowers bears the brindavana of Sri Vyasaraja.

Prahlada Cave

The connection can be well appreciated if one is aware of the reincarnations of Sangukarna.
Sangukarna - Prahalada - the lesser known avatar Pahlikaraja - Vyasaraja & Raghavendra. There is no avatar after Sri Raghavendra as he has promised to stay in his astral form within the brindavana for 700 years.

Beautiful view of the Tungabadra at the entrance to Navabrindavan

After crossing the river Tungabadra by ferry, we have to get down at the island and walk through the rocky terrain for about 500 - 700 metres to reach Navabrindavan. All puja items will have to be taken from the Raghavendra Mutt at Anegundi since nothing is available there.

An old mandapam on the way to Navabrindavan

 Even the battars reach there by ferry and come back in the evening. During rainy season, there is no puja and harathi is shown from the other side of the river itself. The first thing to do when you get down from the ferry is to take a dip in the icy cold waters of the tungabadra. I always feel there is a lot of difference in the waters of the Tungabadra between Mantralaya, Bhikshalaya and Navabrindavan. While in Mantralaya, it is warm and welcoming, in Bhikshalaya or Bichale as it is locally called, it gushes with happiness and in Navabrindavan it is extremely calm, deep and chill. Pebbles of unique shapes are all over the bed of the river and are usually collected and placed in pooja rooms. There are stones like Ganesha, Shivalingam, and various other forms.

The ancient Ranganathaswamy shrine with lamps 

The navabrindavan complex has the samadhis of the nine saints, a Ranganatha Swamy shrine, a Hanuman shrine and another hanuman installed by Sri Vyasaraja, right opposite to his brindavan.

There is sufficient space to circumambulate around the samadhis.
The saints whose brindavanas are available in the temple complex are:
1. Sri Padmanabha Theerthar - the first and a direct disciple of Sri Madhvacharya
2. Sri Jayatheerthar/Sri Raghuvaryar - There is a lot of debate whether the second brindavana in Navabrindavan belongs to Sri Jayatheerthar also known as Teekachariar or Sri Raghuvaryar.
3. Sri Kaveendra Theerthar- Moolaguru to two important Madhva Maths
4. Sri Vaageesa Theerthar

Sri Sudheendra Theerthar Brindavanam

5. Sri Vyasarajar- Sri Vyasaraja as we saw earlier was the previous incarnation of Sri Raghavendra. He was the Raja Guru of the Vijayanagar Empire and has installed over 700 Hanuman idols all over the country.
6.Sri Srinivasa Theerthar - Next in lineage to Sri Vyasarajar
7. Sri Ramatheerthar - Sri Rama Theerthar succeeded Sri Srinivasa Theerthar
8. Sri Sudheendra Theerthar - Sri Sudeendrar succeeded Sri Rama Theerthar. He was Sri Raghavendra's guru and the noble saint who initiated him into sanyas.
9. Sri Govinda Odayaru

Sri Vyasaraja Brindavana

Out of these, the Vyasaraja Brindavana is unique and has four pillars in front of it. Figures of Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman, Krishna, Sri Vyasaraja etc. are inscibed on the four sides of the Brindavana. Opposite to the Vyasaraja Brindavana, is the Avatharatraya Hanuman temple. This idol of Hanuman installed here by  Sri Vyasaraja is indeed unique.
It depicts the three avatars - Hanuma, Bheema, Madhva in one form. The face is like Hanuman, the arms and shoulders well - rounded and muscular with the Gadhayudha symbolises Bheema, the avatar of Hanuman in the next yuga and the manuscripts in his hand symbolises Madhvacharya.

Avathaarathraya Hanuman

There are two other shrines here, one of Sri Ranganatha swamy with Lakshmi Devi holding his feet and the other another Hanuman temple. These two are atop a boulder, next to the cave in which Prahalada had spent several years meditating. They seem to be older in times when compared to the Avathaarathraya Hanuman.
There are certain regulations while visiting the Navabrindavan.
1. Nobody is allowed to touch the brindavans and disturb the saints in meditation.
2. A yellow line has been drawn around the brindavans and the line should not be crossed while circumambulating.
3. Do not go around the brindavans with wet clothes and untied hair.
4. This is a very holy place and is a parihara sthala for all astrological complications one might have and therefore should be treated that way.
There are several means of information about Navabrindavans these days. But from what I have read so far, Sri. A S Rajagopalan, Editor, Kumudam Jodhidam and Sri. Amman Sathyanathan, author of Sri Raghavendra Mahimai Volumes have been giving a lot of authentic information about the saints, the place and its importance and have been advocating for people to visit here at least once in their lifetimes to get the blessings of these great saints.

The Ranganatha swamy shrine in Navabrindavan

One can also get all information about Nava Brindavan ,pooja items, times of worship etc. from the Raghavendra Swamy Mutt at Anegundi

The view outside Nava Brindavan

Apart from Navabrindavan here at Anegundi, there are two other navabrindavans at Shenbakkam near Vellore and at Erode near SPB Colony respectively. I have been able to visit both with Rayaru's blessings and will soon write about them, god willing.