Holy Pilgrimage –
Bhadrachalam
Bhadrachalam (Telugu: భద్రాచలము), is a Municipality
in Khammam district, in the state of Andhra Pradesh,
India.
It is located 312 kilometres (194 mi) east of state capital, Hyderabad.
It is situated on the banks of the river Godavari,
is an important site of pilgrimage for Hindus.
Here the presiding deity is Lord Rama.
History
Bhadrachalam[1] town has a documented
history
of Lord Sri Rama
temple constructed in the year 17th Century CE (nearly 370 years ago) The
present town is situated in an area, which once formed part of the Dandakaranya
forest,said to be visited by Sri Rama,Sita and Lakshmana during their exile
(vanavasam). The jungle in the vicinity of the temple was the actual site of
Rama's retreat and it was at the Parnasala
(32 km from here) that he built a hut for himself and Sita and from where
Sita was abducted by Ravana.The history of this shrine stands for the significance of Ramayana Era, and vicinity of the temple had its incongruous add mixture of another story which depicts the exigency of " Sri Mahavishnu " to manifest himself as Rama long after Ramavatara was to fulfill his promise to his Bhakta Bhadra (a mountain king), a sage who had been continuing the frightened penance to get grace of Lord Rama. The name Bhadrachalam derived from Bhadragiri (
The temple at Bhadrachalam has the Archa Murthys of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana and are considered to be Swayambhu (self-manifested ones).Lord Sri Rama appeared in a dream to a woman called Pokala Dammakka and informed here about the existence of vigrahas on Bhadragiri hills. To her surprise she found the "Vigraha's" and put up a modest structure. Dhammakka, cleared jungle and offered puja to the deities.
Bhakta Ramadas and Construction
of Temple
Kancherla Gopanna (c 1620 - 1680 CE), popularly known as Bhadradri Ramadasu or Bhadrachala
Ramadasu, was a 17th century Indian
devotee of Rama
and a composer of Carnatic music.[2]
He lived in the Ramadasu[3] under the guidance of Pokala Dammakka built the temple at Bhadrachalam. His devotional lyrics to Rama are famous in South Indian classical music as Ramadaasu Keertanalu. He also wrote Dasarathi Shatakamu with a 'makuTamu' 'Dasaradhee Karuna payonidhi' , a collection of nearly 108 poems dedicated to the son of Dasaratha (Lord Rama).
Bhadrachalam Temple Details
Bhadrachalam
is considered as a sacred place and the second famous Lord Rama Kshetra after Ayodhya
in India
Sri Lakshmana Sametha Seeta Ramachandra Swamy, Bhadrachalam.The speciality of this temple is the main Deity faces westside towards river
The Sikhara is crowned with Sudarsana Chakra, which Ramadas got from the
Another Unique feature of this
2. Sri Annapurna
Kasi Vishweswara Swamy (Lord Shiva)
In the above
two temples also the main Deities are also West Faced towards river Ramadasu Dhyanamandiram, a Meditation Hall, which is located in top hill. It provides a Panoramic view of the curve's of River Godavari and the complete view of Bhadrachalam town,one can see and read the Ramayanam inscribed on stone plates at this hall.
Festivals at
Bhadrachalam
Two festivals
are most important here at Bhadrachalam -- Annual Kalyanotsavam on the
eve of Sri Rama navami, during Sri Rama Navami(march-April) there is a
huge influx of pilgrims not only from Andhra districts, but also from
other distant places to attend the wedding of Lord Rama with Sita.
- Vaikunta Ekadasi (Mukkoti).
Sree Seetaramachandra swamy will give darshan through the Vaikuntha dwaram
on the eve of Mukkoti(December–January).
Geography
Bhadrachalam
is located at 17.67°N 80.88°E.[4]
It has an average elevation of 50 metres (164 feet).
Demographics
As of 2008
Location
Bhadrachalam
is located in Khammam District, Andhra Pradesh
at a distance of over 309 km slightly northeast of Hyderabad.
