There is a tree in Bichale which is unique in the sense that it cooked rice for Appanacharya when he sat below it to teach is students.
Appancharya belonged to a rich family of Bichale that had lands. He had started a Veda Patshala for the benefit of people of the area.
|The tree that cooked rice
Over time, the Patshala became popular and hundreds of students flocked to it. Appancharya became so busy that he did not have time to cook food. So he collected the rice in a towel and hung it up the tree.
He then sat on a small raised platform near the idol of Ugra Narasimha. The students listened to the teachings of Appancharya with ratp attention.
By the time the classes were over, the rice cooked. Appanacharya first offered the rice as Prasada to the various deities in the Japada Katte and then ate it himself.
That the rice cooked itself without a fire is a testimony to the holiness of Appancharya and the spot.
Madhwacharya is believed to have visited Bichale. Sripadaraja Theertha installed the deity of Narasimha and his favourite disciple Vyasa Raja installed the Hanuman idol.
Narasimha was the favourite deity of Sripadaraja Theertha and the image can still be seen.
Vyasa Raja drew the picture of Hanuman with the Homa Raksha. He had performed several yagnas here and he used the ashes to draw the figure. The Hanuman carved itself on the ashes.
Appancharya had realised the importance of these events and he conducted classes here.
No wonder, Raghavendra Swamy came to the spot and stayed here for 12 years. All the seers of Mantralaya Matha and other religious heads have visited Bichale and prayed at this spot.
The Japada katte is a serene spot on the banks of the Tungabhadra. However, there are many monkeys and they can attack people. So be careful of them.