1.
Tirupati
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Tirupati is a city in Chittoor district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a corporation and the headquarters of Tirupati mandal. As of 2011 census, it had a population of 374,260 and it is the seventh most urban agglomerated city in the state, with a population of 459,985. Tirupati is also home to educational institutions and universities. For the year 2012-13, Indias Ministry of Tourism named Tirupati as the Best Heritage City, Tirupati has been selected as one of the hundred Indian cities to be developed as a smart city under Smart Cities Mission by Government of India. As per the book Symposium written by Dr. Jagannatha Rao, tri is a Sanskrit word referring to Lord of Tripathy of the sacred hill. In Dravidian translation, Tiru means sacred and also referred to as Goddess Lakshmi, Tirumala According to Varaha Purana, during Treta Yugam, Lord Sri Rama resided here along with Sita Devi and Lakshmana on his return from Lankapuri. The town was a centre of Vaishnavism around the 5th century A. D. during which it was praised by Alvars. The temple rites were formalised by the Vaishnavite saint Ramanujacharya in the 11th century AD, Tirupati survived the Muslim and British invasions. During the early 1300s Muslim invasion of South India, the deity of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, the temple was built and upgraded in parts by various kingdoms. During the 15th century, Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya sung many songs in praise of the town in Telugu. He compared it to be divine, including the rocks, streams, trees, animals, with the growing importance of Upper Tirupati, a village formed at the present day Kapilatheertham Road area and was named kotturu. It was later shifted to the vicinity of Govindarajaswamy Temple which was consecrated around the year 1130 CE, later the village grew into its present-day form around Govindaraja Swamy Temple which is now the heart of the city. It has now gained a lot of popularity as a tourism place, in 1932, Tirumala Venkateswara Temple was handed over to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams by the TTD Act of 1932. The fourth World Telugu Conference, a conference for furtherance of Telugu language, was conducted at Tirupati during December,2012 for three days. Tirupati is located at 13. 65°N79. 42°E /13.65,79.42 in the Chittoor District of South Indian State of Andhra Pradesh and it lies at the foot of Seshachalam Hills of Eastern Ghats which were formed during Precambrian era. One of its suburbsTirumala, which is the home to Sri Venkateswara Temple, is located within the hills. Tirupati Urban agglomeration includes Tirupati and its suburbs Tirumala, Tiruchanur, Chandragiri, Tirupati is surrounded by Srikalahasti towards the East, Puttur towards the South, Poothalapattu towards the west and the Seshachalam hills towards the North
2.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
3.
Deity
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A deity is a concept conceived in diverse ways in various cultures, typically as a natural or supernatural being considered divine or sacred. A male deity is a god, while a female deity is a goddess, the Oxford reference defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. Various cultures have conceptualized a deity differently than a monotheistic God, a plain deity need not be omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, or eternal, however an almighty monotheistic God generally does have these attributes. Monotheistic religions typically refer to God in masculine terms, while other religions refer to their deities in a variety of ways – masculine, feminine, androgynous, some Avestan and Vedic deities were viewed as ethical concepts. In Indian religions, deities have been envisioned as manifesting within the temple of every living beings body, as sensory organs, but in Indian religions, all deities are also subject to death when their merit runs out. The English language word deity derives from Old French deité, the Latin deitatem or divine nature, deus is related through a common Proto-Indo-European language origin to *deiwos. Deva is masculine, and the feminine equivalent is devi. Etymologically, the cognates of Devi are Latin dea and Greek thea, in Old Persian, daiva- means demon, evil god, while in Sanskrit it means the opposite, referring to the heavenly, divine, terrestrial things of high excellence, exalted, shining ones. The closely linked term god refers to supreme being, deity, which states Douglas Harper, is derived from Proto-Germanic *guthan, from PIE *ghut-, guth in the Irish language means voice. The term *ghut- is also the source of Old Church Slavonic zovo, Sanskrit huta-, from the root *gheu- An alternate etymology for the term god traces it to the PIE root *ghu-to-, the term *gheu- is also the source of the Greek khein to pour. Originally the German root was a noun, but the gender of the monotheistic God shifted to masculine under the influence of Christianity. In contrast, all ancient Indo-European cultures and mythologies recognized both masculine and feminine deities, the term deity often connotes the concept of sacred or divine, as a god or goddess, in a polytheistic religion. However, there is no accepted consensus concept of deity across religions and cultures. Huw Owen states that the deity or god or its equivalent in other languages has a bewildering range of meanings. Some engravings or sketches show animals, hunters or rituals, the Venus of Willendorf, a female figurine found in Europe and dated to about 25,000 BCE has been interpreted as an exemplar of a prehistoric divine feminine. In Buddhist mythology, devas are beings inhabiting certain happily placed worlds of Buddhist cosmology and these beings are mortal and numerous. It is also common for iṣṭadevatās to be called deities, although the nature of Yidams is distinct from what is meant by the term. Buddhism does not believe in a creator deity, however, deities are an essential part of Buddhist cosmology, rebirth and Saṃsāra doctrines
4.
Venkateswara
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Venkateswara, also known as Śrīnivāsa, Bālājī, Veṅkaṭā, Venkata Ramana and Veṅkaṭācalapati, Govindha is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswaras most prominent shrine is the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple located in Tirupathi, Venkateswara literally means Lord of Venkata. The word is a combination of the words Venkata and isvara, according to the Brahmanda and Bhavishyottara Puranas, the word Venkata means destroyer of sins, deriving from the Sanskrit words vem and kata. Thirumalai finds mention in Sangam literature, where Sangam landscape was classified into five categories, known as thinais, based on the mood, the season, tolkappiyam, mentions that each of these thinai had an associated deity and mentions Thirumaal as presiding in Mullai region- the forests. Tirumala hill is located in the town of Tirumala, where Tirumala Venkateswara Temple is located on this hill. The ancient Tamil texts describe the Venkata as the northernmost part of Tamilakam, according to the Tirumala sthala Purana, the legend of Venkateswara is as follows, Once, sages headed by Kashyapa began to perform a fire sacrifice on the banks of the Ganges. Sage Narada visited them and asked them why they were performing the sacrifice, unable to answer, the sages approached Sage Bhrigu to determine the worthy patron god among the Trimurti, the Hindu trinune gods. Bhrigu first went to Satyaloka, the abode of the god Brahma, at Satyaloka, he found Brahma reciting the four Vedas in praise of Vishnu, with each of his four heads, and attended upon by his consort Saraswati. Brahma did not notice Bhrigu offering obeisance, the angry sage cursed Brahma and left Satyaloka. He then reached Kailash, the abode of the god Shiva, Bhrigu found Shiva deep in meditation with his wife Parvati by his side. Feeling ignored, Bhrigu cursed Shiva too and left for Vaikuntha, at Vaikuntha, Vishnu was resting on the serpent Shesha with his consort Lakshmi in service at his feet. Bhrigu was infuriated and kicked Vishnu on his chest, the place of Lakshmi in Vishnus body, to pacify the sage, Vishnu held his legs and pressed them gently. He squeezed the extra eye in Bhrigus foot - the symbol of his egotism, the sage realized his folly and apologized to Vishnu. There upon, Bhrigu concluded that Vishnu was supreme of the Trimurti, Lakshmi was angered by Vishnus action of placating Bhrigu who had kicked her place in Vishnus body and thus insulted her. She abandoned her heavenly abode and resided in Karavirapur on earth, taking pity on Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva assumed the forms of a cow and its calf to serve him. Lakshmi in the form of a cowherdess sold the cow and calf to the king of the Chola country, the Chola king sent them to graze on the Venkata Hill along with his herd of cattle. Discovering Vishnu on the ant-hill, the cow provided its milk, meanwhile, at the palace, the cow was not yielding any milk, for which the Chola queen chastised the royal cow herder severely. To find out the cause of lack of milk, the cow herder followed the cow secretly, angered by the conduct of the cow, the cow herder flung his axe to harm the cow
5.