Situated on the banks of Bhadrachalam is about 130 kilometres (approx. 82miles) from district headquarters Khammam. The nearest railway station to Bhadrachalam is at a distance of 40 kilometers, in a town called Kothagudem. The railway station was named as
In 1959 Bhadrachalam Revenue Division consisting of Bhadrachalam and Nuguru Venkatapuram Taluks of East Godavari district, which were on the other side of the river Godavari were merged into Khammam on grounds of geographical contiguity and administrative viability.
How to reach Temple
Town Bhadrachalam
By bus
From Khammam,
It is better to go catch a Bus for Bhadrachalam. Direct rail connectivity from
khammam doesn't exists. 2.5 Hours journey from Khammam to Bhadrachalam by bus.
By train
Khammam to
Badhrachalam_Road a passenger train does its service(Train No. 57254). From
Badhrachalam_Road every 15 min a bus service available to Badhrachalam town.
Parnasala
Parnasala (Telugu: పర్ణశాల) is a Village situated in the Dummugudem
mandal in the Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh,
India.[1]
The village is accessible by road and boats and is situated 32 km from the
temple town of Bhadrachalam.
Geography
Parnasala is
located at 17.9333°N 80.9000°E.[ It has an
average elevation of 55 metres (183 ft).
Legend
According to
legend, it is said the "Lord Sri Rama " spent some of
the 14 years of exile at this location. The locals believe that Sita, the beloved consort
of "Lord Sri Rama" bathed in the stream here and dried her clothes on
"Radhagutta" where the imprints are seen even today. The demon king
"Ravana"
parked his Pushpaka
on the hillock on the opposite side of the river and abducted her. An earthen
ditch reportedly caused when Ravana
removed earth to carry off Sita to Lanka
can be seen here. Another Hindu myth names Parnashala as the location where
Rama killed Maricha,
who came in disguise of a golden deer to deceive Sita.
Kancherla Gopanna
Kancherla Gopanna (Telugu: కంచెర్ల గోపన్న) (c 1620 - 1680 CE),
popularly known as Bhadradri Ramadasu
or Bhadrachala Ramadasu(Telugu:
భద్రాచల రామదాసు), was a 17th century Indian devotee of Rama and a composer of Carnatic music.[1]
He is one among the famous vaggeyakaras (same person being the writer and
composer of a song) in the Telugu language, the others being Tyagaraja,
Annamayya, Kshetryya. He lived in the village of Nelakondapalli
near Bhadrachalam,
Andhra Pradesh
during the 17th century and is renowned for constructing a famous temple for Rama at Bhadrachalam.
His devotional lyrics to Rama
are famous in South Indian classical music as Ramadaasu Keertanalu. Even
the doyen of South Indian classical music Saint Thyagaraja learned and later
improved the style now considered standard krithi form of music composition.He
also wrote Dasarathi Shatakamu with a
'makuTamu' 'Dasaradhee Karuna
payonidhi' ( a collection of nearly 108 poems dedicated to the son of Dasaratha
(Lord Rama)
Early life and
background
Ramadasu was
born Kancherla Goparaju in an affluent Telugu Nandvarika Brahmin family to
Linganna Murthy and Kamamba in Nelakondapalli village of Khammamett Taluk
(Warangal Division of erstwhile Hyderabad State)of northern Andhra Pradesh
(Deccan region).
Career
Ramadasu was
appointed as the Tahsildar (revenue collector) of 'Palvoncha Paragana' by
Akkanna, his uncle and the administrative head in the court of Qutub Shahi
Sultan Abul Hassan Tana Shah. He discharged his
official duties earnestly and collected revenues due to the Sultan - while
continuing his unswerving service to Lord Rama by chanting his name and feeding
the poor.
Reconstruction of Temple
One day, he
visited Bhadrachalam for a Jatara
(fair) and was disturbed by the dilapidated state of the temple there.
