Sahasra Purnachandra Darshana

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Sahasra Purnachandra Darshana

Nooni's family was in Balepura for a week. The car festival was scheduled for two days after the sahasra purnachandra darshana. It was still early in the morning.

Ajji had taken over from Sharada Ajji in the kitchen and was directing the cooks for the next day's preparations. That's just who she was; she would start taking on responsibilities wherever she went and ensured that everything was done in the best possible way. She had pulled up a stool and perched on it. From there, she gave instructions and shared her culinary tips.

Ajji was very happy to meet her old cousins after such a long time. They were all discussing the pandemic and its various avatars.

Nooni, however, was lost in her thoughts and had many questions about the forest and the river. She thought Seshu would be able to answer all her doubts. To her surprise, as she came out of the kitchen, she found Seshu sitting in the hall.

Seshu knew Gopal Ajja well, since he stayed there often—whenever his family came to visit. Today was his weekly day off, and so, Gopal Ajja had asked him to join them for breakfast. He introduced Seshu to Nooni's ajja and ajji as well. He sat with all the family members, and Gopal Ajja said, 'Seshu, you should come over every day for the next few days. We have cooks from Haveri, and they make wonderful dishes.'

This breakfast was different from the previous one; there were light and yummy idlis, sambhar with small onions, coconut barfi and kashaya. Today's kashaya was once again a different combination of herbs. Ajji offered Seshu some chutney made from Byadagi red chillies.

'Malenadu people don't eat chillies like the ones we eat in Somanahalli. Seshu, don't be scared of the colour. It is bright but not hot,' Ajja joked.

Seshu laughed. 'No, Uncle, my wife is from Andhra Pradesh, so I am used to eating spicy food. Malenadu food now tastes sweet to me.'

Meanwhile, Nooni was making a list of questions to ask Seshu. But she was apprehensive—what would he think? Would he brush her aside? Would he say he's busy...? Finally, she prepared herself to hear a 'no' and went ahead.

She hesitantly walked up to him. 'Seshu Uncle, if you have some time, I have a few questions to ask you about the Tunga River becoming the Tungabhadra. I have read about it on Google, but as you are a forest officer, you can tell us so much more.'

'Oh, today is my day off. If you children come with me, we will all go in a jeep and cross the river, and I'll answer your questions.'

'I will drive you,' Mahadeva offered.

'I will come along!' Vikram piped up. As usual, Nooni got ready with a pen and a notebook.

Ajja and Ajji were preoccupied with the preparations for the festival. But they were happy to see Nooni enjoying herself. Riya and Mamata were playing near the bridge in the rivulet, and they did not join the conversation.

Shortly after breakfast, Nooni was off for another adventure. They left in the jeep to explore the Tunga River.

They began to drive towards the south, parallel to the river. Seshu did not waste a single second and started explaining, 'The stream we saw at Gangamoola has become a river now. You see, the Tunga is an important river. She flows through the Western Ghats and crosses places like Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary and the Gajanur Dam. Then, through Malenadu, she reaches the flatland.

'At Mandagadde Bird Sanctuary, we can see a lot of migrating birds arriving in the winter, staying for three to four months and going back. It is a great place to visit. We can also enjoy the Tunga's beauty in Sringeri, which is a great seat of learning.

'Meanwhile her sister Bhadra starts in the Western Ghats, and she flows through Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary. She has also established a well-known city called Bhadravati, which once upon a time was an iron factory established during the maharajas' period. She then travels many different miles, and they meet at Koodli.'

'Koodli! That is such an unusual name!' said Vikram.

Seshu said, 'Yes. Koodli is the confluence of the Tunga and the Bhadra. A confluence is called prayag in Sanskrit, koodali in Kannada and sangam in Hindi. In Koodli, the Tunga has more volume of water than the Bhadra. By this point, the Tunga has travelled 147 kilometers and the Bhadra has travelled 178 kilometers.

'So, after crossing Koodli, her name changes. She is called the Tungabhadra River, and essentially, she divides Karnataka into two—North Karnataka and South Karnataka, also called the Kingdom of Mysore. Many rivulets join the Tungabhadra, like the Varada, the Kumudvati, the Vedavati and others.

'Then she flows towards Hospet, where a huge reservoir is built. Then she crosses the famous Vijayanagara Empire and enters Andhra Pradesh. I must tell you about the Vijayanagara Empire. It has a story of its own—maybe another time.

'Coming back to the Tungabhadra in Andhra, the great pilgrim village Mantralayam is built on her riverbank. In Gundimalla village, very close to the temple town of Alampur in the Telangana region, the Tungabhadra joins the Krishna. At this junction, the Tungabhadra loses her name, and from there on, she becomes a tributary of the Krishna. This is the journey of the Tunga and the Bhadra. But, children, an interesting fact is that this is the only river in India that passes through two World Heritage Sites.'

'Seshu Uncle, we know the Western Ghats are one of them. Which is the other?' Nooni asked.

'The other one is Hampi, which was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Children, if you have time, you should visit Vijayanagara. It is a wonderful place. If you want, I will introduce you to my friend Hussain. He is an exceptional guide and will show you all the places in detail,' Seshu said.

'Yes, I must ask Ajja. If possible, we'll go there after the car festival. Are these the only rivulets that join the Tungabhadra?' asked Nooni.

'No, there are many more. You can browse and find out by yourself when you get network. The Internet is so useful if we use it wisely.

'When you get time, you should travel from Gangamoola to Alampur. This journey will give you an idea of the different mountains, temples, philosophies and flora and fauna in the region.'

Nooni was quite excited and hoped to explore the Tungabhadra properly. She couldn't wait to tell Ajja and Ajji about it.

The drive was enjoyable, and they observed the Tunga becoming bigger and bigger. After a short while, they stopped and drank tender coconut water from a roadside stall, before beginning their journey back.

It was a full-moon night. The preparation for the sahasra purnachandra darshana was in full swing.

Gopal Ajja had three children. However, only Suresh was at home. It was he and his wife who had arrived early and made all the arrangements. 1000 earthen lamps had been ordered from Bengaluru for the occasion. They were lit around the house.

A few relatives of Gopal Ajja had also come over. Normally, this ceremony is celebrated by one's children and grandchildren, not by the person themselves.

Vikram, Riya, Mamata and Nooni were all dressed up, and they went downstairs. They were very excited about the celebrations. Nooni wore her zari blouse and skirt.

Ajja was sitting in the veranda, and the kids rushed to him to ask for more information. 'Ajja! Ajja! Tell us more about the celebration!' they squealed together.

'In the olden days, people would go to wars, and there were also many diseases with no treatments available. The average lifespan was shorter. Surviving up to sixty years of age was a great event indeed.

Hence, when a person would complete sixty years, it would be celebrated by their children as shasthi poorthi. There was also another reason. In the Hindu calendar, sixty years make up one cycle.

So, when someone completed their sixtieth year, the next cycle would begin, and all the subsequent years were considered bonus years of life,' Ajja responded.

'Ajja, what happens when someone is sixty-five?'

'Good question, Nooni! There is a festival to celebrate reaching sixty-five years of age too. For that matter, after sixty, there is a festival to celebrate old age every five years. But the greatest one is sahasra purnachandra darshana.'

'Ajja, this year, you will complete seventy-five years. What are your plans then?' Nooni was more than eager, thinking about the celebrations.

'I have not thought about it. Do you have any suggestions?'

'Hmm . . . I am going to celebrate in a big way,' Nooni promised.

'Thank you, Nooni,' Ajja smiled.

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