Alamelu
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Alamelu also known as Alamelu manga and Padmavati, is a Hindu devi. Believed to be a form of Lakshmi, the Hindu devi of wealth and good fortune, the name Padmavati is Sanskrit for she who emerged from lotus. The most prominent shrine of Padmavathi is Sri Padmavathi Ammavari Temple situated at Tiruchanur, tradition dictates that every pilgrim to Tirupati must offer obeisance at this temple after visiting the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. Alamelu Manga is a deity in Hinduism worshipped as an aspect of Goddess Lakshmi. Sri Alamelumanga is the figure for staunch Sri Vaishnavites in particular. Nammalwar in his Thiruvaymozhi says agalakillEn iRaiyum enRu * alarmEl mangkai uRai mArbA, ** nigaril amarar munik kaNangkaL virumbum * thiruvEngkadaththAnE. * pugal onRillA adiyEn * un adik kIzh amarndhu pugundhEnE, the sentence agalakillEn iRaiyum enRu * alarmEl mangkai uRai mArbA. which translates as Goddess Laxsmi will not away from your heart, always stay with you. Poet Sri Annamacharya, was a devotee of Sri Alamelu Mangamma. Most of his output is either inspired or centers around the deity. Many of the most famous and popular Kritis of Annamacharya personify her benevolence and grace, the name Alamelu Manga or Alaru+melu+Manga is a old Telugu term which translates conjoint of the words Alaru and Melu, Manga means lady in pure Telugu. In Alamelu manga is the goddess Lakshmi, the name Alamelu has traditionally been a popular one in South India. Apart from that name, several variations are popular
6.
Vaikuntha Ekadashi
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Vaikuntha Ekadashi is the Shukla paksha Ekadashi that occurs during the month in the Hindu calendar. Vaishnavism culture believes that ‘Vaikuntha Dwaram’ or ‘the gate to Lords Inner Sanctum’ is opened on this day, the Margashirsha shukla paksha ekadashi in lunar calendar is known as a Mokshada Ekadashi. Special prayers, yagnas, discourses and speeches are arranged at Vishnu temples across the world on this auspicious day, according to the Vishnu Purana, fasting on Vaikuntha Ekadashi is equivalent to fasting on the remaining 23 Ekadashis of the year. However, according to Vaishnava tradition fasting is mandatory on all Ekadashi of both Shukla paksha and Krishna paksha, fasting on Ekadashi is considered holier than any other religious observation. Vishnu opened the gate of Vaikuntham for two demons in spite of their being against him and they also asked for the boon that whoever listens to their story and sees the image of Vishnu coming out of the door, called Vaikunth Dwar, will reach Vaikunth as well. Temples all over India make a kind of structure on this day for devotees to walk through. According to Padma Purana, the energy of Vishnu slayed the demon Muran. This happened on the day of lunar month during the suns journey in the Dhanurrashi or Dhanu Rashi. Impressed by the act, Vishnu names her as Ekadashi and gives her the boon that those who worship Ekadashi on the day of her victory over Muran would reach Vaikunth, Vaikuntha Ekadashi is one of the important and auspicious days for Hindus. It occurs in the Hindu calendar, in the month of Margashirsha, when observed, it bestows liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The significance of Vaikuntha Ekadashi is mentioned in the Padma Purana, the legend says that the Devas were unable to bear the tyranny of Muran, a demon, approached Shiva, who directed them to Vishnu. A battle ensued between Vishnu and the demon and Vishnu realized that a new weapon was needed to slay Muran, in order to take rest and create a new weapon, Vishnu retired to a cave named for the goddess Haimavati in Bhadrikashrama. When Muran tried to slay Vishnu, who was sleeping, the power that emerged from Vishnu burned Muran to ashes with her glance. Vishnu, who was pleased, named the goddess Ekadashi and asked her to claim a boon, Ekadashi, instead, beseeched Vishnu that people who observed a fast on that day should be redeemed of their sins. Vishnu thus declared that people who observed a fast on that day and worshipped Ekadashi, thus came into being the first Ekadashi, which was a Dhanurmasa Shukla Paksha Ekadashi. The demon Muran stands for the Rajasic and Tamasic qualities in people, attributed to lust, passion, inertia, when one conquers these tendencies, one attains the purity of mind, Satva, indispensable for attaining of moksha, the liberation or realization of the self. For realizing the self as pure awareness, purity of mind is required, fasting helps to keep at bay tendencies which could be triggered by intake of certain foods. Keeping vigil in the night is symbolic of awareness, or being watchful of the contents of the mind, when the mind is looked at, it becomes still
7.
Chittoor district
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Chittoor district, is a district in Rayalaseema region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The district headquarters is located at Chittoor and it has a population of 4,170,468 according to 2011 census of India. Chittoor district has many temples including Tirupati, Kanipakam and Sri Kalahasti temples. It lies in the Poini river valley of southernmost Andhra Pradesh along the Chennai – Bangalore section Chennai-Mumbai highway and it is a major market centre for mangoes, grains, sugarcane, and peanuts. The district derived its name from its headquarters Chittoor, later in the Apri111960319 villages of chittoor district were added into the then Kanchipuram districtand Thiruvallur districts of Tamil Nadu through the demands of Ma. Chandragiri, an area of Tirupati served as fourth capital of Vijayanagar empire. Chittoor is a part of Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, the district occupies an area of 15,359 square kilometres. Chittoor district lies extreme south of the Andhra Pradesh state approximately between 12°37′ - 14°8′ north latitudes and 78°3′ - 79°55′ east longitudes, thirty percent of the total land area is covered by forests in the district. Mango and tamarind groves surround the city of Chittoor, and cattle are raised in the district, the important rivers in the district are Ponnai and Swarnamukhi rivers which originate in eastern ghats. Other rivers include Kusasthali, Beema, Bahuda, Pincha, Kalyani, Araniyar, none of the rivers are perennial. This is because of the altitude of the western parts compared to the eastern parts. The summer temperatures touches 46 °C in the eastern parts whereas in the parts it ranges around 36° to 38 °C. Similarly the winter temperatures of the parts are relatively low ranging around 12 °C to 14 °C. Chittoor district receives a rainfall of 918.1 mm. The South West Monsoon and North East Monsoon are the sources of rainfall for the district. On average the district receives 438.0 mm of rainfall through the South West Monsoon and 396.0 mm from North East Monsoon, the rainfall received by the district in the years 2002 and 2003 are 984.2 mm and 934 mm respectively. According to the 2011 census Chittoor district has a population of 4,170,468 and this gives it a ranking of 47th in India and 6th in its state. The district has a density of 275 inhabitants per square kilometre
8.
