I had visited this place in the year 1985. We had heard about this from friends and others. A large group had set out at that time with my Uncle. I remember having traveled by a Van. There was no road as such and we had to negotiate stones and boulders en route.
After 33 long years I visited this place again along with my colleagues on the 5th of April. Bhairava Kona is a valley in the foothills of the Nallamala forest range, bordering the districts of Nellore and Prakasam. There is a clean black top road now and there is also a tourist guest house.
Greenery and Trees are my inspiration. They are like a soothing presence, which is absent in modern existence encircled by buildings and apartments. The trees in Bhairava Kona are ancient and huge. There are scores of mango trees and this being the season for mangoes; we could spot hundreds of mangoes laden on the branches. I plucked a few and tasted the green mango probably for the first time after my childhood. Bhairava Kona is a sacred valley, guarded by Bhairava, the presiding deity. The three sacred Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara are worshiped here as a unified presence. The God Almighty is present in all his glory with his entourage in attendance before the temple deity; Vinayaka, Nandi, Srungi and Brungi. There are intricately carved, exquisite sculptures cut from a single rock, which are high examples of the architectural beauty of the Pallava kings, to whose regime these monuments are attributed. Goddess Trikoteswari Devi is also present in one temple with three visible faces. Legend has it that this is another manifestation of Lord Siva, whose other two faces as the Pancha Mukha is innate and intuitive.
We took a sip of the water falling from the hills into the cataract that keeps flowing all through the year . We worshiped the Gods and took a stroll around the place enjoying the coolness of the place, distinctly different from the hot temperature outside the valley.
The priest in attendance told us a few interesting things, and is there a holy place without its legend and folklore? Walkers to the place, it seems are accompanied by dogs; dogs being the vehicles of KalaBhairava, up to the valley’s entrance. Once the pilgrim reaches Bhairavakona, they return. They do not enter the valley and we could not spot any dogs too. It is said that Lord Shanisvara, the God of bad luck, cannot wield his influence here. Therefore one cannot spot crows too. The forest around here has no neem trees .The neem tree is a symbol of Goddess Lakshmi. Perhaps Bhairava Kona is not a place for the worshipers of the Goddess Lakshmi. It is more a place for meditators and saints.
The vicious clasp of development is all too evident and scores of trees have been cut down to ‘develop ‘and modernize the place. What Bhairava Kona was 20 years ago , it is not today and what it is today it may not be after another 10 years. The place may have a few hotels and swanky resorts very soon to provide better comforts. Whether you and I desire this or not, things are going to progress in that direction and in the name of this mad game called development Bhairava Kona may have lost its identity, and as the priest lamented become unrecognizable and assume another fanciful name.
For me this trip to Bhairava Kona was a reminder of the years spent in my life. Many of those who were with me at that time are no longer alive now. There were kind and gentle souls among them and the time that has gone by weighed heavily on me, glimpsing those fond , nostalgic scenes to lighten my troubled heart. Thus ended my trip to this verdant valley of trees.