Saturday, December 28, 2013

About Vykuntapuram Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple



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
Mobile: +91 9866194844