Yaganti - A Place where Crows dare to Caw !

           A  drastic change in landscape and weather made me feel the arrival of the mythological site Yaganti. I was bewildered by the first sight of sheer red sandstone conical pinnacles glowing in dim light and the green rocky outcrop reconfirmed me.

It was already 4:30 pm by the time we reached Yaganti.

I made a quick decision to visit the temples before dark and learned that the temple complex is comprised of a few caves, temples, and few water bodies. A flight of few steps brought me to a narrow semi circular dark cave on the hilltop dedicated to Lord Shiva on the rocky hill. After paying obeisance to the lord, i left to explore the adjacent hillock.

I walked in the clockwise path, a huge stepped water tank with 4 gateways and a mandapa surrounded by water, with artistic carvings and stories related to epics drew my attention.

As I moved out to a courtyard , with steps leading to huge gopuram and temple of  Uma Maheshwara in sanctum.A gigantic Nandi facing main door ,which is said to be celestial vehicle of duo , seated cozily growing even today enthralled me and llterally moved me, and tales related to the temple interested me. I could witness a troop of Bonnet Macaques and Grey Langurs below the pipal tree, doing pranks gracefully on every nook and corner

I reached the entrance of the Uma Maheshwara Temple, adjacent to the Agastya Thirtha, and I in awe was looking at the place and intricate carvings on the wall. An old sadhu attired in dhoti appeared from nowhere and began to narrate the legend in Telugu local dialect associated with the temple.

          However, the mythological stories revolve around the consecration of the idol of Lord Vishnu in the form of Venkateshwara and the temple of Uma Maheshwara as Lord Shiva. seen today.

     The yet another interesting story about Kurumuni Saptharshi Agastya who is said to have been  disturbed by the cawing sound of crows around and said to have cursed  the crows, not to enter the premises while he was performing an atonement inside a cave known as Agastya Cave on one of the hillocks,

Even today the celestial vehicle of Shani deva. Crow which has the habit of pilfering and thieving is not seen flying over or cawing. The call of crow is not heard even today.

The old sadhu pointed out his finger at the orifice of the cave located high and told that there is a belief that misfortunes will vanish from their lives with the darshan of the cave.

            Crow, Although considered to be an ugly bird, crows are one of the most mystical and intelligent birds valued for their wisdom. It is believed that crows warn humans of oncoming danger by their frenzied cawing. And yet, many ancient cultures have attached negative connotations to these magnificent birds. In Hindu mythology, the story of Kakbushandi and stories that i heard during my visit to a high-altitude trek called Kagbushandi tal, in Uttarakhand and Tilicho a high-altitude lake in Nepal revolves around crow. The crows are considered to be both auspicious and inauspicious when sighted within the context of a particular ritual or ceremony.

I recalled a few stories about crows that get a mention in various localized versions of the Ramayana. Tulu Ramayana known as ‘Seetha Kalyana’ mentions an episode in Rama’s life that is connected to crows.

Whatever it may be, the mythological stories keep and arouse curiosity in us - the cawing of crow is auspicious or sacred

The crow remains an intriguing symbol in mythological tales