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ToggleSri Konetiraya Swamy Temple - Location
The Seven Hills of Tirumala, the abode of Lord Venkateswara are renowned as Golden Threshold to Vaikunta. Lord has been accredited as God in Kaliyuga who accomplishes the turbulences of mankind, attends to the clarion calls of the devotees, and the pandal of dreams of those who seek Him. Keelapatla is one of the Sacred places situated in Chittoor District.
The Lord is named as Sri Konetiraya Swamy in Keelapatla accepting the obeisance of his devotees.
The Legends
Once Brughu Maharshi visited the Trinity to decide to whom the sacrifices of the ‘yagna’ should be offered. Firstly, he visited Lord Brahma in Satya Loka. Lord Brahma did not mind him. Secondly, Brughu visited Lord Siva in Kailasam and thought that He was not appropriate to receive the offerings of the yagna as he had the same experience got in Satya Loka. Finally, he arrived in Vaikunta and noticed that his visit was ignored by Lord Vishnu too as the Lord was busy conversing with Sri Lakshmi.
The Maharshi got angry and kicked Lord Vishnu on His chest, the abode of Goddess Lakshmi. Without getting annoyed with the actions of the sage, the Lord requested the sage to sit beside Him and gently pressed the sole mentioning that his foot was hurt because he kicked Him.
Speaking to the sage smoothly, He smashed the third eye located in the sole. Thus the arrogance of the sage has vanished. The sage realized his mistake and prayed to the Lord to excuse him for his misdeed.
He realized that Lord Vishnu is the Supreme God to accept the fruits of the yagna as He is ‘Yagna Purusha’ and he informed the other sages in Bhooloka and also requested them to advise him how to get rid of the sin accredited to him because of his wicked action of kicking Lord Vishnu.
The sage Koundinya advised him to consecrate the idol of Lord Venkateswara in seven places. Accordingly, the sage did so. One such place was Keelapatla.
Lord Venkateswara was not visible to normal mankind except to those who adored him with great devotion. He is called ‘Bhakta Sulabhudu.’ There is another legend behind the perceptibility of the Lord to all his devotees. Lord Venkateswara spent considerable time in Narayanavanam, His father- in-law’s place after marrying Padmavathi Devi, the daughter of Akasaraju.
Thereafter he left for Tirumala Hills along with His consort, Padmavathi Devi.
But, the sage Agastya advised them that the newly- wedded couple should not climb the hills and hence Lord spent some time in Srinivasa Mangapuram. During this time, the Lord and Padmavathi Devi were visiting the nearby places. They arrived in Keelapatla and spent some time there. Having come to know that the Lord was in their place, the sages approached Him with prayers and requested Him to stay there.
The Lord informed them that His soul was in the nearby tank and advised them to sanctify it and pray. The rishis found the idol of the Lord in the tank, picked it, established it there, and started performing pujas. This is how the Lord got the name of Sri Konetiraya Swamy as he was found in a lake.
The History of the Temple
The temple in Keelapatla was constructed by Pallava kings during the ninth and tenth centuries B.C. The magnificent pillars, arches, halls, and idols made of extreme architectural skills are still found even today. Subsequently, the kings of Vijayanagara visited the temple and obtained the grace of the Lord.
They contributed much to the improvement of the temple. This temple was under the supervision of the family of Punganur. In 2012, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam had taken the responsibility of the temple and adorned in a grand manner.
The history also reveals that Sri Annamacharya, the doyen of ‘sankeerthanas’ also visited this place. There is also a feeling that Sri Annamacharya wrote the song, “Kondalalo nelakonna koneti rayudu” after visiting this temple.
The Magnificent temple in a magnificent place
Sri Konetiraya Swamy temple in Keelapatla is spread in a spacious place depicts a mesmerising look. We can see Rajagopuram at the temple entrance. This gopuram has five floors and on the top of it, there are seven kalasas. One can see the main temple, opposite Balipeetam, Dwajastambam, Garuda Mandapam the moment one enters the temple through the main entrance.
The main temple has sanctum sanctorum. The statues of Jaya and Vijaya are placed on either side of the entrance. The sanctorum will be shining with the idol of Lord Sri Konetiraya Swamy which looks replica of Lord Sri Venkateswara. The lord adored with Conch, Chakra (wheel), blessing hands, several ornaments, garland of flowers, tulasi will look extremely beautiful and will be showering his blessings on the devotees.
On the right side of the Srivari sanctorum, the goddess Padmavati Devi is placed. The divine mother adoring herself with lotus flowers in two hands, blessing and assuring two hands pleases the devotees. Along with the main deities, the temple is also adorned for worship by the devotees, with the idols of Sri Anjaneya Swamy, Sri Varaha Swamy, and Sri ChennaKesava Swamy with Sri Devi, Bhudevi and the Alwars.
The Pushkarini is on the north-eastern side of the temple. There are also statues of Kaliyamardhanam and Sri Rama embracing Lord Hanuman which please the devotees. Lord is believed to be the talisman for the devotees and holy cow which showers all desires of the devotees.
It is believed that devotees must visit Sri Konetiraya Swamy before having the grand darshan of Lord Venkateswara in Tirumala. It appears that there was a footway between Keelapatla and Tirumala.
The Celebrations
Every year during Vaisakha month commencing from full moon Astami day, Brahmotsavams are celebrated for nine days with pomp and gaiety. Several ‘vahanas’ are used during these services. Special prayers are offered during the auspicious days of Ugadi, Sankranthi, Deepavali, Devi Navarathri, Dhanurmasam, and Mukkoti Ekadasi.
Accommodation Facilities
There are no arrangements for a stay in Keelapatla. One has to stay in nearby towns and return after one’s devotional services.
How to reach Keelapatla
The village Keelapatla is at a distance of about seven kilometers from Palamaneru in Gangavaram Manda in Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh. Frequent bus and auto services are available from Palamaneru. Keelapatla is forty-seven km away from Chittoor, 120 kilometers from Tirupati, and fifty-five km from Madanapalle in Andhra Pradesh.
It is easy to reach Keelapatla by arriving at Palamaneru. Bus facilities are available from Chennai, Tirupati, Kadapa, Kurnool, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Chittoor. The devotees will have the same feeling of devotion by praying Keelapatla Sri Konetiraya Swamy as they obtain from visiting Lord Sri Venkateswara in Tirumala.
Telugu original by ILN Chandrasekhara Rao
Translated to English by Sri PTS Murthy
