Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara Swamy Temple -Kadapa in A.P

Good morning.(19th July )

 Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara Swamy Temple -Kadapa in A.P


The Devuni Kadapa is a part of the Kadapa City and a historical site. It is also known as Patha Kadapa, meaning Old Kadapa. It is famous for its temple of Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara.




About the temple

The Devuni Kadapa is also known as Tirumala Tholi Gadapa Devuni Kadapa - Shri Lakshmi Venkateswara Swamy Devasthanam. The place Kadapa is named after the word Gadapa which is originated from the word “Devuni Gadapa” meaning “entrance for Lord Venkateswara Swamy”. The idol of the Lord Venkateswara has been established by Kripacharya, hence the ancient name of devuni kadapa is also mentioned in puranas as “Kripavathi Kshetram”. Pilgrims visit Lord Venkateswara here because first they have to pray Annamacharya and potuluri Veerabramhendra Swamy. This temple is very famous in Kadapa district, people from various places visit this temple, and this temple is generally crowded on Saturdays.

Shri Lakshmi Venkateshwara temple stands as an outstanding example of Vijayanagar architecture. The very sight of the temple,with great sculpture and carvings adorning it, takes us back to the Vijanagar era. There is a sculpture of dancing Vigneshwara, a master piece of those times, in the mukha mandapam.

 Shri Lakshmi Venkateshwara temple is popularly known as Hanumanth Kshetram as there is an idol of Anjaneya behind that of Lord Venkateshwara in the sanctum sanctorum. It is believed that sage Kripacharya had installed the idol of the presiding deity. It is believed that allapaka Annamacharya visited this place and all the Sankaracharyas of Advaita mutt, heads of Ahobilam mutt and Mahakavi Kshetrayya also visited this place. Recently this temple has been undertaken by the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam. This temple additionally has goddess Shri Padmavati Thayar, that usually pilgrims visit after visiting Lord Venkateswara. The place where Devuni kadapa is seen now, is additionally called Patha kadapa (old kadapa). Utsavas and each pooja are done, the same way, as in Tirumala. Pilgrims from numerous countries and states in India who would like to go to Venkateswara swamy temple in Tirupathi will visit Devuni Kadapa temple, generally. Devuni kadapa temple is extremely crowded at the time of Utsavas. Devuni Kadapa is an archaeological treasure.


About the Deity

The main deity is Shri Lakshmi Venkateshwara Swamy (Lord Vishnu). Maha Vishnu is in Vishnu form, and is standing.

Shri Vasavi Kanyaka Parameshwari ,Penugonda,West Godavari ,Andhra Pradesh

Good morning.
(18th July)


Shri Vasavi  Kanyaka Parameshwari located at Penugonda,West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh is the Goddess or ‘kula devatha’ (family deity)  of the Arya Vysya community,  as mentioned in the Vasavi Puranam. Penugonda is the birth place of ‘Vasavi Matha” and hence the temple is known as Penugonda Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari temple of Shri Vasavi Kanyaka Parameshwari who is the sacred goddess of Vysyas.  Among the numerous temples of Goddess Vasavi,  Penugonda is the place wherever the primary temple of Shri Vasavi was designed . The good saint Pulasthya is said to have performed penance here and achieved the vision of Lord Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara at the same time.

Penugonda was a part of Vengidesha, which was ruled by the Chalukya king, Vishnu Vardhana. The couple had spent many happy years of their married life, but didn't have any children. They performed the Putrakameshti Yagam and were blessed by Goddess Sarvani with twins, a boy and a girl. The twins were born in the month of Vaisaka at twilight when Uttara and Kanya Nakshatras coincide. They named the boy ‘Virupaksha’ and the girl ‘Vasavamba’.

 Sri Baskaracharya was the teacher and guiding star of the community. The Vysyas took his advice on religion, cultural and social matters. Under his guidance, Vasavi learnt all the fine arts and mastered philosophical subjects and Virupaksha learnt horse riding, martial arts, Vedas, fencing and other qualities to rule the country. Once, Vishnu Vardhana went on a trip to extend his empire. On the way, he visited the city of Penugonda and was welcomed by King Kusuma Sresti. The people looked at him with awe and reverence. In the crowd, Vishnu Vardhana spotted the beautiful Vasavi. He was besotted after Manmatha (God of Love) threw his sweet arrows on him. His eye sought the enchanting figure of Vasavi again and again. He made up his mind to marry her and sent his ministers to talk to Kusuma Sresti.

