andhra pradesh

PILGRIMAGE OF ANDHRA PRADESH

Tirupati or Tirumala is a very important pilgrimage for Hindus throughout India. It is the richest holy temple city in India. Its main temple is dedicated to the god Venkateswara.

Simhachalam is another very popular pilgrimage of national importance. Simhachalam is said in mythology to be the abode of the savior-god Narasimha, who rescued Prahlada from abusive father Hiranyakasipu.

Srisailam is another center is national importance. It is dedicated mainly to Lord Shiva. It is one of the locations of the various Jyothirlingams. The Skanda Purana has a chapter called "Srisaila Kandam" dedicated to it, which points to the ancient origin. This is confirmed also by the fact that Tamil saints of the past millennia have sung praises of this temple. It is said that Adi Sankara visited this temple and at that time he composed his "Sivananda Lahiri". Shiva's sacred bull Vrishabha is said to have performed penance at the Mahakali temple till Shiva and Parvati appeared before him as Mallikarjuna and Brahmaramba. The temple is one of the 12 hallowed jyotirlingas; Lord Rama himself installed the Sahasralinga, while the Pandavas lodged the Panchapandava lingas in the temple courtyard.

Andhra Pradesh is home to Hindu saints of all castes. An important backward-caste figure is, Sant Yogi Potuluri Veerabrahmam was a Shudra that even had a Brahmin, Harijan and Muslim disciples. Fisherman Raghu was also a Sudra Sant Kakkayya was a chura (cobbler) Harijan saint.

Several important Hindu modern-day saint are from Andhra Pradesh. These include Nimbarka who founded Dvaitadvaita, Mother Meera who advocated Indian independence and Aurobindo Mission, Bala Sai Baba who advocates religious unity in worship, Satya Sai Baba who does the same, and Swami Sundara Chaitanyanandaji.

His Holiness Satya Sai Baba is from a Shudra fisherman family on 23 November 1926 in Puttaparthi. He is renowned worldwide as a man of peace. He is believed to be the avatar of Shirdi Sai Baba. Sathya Sai Organization has many branches worldwide. Its member are from all religions and seek to establish peace in the world.

His Holiness Swami Sundara Chaitanyanandaji was born on 25 December 1947 in Kattubadipalem village, Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh.

Tiruchanur:

Tiruchanur is the third largest Suburban of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Pilgrimage to Tirupati is incomplete without a visit to Sri Padmavati Ammavari temple at Trichanur. Sri Padmavati is the divine consort of Lord Venkateswara Swamy. As Goddess Padmavati, a manifestation of Goddess Mahalakshmi had risen from Padama mean lotus flower. Goddess Lakshmi gave darshan to Lord Venkateswara on a red Lotus flower in Padma sarovar lake at Tiruchanoor after his deep penance for twelve years. Tiruchanur is also called Alivelumanga Puram is just 5 kilometers away from East Railway station and 6 KM from Renigunta Railway Junction and 11 km from the Airport. At Tiruchanur, Devi is worshiped as the main deity. It also has Urban Haat and Water Sports complex for Tirupati residents. It also has many star hotels and is one of the prime and posh localities in Tirupati where many residential layouts emerged in the last few decades. It is studded with huge apartment complexes and giant size Kalyan mantaps for marriage functions.

Under the rule of Pallavas, this formed a part of Tiruvengadakootam and under the Cholas it became a part of Rajendra Cholamandalam. In the eighth century, the village was totally a Srivaishnava settlement. As Lord Venkateswaras temple at Tirumala was not of easy access, a new temple called Tiruvalankoil was constructed at Tiruchanur to house a representative idol of Lord Srinivasa. At the end of ninth century, the place came under the patronage of Cholas. Shaivism gained support and importance consequently, the temple of Lord Shiva was erected at Jogimalleswaram. Again, with the decline of the Chola power and the rise of Yadavarayas, Sri Vaishnavism regained support and temple was constructed for Goddess Padmavathi.

Srisailam

Srisailam is a holy town and Mandal, situated in Nallamala hills of Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is 232 km south of Hyderabad, on the banks of River Krishna. A famous temple dedicated to Lord Mallikarjuna Swamy and Bhramaramba is located here. Srisailam is one among the various Jyothirlingam of India. A multipurpose dam has been built across River Krishna and caters to the irrigation and power needs of the state. The dam is located about 245 km from HyderabadNandyal. and 132 km from

Temple History:

The origins of this temple have been lost in antiquity. The Skanda Purana has a chapter called Srisaila Kandam dedicated to it, which points to the ancient origin. This is confirmed also by the fact that saints of the past millennia have sung praises of this temple. It is said that Adi Sankara visited this temple and at that time he composed his Sivananda Lahiri.

Srisailam is referenced in the ancient Hindu Puranas, and the epic Mahabharata.

Shiva's sacred bull Vrishabha is said to have performed penance at the Mahakali temple till Shiva and Parvati appeared before him as Mallikarjuna and Brahmaramba. The temple is one of the 12 hallowed jyotirlingas; Lord Rama himself installed the Sahasralinga, while the Pandavas lodged the Panchapandava lingas in the temple courtyard.

Heroic legends from the Mahabharata and Ramayana are sculpted in stone on the temple walls and the Mahabharata epic refers to Srisailam as Sri Parvata - the blessed hill. You can hear the buzzing of a bee through a tiny hole in the Brahmaramba temple, where Parvati, in the form of a bee, slew the demon Mahisasura. It is one of the holiest places that India has to offer.

Bhadrachalam:

Bhadrachalam (Telugu: భద్రాచలము) is a census town in Khammam district, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Bhadrachalam Temple, where the presiding deity is Lord Rama, is an important site of pilgrimage for Hindus. It is situated on the banks of the river Godavari.

The town is connected to other major towns by rail and by road. Bhadrachalam is about 130 kilometres (approx. 82miles) from district head quarters KhammamHyderabad. The nearest railway station to Bhadrachalam is at a distance of 40 kilometres, in a town called Kothagudem. The railway station at Kothagudem was named as Bhadrachalam road due to its proximity to the important pilgrimage center. However, the Kothagudem railway station does not provide access to many important destinations, and hence to travel to other cities such as Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai, etc., the district head quarters, Khammam is the nearest Railway station. Bhadrachalam's name has been derived from "Bhadragiri" (Mountain of Bhadra). and 320 kilometres from

This shrine was built by a devotee of Lord Rama, Kancherla Gopanna popularly known as Bhakta Ramadasu in the 17th century (1630 A. D.). Gopanna was the Tasildar of Bhadrachalam (in the second half of the 17th century) is said to have utilized money from the government treasury to build this temple, and was imprisoned in a dungeon at Golconda. Lord Rama is said to have miraculously given the Sultan the money spent by Gopanna, after which he was released. Gopanna then became Bhadrachala Ramadasa, and went on to compose innumerable number of songs in Telugu in praise of Rama.

For more information on Bhadrachalam, visit www.bhadrachalarama.org