Andhra Pradesh
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Andhra Pradesh is one of the 29 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of the country. The state is the eighth largest state in India covering an area of 162,968 km2, as per 2011 Census of India, the state is tenth largest by population with 49,386,799 inhabitants. On 2 June 2014, the portion of the state was bifurcated to form a new state of Telangana. In accordance with the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act,2014, Hyderabad will remain the de jure capital of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states for a period of not exceeding 10 years. The new riverfront proposed capital in Guntur district is Amaravati, which is under the jurisdiction of APCRDA, the Gross State Domestic Product of the state in the 2016–2017 financial year at current prices stood at ₹6,800.3 billion. The state has a coastline of 974 km with jurisdiction over nearly 15,000 km2 territorial waters, the second longest among all the states of India after Gujarat. It is bordered by Telangana in the north-west, Chhattisgarh in the north, Odisha in the north-east, Karnataka in the west, Tamil Nadu in the south and the water body of Bay of Bengal in the east. A small enclave of 30 km2 of Yanam, a district of Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh is composed of two regions, Coastal Andhra, located along the Bay of Bengal, and Rayalaseema, in the inland southwestern part of the state. These two regions comprise 13 districts, with 9 in Coastal Andhra and 4 in Rayalaseema, Andhra Pradesh hosted 121.8 million visitors in 2015, a 30% growth in tourist arrivals over the previous year. The Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati is one of the worlds most visited religious sites, a tribe named Andhra has been mentioned in the Sanskrit texts such as Aitareya Brahmana. According to Aitareya Brahmana of the Rig Veda, the Andhras left north India, archaeological evidence from places such as Amaravati, Dharanikota and Vaddamanu suggests that the Andhra region was part of the Mauryan Empire. Amaravati might have been a centre for the Mauryan rule. After the death of emperor Ashoka, the Mauryan rule weakened around 200 BCE, the Satavahana dynasty dominated the Deccan region from the 1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE. The Satavahanas have been mentioned by the names Andhra, Andhrara-jatiya and Andhra-bhrtya in the Puranic literature, Dharanikota along with Amaravathi was the capital of the later Satavahanas. Amaravathi became a trade and pilgrimage centre during the Satavahana rule. According to the Buddhist tradition, Nagarjuna lived here, possibly in second, Andhra Ikshvakus were one of the earliest recorded ruling dynasties of the Guntur-Krishna regions of Andhra Pradesh. They ruled the eastern Andhra country along the Krishna river during the half of the second century CE. Puranas called Andhra Ikshvakus Shri Parvatiya Andhras, archaeological evidence has suggested that the Andhra Ikshvakus immediately succeeded the Satavahanas in the Krishna river valley
9.
India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety
10.
Abhayamudra
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The Abhayamudrā gesture of fearlessness is a mudrā that is the gesture of reassurance and safety, which dispels fear and accords divine protection and bliss in many Indian religions. The right hand is held upright, and the palm is facing outwards and this is one of the earliest mudrās found depicted on a number of Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain images. The abhayamudrā represents protection, peace, benevolence and the dispelling of fear, the Hindu god Nataraja is depicted with the second right hand making the Abhaya Mudra, bestowing protection from both evil and ignorance to those who follow the righteousness of dharma. In Thailand and Laos, this mudra is associated with the walking Buddha, the abhayamudrā was probably used before the onset of Buddhism as a symbol of good intentions proposing friendship when approaching strangers. In the art of Gandhara, it is present when showing the action of preaching and it was also used in China during the Northern Wei and Sui eras of the 4th and 7th centuries. The gesture was used by Gautama Buddha when attacked by an elephant, subduing it as shown in several frescos, in Mahayana Buddhism, deities often paired it with another mudrā using the other hand. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend
11.
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams
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Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, abbreviated as TTD, is an independent trust which manages the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple at Tirumala, Andhra Pradesh. The trust oversees the operations and finances of the second richest and it is also involved in various social, religious, literary and educational activities. TTD is headquartered at Tirupati and employs about 16,000 people, TTD was established in 1932 as a result of the TTD Act of 1932. According to the act administration of the temple was vested in a committee of seven members, the Andhra Pradesh Charitable and Hindu Religious Institution and Endowments Act, sections 85 to 91, expanded the provisions of TTD. The number of trustees was expanded from five to eleven with compulsory representation from certain communities, Charitable & Hindu Religious Institutions & Endowments Act superseded the 1979 act. The Board of Trustees membership was expanded from a maximum of eleven to fifteen, after increased pressure from the priests over a long period, the AP government made an amendment to the act in 2006, to discontinue these two controversial clauses. It is mandatory for non-Hindus to sign a form before entering the hill temple, stating that they have faith in the presiding deity. TTD provides various services for pilgrims to Tirumala and Tirupati, including bus services, food and it maintains the queue management system, facilitates head tonsure and distribution of laddu. It runs information and ticketing centers in the towns and cities across the country. It maintains various marriage halls, degree colleges, junior colleges, Sri Venkateswara Central Library and Research Centre, established by TTD in 1993, houses approximately 40,000 volumes of books, mainly on religion and philosophy. Dharma Prachara Parishad was established to propagate the Hindu dharma, TTD also helps promote the age-old cultural heritage of India, in the areas of traditional sculpture and architecture, temple renovation and reconstructions and restoration of Hindu sculptures. In Tirupati and Tiruchanur also the distribution of food as Annaprasadam is being made to not less than 15,000 devotees. Donations given by devotees equal nearly 130 million every month, auctions of human hair fetched a revenue of INR150 crores in 2011 and 203 crores in 2012. Temple admission ticket sales fetched a revenue of $25 million in 2007, laddu, a confectionery, is offered as Lords prasadam. TTD has procured machines from MICO BOSCH to automate the manufacture of laddus, sale of laddus fetched a revenue of staggering $10 million in 2007. It was established in the year 1956 by TTD and later renamed to S. V and it is located at Chandragiri Road, Tirupati. It is maintained by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams based on the funds received under Sri Venkateswara Gosamrakshana Shala Trust, activities of the trust include providing a good environment, management, and food to the cattle. The milk and its products produced here are used by TTD for daily rituals at Sri Venkateswara Temple, TTD runs free buses from the Tirupati railway station and bus station to Alipiri and Srivari Mettu, every 30 minutes
12.
Hindu temple
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A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. It is typically used for such buildings belonging to all faiths where a specific term such as church. These include Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism among religions with many modern followers, the form and function of temples is thus very variable, though they are often considered by believers to be in some sense the house of one or more deities. Typically offerings of some sort are made to the deity, and other rituals enacted, the degree to which the whole population of believers can access the building varies significantly, often parts or even the whole main building can only be accessed by the clergy. Temples typically have a building and a larger precinct, which may contain many other buildings. The word comes from Ancient Rome, where a templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest and it has the same root as the word template, a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out on the ground by the augur. Templa also became associated with the places of a god or gods. Hindu temples are large and magnificent with a rich history, there is evidence of use of sacred ground as far back as the Bronze Age and later the Indus Valley Civilization. Hindu temples have been built in countries around the world, including Cambodia, Nepal, Mauritius, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Great Britain. They include the structures called stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions, Temples in Buddhism represent the pure land or pure environment of a Buddha. Traditional Buddhist temples are designed to inspire inner and outer peace, a Jain temple is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Some famous Jain temples are Shikharji, Palitana Jain Temples, Ranakpur Jain Temple, Shravan Belgola, Dilwara Temples, Jain temples are built with various architectural designs. Jain temples in North India are completely different from the Jain temples in South India, additionally, a Manastambha is a pillar that is often constructed in front of Jain temples. The temple of Mesopotamia derived from the cult of gods and deities in the Mesopotamian religion and it spanned several civilizations, from Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian. Ancient Egyptian temples were meant as places for the deities to reside on earth, indeed, the term the Egyptians most commonly used to describe the temple building, ḥwt-nṯr, means mansion of a god. A gods presence in the temple linked the human and divine realms and these rituals, it was believed, sustained the god and allowed it to continue to play its proper role in nature. They were therefore a key part of the maintenance of maat, maintaining maat was the entire purpose of Egyptian religion, and thus it was the purpose of a temple as well. Ancient Egyptian temples were also of significance to Egyptian society
13.
