Vykuntapuram Sri Venkateswara
Swami Vari Devasthana Sthala Puranam
వైకుంఠపురం శ్రీ వెంకటేశ్వర స్వామి వారి దేవస్థాన స్థల పురాణం
Vykuntapuram is a small village located on the banks of
River Krishna near Amaravati bordering Guntur and Krishna districts. It is
believed that Sri Venkateswara Swami along with wife Alimelu Manga is
self-manifested (“Swayambhu”) on the Krounchagiri Hill at Vykuntapuram.
In the 11th century CE, when Amaravati was
ruled by the Kakatiyas, Venkateswara Swami happened to pass a message to
Brahmin brothers, Chinna Ramana and Pedda Ramana, in their dream stating that “He”
is present in a small cave on a hill northeast of Amaravati. When the brothers
started paving a way onto the hill and through the cave, they discovered the stone
statue of the Lord in the form of “Salagrama Sila” i.e., with a head, a
“Sankham” and a “Chakram”. Later in the 14th century CE, the rulers
of Kondaveedu constructed a “Mukha Mandapam” around the cave and when they
tried to give a complete structure to the Lord’s statue, they encountered incessant
bleeding at the heart of the Lord’s statue. Then the Lord, in the form of
“Aakasavaani”, announced that as he is present in a cosmic form without any
shape, he advised them to worship him in the shapeless stone form and perform a
daily “Archana” to “Him” by plastering the wound with fresh sandalwood
paste.
Later in the year 1750 CE, the then Amaravati King, Raja
Vasireddy Venkatadri Naidu, constructed a full-fledged temple for Sri
Venkateswara Swami along with a “Maharaja Gopuram” (similar to that of the
Lord’s temple in Tirumala) at the foot of the hill. From then on, the village
was aptly named Vykuntapuram. When a cyclone in 1977 wreaked havoc in the Krishna
Delta, the “Maharaja Gopuram” was devastated. And over the years, the stone
steps to climb the hill to reach the main temple have also been ruined.
Adding to the sanctity of Vykuntapuram, River Krishnaveni,
the 3rd longest river in India originating from Mahabaleswar in
Maharashtra on the west and before meeting sea at Hamsaladeevi in Andhra
Pradesh on the east coast, momentarily changes its direction and flows as “Uttara
Vahini” (i.e., flowing in northern direction) after hitting the Krounchagiri
hill. This lends a million-fold potency to Vykuntapuram and makes it a “Maha
Kshetram” similar to Varanasi in the north where holiest of the rivers, Ganges,
flows northwardly. Another similarity that can be drawn to the Varanasi temple
is the presence of eight stone statues of “Anjaneya Swami” protecting the
temple and the Lord in all directions making it “Ashta Digbandhanam”.
As per the “Puranas”, the “snaana sankalpam” at Vykuntapuram
has been said as below:
“Sri Alimelu Manga sameta Sri Venkateswara Swami
charana sannidhou, Bandha-viraama kshetra, Bhairava kshetra, Pancha-Linga
kshetra, Sri Ashta-dikpaalaka Sri Anjaneya Swami charana sannidhou, Akhanda
Krishnaveni Uttara Vahini snaanamaaham karishye”
శ్రీ అలిమేలు మంగా సమేత శ్రీ వెంకటేశ్వర స్వామి చరణ సన్నిధౌ, బంధ విరామ క్షేత్ర, భైరవ క్షేత్ర, పంచ లింగ క్షేత్ర, శ్రీ అష్ట దిక్పాలక శ్రీ ఆంజనేయ స్వామి చరణ సన్నిధౌ, అఖండ కృష్ణవేణి ఉత్తర వాహినీ స్నానమాహం కరిష్యే
Vykuntapuram Temple Steps Renovation Plan
One of the regular devotees at the Sri Venkateswara
Swami temple in Vykuntapuram, Mr. V Kushal Ram (a Retd. Manager in Andhra Bank)
has developed deep affection towards the temple, after having the privilege and
blessings of worshipping the Lord regularly for over 15 years since 1997. As said
in Puranas, “one who contributes to the cause of a temple is bestowed with
divine virtues and blessings”, Mr. Kushal Ram decided to take up the onerous
task of making the Lord more accessible to the devotees by renovating the
hill-steps that were in dilapidated condition after having withstood difficult
weather conditions for about 1000 years.
By October 2012, he formed a core team of like-minded devotees
in himself, Mr. KV Subba Rao (a Retd. Manager in Andhra Bank) and Mr. Kutumba
Rao (a Civil Engineer & Architect). Subsequently the team submitted a
proposal along with estimated cost and due indemnity to the Endowments
Department (ED) of Andhra Pradesh. Soon, the ED provided its approval and No
Objection to go ahead with the plan to be executed in phases over a period of 3
years.
For the Phase 1,
Mr. Kushal Ram was able to raise INR 10
Lakh in donations – 80% of which came from within the family and the
balance from a close group of colleagues in Andhra Bank. The work for Phase 1
started by the end of November 2012 and completed by March 2013. Phase 1
constituted of constructing 72 steps from the bottom of the hill and laying a
cement road for about 200 meters on the way to the top of the hill. About 60%
of the expenditure went towards procuring the material such as pieces of rough Granite
Stone, Sand, Cement, Concrete Chips etc.; Cost of Machine Work was about 25%
and the remainder is the Labour expense. All avenues to save costs were
explored, such as: – procuring Granite Stones from Phirangipuram Quarries near
Narasaraopet at a subsidized rate, Cement from Macherla, Concrete Chips from
Perecharla and Locally available Sand in the Krishna Delta.
Appeal for Donations
After having completed Phase 1 activities successfully with
the Lord’s grace, we have embarked upon the Phase 2 work in December 2013. As
per our estimate, we would need about INR
30 Lakh more to meet the cost demands for remainder of the planned work in
Phases 2 and 3. Hence we hereby seek your unstinted support and generous
donations for this noble and divine cause. Kindly reach out to me over an email
with your name, address and contact details, I shall duly respond with the bank
account and remittance details.
Thanks and Best Regards,
V. Kushal Ram
Email: kushalramv@gmail.com
Mobile: +91 9866194844