Ranganathaswamy Temple

Ranganthaswamy temple is located at the banks of Penna River, Nellore, which originates from the Tamil word Nelli, means rice and uru means village to total it as a village of paddy fields. The temple is believed to be constructed in 7th century by Pallava rulers. One of the variations of Lord Maha Vishnu’s deity present over here is seen in the reclining position on his couch Anantha Sesha.

In earlier days and even today Penna River is highly unpredictable for its surge in water level. There was a saying earlier in Telugu “Penna Dhatuthe Perumala Seva” it literally means that “If one can cross penna river then we can see of offerings to Perumal (Lord Venkateshwara)). In the year of 1946 (06-12-10946) the river’s water level rose to 25.6 feet, and it is said that the water touched the feet of Lord Ranganathaswamy’s idol.

The local legend goes this way that Lord Maha Vishnu along with Sridevi wanted to visit Bhoolokha (planet earth) for that he has directed Adi Sheshu (five headed serpent) to become his place of residence on earth, where Adi Sheshu turned to a mountain on earth. And the serpent king “Phani Raju” along with his consort paid his respects to the lord. The lord happy with “Phani Raju’s” offerings blessed him that the place would become famous as “Talpa Giri” Kshetram (Kshetram means place). Sage Kashyapa on his pilgrimage to various sacred places reached this place and performed Poundarika Yaga and on the day of Eka Dasi god manifested in front of him and blessed him with kashayapa’s desire that God shall shower the same kindness and blessings to all devotees at par with self manifested sacred places in other parts of the country.

In the 7th and 8th centuries BC, The kings of Simhapuri have commissioned lords deity here. Later 12th century BC, king Raja Mahendra Varma Raja Raja Narendra made some improvements like building the lords sanctum sanctorum at the premises.

Over the period the temple was given a new way from the back side of the earlier existed temple door, primarily for approachable reasons and now there is a road that connects to the temple to the new temple door. The gopuram (Temple Tower) of the temple is quite tall and is seven storied and done well with art work that influences age old southern architectural brilliancy. On the gopuram (Temple tower) are images of Sages, Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara and sculptures of dancing females and different postures of goddesses. The temple doors are very huge in size and also the inside of the walls display exemplary stone sculpting work carried out in those times.

Inside the temple, on the walls of the sanctum sanctorum are written “Sri Vishnu Sahasra Namavali” – The 1000 different names of Lord Maha Vishnu and devotees encircle the temple chanting the 1000 names of the lord. Some devotees also take a dip in the penna river before they offer prayers to Lord Ranganthaswamy, which is just the back door of the today’s temple.

At this place devotees chant the mantra – Sri Ranganatha parabrahmane namaha.

Mallikarjuna Swamy Temple Srisailam , Andhra Pradesh

Srisailam, one of the eleven Jyothirlinga's in India is situated on the banks of the river Krishna at a distance of 232 Km south of Hyderabad in thick forests of the Nallamallai Hills, in north eastern portion of the NandiKotKur taluk of Kurnool District. It is one of the most ancient and sacred places in South India, and this important religious shrine stands on the Rishabhagiri hill, on the southern bank of the sacred river Krishna. Srisailam is referred to as "Sri Giri", "Sriparvata", "Rudra Parvata" and "Seshachalam" in several texts and Puranas.Road


HISTORY:

The temple abounds in sculptural beauty and there are about 116 inscriptions in and around it. It is associated historically with such great rulers as the Chalukyan kings, Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara and Chatrapati Shivaji. Adi Shankara is also said to have worshipped the deity at the temple.
This temple, apart from the main Shiva Linga in the gharbhalayam has a lot of other Shiva Lingas placed in and around the temple. The Vruddha Mallikarjuna Linga is also worshipped with equal importance. One can find group of students who recite the holy chantings of Namakam - Chamakam and other vedas in the temple premisis. This temple has 4 gates ( Dwarams ) to enter into it. Once you exit from the Main temple you will find a way to entrence of Godess Bhramarambhika's temple. It stands at a height and one has to climb few stairs to reach it. This temple is condidered as one of the Shakthi Peethams in India.