Temples of Andhra Pradesh
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This is a list of Hindu temples in India, by state. K. Ramachandara Rao, Delhi, Devine Books, ISBN 978-93-81218-51-8 Collection of Hindu Temples in India
14.
Anantapur district
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Anantapur District is a district in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, India. The district headquarters is located at Anantapur city, as of 2011 Census, the district had a population of 4,083,315, of which 28. 09% is urban and a literacy rate of 64. 28%. It is the largest district in terms of area in Andhra Pradesh, in 1882, Anantapuram district was formed by carving out from Bellary district. It is the largest district of Andhra Pradesh spanning an area of 19,130 square kilometres and it is bounded on the north by Kurnool District, on the east by Kadapa District, on the southeast by Chittoor District, and on the southwest and west by Karnataka state. It is part of Rayalaseema region on the state and its northern and central portions are a high plateau, generally undulating, with large granite rocks or low hill ranges rising occasionally above its surface. In the southern portion of the district the surface is more hilly, six rivers flow within the district, Penna, Chithravathi, Vedavathi, Papagni, Swarnamukhi, and Thadakaleru. The district receives an annual rainfall of 381 millimetres. Anantapur city is 354 km from Hyderabad,200 km from the state capital of Bangalore. Anantapur connects Hyderabad and Bangalore through National Highway 7, there is an airport in the district located in Puttaparthi, known as Sri Sathya Sai Airport, however this airport currently has no scheduled service. Bangalore International Airport is nearest commercial airport to Anantapur District, as of 2011 census of India, Anantapur district has a population of 4,081,148 with 9,68,160 households, ranking it as the 7th most populous district in the state. It is the largest district in the state with an area of 19,130 km2, Anantapur has a sex ratio of 977 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 63. 57%. Anantapur has a potential for development of industry due to its strategic location between Bangalore – Chennai and Bangalore – Hyderabad routes and availability of vast tracts of land. In 2006 the Indian government named Anantapur one of the countrys 250 most backward districts and it is one of the thirteen districts in Andhra Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme. Minerals Anantapur is a producer of Dolomite and Iron Ore minerals. Power plants Solar thermal power plant of 50 MW was commissioned at this village under Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission which was named as Megha Solar Plant and it is one of the 7 solar thermal plants in the country. Silk sarees Dharmavaram region in Anantapur is world-famous for the pure silk sarees. Its a major hub for Silk trade with end to end silk related industries situated in the region supporting a portion of population. Tadipatri region in Anantapur is a town famous for Granite
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Veerabhadra Temple, Lepakshi
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The Veerabhadra temple is in Lepakshi in the Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Built in the 16th century, the features of the temple are in the Vijayanagara style with profusion of carvings and paintings at almost every exposed surface of the temple. There is a very large Nandi, mount of Shiva, about 200 metres away from the temple which is carved from a block of stone. The temple has been built on the side of Lepakshi town, on a low altitude hillock of a large exposure of granite rock, which is in the shape of a tortoise. It is 140 kilometres away from Bangalore, the approach from the National Highway NH7 to Hyderabad that takes a branch road at the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border leading to Lepakshi,12 kilometres away. Another route to reach the temple is from Hindupur and it is 35 kilometres from Penukonda. And it as in anantapuram district of Andhra Pradesh state. The temple was built in 1530 by Virupanna Nayaka and Viranna, the cost of building the temple was defrayed by the government. According to Skanda Purana, the temple is one of the divyakshetras, the temple is of the Vijayanagara architectural style. The temple, as an edifice, is encircled by two enclosures, the outermost walled enclosure has three gates, the northern gate is used regularly. The inner east gate is the entry to the assembly hall and it is at the entrance to the sanctum sanctorum and has a profusion of sculptures and paintings over every inch of space on the columns and ceiling. The images on the pillars and walls are of divine beings, saints, guardians, musicians, figurines of the goddesses Ganga and Yamuna flank the entrance to the sanctum. The exterior columns of this hall are built over a decorated plinth, the columns are slim and have features of collonettes carved with eaves, overhanging in a curved shape. The open space in the part of the hall is defined by large columns or piers which have carvings of triple figures. In the columns in the part of the hall, there are images of Natesha flanked by Brahma. In an adjoining column there are figurines of nymphs in dancing postures, flanked by a drummer, the column at the southwest part of the hall has an image of Parvathi, Shivas consort, flanked by female attendants. There are also carvings of divinities such as Bhringi with three legs and Bhikshatana carved in a posture, this is in the northwestern part of the hall. The paintings in each bay on the ceiling of the main mandapa and they are painted over an initial plaster layer of lime mortar. The colour scheme consists of vegetable and mineral colours of yellow, ochre, black, blue and green blended with lime water, apart from figures of gods and goddesses, in the presence of the devotees arranged in rows, the frescoes also depict the incarnations of Vishnu
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Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala
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Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple is a landmark Vaishnavite temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Lord Sri Venkateswara, an incarnation of Vishnu, hence the place has also got the name Kaliyuga Vaikuntham and Lord here is referred to as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam. The temple is known by other names like Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple. Lord Venkateswara is known by other names, Balaji, Govinda. The Tirumala Hills are part of Seshachalam Hills range, the hills are 853 metres above sea level. The Hills comprises seven peaks, representing the seven heads of Adisesha, the seven peaks are called Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrushabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. The temple lies on the seventh peak -Venkatadri, on the banks of Sri Swami Pushkarini. Hence the temple is referred to as Temple of Seven Hills. Tirumala town covers about 10.33 sq mi in area, the Temple is constructed in Dravidian architecture and is believed to be constructed over a period of time starting from 300 AD. The presiding deity, Venkateswara, is in standing posture and faces east in Garbha griha, the temple follows Vaikhanasa Agama tradition of worship. The temple is one of the eight Vishnu Swayambhu Kshetras and is listed as 106th and it is the richest temple in the world in terms of donations received and wealth. According to one legend, the temple has a murti of Lord Venkateswara, during Dvapara Yuga, Adisesha resided on earth as Seshachalam Hills after losing a contest with Vayu. According to Puranas, Tirumala is regarded as Adivaraha Kshetra, after killing Hiranyaksha, Adivaraha resided on this hill. Sri Venkatachala Mahatyam is the widely accepted legend over Tirumala Temple, during Kali Yuga, Narada advised Rishis who were performing Yajna to decide who could be given the fruits of yagna among Trimurtis. Bhrigu was sent to test Trimurtis, the sage who had an extra eye in the sole of his foot visited Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva and went un-noticed in both these locations. At last he visited Vishnu and the acts as if he had not noticed Bhrigu. Getting angered by this act, sage Bhrigu kicked Lord Vishnu in the chest, to which Vishnu did not react, during this act, he squashed the extra eye that was present in the sole of Bhrigus foot. However Lakshmi finds it as an insult and had left Vaikuntam onto Earth to Kolhapur, Lord Vishnu bore human form as Srinivasa, left Vaikuntam, in search of Lakshmi, reached Tirumala Hills and started meditating
