PapNash Shiva temple - Bidar

On the trip to Bidar we visited PapNash Shiva temple.

The temple

Legend:
Legend goes that this idol was installed by Lord Sri Rama on his way back from Lanka to Ayodhya. It is said that till a couple of years ago, during the Shivratri festival snakes would visit the temple.

Main ShivaLinga

Puja:
Temple is usually crowded, since we went by 9 a.m. there wasn't much crowd. There is a big ShivaLinga in the sanatorium. There are three small Shivalingas in the temple complex. We were allowed to touch the ShivaLinga and perform puja for that. We took coconuts / flowers and incense sticks from the nearby stall. We got abhisheka done, it costed 51 Rs.

Three ShivaLingas in temple

Food:
There is nothing to eat around the place. The stalls nearby sell bottled water and cold drinks.

Travel:
There are no frequent buses to this spot. Easiest method was auto.

Narasimha Zarni - Bidar

When we were on the Bidar tour, we visited Narasimha Zarni. I had heard about this temple from Kavitha way back in 2005. Since, then I had wanted to visit this place. And Narasimha Zarni is the the best temple experince I ever had till date.

Legend:

Narasimha in the Cave

The legend goes that, Lord Narasimha after killing Hiranyakashpu, proceeded to kill a demon named Jalasura. Jalasura was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva. After he was killed by Lord Narasimha, Jalasura turns into water starts flowing from Lord's feet. And to this day water keeps flowing from lord’s feet and fills the cave.


The Cave

So, to reach the lord we will have to wade through a 300 feet long cave, with water about 4 feet deep. Bats hanging from the cave's ceiling add to the thrill. Lighting and ventilation have been recently installed. The water is a little muddy, since it is flowing water it is not uncomfortable to walk thorugh it.


ShivaLinga, Jalasura worshipped

At the end of the cave we have Lord Narasimha and also the Shiva linga which Jalasura was worshiping. There is very less place to stand, around 8 people can see the lord at once. If there are more people they have to wait in water.


Logistics:
We took tickets for entry and also coconuts for the puja. We rented a locker there for 10 Rs and put in out extra pair of clothes and towels. There is some kind of place for women to change, not very comfortable. Since the water is 4 feet deep it is advisable not to carry anything when we go in. At the entrance, the purohits offer to take us inside and do the puja. The puja was done well. We were allowed to do the abhisheka and offer flowers to the lord. At the end of the puja, the purohit asked us to offer 101 /201 / 501 Rs as contribution to annadanna.

Once out, it didn't take more than 10 minutes for our clothes to dry.

Beliefs:
We need to have a bath before we have get to see the Lord. So people have a bath in water fountain outside the temple before entering the cave.

Eat Outs:
There are no places to eat here. There are small tea shops though.

Reach:
Auto is the best mode to reach this place.