Every day lot of pilgrims perform Abhishekams of Lord Shiva on the Shiva Lingams in the Main temple as well as the Lingams that are present outside. Performing Abhishekam of the lord is condidered a holy act there.

The Buddhist pilgrims, Fahiyan and Hieun T`sang have made references to the Sriparvata hill, which is in the Nagarjunakonda valley of the same river Krishna. The sanctity of this place is claimed both by the Hindus as well as by the Buddhists.

FESTIVALS:

Maha Shivaratri festival, celebrated at Srisailam, is of all-India importance. This festival usually falls in the month of February-March and is a time to solemnly invoke Lord Shiva through fasts and chants. Lakhs of pilgrims throng to worship the deity and have a holy dip in the river Krishna known as the Pathala Ganga.

Dasara Navaratri celebrations are also an excellent time to visit this place. The temple organizes a lot of festivities during those 9 days and special poojas are performed on the godess Braharambha. During this period different Muths like the Shankara Mutt, Sharada Peetham, Kanchi Mutt organize special poojas and pilgrims specially come to attend and participate in it.

Apart from all these, the Mantra Pushpam which is read in Godess Bhramarambhika Devi's Temple in the closing hours during these Navaratri days is worth watching.

"Goddess Bhramaramba" whose festivals come a month or two after Shivarathri attracts even larger crowds consisting of 'Lingayats'. Goddess Bhramarambika is said to be one of the eighteen leading 'Shaktis' of India.

Pooja schedule

Suprabhatha Seva & ViswarupaDarshanam:5:00am
Mahamangala Harathi:6.00am
Darshanam, Poojas:6.30amto 12.30 pm
Dooradarshnam:1.15pm to 3.30 pm
Susandhyam, Mahamangala Harathi:5.20pm to 5.45pm


Best time to visit

Any time between the months of October to March. October for the Dasara Navaratri Utsavams and Feb / March for Maha Shivratri are famous.

Places of Interest

Srisailam has a lot of places to watch. The drive through the forest itself is amazing. After reaching the Dam site one will have

Srisailam Dam - The Dam looks great when the gates are Open. APTDC has arranged a rope way from one side to reach the river. Its worth a ride
Sakshi Ganapathi Temple


Tribal Crafts Museum

Ista Kameswari Temple - The drive through for reaching this temple is said to be very adventerous as only 4x4 jeeps can only take one there.

Akka Mahadevi Caves - One has to take a Motor boat to reach there.

Paladhara - Panchadara

 HOW TO GO

Road distances from Srisailam are Atmakur (113 km), Anantapur (325 km), Bangalore (538 km), Mumbai (971 km), Calcutta (1491 km), Delhi (1685 km), Dornal (49 km), Hyderabad (232 km), kurnool (180 km), chennai (568 km), Nagarjuna sagar (180 km), Nandyal (158 km), Tirupathi (436 km), Vijayawada (248 km), Visakhapatnam (614 km)


Rail

Nearest railhead is Markapur on Guntur-Hubli line. Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Kurnool, Nandyal are also convenient railheads.

Air

The nearest airport is at Hyderabad(232 km) which is air linked with Bangalore, Bhuvaneswar, Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Nagpur, culcutta and other major cities. Continental Aviation also connects with Hyderabad.


Bus services

Srisailam is well connected with APSRTC and AP tourism buses from kurnool, Hyderabab, Mahaboobnagar, Nalgonda, Devarakonda, Guntur, Vijayawada, Ongole, Mahanandi, Mantralayam, Anantapur etc. some Karnataka state buses have daily trips from Hubli, Mysore, Raichur, Dharwad, Sholapur Etc.

Local transport

Local busses and private hire vehicles available.


Local Attractions

Dindi Reservoir (64 km), Sangameswar (18 km), Mahanandi, Belum Caves.


ACCOMODATION:

There are excellent Choultries built by the Temple Devasthanam, in which poor pilgrims can stay free of cost. Cottages and guesthouses, with all amenities are also available over here. Various trusts have built choultries which provide food and accomodation for the pilgrims who visit this holy place.

Mahanandi Temple, Andhra Pradesh

Mahanandi Temple is situated in eastern side of the Nallamala Hills, and is more than is about 15 km from Nandyal, Kurnool District. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple also has a legend associated with it. The temple is also known for the architecture and the famous celebration of Mahashivratri is also an integral part of the temple.