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Srikalahasteeswara temple
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Srikalahasti Temple is located in the town of Srikalahasti, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Srikalahasti temple, situated 36 km away from Tirupati is famous for its Vayu linga, one of the Panchabhoota Sthalams, the temple is also regarded as Rahu-Ketu kshetra and Dakshina Kasi. The inner temple was constructed around 5th century and the temple was constructed in the 12th century by the Chola kings. Lord Shiva in his aspect as Vayu is worshiped as Kalahasteeswara, during the early days of creation, Lord Vayu performed penance for thousands of years to Karpoora lingam. Pleased with his penance, Lord Shiva manifested before him and said, though you are dynamic in nature, you stayed here without movement and did penance for me. I shall grant you three boons, I want to be present everywhere in this world. I want to be a part of every Jiva who is none other than the manifestation of Paramatma. I want to name this Karpoora Linga, which represents you, samba Siva said, Your are qualified for these three boons. As per your wish, you will be spread throughout this world, without you there will be no life. This linga of mine will forever be known all over through your name, Lord Shiva disappeared after granting these boons. Thereafter, this Karpoora Vayu Lingam is worshipped by all Lokas, there are several other legends connected to the glory of the temple. Prominent among them is of Parvati who was cursed by Lord Shiva to discard her heavenly body, to get rid of the above curse Parvati did a long penance here. Pleased with her deep devotion Lord Shiva again recreated her body – a hundred times better than her previous heavenly body, consequent to this, Parvati gained fame and came to be known as Shiva-Gnanam Gnana Prasunamba or Gnana Prasunambika Devi. Cursed to become a ghost, Ghanakala prayed at Srikalahasti for 15 years, mayura, Chandra and Devendra were also freed from their curses after taking bath in the river Swarnamukhi and praying at Srikalahasti. To Bhakta Markandeya, Lord Shiva appeared in Srikalahasti and preached that a Guru alone could make esoteric teachings and, therefore he is Brahma, Vishnu, the initial structure of this temple was constructed by the Pallava dynasty in the 5th century. Like other great temples, the period of Srikalahasthi temple lasted centuries. Around the 10th century, the Chola kings renovated the temple, the temple received contributions from various ruling dynasties like Cholas and Vijayanagar Empire. The hundred pillared hall with intricate carvings was commissioned during the regime of Krishnadeva Raya during 1516 AD, the 120 feet high main gopuram and the 100 pillar mandapam were constructed by Krishnadevaraya, the Vijayanagara king in 1516
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Vinayaka Temple, Kanipakam
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Kanipakam Vinayaka Temple or Sri Varasidhi Vinayaka Swamy Temple is a Hindu temple of Ganesha. It is located in Kanipakam in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India and this historic temple is in Kanipaakam in Irala Mandal, Chittoor District. It is about 11 km from Chittoor town, the temple was constructed in the early 11th century CE by the Chola king Kulothunga Chola I and was expanded further in 1336 by the Emperors of Vijayanagara dynasty
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Padmavathi Temple
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Padmavathi Temple is the temple dedicated to Goddess Padmavathi or Alamelumanga, the consort of Lord Venkateswara. The Temple is situated in Tiruchanur, at a distance of 5 km from Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, the Temple is being administered by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. Padmavathi is the deity of the temple. Padmavathi is the incarnation of goddess Lakshmi and is consort of Lord Venkateswara, the deity is facing towards east. Padmasarovaram is the Temple tank of Sri Padmavathi Temple and it is believed that Goddess Padmavathi manifested in this Tank in golden Lotus flower on ‘Sukla Paksha Panchami’ day in the Kartheeka masam. In Padmasarovaram, Chakra Snanam will be held on last day of Annual Padmavathi Brahmotsavams which will witness lakhs of Devotees taking a dip in the holy waters, Sri Krishna Swamy Temple and Sri SundararajaSwamy Temple are sub-temples within the Padmavathi Temple. Sri Krishna Swamy Temple is the earliest of the temples inside the temple complex, as per evidence this temple came into existence in the 1221 AD. Sri Sundararajaswamy Temple came into existence into 16th Century and is dedicated to Sri Varadaraja Swamy, there is also a temple dedicated to Lord Suryanarayana opposite to Padmasarovaram. This deity of temple is believed to installed by Lord Venkateswara. Tirumala Venkateswara Temple Goddess Lakshmi Tirupati Official website Tirupati
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Alipiri
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Alipiri Padala Mandapam or Alipiri is the place at foot of seven hills in Tirupati, the pilgrim city of Sri Venkateswara Swami, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Hence the pilgrims came from long distances used to take rest for some time there, cooked their food, after taking rest they started to climb the steps. Nowadays all the way is covered with roof to protect the pilgrims from sun light. Special privilege is provided to the pilgrims who came on foot for the visit of the god, Srivari Padala Mandapam is a temple dedicated to Lord Venkateswara at Alipiri. The presiding deity is referred to Padala Vennkateswara Swamy, Devotees going on Tirumala Yatra from Tirupati will offer prayers here first by carrying Srivari Padukalu on their heads. The temple comes under Sri GovindarajaSwamy Temple circle and is being administered by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, There is sub-temple dedicated to Lord Lakshmi Narayana in the Alipiri Padala Mandapam Temple complex which lies east of Padala Mandapam. The temple entrance and the deity faces towards west and it has sub-shrine dedicated for Andal. There is also dedicated to Lord Ganesha in the Alipiri Padala Mandapam Temple complex which lies on the 2nd Ghat Road leading from Tirupati to Tirumala. Devotees going by Road will offer prayers at this temple before starting Tirumala Yatra, There is an ancient footsteps path to Tirumala, that starts from Alipiri known as Alipiri Metlu. The Devotees to fulfil their Vow to Lord Venkateswara will take this path to reach Tirumala on foot from Tirupati and it consists of a total 3550 Steps which makes a distance of 11 km. There are Four Gopurams on the way. It is completely roofed and passes through seven hills which are part of Seshachalam Hills, all vaishnavite festivals will be celebrated at Padalamandapam Temple which includes Vaikuntha Ekadasi, Rathasapthami. Metlotsavam is the festival which will be once in three months, to the Alipiri footsteps leading to Tirumala. It is organised by Dasa sahitya project under Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, the festival includes group of devotees taking a trek to Tirumala singing spiritual songs. At Alipiri, a security zone was established, in 2009, to vehicles and pilgrims entering Tirumala, to safeguard the hills from terrorists
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Kapila Theertham
