Veerabhadra Swamy Temple in Rayachoti of Kadapa district

Veerabhadra Swamy Temple in Rayachoti of Kadapa district having rich historical value is attracting devotees from round the corners of the country. The rich mythological values of the temple enables our new generations to get to know these values through their own senses.

History :
The Veerabhadra swamy temple itself is 1000- years old. It is said that the great King Krishnadevaraya used to camp at Rayachoti whenever he visited Srivari temple at Tirupati. In old Rayachoti near the river to the west of the town is a stone very conspicuously set up, with a Tamil inscription dated S.S. I155 which corresponds to A.D. 1233. It records a grant to a temple by a certain king, but none of the names given can be identified with any place in the vicinity. The king is called Nissankapratapa Raya, lord of Karkatapura. Another inscription of the same date at Abbavaram, a village included in the Rayachoti constituency, mentions the name of another king, Thomba, who was 'first ruling from Kalukatayapuram
and then Marujavaduyandapuram his capital.' It is probable that Karkatapura and Kalukatayapuram refer to the same place and it is possible that Thomba who 'was first ruling' there was expelled there from by Nissankapratapa who calls himself 'lord of Karkatapura.' It is not known to Rayachoti what dynasties  these kings or chiefs belonged.
Events and Festivals:
Every year Sivarathri and Karthika Pournami celebrations are held on a grand scale. Devotees from far off places especially from Karnataka, visit the shrines regularly.
Legend:
Sati was the youngest daughter of Daksha, the chief of the gods. When Sati grew up she set her heart on Shiva, worshipping him in secret. In the Swayamvara of Sati, Daksha invited all gods and princes except Shiva. Sati cast her wreath into air, calling upon Shiva to receive the garland; and behold he stood in midst of the court with the wreath about his neck. Daksha had no choice but to marry Sati with Shiva. One day Daksha made arrangements for a great horse sacrifice, and invited all the gods omitting only Shiva. Sati was enraged by this deliberate exclusion of Shiva and set out to attend, and confront her father Daksha. She instructed her father that Shiva was in fact the Supreme Being of the Universe and demanded her father invite Shiva to no avail. Daksha then went on to insult Shiva; and as Sati's rage at the disrespect toward Shiva peaked, she declared to her father, "I will tolerate no more of your filth" and she released the inner consuming fire and fell dead at Daksha's feet. Then Sarvajna Lord Shiva came to know about this incident through meditation and became furious at the non-righteous yagna. Shiva burned with anger, and tore a lock of hair , glowing with energy in Kailasa. At that moment, was born the son of lord shiva, lord Veerabhadra, the destroyer of ajnana, sprang from it, his tall body reached the high heavens, he was dark as the clouds, he had a thousand arms, three burning eyes and fiery hair; he wore a garland of skulls and carried terrible weapons. Veerabhadra bowed at Shiva's feet and asked his will.
Destroyer of Daksha Virabhadra with Daksha Lord Veerabhadra of Yadur, Dist Belgaum “ Maheshwara replied, 'Spoil the sacrifice of Daksha'. Then the mighty Virabhadra, having heard the pleasure of his lord, bowed down his head to the feet of Shiva; and starting like a lion loosed from bonds, despoiled the sacrifice of Daksha, knowing that this had been created by the displeasure of Devi. She too in her wrath, as the fearful goddess Rudrakali accompanied him, with all her train, to witness his deeds. - Vayu Purana ” Shiva directed Virabhadra: "Lead my army against Daksha and destroy his sacrifice; fear not the Brahmanas, for thou art a portion of my very self". On this direction of Shiva, Virabhadra appeared with Shiva's ganas in the midst of Daksha's assembly like a storm and broke the sacrificial vessels, polluted the offerings, insulted the priests and finally cut off Daksha's head, trampled on Indra, broke the staff of Yama, scattered the gods on every side; then he returned to Kailash. When confronted with Vishnu, according to Skanda Purana, Vīrabhadra defeats Vishnu which seems improbable since Lord Vishnu is the killer of Demons. The Srimad Bhagavatam makes a mention about this pastime according to Srila AC BV Swami Prabhupada.
Temple Timings
Morning: 5am to 11 am
Evening: 4 pm to 8 pm
Lodging and Boarding
Temple guest houses near temple and few hotels near bus stand. By Road Rayachoti is on NH 18 and is well connected to Hyderabad Chennai and Bangalore. The nearest railway station is Kalikiri on the Pakala-Dharmavaram line twenty-eight miles to the south. The distance to Kadapa on the north is 33 miles (48 KM), and Rajampet and Kadiri lie some thirty five miles east and west respectively.
By Rail
Rayachoti is on NH 18 and is well connected to Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore. The nearest railway station is Kalikiri on the Pakala Dharmavaram line twenty-eight miles to the south. The distance to Kadapa on the north is 33 miles (48 KM), and Rajampet and Kadiri lie some thirty five miles east and west respectively.