 Kusuma Sresti was neither in a position to accept nor to deny. He could not show any anger or a disturbed mind and told the ministers that the Vysya community has certain norms to follow regarding the marriage of their daughter. The minister’s response was that the king wanted to marry Vasavi and that it should take place. Kusuma Sresti consulted with the Vysya elders to discuss the situation. They all decided to give utmost importance to the views of Vasavi. She expressed her desire to be a virgin throughout her life with the intention to meditate. King Vishnu Vardhana was angered when he heard of the denial of Kusuma Sresti to give his daughter. As a result, he sent a big army to attack Penugonda and to get Vasavi. There was a big battle and the brave Vysyas defeated Vishnu Vardhana's army by using the techniques of Sama, Dhana, Veda and Dhanda.

 At this stage, Vasavi decided to enter the Homakundam to stop the atrocities. She indicated that she would be the first one to enter the homokundam and others could follow her. On the banks of Godavari, 103 Agnikundas were constructed and filled with sandalwood, ghee and herbs. Everyone decided to act in accordance with Vasavi. Couples of 102 Gothras (castes) joined Vasavi to plunge into the holy fire. All the people realized that Vasavi was the incarnation of Goddess Parvathi. Vasavi smiled and revealed her true self, the Vishwa Roopa Darsan of Kanyaka Parameswari, the incarnation of Dharmaraksha and Ahimsa. When Vasavi entered the homakundam of raging fire, suddenly the fire turned into a cool breeze and Agni Deva came out with folded hands and said that he could not bear Vasavi who was hotter than him. Vasavi told Agni Deva that she did not want to perform Agni Pariksha, she would grow cooler towards him and he could transport her and the others to Kailash through her transplanetory powers. She performed Agni Pravesam to reach Kailash and the others followed her. After the sudden demise of Vishnu Vardhana, his son Prince Rajaraja Narendra visited the land of Penugonda with a retinue of peace loving citizens. Vasavi was worshipped as Kanyakaparameswari and the first temple for Vasavi was built in Penugonda.

Thousand Pillar Temple, Hanamkonda, Warangal City.

Good morning.(17th July 2017)

Thousand Pillar Temple is located in Hanamkonda part of the Warangal City. Thousand Pillar Temple is a popular pilgrimage center, where thousands of devotees of all faith come here to pay their homage. The temple has an old and long history and dates back to the Chalukyan era.

The Thousand Pillar Temple of Warangal is built in the form of a star with one thousand ornately carved pillars, and reflects the splendour of the Chalukya kings. Built in a typical Chalukyan style of architecture by King Rudra Deva in 1163 A.D., the temple constitutes of three concentric shrines, dedicated to Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and Lord Surya.


Temple Architecture 

The Thousand Pillar Temple has been built at the base of the Hanamkonda hill. As the name suggests, there are one thousand intricately carved pillars of wide range and different sizes. The pillars of the main temple are firmly interwov

en and form its parapet. Apart from the ornately carved pillars, the temple also has delicate smokescreens, brilliant stonework, and detailed and elaborate sculptures that will leave you enthralled.

The combination of the three shines of the temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Surya is known as Trikutalayam. Of the three shrines, Shiva’s shrine has been positioned facing the east while other shrines face south and west. This was so, because the Kakatiyas were great devotees of Lord Shiva and wanted early morning sun rays to fall directly on Shiva Lingam.

On the fourth side of the Thousand Pillar Temple is Shiva’s sacred bull, Nandi. It has been carved out of a monolithic black stone, which is an impressive piece of art. Adding to its exclusivity, the Nandi in the Thousand Pillar Temple faces east, unlike most Nandis in Indian temples that face west. Enclosed within these four corners is the ‘Natya Mandapam’ where dancers performed. The pillars that support this innermost chamber of the temple are large and made of multiple blocks of stone.

Several small shrines devoted to the lingam, i.e. Lord Shiva, enclose the huge lawn of the Thousand Pillar Temple. Neatly carved rock-cut elephants built on both the sides of the temple entrance are wonderful icons. Presently, the temple is being sustained by the Archaeological Survey of India which has recognised it as one of the protected monuments.

Yadagirigutta Temple, Telangana

Good morning,(16th July)

Yadagirigutta Temple.


Shri Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple or Yadagirigutta temple is a popular Hindu temple of Shri Narasimha Swamy, an incarnation Lord Vishnu. In Tretayugam, there lived a sage by the name of Yadarishi, son of the great sage Rishyasrunga and Santa Devi who did penance inside a cave with the blessings of Anjaneya (Hanuman) on this hill between Bhongir (Bhuvanagiri) and Raigiri.  Pleased with his deep devotion, Lord Narasimha, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu appeared before him in five different forms as Jwala, Yogananda, Gandabherunda, Ugra and Lakshmi Narasimha. They later manifested themselves into finely sculpted forms that later came to be worshipped as Pancha Narasimha Kshetram.