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Kapila Theertham is a famous Saivite Temple and Theertham, located at Tirupati in the Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh, India. The idol is believed to be installed by Kapila Muni and hence Lord Siva here is referred to as Kapileswara, a huge stone statue of a seated bull Nandhi, Lords Shivas steed, greets devotees and passersby at the entrance to the temple. The Temple and Theertham had derived its name from Kapila Muni, according to Temple Legend Kapila Muni had performed penance to Lord Siva at this place and blissed with the Munis devotion, Lord Siva and Parvathi presented themselves. The Lingam is believed to be self-manifested, Kapila muni is believed to emerged from the Bilam in the Pushkarini on to the earth. The present day temple is under the administration of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, under TTD this temple receives continued protection and sustainance, annual festivals that are celebrated great splendour. During Kartika month on the occasion of its mukkoti on the Purnima day and it is believed that persons bathing in it at that auspicious time will attain salvation from the cycle of birth and death. Moreover, those who have never offered Pindam to their departed ancestor souls can do it here, the temple celebrates all important festivals of Shaivism which includes Maha Shivaratri, Karthika Deepam, Vinayaka Chavithi, Adikirtika etc. Kapileswara Swamy Brahmotsavams is the biggest event of the temple celebrated by TTD during the month of February and it is a nine-day event where the processional deity of Lord Shiva and Parvathi will taken procession on different vahanams starting with Hamsa vahanam and ending with Trishula snanam. There are many sub-shrines with-in the main temple premises, temples for Kamakshi-concert of Shiva, Vinayaka, Subhramanya, Agasthesswara, Rukmini Satyabhama Sametha Sri Krishna are few among them
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Kodandarama Temple, Tirupati
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Sri Kodandaramaswamy Temple is a one of the famous temples, after Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, in the holy city of Tirupati in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to Lord Rama an incarnation of Vishnu along with Sita, the temple also has a sub-shrine for Anjaneya the mount of Lord Sri Rama. According to Varaha Purana, during Treta Yugam, Lord Sri Rama resided here along with Sita Devi and it was built by a Cholas during the tenth century AD. The present day temple is organised by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams board, the nine-day annual brahmotsavams celebrated every year which falls between March and April is another biggest event in the temple
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Boiyakonda Gangamma Temple
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The temple of Goddess Gangamma is one of the many ancient temples located on top of a mountain. The word Baikonda pronounced as Baa-ee-kon-da means mountain which has a well, the Goddess resides right besides this well and is believed to be very powerful. This goddess is known to all evil and those who sincerely worship her are bound to succeed. Devotees come here and make their wishes and once the wish comes true they come back to make an offering to the Goddess Gangamma which they would have agreed upon once their wish became true. Devotees who come here should take the theertha, the water in the well that is believed to cure
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Konetirayala Temple, Keelapatla
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Konetirayala Swamy Temple is a Hindu temple of Lord Venkateswara in the village of Keelapatla, Palamaner, Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh, India. The Myth believes that Saint Brughu kicked Lord Vishnus chest and to such a sin. Some of these places are,1, dwaraka Tirupathi, near Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh 2. Kalyana Venkateshwara Swamy, Srinivasa Mangapuram, Andhra Pradesh 3, Konetiraya Swamy, Keelapatla, Andhra Pradesh 4. These places were hidden and the saint himself who went into disappearance by his powers, were established much before the Lord himself came to the Earth. After Lords arrival, Brughu came into existence with Agasthya Maharshi, the idols were all under trees. The ruling kings then came forward to build temples around these idols, the 15th-century Hindu saint, Andhra Pada kavitā Pitāmaha, Annamacharya mentions the name of Konetiraya in many of his sankeerthanas. Lord Venkateswara who is referred to as Konetirayudu is the presiding deity of the Temple. The Deity is believed to be Kalpatharu, Chintamani and Kamadhenu, in the sanctum of the temple, Konetirayadu like in Tirumala, is in standing posture with his Kati Varada Hastas, natural Sankhu Chakras and with the impressions of Sridevi and Bhudevi, on the chest. Huge Jaya-Vijayas, an ancient Chennakesava idol with his two wives, five Alwars, Bhoovaraha Moorthy, Garudalwar, Anjaneya Swamy statues, all can be seen in the temple, the temple at present is being administered by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams board. List of temples under Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams
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Pallikondeswara Temple, Surutapalli
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Palli Kondeswarar Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Shiva located in Surutapalli, a village in Chitoor district of Andhra Pradesh state close to the border of Tamil Nadu, India. Surutapalli is located 55 km away from Chennai on the Chennai Tirupathi highway. Surutapalli is just 2 km away from Uthukottai, Palli Kondeswarar translates to reclining deity. Shiva as Palli Kondeswarar is seen in reclining posture in the lap of his consort Parvati as Sarva Mangalambika, the temple was built during the late Vijayanagara period and the deity here is termed as Bhoga sayana Siva. This icon of Shiva is unusual, most Shiva temples contain a Lingam, his aniconic symbol, the gods Ganesha, Kartikeya, Surya, Chandra, Indra and sages such as Narada are seen standing around Shiva. The performance of Pradosha here is noteworthy, navagraha deities in a shrine Sanganidhi and Padumanidhi with their consorts Vasundara and Vasumadhi respectively. During the Samudra manthan by the gods and demons, many treasures along with the Amrita, to rescue the beings of the world from the poison, Shiva consumed it. When the poison was just going down the throat of Shiva, his consort Parvati stopped it there by tightly holding Shiva’s throat, after the episode, Shiva proceeded to his abode Kailash with Parvati. On the way, he felt exhausted and slightly uncomfortable, when he reached a place in the bounds of Andhra, there, He lied down to relax, keeping his head in the lap of Parvati. The gods, who were concerned about Shiva’s well-being assembled there and stood around him and this lying posture of Shiva is rare and unique, is almost similar to Vishnu’s reclining posture. Pradosham, the festival is celebrated in all the south Indian temples. This temples garners around 15,000 visitors during pradosham and around 30,000 during the Sivarathri festival
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Kulandeshwara Temple
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Kulandeshwara Temple, located in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is dedicated to the deity Kulandeshwara and it dates back to the 11th century
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East Godavari district
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East Godavari district is a district in Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Kakinada, as of Census 2011, it became the most populous district of the state with a population of 5,151,549. Rajahmundry and Kakinada are the two largest cities in the Godavari districts in terms of population, the district of Rajahmundry was reorganised in 1859 into two districts of Godavari and Krishna. Godavari district was bifurcated into East and West Godavari districts in 1925. After June 2014s reorganisation and division of Andhra Pradesh, the mandals of Bhadrachalam, Nellipaka, Chinturu, the district, like the rest of the Deccan was under the Nandas and Mauryas in its early history. After the fall of the Mauryan Empire, the district was under the Sathavahanas until the 3rd century under the poet king Hala. Coins found during excavations have revealed the rule of Gautamiputra Satakarni, Vasisthi-putra Pulumayi, gupta emperor Samudragupta invaded during the rule of both Pishtapura and Avamukta in the district in 350 A. D. Samudraguptas invasion was followed by the rule of the Mathara dynasty from 375 to 500. The earliest known ruler of the dynasty was Shaktivarman, the district passed into the hands of Vishnukundinas during the rule of Vikramendra Varma I during the 5th century. The records indicate that their domain extended over Visakhapatnam, West Godavari, Krishna, indra Bhattaraka defeated the rulers of Vasistha Kula and re-established Vihsnukundina authority, but was shortly defeated by Kalinga armies. Indra Bhattaraka was followed to the throne by a few others, including Madha Varma III and Manchanna Bhattaraka, madhava Varma III was the last important ruler of this family. The Pulakesin II of Badami Chalukyas and his brother Kubja Vishnu Vardhana acquired