Kadapa writer apprises President of his works

Hearty congratulations to Vempalli Gangadhar for his achievement.

Kadapa writer and Central Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar recipient Vempalli Gangadhar had the privilege of interacting with President Pranab Mukherjee for about an hour in Rashtrapati Bhavan at New Delhi about his literary pursuit .

Dr. Gangadhar, who has been a guest in Rashtrapati Bhavan from September 8 onwards, on being invited by the First Citizen of the country for a fortnight-long “in-residence programme”, said he explained to the President about the books written by him in Telugu portraying the social problems prevalent in drought-prone Rayalaseema region.

The young writer presented his books - Molakala Punnami, Devarasila and Greeshma Bhoomi (compilations of short stories), Pune Prayanam (on tribal women pushed into flesh trade) , Hiranya Rajyam (consequences of factionalism in Rayalaseema), Nela Digina Vaana (novel) and Tholi Telugu Sasanam (First Telugu Inscription) - to Mr. Pranab Mukherjee. The President congratulated Dr. Gangadhar for his literary efforts to portray the conditions in Rayalaseema.

Another writer Yishey Doma Bhutia of Sikkim also presented her books to the President. Two painters Rahool Saksena and Pratap Sudhir Morey were also among the invitees for the “in-residence programme

Experience of the young writer in Rashtrapati Bhavan

Upcoming writer Vempalli Gangadhar, who bagged the ‘Yuva Puraskar’ award from the Central Sahitya Akademi for his work ‘Molakala Punnami’, feels thrilled at his stay in the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official accommodation of the first citizen in New Delhi.

Dr.Gangadhar is one of the two writers from the country to receive the rare invitation from Rashtrapati Bhavan under the ‘In-Residence Programme’ from September 8 to 26, the other being Yishey Doma Bhutia from Gangtok (Sikkim), representing the English literary stream. Rashtrapati Bhavan launched the programme last year to inspire creative thinking in writers and artistes, by letting them live in the picturesque surroundings.

A native of Kadapa, Dr. Gangadhar pursued research from Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati. His M.Phil was on the topic ‘Rayalaseema Kakshala Katha - Oka Pariseelana’, while he did his Ph.D. on ‘Rayalaseema Katha Sahityam - Oka Pariseelana’.

The author of an impressive array of literary works, including ‘Kathanam’, ‘Pune Prayanam’, ‘Devarasila’, ‘Nela Digina Vaana’, ‘Hiranya Rajyam’, ‘Tholi Telugu Sasanam’, has two dozen awards and recognitions to his credit.

“But this invite is matchless, especially when it came to just two of us from among over a thousand applicants. Equally thrilling is the interaction with none other than President Dr. Pranab Mukherjee,” he toldThe Hindufrom Delhi. With the Presidential bodyguards around, the young writers have been given access to the polo ground, sports complex, museum etc. situated in the sprawling compound.

Vempalli Gangadhar is one of the two writers from the country to receive the invitation from Rashtrapati Bhavan under the
‘In-Residence Programme.’

Pushpagiri kadapa

The pushpagiri mountain near Pennar river attracts many tourist from various parts of country mainly from Andhrapradesh Karnataka, Tamilnadu.There are temples of Sri Kamaleswara, Sri Hachaleswara and Sri Pallaveswara in pushpagiri mountains. The main attraction of Sri Chennakesava Swamy temple dedicated to Lord Mahavishnu on the opposite bank of the Pennar

Pushpagiri Temple History:
pushpagiri Templepushpagiri Temple is a Advaita philosophy, popular as second Hampi, with 17 ancient temples history of the 11th to 16th century in Vallur mandal, regarding 15 km. from Kadapa, nearest Pennar river. The bridge of 285 metres length and a pair of.50 metres breadth, calculable to price Rs. 5 crore, was approved by the regime beneath the Heritage business Circuit programme from Sri Kamakshi Vaidyanatha Swamy temple, pushpagiri temple on the rivers of Pennar river to Sri Hindu deity Chennakesava Swamy temple on the opposite bank, superintending engineer of panchayet rule S. Jagath Kumar told The Hindu . The 20-km travel from the Sri Lakshmi Chennakesava Swamy temple to succeed in Sri Kamakshi Vaidyanatha Swamy temple, pushpagiri temple by road, while not venturing to cross Pennar river that has many whirlpools, would be bog down to half km. as a result of the bridge.