Bhadrachalam was significant to devotees of Rama for many reasons. Lord Rama is
said to have stayed near the Parnasala there with Sita and Lakshmana
during his exile and also to have visited Sabari near
Badrachalam. Pothana
is believed to have been given direction by Rama to translate the Bhagavata Purana
into Telugu here. In spite of its significance, the
temple was utterly neglected. So, Ramadasu started to raise funds for the
renovation and reconstruction of the temple. After he emptied his coffers and
could raise no more money, the villagers appealed him to spend his revenue
collections for the reconstruction and promised to repay the amount after
harvesting crops. As such, Ramadas finished the reconstruction of the temple with
six hundred thousand rupees collected from land revenues - without the
permission of the Abul Hasan Qutb Shah.As the temple was nearing completion, he was perplexed one night about fixing the Sudarshana Chakra at the crest of the main temple. On the same night, it is believed that he saw Rama in his dream and asked him to have a holy dip in the Godavari River. When Gopanna did so the next day, he found the holy Sudarshana Chakra in the river very easily.
Incarceration
Soon after
the reconstruction though, his miseries started. He was dismissed from his job
for misusing the Sultan Abul Hasan Qutb Shah's revenues and was
imprisoned in the Golconda Fort[2]
(near Hyderabad) with orders that he be released
only after the exchequer received all the taxes in full. Ramadas implores Rama
through many emotional songs that were popularized from the stanzas of
'Dasaradhi Sathakam ' and 'Keertanas' of Bhakta Ramadasa. They praise the Lord
for all his mysterious ways in popularizing his devotees and Ramadasu regularly
sings the Lord. The songs ended in a state of total and unconditional surrender
to the will of the Almighty.After 11–12 years of imprisonment, Lord Rama decided that his devotee's suffering had reached its pre-ordained ending (because of a certain transgression his soul had committed in a previous birth). Lord Rama and Lakshmana, disguised as two young warriors, entered the bed-chambers of the Sultan Tana Shah in the middle of the night. They presented themselves as Ramoji and Lakshmoji and gave the king six lakh gold coins imprinted with Rama's own seal in return for the spent six lakh silver coins. The Sultan was bewildered at the presence of these charming but strange youngsters in his inner quarters at late night irrespective of tight security. They demanded and obtained on the spot, a written receipt for the money. The receipt was shown to the jailer who released Gopanna the same night. The next day, both Gopanna and the Sultan realized what had happened. Gopanna did not care much for his release but was inconsolable at his not having seen his Lord even with all his devotion while the Sultan was visited by the Lord. The Lord then appeared to Gopanna in a dream and explained him the real reasons for his actions and promised him salvation at the end of his natural life. The king was convinced that what had happened was a miracle of Lord Sri Rama. He returned the entire money to the Bhadracalam temple. Since then, it has been the royal custom of the Hyderabad State (now part of
Carnatic compositions
Ramadasu
composed nearly 300 songs[4]- Tarakamantramu in Dhanyasi
- Ye Teeruga Nanu in
Nadanamakriya
- Adigo Bhadradri in Varali
- Anta Ramamayam in Mohanam
[5]
- O Rama ni namamu in Poorvi
Kalyani[6]
- Paluke bangara mayena in Ananda
Bhairavi
67. Ryali
Devotees believe that praying at the Lord Jagan Mohini Keshava Swamy temple in Ryali will bestow professional success, particularly in case of job transfers.