Pistapura in the 7th century, the Eastern Chalukya dynasty, founded by Kubja Vishnu Vardhana, ruled at first form Pistapura, then from Vengi, and later from Rajahmundry. Many rulers held sway over the kingdom and their history is at times largely a record of disputes over succession, Chalukya Bhima I of this dynasty built a Shiva temple at Draksha Ramam. Rajaraja invaded Vengi on behalf of the sons of Danarnava and killed Jata Choda Bhima, satya Raya of the Western Chalukyas of Kalyani did not like the Chola influence in Vengi and the area witnessed many wars between the Cholas and Chalukyas. After the death of Vijaya Aditya VII in 0175 A. D. the Eastern Chalukya dynasty came to an end, kulothunga Chola I, rival of Vijay Aditya VII, fought along the sides of Cholas and established the Chalukya Cholas province. The district along with the rest of the Vengi kingdom became part of their empire, major portions of the district were under Velanati Chodas, trustworthy chieftains to his. The famous rulers of this dynasty were Gonka I, Rajendra Choda I, Gonka II, vikram Aditya vii of Western Chalukyas occupied this region for short period, but it was recovered by Chalukya Cholas and Velanti Chodas. Velanati chiefs also suppressed rebellions from Haihayas of Kona, Gonka II, inscriptions at this region including the ones at Draksha Ramam in 13th century throw light on their history. Prola II of the Kakatiya dynasty declared independence from the western Chalukyas and his son Rudra obtained the Godavari delta as gift from the Rajaraja II of Chalukya Cholas
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Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Antarvedi
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Lakshmi Narasimha Temple is situated in temple town named Antarvedi of Sakhinetipalle Mandal, located in the East Godavari district of the Andhra Pradesh state in India. The temple is situated at the place where the Bay of Bengal and Vashista Godavari and it was built in the 15th and 16th centuries. There are three ways that one can travel to Antarvedi, alternatively, one can ride on the ferry, upon reaching Sakhinetipalli and from there start for Antarvedi by road. The third option is to cross the Chinchinada using the newly built bridge, Lakshmi Narasimha Temple Travel Guide Lakshmi Narasimha Temple website
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Guntur district
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Guntur district is an administrative district in the Coastal Andhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The administrative seat of the district is located at Guntur, the largest city of the district in terms of area and population. It has a coastline of approximately 100 km and is situated on the bank of Krishna River. It is bounded on the south by Prakasam district and on the west by the state of Telangana. It has an area of 11,391 km2 and is the 2nd most populous district in the state a population of 4,889,230 as per 2011 census of India, the district is a major centre for agriculture, education and learning. It exports large quantities of chillies and tobacco, Amaravati, the proposed capital of Andhra Pradesh is situated in Guntur district, on the banks of River Krishna. There are several opinions on the meaning and origin of the word Guntur, in Sanskrit, Guntur was called Garthapuri. The original Sanskrit name for Guntur was Garthapuri, the Agasthyeswara Sivalayam in the old city of Guntur is an ancient temple for Siva. It has inscriptions on two stones in Naga Lipi and it is said that Agastya built the temple in the last Treta-Yuga around the Swayambhu Linga and hence the name. The Nagas were said to have ruled the region, the place of Sitanagaram and the Guthikonda Caves can be traced back to the last Treta-Yuga and Dwapara-Yuga. Guntur District is home to the second oldest evidence of habitation in India. Ancient history can be traced from the time of Sala kings who ruled during the 5th century BCE, the earliest reference to Guntur, a variant of Guntur, comes from the Idern plates of Ammaraja I, the Vengi Chalukyan King. Guntur also appears in two inscriptions dated 1147 and 1158 CE, since the beginning of Buddhist time, Guntur stood in the forefront in matters of culture, education and civilisation. Gautama Buddha preached at Dharanikota/Dhanyakatakam near Guntur and conducted Kalachakra ceremony, buddhists established universities in ancient times at Dhanyakataka and Amaravathi. Scores of Buddhist stupas were excavated in the villages of Guntur district, Acharya Nagarjuna, an influential Buddhist philosopher taught at Nagarjunakonda and is said to have discovered Mica in 200 BCE. Chinese traveller and Buddhist monk Hiuen Tsang visited Amaravati in 640 C. E. stayed for sometime and he observed that there were many Viharas and some of them were deserted, which points out that Hinduism was gaining ground at that time. Xuanzang wrote an account of the place, Viharas and monasteries that existed. The famous battle of Palnadu which is enshrined in legend and literature as Palnati Yuddham was fought in Guntur district in 1180 CE
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Amaralingeswara Temple
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Amaralingeswara Swamy temple is located in Amararama which is one of the Pancharama Kshetras which is located at Amaravati town near Guntur City in Andhra Pradesh in southern India. Lord Shiva is known as Amareswara Swamy or Amaralingeswara Swamy here, the temple is situated on the southern bank of Krishna River. The consort of Lord Amareswara Swamy is Bala Chamundika, the Sivalinga at this place is installed and established by Lord Indra. The temple is closed between 1PM and 4PM everyday, the Sivalinga here is very tall that the archakas mount a pedestal platform, and perform the daily rituals as well as Abhisheka. The top of the Linga has a red stain on it and it is said that Sivalinga was growing up in size and to stop its growth, a nail has been hit onto the top of the Sivalinga. When the nail dug into the Linga, blood started to ooze from the Sivalinga it seems, the stain can be see even today. Vasireddy Venkatadri Naidu, King of Chintapalli and later Dharanikota, was a devotee of Amaralingeswara. He expanded and renovated the temple and he shifted his place from Chintapalli to Amaravati in 1796, and devoted his entire life, time and revenues to building temples for Lord Siva. He renovated the Amareswaraswamy temple here, engaged nine learned archakas for the daily archana of the Lord, the temple as it stands owes much to him. Amaravati temple has also a wealth of inscriptions on its walls like those of the Kota chiefs of Arnaravati and of Sri Krishandevaraya, on a pillar in the Mukhamantapa the wife of Proli Nayudu, who was minister of Kota King Ketaraja, has left an inscription. The main festivals in the temple are the Mahashivaratri, which comes in the Magha Bahula Dasami and the Navaratri and the Kalyana Utsavas. Amaravati is thus an important Kshetra situated at a sacred spot of the holy river Krishna and is a consecrated place of worship. State run APSRTC connects the Amaravati with the headquarters, Guntur and many other towns and cities like Vijayawada, Mangalagiri, Sattenapalle. Pedakurapadu is the nearest railway station under Guntur railway division of South Central Railway zone. And there are cabs, Auto Rickshaws are available from Nearest Guntur City
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Kadapa district
