Vishnu Manchu completes journey to all 12 Jyotirlinga temples with darshan at Sri Sailam Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple

Chennai, June 25 (IANS) Actor Vishnu Manchu, who plays the lead in director Mukesh Kumar Singh’s upcoming magnum opus, ‘Kannappa’, has now announced that the journey he had undertaken to visit all the 12 holy Jyothirlingas, situated across the country, had come to a divine close with his darshan at the Sri Sailam Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple.

Taking to his social media timelines to make the announcement, he wrote, “Twelve Jyotirlingas. One journey. Eternal peace. Just completed the sacred darshan at Sri Sailam Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple — one of the twelve revered Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. With this visit, my journey to all twelve Jyotirlinga temples comes to a divine close.”

The actor further said, “My heart is full. My soul feels blessed. Life right now is filled with nothing but positivity, gratitude, and peace. As I stand at the edge of this spiritual milestone, I now look forward to the next chapter #Kannappa, releasing worldwide on June 27. A film close to my heart. A story that reflects the very spirit I carry today. Har Har Mahadev! #Kannappa27thJune.”

Vishnu Manchu, while announcing this journey on social media, had said, “I have to truthfully admit one thing. Before starting work on ‘Kannappa’, I was not such a big devotee of Lord Shiva. I was a devotee of Lord Hanuman and I would recite the Hanuman Chalisa every day even to this day.

“When I wrote Kannappa, I researched a lot and that brought about a lot of changes in me. I found out about what Jyothrilingas were and why one must visit them. I decided that I must visit all these 12 holy places where these Jyothirlingas are situated,” the actor had explained.

“A lot of people do not know what these Jyothirlingas are. I too did not know their significance until a while back. So, for people like me who do not know about the Jyothirlingas, I have decided to do a series of videos on Jyothirlingas.”

The actor then went on to explain the different beliefs in different yugas. “We are in Kaliyug now. In Sathyayuga, the belief was that one could get closer to God if one did penance. The belief then was that meditation would help you realise the purpose of your life. Now, in Kaliyug, the belief is that if you visit holy places, you will not only come closer to God but will also know the purpose behind your birth.”

“These 12 Jyothirlingas are powerful places. These places are testimony to the fact that Lord Shiva walked among common people. From Kedarnath to Rameshwaram, there are 12 Jyothirlingas all across the country. There is a story behind each story. I wish to visit each one of the Jyothirlingas. The belief is that one will be able to realise one’s life purpose near one of the 12 Jyothirlingas. Today, my purpose of life is to be an actor till the day I die. But what is the higher purpose of my life? This journey to the 12 Jyothirlingas is a journey of self-realisation for me. I have already visited three Jyothirlingas — Kedarnath, Omkareshwar and Ujjain. I will tell about these three temples in my next video. I will also narrate the story of all the Jyothirlingas before I visit them,” he had said then.

–IANS

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