King Ratnagriva and the mysterious Blue Mountain

King Ratnagriva of Kanchi had always cherished the desire to make pilgrimages to extremely sacred places. When a Brahmin came to his court and told him about the holy Nilgiri Hill [Blue Mountain] and Lord Purusottama, the king implored upon him to guide him to that place. The Brahmin agreed and together they set out for the Nilgiri Hill. They arrived at the place where the river Ganga met the sea [Ganga Sagar]. The king asked the Brahmin how far away they were from the Nilgiri Hill, the abode of Lord Purusottama. The Brahmin replied that they had already reached their destination but he was surprised to find no sign of the Nilgiri Hill.

He was sure that he had not mistaken the way, as he clearly recognized the place where he had met the Bhils during his previous visit and the spot where he had taken bath, and even the path which eventually led to the top of the temple. Only the holy Hill itself was missing.

The king was disappointed to hear this and asked the Brahmin to tell him what they must do to qualify for a darshan of the Nilgiri Hill. The Brahmin told him that they needed to be resolute on not leaving the spot until they got to see the Hill and Lord Purusottama. He recommended a holy bath followed by uninterrupted recitation of prayers to the Lord. He reasoned that God is always merciful to all and therefore would not at all disappoint sincere seekers.

The king soon started making preparation for observing a really strict fast and vowed not to break it until it earned him the merit to have a vision of the Hill. He had a holy bath in the Ganga Sagar and sat on its bank praying to the Lord and did not allow his mind to wander off even for a second. He denied himself food, sleep and other forms of necessary pleasures.

His sincerity, devotion and yearning for seeing the Nilgiri Hill and Lord Purusottama finally paid off and Lord himself came in the form of a hermit. He told the king that his earnest desire and actions for such an attainment were shortly going to be fruitful and he would be able to see the Blue Hill and the Lord in the afternoon the day after. He further added that there were four other people who would also go up the hill along with the king to see the unique temple and the idol of Lord Purusottama. They were his minster, his queen, the Brahmin and a saint from his city called Karamba and the king would be able to attain fulfillment together with these equally worthy people. Saying this, the hermit disappeared.

The Brahmin who had been accompanying the king like a guide to the Nilgiri Hill was wise enough to recognize the Lord in disguise and revealed to the king this secret when the king enquired into the identity of the hermit who had just disappeared. The king was ecstatic to hear this and eagerly waited for the blessed moment to arrive.

Just as the hermit [Lord in disguise] had predicted, around the afternoon, the following day, they heard the sound of Dundubhi [a musical instrument, the sound of which announces an extremely important event that is imminent] coming from above and flowers showered upon the king. From the above the gods said to the king “O king! You are blessed! See for yourself the splendor of the Nilgiri Hill before you”.  And then the Hill emerged before him shinning as brightly as a million suns together. The entire sky was ablaze with its glow. The king and the four other people observed this extremely rare sight with folded hands. Tears of joy kept flowing and they experienced a sense of fulfillment for having been fortunate enough to witness such a divine occurrence with their mortal eyes.