Jagan Mohini
Many different legends tell of her various exploits and marriages, including union with Shiva. These tales relate, among other things, the birth of the god Shasta and the destruction of Bhasmasura, the ash-demon. Mohini’s main modus operandi is to trick or beguile those she encounters. She is worshipped throughout Indian culture, but mainly in
The central icon of the Jaganmohini-Kesava Swany temple at Ryali, discovered buried underground by the king in the 11th century, represents the male Vishnu in the front, while the back of the icon is the female Jagan-Mohini ("one who deludes the world") or Mohini, with a female hairdo and figure. A Sthala Purana tells that the flower in Mohini's hair fell at Ryali ("fall" in Telugu) when Mohini was being chased by Shiva
Etymology
The name Mohini
comes from the verb root moha, meaning "to enchant, perplex, or
disillusion,"[1][2]
and literally means "delusion personified." In the Baiga
culture of
Legends and history
The earliest
reference to a Mohini-type goddess appears in the Samudra manthan
episode of the 5th century BCE Hindu epic Mahabharata.[5]
The Amrita, or nectar of immortality, is produced by the churning of the Ocean of Milk.
The Devas (demi-gods) and the Asuras (demons) fight over
its possession.[6]
The Asuras contrive to keep the Amrita for themselves, angering the Devas.
Vishnu, wise to their plan, assumes the form of an "enchanting
damsel". She uses her allure to trick the Asuras into giving her the
Amrita, and then distributes it amongst the Devas. Rahu, an Asura, disguises
himself as a god and tries to drink some Amrita himself. Surya (the sun-god) and Chandra
(the moon-god) quickly inform Vishnu, and he uses the Sudarshana Chakra
(the divine discus) to decapitate Rahu, leaving the head immortal.[7]
The decapitated body becomes Ketu. Rahu and Ketu are both regarded as
celestial bodies that assume one's destiny. The other major Hindu epic Ramayana
(4 century BCE) narrates the Mohini story briefly in the Bala Kanda
chapter.[8]
This same tale is also recounted in the Vishnu Purana
four centuries later.[9]In the original text, Mohini is referred to as simply an enchanting, female form of Vishnu. In later versions, Mohini is described as the maya (illusion) of Vishnu. Later still, the name of the avatar becomes Mohini from the original phrase describing his deliberate false appearance (mayam ashito mohinim).[10] Once the Mohini legend became popular, it was retold, revised, and expanded in several texts. The tales of Mohini-Vishnu also increased among devotional circles in various regions.[11][12] The same expanded Mahabharata version of the story is also recounted in the Bhagavata Purana in the 10th century CE.[13][14][15] Here, Mohini becomes a formal avatar of Vishnu.[16]
This legend is also retold in the Padma Purana[16] and Brahmanda Purana. In the Brahmanda Purana, however, Vishnu-Mohini simply, after mediation upon the Great Goddess Maheshvari, acquires her form to trick the thieving asuras.[12]
Slayer of demons
Mohini also
has an active history in the destruction of demons throughout Hindu texts. In
the Vishnu Purana, Mohini defeats Bhasmasura,
the "ash-demon".[17]
Bhasmasura invokes the god Shiva by performing severe penances. Shiva, pleased
with Bhasmasura, grants him the power to turn anyone into ashes by touching their
head. The demon decides to try the power on Shiva himself. Shiva runs
terrified. Vishnu, witnessing the unfortunate turn of events, transforms into
Mohini and charms Bhasmasura. Bhasmasura is so taken by Mohini that he asks her
to marry him. Mohini agrees, but only on the condition that Bhasmasura follows
her move for move in a dance. In the course of the dance, she places her hand
on her head. Bhasmasura mimics the action, and in turn, reduces himself to
ashes.[18]
The legend of Bhasmasura is retold in the Buddhist text Satara Dewala Devi
Puvata, with a slight variation. In this tale, Vishnu assumes his female
form (the name "Mohini" is not used) and charms Bhasmasura. The
female Vishnu asks Bhasmasura to promise never to leave her by taking his hand
on his head as per the usual practice to swear on one's head. On doing so,
Bhasmasura is reduced to ashes.[19]In a similar legend related to birth of Ayyappa, the demon Surpanaka earns the power to turn anyone into ashes by his austerities. The tale mirrors all other aspects of the Buddhist version of the Bhasmasura tale, where he is forced by Mohini to severe fidelity by keeping his hand on his head and is burnt.[20]
The prelude of the Ramakien, the Thai version of the Ramayana, the demon Nontok is charmed and killed by Mohini-Vishnu. Nontok misuses a divine weapon given to him by Shiva. The four-armed Mohini-Vishnu enchants Nontok and then attacks him. In his last moments, the demon accuses Vishnu of foul play saying that Vishnu first seduced him and then attacked him. Vishnu decrees that in his next birth, Nontok will be born as the ten-armed demon Ravana and Vishnu will be a mortal man called Rama. He will then fight him and defeat him.[21]
In a lesser-known tale in the Ganesha Purana (900—1400CE) the wise asura king Virochana is rewarded a magical crown by the sun-god Surya. The crown shields him against all harm. Vishnu as Mohini then enchants Virochana and steals his crown. The demon, thus unprotected, is killed by Vishnu.[22]
Another legend about the demon Araka associates Mohini with Krishna rather than the god himself. The demon Araka had become virtually invincible because he had never laid eyes on a woman (extreme chastity).