There are puranas and traditional accounts of this Shrine which are widely popular among the devotees. There is a  mention about the origin of this temple in the Skanda Purana, one of the famous 18 puranas.

Glowing bright atop the sikharam of garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum) of this cave temple is the golden Sudarshana Chakra (about 3 ft x 3 ft) of Lord Vishnu (whose reincarnation is Lord Narasimha). The temple as well  as the weapon are easily identified from as far as 6 km. It is said that many years ago, the chakra moved in the direction from which the devotees came, like a compass guiding them towards the temple.

Lord Narasimha is believed to have been worshipped by sages (rishis). The region of Yadagirigutta is reputed to be a "Rishi Aradhana Kshetram" or the place of worship for sages.

As the belief goes, Lord Narasimha has taken on the role of a "doctor" and is known as "Vaidya Narasimha" by his devotees at this shrine to cure many chronic diseases and the role of a ' giver of good things ' to those who are under the influence of bad planets, witchcraft and black magic. Numerous instances are cited of the Lord appearing in the dreams of the devotees, administering medicines and operating on the patients and blessing them with good health. Many devotees recount vivid dreams in which the Lord came to heal them from chronic or terminal illnesses, as well as mental and emotional problems. A mandala (40 day) pradakshina is very popular, performed by many devotees to get cured of chronic ailments or diseases. Often, the legend goes, that the Lord himself imparts mantropadesham to selected few devotees in their dreams.

Another Legend has it that Shriman Narayana, pleased with Yada's penance, sent Shri Anjaneya to direct the rishi to a holy spot, where the Lord appeared to him in the form of Shri Lakshmi Narasimha. This spot is marked by a temple located at the foot of the Yadagiri hillock, and is located about 5 km from the present temple. There the sage worshipped the Lord for many years.

After Yadarishi attained moksha, a number of tribals, hearing about the Lord's presence, came to worship him at this temple. But, not being very learned, these devotees began to engage in improper worship, because of this, Shri LakshmiNarasimha moved into to the hills. The tribals searched for many years to find their Lord.  After many years had passed, the Lord appeared in the dream of a devout lady among the tribe, directing her to a large cave wherein he revealed himself to all, in five majestic forms.  Hence this temple is called as "Pancha Narasimha kshetram" (Pancha - Five)

The poojas in this temple are performed according to Pancharatra Agamam. The pooja vidhanam (pooja procedure) was set by Late Shri Vangeepuram Narasimhacharyulu,  who composed Yadagiri Suprabhatam, Prapatti, Stotram, Mangalashasanam and served as Sthanacharya of this temple.

Kondagattu Anjaneya temple, Telangana.

Good morning.(15th July)

Kondagattu Anjaneya temple.

The district of Karimnagar hosts the enthralling Kondagattu temple. It is one of the most famous temples in Telangana. Located in the lap of beautiful hills, breathtaking valleys & refreshing water springs the town Kondagattu is blessed by nature and is very scenic. The locals believe that the temple was built three hundred years ago by a cowherd. The presiding deity of the temple is Sri Anjaneya Swamy. The temple resides in the hillock of Kondagattu village of Mallial mandal. The holy shrine of Sri Anjaneya Swamy is located at a distance of 35 Kms from Karimnagar town.

The temple offers a breathtaking view surrounded by caves and Rayuni fort on its north. The caves and the fort also offer a pleasant holiday spot. The story of the temple, according to locals dates back to about 300 years ago, when a cowherd, Singam sanjeevudu after losing one of his buffalo, came to this hilly area while searching for it. He soon fell into deep sleep after a tiresome search. It is believed that Lord Anjaneya Swamy appeared in his dream and told him the whereabouts of the lost buffalo, and when Sanjeeva woke up to start searching in the instructed direction, he found an enlightening idol of Anjaneya Swamy. He then built a small temple for Lord Anjaneya. There is a popular belief that people who do not have children get blessed with one by offering 40 day prayers to Anjaneya Swamy here.
The temple is surrounded by Bojjapotana caves and Kondalaraya fort. There is a Dharmagundam (holy water tank) where devotees take bath. The ancient Kondagattu hanuman temple always gets packed with Hanuman devotees to its full capacity during Hanuman Jayanthi. The view of saffron colored dresses of devotees at Kondagattu during Hanuman Jayanthi is a delight to eyes.