The puspagiri temple pilgrim centre brims with devotees during Sivarathri and Vaikuntha Ekadasi. Pushpagiri has a Trikooteswara shrine opposite the Pushpagiri Matham, pushpagiri temple. There are temples of Sri Kamaleswara, Sri Hachaleswara and Sri Pallaveswara geological dating to 1255 AD. The Sri Bhimeswara temple has figures of elephants, lions and sages and also the ceiling is adorned with lozenge style with a lotus medallion within the centre and its entrance has parapet walls lined by elephant heads with long trunks. Sri Kamakshi Vaidyanatha Swamy temple dates back to the Chola period.

The main attraction of Sri Chennakesava Swamy temple dedicated to Lord Mahavishnu on the opposite bank of the Pennar, which might be reached by crossing a shallow pool of water with a flight of steps and an attractive gopuram entranceway, is that the sacred Amrit Sarovar.

This pool is believed to own charming powers to reverse ageing, as legend has it that once Garuda was carrying nectar from Indraloka, a drop fell in it and was a sacred pool.

Narrative sculpture of Pushpagiri Temple:

Pushpagiri has ancient temples of Sri Indranatheswara, Sri Rudrapaada, Sri Vishnupaada, Sri Bhimeswara, Sri Saakshi Malleswara geological dating to the 10th century. The temples of Sri Uma Maheswara, Sri Santana Malleswara and Sri Lakshmi Chennakesava Swamy abound in narrative sculpture of the Vijayanagara kingdom from epics just like the Ramayana, Mahabharatum and Bhagavatam, besides Saivite mythology. Pushpagiri that derives its name from hills showing sort of a flower, finds a mention within the Sundarakanda of saint Valmiki’s Ramayanam and had 101 temples in earlier period.

SHILPARAMAM-KADAPA

Shilparamam, a crafts village, conceived in the year 2009, is situated near RIMS hospital.
Sprawling over 72 acres of land in Kadapa city of India. Shilparamam gives a scenic ambience of tradition and cultural heritage. For promotion and preservation of Indian arts and crafts and to motivate the artisans, the state government established this platform. Enchanting the blend of arts and artifact,epitomizing the true legacy with the dsiverse natural beauty of rural India; Shilparamam is tribute to Andhra Pradesh. Exhibiting the rustic
richness and creativity of Rayalaseema, it has captivated the imagination of visitors.
The lush and serene environment of Shilparamam is sculpted with woodwork, jewellry, cloths and local crafts of each region of the country. Showcasing a plethora of artistic ethos, Shilparamam is set amidst gardens, cascading waterfalls and natural hills.
Shiparamam Arts, Crafts and Cultural Society built at a cost of Rs. 12 crores. An amphi theatre (traditional ‘kala vedika') constructed in the first phase.
The amphi theatre can accommodate an audience of 1,500 persons. A multi-purpose function hall also built for marriages and traditional ceremonies. An art gallery, food courts and lawns are available. A boats club, artistic and shopping complex are also there.
Products manufactured by rural artisans would be exhibited and sold in the shilparamam.

Sri Chennakesavaswami Temple, Tallapaka

Sri Chennakesavaswami Temple, Tallapaka

Sri Annamacharya's birth place Tallapaka is also famous for lord Sri Chennakesavaswami.
Sri Chennakesavaswami Temple is located in Tallapaka village at a distance of 100 km from Tiurpati which is the birth place of Sri Annamacharya, the Sankeertana Acharyulu who was born to Sri Narayanasuri and Lakkamamba.
According to legend, the temple was constructed and administered by the Matti Rajas about 1000 years ago.

The sub-temples of Sri Chennakesavaswami Temple are:

Sri Kamakshi Sameta Sri Siddeswaraswami Temple
Sri Gopalaswami Sameta Chakrathalwar Temple

Brahmotsavam is conducted every year during Sri Chennakesavaswami and Sri Kamakshi Sameta Sri Siddeswaraswami. Annamacharya Jayanthi and Vardhanti Utsavams are conducted every year.