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Kadapa district is said to be the heart of the Rayalaseema as it is centrally located and well connected with the 4 districts of Rayalaseema. The District has a history and a rich cultural heritage. Kadapa district is one of the 13 districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and it is also one of the four districts in the Rayalaseema region of the state. The city of Kadapa is the seat of administration for the district, Paleolithic rock paintings found at Chintakunta caves near Muddanuru in Kadapa district are said to be the second largest group of paintings in India after Bhimbetika rock art paintings. The rock paintings with figures are also found at Dappalle village near Mylavaram Dam in Jammalamadugu Taluk of the district. Many Paleolithic sites were found in Kadapa district, as the surroundings of Jammalamadugu, Mailavaram Dam, some megalithic burial sites were explored near Porumamilla, Sankhavaram and at Yellatur village near Kadapa. The surroundings of Vontimitta are also noted as Megalithic cultural sites, the section of Rayachoti consists of many documented and undocumented Megalithic sites and stone circles. A noted megalithic site is at Devandlapalli in Tsundupalle taluk of the district, Kadapa has historical importance since BC era. It was connected with Mouryans in BC era and Sathavahanas, buddhism must have flourished here for many years along the banks of rivers Cheyyeru and Penna. Nandalur is an important Buddhist site in the district along with Tallapaka, Rajampeta, Konduru, jainism also had a place in Kadapa district history, the remnants of a buried Jain temple were found at Danavulapadu village on the banks of river Penna. It was part of the area ceded to the British by Nizam, the District was formed by splitting the Ceded Districts into two in 1808 during the British rule, the other district being Bellary. The British spelt the district as Cuddapah, the district is part of Rayalaseema, commemorating the name of Rayulu of the Vijayanagar Empire, who ruled the area in the 16th century. Gandikota fort located on the bank of the Penna River was the citadel of Pemmasani Nayaks, commanders of Vijayanagar army, the old records of the district reveal that Kadapa previously called Gadapa which means in Telugu language threshold. The ancient village of Kadapa with its tank and temple of Lord Venkateswara at Devuni Kadapa was convenient camping place for the myriads of pilgrims travelling to the holy shrine of Tirupathi. The ancient temple at Vontimitta which inspired Pothana to compose Andhra Maha Bhagavatham is also in the district, in the olden days Kadapa was also called Heranyanagaram. Recent historical records reveal that in Jyothi village located in Sidhout mandal has 108 Shiva lingas on the bank of Penna river, after the Treaty of Seringapatam nizam acquired this district and Ceeded this district to British in the year 1800. In the year 1808 British created modern kadapa district and headquarter is situated in Sidhout, in the year 1812 district headquarters was moved to Kadapa. Kadapa District occupies an area of 15,938 square kilometres, the main rivers in this district are Penna, Chitravathi, Kunderu, Papagni, Sagileru, Bahuda and Cheyyeru
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Kodandarama Temple, Vontimitta
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Sri Kodandarama Swamy temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Rama, located in Vontimitta town in Rajampet taluk of Kadapa District in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The temple, an example of Vijayanagara architectural style, is dated to the 16th century and it is stated to be the largest temple in the region. It is located at a distance of 25 kilometres from Kadapa and is close to Rajampet, according to the local legend, the temple was built by Vontudu and Mittudu, who were robbers-turned-devotees of Rama. After building the temple, they are said to have turned into stone, the temple was built during the reign of Chola and Vijayanagara kings around the 16th century. Bammera Potana who lived in Vontimitta wrote his magnum opus Maha Bhagavatham in Telugu language, vavilakolanu Subba Rao, known as ‘Andhra Valmiki’ for translating Valmiki’s Ramayana into Telugu also spent his time here worshipping Rama. The saint-poet Annamacharya is said to have visited the temple and composed, jean-Baptiste Tavernier, a French traveler who had visited this temple in 1652, appreciated the elegance of the temples architecture. There is Rama Baktha named Bhavanasi Mala Obanna sang songs or kirtans in praise of Rama in front of temple, the temple, the largest in the region is built in Vijayanagara style of architecture, in the Sandhara order within a rectangular yard enclosed by walls. The temple, located 16 kilometres from Siddhout via Bakarapeta, is architecturally elegant and it has three ornate Gopurams of which the central tower, which faces east, is the entrance gateway to the temple, the other two towers face north and south. This central tower is built in five tiers, and a number of steps are provided to access the gate of the tower. The mandapa or the Rangamantapam, the theatre, has exquisite sculptures. As the mandapa is supported over 32 pillars it is known as Madhyarangaradapam, the colonnades in the mandapa have carved figurines of attendant apsaras. The columns of the support system on the southern side display carvings of the gods Krishna. Each of the columns have three layers carved with images of apsaras and deities. In the central part of the mandapa, there are piers which are adorned with images of the mythical creatures yali, the roof of the central part is built up with many decorative brackets or corbels. In one of the columns of the mandapa, images of Rama, Rama is shown here in a standing position with bow in the right hand and arrow in the left hand. Other decorative art depiction in Ramas image consists of Kundalas, haras, valayas, yagnopavita, lakshmanas figure is sculpted in tribhanga posture with his right hand held down free while the left hand holds a bow. Adornments carved on this image are kirtimukuta, graivevakas, channavira, udarbandha, yagnopavita, Krishna is in dvibhanga posture with the left leg firmly on the ground and the right leg bent at the knee and crossed over the left leg, a style termed as Vyatyastapada. Of his two arms, the hand is shown holding the Govardhana hill while the other is rested on kati
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Pushpagiri Temple Complex
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The Pushpagiri Temple Complex is situated in the Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Garuda while returning from the heavenly abode passed by the then called - Kampalle. The pond immediately was granted powers of transforming back to their youth. Consequently, people began to throng the pond for dip in its waters, upon seeing this unprecedented miracle, the Devas approached God Vishnu who instructs Garuda to cover up the pond with a rock from a nearby mountain. The megalith Garuda placed on the pond, started floating like a flower - Pushpa in Sanskrit, to stop it from raising again, God Vishnu and God Shiva drove the rock under with their feet into the land. Thus the name Pushpagiri which in Sanskrit would mean a flowery mound, the temple complex is located at 380 metres above the sea level and covers an approximate area of 7.5 square kilometres. There is lush greenery surrounding the hamlets that include in the complex with crops watered from the rain as well as the river year round. Despite the hot summers in the region, there is always water in the area due to the underwater level butted by the river. Apart from the arid mountainous area where the mound is supposed to have fallen. During the rainy season, the area is quite a sight for the beholders, Pushpagiri shares a tropical climate with the Cuddapah district as with the encompassing region of Rayalaseema. The summers are long and hot with temperatures ranging between 37°C and 45°C, the river almost dries up during the rainy season with water left only in some pools made by the previous flow. The summer will occur between the months of April and July, the floods to the river can cause the swirling waters to precariously perch on the edges of the banks with all the river bed submerged. The months between September and March are relatively cool, December being the coolest with a temperature averaging between 17°C and 23°C and this is the best time to visit the temples around and many people visit the area to perform spiritual pilgrimages as well as for sightseeing. There is a lot of documented history about the Pushpagiri Temple Complex, the temple has a mention in the Skanda Purana in Srisaila Khanda, Rasaratnakara of Satyanatha. It has been mentioned as the Dakshina Dwara - Southern gate for the famous Jyothirlinga site of Srisailam in Ikshvaku inscriptions that were excavated from the site. The place has been considered sacred from the ages of Karikala Chola of the early Chola Dynasty and it is famous for the architectural styles originating from the Early Cholas culminating in the modern architecture and houses a variety of temples that has varied ages and significance. Pinakini or Penna River, Arkavati and Palar, while the other two rivers took their course to become the tributaries of the Cauvery river, Pinakini asked God Shiva the purpose of her birth and to what direction she should flow. God Shiva then said that his bow will show the river the way and pointed towards east, since the bow of God Shiva is named Pinaka, the river is hence called Pinakini after the bow of the God
