On the way to Lanka, while Rama was moving with his monkey friend King Sugriva and his army of 52 crore monkeys, he gave very clear instructions to them. They were not to enter any habitation. There was 2 strategic reasons for this - Firstly, for fear of their causing a scare and creating problems for the people living there. Imagine 52 crore monkeys descending on any habitation! It would create havoc! Secondly, it was also possible that if the monkeys ate or drank from strangers they could be poisoned by the enemy. Having travelled a long distance at top speed, the monkeys were tired and thirsty. At Rama’s behest, Lakshmana hit an arrow into the earth to create the Lakshmana Teertha or Irruppu Falls as it is commonly known now.
This falls is in the middle of the Nagarhole forest area is right in the middle of the Rajiv Gandhi national forest reserve area in Kodagu district. This is quite close to Hasan and is on the Mysore Bangalore highway. The place is one of scenic beautyand lush greenery with nature's bounty at its best. To reach the falls we walked a long trek along a narrow jungle track while the small Lakshmana Teertha flowed gurgling on the side. At some point before the falls, we stopped to bathe in the cool refreshing waters. I could just imagine how these waters would have recharged the tired zealous monkeys who were eager to fight on Rama's behalf.
Swami Velukkudi Krishnan gave a short but scintillating upanyasam and we also recited the relevant chapters from the Valmiki Ramayanam
To view photos of Lakshmana Teertha in Rama Anu Yatra click on:
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