Legend of Mahanandi Temple

According to myths, Rasa Siddha is said to have built the Vimana and made the workers set up sand mounds, which he converted into wealth by his power. A copper plate by Krishandevaraya states that Mahanandi is one of the sacred places where the king`s brother Simha Deva Raya gave valuable gifts. The Sthalapurana states that Nanda ruled over Navanandis where Mahanandi is situated. The king once thought to smear the idol and perform Abhishek, a Hindu ritual, with milk. Herds of cows were brought, which included a black cow, which gave a lot of milk and was allowed graze freely in the forest. In due course of time, the cow seemed to provide less milk, after she returned from the forest. Finally a cow-herd found out that the cow grazed around an anthill and then she stood right over it letting the milk flow over the anthill. From it a young child emerged who was Lord Krishna, after which the cow returned. The next day the king followed the cow and, hid in a bush expecting to catch a glimpse of the Lord. The cow arrived and circled the anthill; Krishna appeared and accepted the offering. The king in surprise moved forward, scaring the nervous cow, who stepped on the anthill in fright. The child disappeared; the imprint of the hoof remained on the anthill. The king, realising his mistake, prayed for forgiveness and the Lord ordained the anthill that after it dried, it would become a Swayambhu Linga at Mahanandi. The two signs are still visible on top of the Linga.

Architecture of Mahanandi Temple

The temple is at the foothill where a mineral spring flows into the fields from underneath the Linga, into the tank in front of the temple. The temple is surrounded by mandapas on all sides. The Vimana over the sanctum is in Nagara Style Architecture. It has a Shikara at the top. The architectural peculiarities show that the temple dates back to ancient times and it was repaired and rebuilt through the ages by many kings. This temple is famous for its curative powers found in the warm tepid mineral water found in the tank in front of the temple. It is a sixty feet square with a mandapa in the centre. The inlets and outlets of the tank are so arranged that the depth of the water remains constant at five feet for the devotees to swim in. The source of this water has never been traced. The water is said to come from five springs called Srisailadhara, Narasimhadhara, Daivodhinidhara, Nanditirtha and Kailasatirtha. There are two pools of fresh water as well, known as Pushkarni or Kalyani.

The sanctum contains a Linga and is made from rough uncut rocks, with two sockets. Here the Linga is seen just above the earth`s surface without the three Peethams underneath. A huge Nandi is at the front of the shrine and hence it is called Mahanandi Tirtha. The tank that lies behind is known as Rudra Gundam and there are two more tanks called Vishnu Gundam and Brahma Gundam. Close to the main shrine is another shrine dedicated to the Goddess. The Srichakra, in front of the deity, is said to have been installed by Adisankara himself. The Mukha Mandapa of the goddess is a recent construction.

Behind the main shrine, there are three small shrines, each consisting of a Shiva Lingam. It is stated that if these are worshipped, they will take an individual beyond the Sthoola, Sookshma and Karana Dehas to the Turiya stage.

Festivals of Mahanandi Temple

The Shivaratri is the most important festival. In the Kartika masa, pilgrims worship in the shrine of Mallikarjunaswamy and then at the shrine of Padma Nandi, which is two miles further ahead. They then go to the Naga Nandi that is a mile to the west, and then proceed to Brahma Nandi, Soma Nandi, and Shiva Nandi, which are all nearby. They move on to Krishna or Vishnu Nandi, three miles to the northeast and from there complete the pilgrimage by worshipping Vinayaka Nandi, Maha Nandi, and Surya Nandi. The traditional belief is that the worship of these Nava Nandis should be finished in a day before sunset. The other festivals like Dasara, Ugadi etc. are also important.

AnajaneyaTemple Gotluru , Andhra Pradesh

Anajeneya Temple Gotluru is the temple usually called Anjaneya Swami Gudi. The temple was constructed around 400 years ago. It is located in the centre of the Gotluru village. This temple is a very sentimental temple for all people in Gotluru and also many people from Dharmavaram mandal. Every Saturday Pooja is done there. Many people believe that if they come and pray to this god, they will get whatever they want.