Relationship with
Shiva
In the Bhagavata
Purana, after Vishnu deceives the demons by his maya female form, Shiva
wishes to see the bewildering Mohini again. When Vishnu agrees and reveals his
Mohini form, Shiva runs crazily behind Mohini, "bereft of shame and robbed
by her of good sense," while the abandoned wife Parvati (Uma) looks on.
Shiva is overcome by Kāma
(love and desire or Kamadeva, the god of love and desire). His
"unfailing" seed escapes like that of "a love-maddened elephant
chasing a desiring female" and falls on ground creating ores of silver and
gold. Afterwards, Vishnu comes to his true form and reveals that his maya
(illusory power) can not be surpassed even by Shiva. Shiva then extols Vishnu's
power.[13][26]The Tripurarahasya, a south Indian Shakta text, retells the story, giving more importance to the Goddess. When Shiva wishes to see Vishnu's Mohini form again, Vishnu fears that he may be burned to ashes like Kamadeva by the ascetic Shiva. So, Vishnu prays to goddess Tripura, who grants half of her beauty to Vishnu, begetting the Mohini-form. As Shiva touches Mohini, his seed spills, indicating a loss of the merit gained through of all his austerities.[27]
In the Brahmanda Purana when the wandering sage Narada tells Shiva about Vishnu's Mohini form that deluded the demons, Shiva dismisses him. Shiva and his wife Parvati go to Vishnu's home. Shiva asks him to take on the Mohini form again so he can see the actual transformation for himself. Vishnu smiles, again mediates on the Goddess, and in place of Vishnu stands the gorgeous Mohini. Overcome by lust, Shiva chases Mohini as Parvati hangs her head in shame and envy. Shiva grabs Mohini's hand and embraces her, but Mohini frees herself and runs further. Finally, Shiva grabs her and their "violent coupling" leads to discharge of Shiva's seed which falls "short of its goal," suggesting the act was not consummated. The seed falls on the ground and the god Maha-Shasta ("The Great Chastiser") is born. Mohini disappears, while Shiva returns home with Parvati.[28][29]
Shasta is identified primarily with two regional deities: Ayyappa from Kerala and the Tamil Aiyanar. He is also identified with the classical Hindu gods Skanda and Hanuman.[30] In the later story of the origin of Ayyappa, Shiva impregnates Mohini, who gives birth to Ayyappa. They abandon Ayyappa in shame. The legend highlights Vishnu's protests to be Mohini again and also notes that Ayyappa is born of Vishnu's thigh as Mohini does not have a real womb.[31] Another variant says that instead of a biological origin, Ayyappa sprang from Shiva's semen, which he ejaculated upon embracing Mohini.[32] Ayyappa is referred to as Hariharaputra, "the son of Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara)", and grows up to be a great hero.
In the Agni Purana, as the enchanted Shiva follows Mohini, drops of his semen fall on the ground and become lingas, Shiva's symbols. His semen also generates the monkey-god Hanuman, who helps Vishnu's avatar Rama in his fight against Ravana in the Ramayana.[34] The Shiva Purana says that by the mere glimpse of Mohini, Shiva spurts out his seed. The seed was collected and poured into the ear of Anjani, who gave birth to Hanuman, an incarnation of Shiva.[35] The latter is retold in the Thai and Malaysian version of the Ramayana.[36] Though Hanuman springs from Shiva's seed, he is also considered as a combined son of Vishnu and Shiva.[17]
The Buddhist version of the Bhasmasura tale continues with Shiva (Ishvara) asking the female-Vishnu, who is seated on a swing, to marry him. She asks Shiva to get the permission of his wife Umayangana to take her home. Shiva returns with Umayangana's consent to find the female-Vishnu pregnant, who sends him back to get permission to bring a pregnant woman home. When he returns, a child is born and female-Vishnu is pregnant again. She requests Shiva to seek approval to bring a pregnant woman with a child home. This happens six more times. Finally, Shiva brings Umayangana with him to witness the miraculous woman. Vishnu then returns to his male form. Umayangana embraces the six youngest children merging them into the six-headed Skanda, while the eldest, named Aiyanayaka ("eldest brother") remains intact.[19] Aiyanayaka is identified with Aiyanar.
The rare instance where an "explicit, male homosexual act" is suggested is in a Telugu text where when Shiva is busy lovemaking with Mohini-Vishnu, the latter returns to his original form and still the lovemaking continues.[24]
Mohini plays a lesser role in a Shaiva legend in the Skanda Purana. Here, Vishnu as Mohini joins Shiva to teach a lesson to arrogant sages. A group of sages are performing rituals in a forest, and start to consider themselves as gods. To humble them, Shiva takes the form of an attractive young beggar (Bhikshatana) and Vishnu becomes Mohini, his wife. While the sages fall for Mohini, their women wildly chase Shiva. When they regain their senses, they perform a black magic sacrifice, which produces a serpent, a lion, an elephant (or tiger) and a dwarf, all of which are overpowered by Shiva. Shiva then dances on the dwarf and takes the form of Nataraja, the cosmic dancer.[37] The legend is retold in the Tamil Kovil Puranam and Kandha Puranam with some variation.[27][35][38] This legend is also told in the Sthala Purana related to the Chidambaram Temple dedicated to Shiva-Nataraja.[39]
Another legend from the Linga Purana says that the embracing of love-struck Shiva and Mohini led to be their merging into one body. At this moment, Mohini became Vishnu again, resulting the composite deity Harihara, whose right side of the body is Shiva and left side is Vishnu in his male form.[40][41] In the temple in Sankarnayinarkovil near Kalugumalai is one of the rarest exceptions to iconography of Harihara (Sankara-Narayana). The deity is depicted similar to the Ardhanari, the composite form of Shiva-Parvati, where right side of the body is the male Shiva and left side is female. This image's female side represents Mohini and it, as a whole, symbolizes the union of Shiva and Mohini.[42] In a Harihara image, the Shiva side has an erect phallus (urdhva linga) and relates to Shiva's love to his left side Vishnu-Mohini.[43] The influence of Shakta traditions on Shaiva ones may have led to the development of composite images like Harihara, where Vishnu is identified with Shiva's consort, or Mohini.[44] Like the Kanda Puranam narrative, the Shaiva saint Appar identifies Vishnu as Parvati (Uma), the female counterpart of Shiva
Transport to Ryali
Ryali is situated in East Godavari Dt in AP, which is nearer to
By Rail and Road the pilgrims can reach Rajahmundry (which is very
popular historicalloy)
and from Rajahmundry by road it is reachable. And also from,
Tanuku, Tadepalligudem,( which are West Godavari Districts and Kakinada (which is also East Godavari Dt) by
road it is convenient to reach Ryali. From Vijayawada also by Road, this
pilgrimage centre can be reached.
(Continued...)
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