Sri Maremma Thalli – Chenga Reddy Palli
Chenga Reddy Palli is a very ancient village in Renigunta Mandalam of Chittoor District in Rayalaseema. One kilometre from Renigunta on the road to Kadapa, to the east of the road is the village. Sri Maremma in this village is a goddess of infinite powers, fulfilling the prayers of the devotees, and accepting their worship and offerings.
Since the temple was constructed, it has been making progress every day. Sri Kamatham Srinivasulu is the temple trustee. By the grace of Goddess Maremma, he is looking after the pujas, the festivities on special days and other pujas with the help of the villagers who have deep faith in the goddess.
Before 1973, a Nagadevata in the form of a snake used to live on an ant hill beneath a Neem Tree. Every year in April-May, the villagers used to raise an image of the goddess with neem berries and set up a temporary shelter with neem branches and bamboo sticks.
Villagers would cook pongal as the offering. They would also prepare special offerings and celebrate the festival.
Sri Maremma Thalli Building Background
The trustee of the temple, Mr. Kamatham Srinivasulu was working as Shroff in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (Tirumala). One day in 1973, the Goddess appeared in his dream and commanded him to build a temple for her.
When he described his experience to his close friend Sri Arisetti Srinivasulu Naidu working in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams and his wife Smt. Venkatasubbamma, the couple immediately gave Rs.116.00 as the first donation for building the temple.
Then, gradually with the help of the residents of the village, Srinivasulu got the foundations dug for building the temple. It is said that laying Kurmayantra on the foundation is very auspicious. However, it was wonderful to know that there were a couple of living kurmas there. Worship was offered to them and they were released into water.
In mantra sastra, the method of worshipping kurmayantras has been described. In consecrating deities, the Dhwajasthambha, when building huge mansions, or industrial workshops, in the eastern direction of the foundation, it has become a tradition to consecrate kurmayantras along with matsyayantra.
Since Maha Vishnu has taken Kurma avatara, by placing the kurmayantra, Maha Vishnu becomes the guardian of the temple and the mansion. He sees to it that there is never any lack of water and makes the place very holy, chases away all evil so that the area gains in prosperity and prominence. The twin tortoises which are so famous appeared alive when laying the foundation of the Maremma temple.
This was due to the power of Grace from Goddess Maremma who happens to be the sister of Vishnu.
Cement, sand, steel, and bricks that were procured were difficult to get, but by the grace of the goddess, the trustee Kamatham Srinivasulu was able to get everything. The temple was completed successfully. On the 14th of February, 1977, the small temple rose by the will of God.
Sri Chandrasekhara Gurukkal who was the Principal of the Vedapatasala of Tirumala- Tirupati Devasthanams presided over the consecration and the Kumbhabhishekam of the temple took place for three days with great eclat.
During these auspicious days, Abhisheka Utsavam, Nitya Homa Mahotsavam and special AlankaraSeva were offered. During this Kumbhabhishekam, not only the villagers but devotees from other villages and nearby places came in great numbers and took part in the service of the Goddess.
Anna dana also took place in a very holy manner. Over time, when this original building fell into disrepair, one-night goddess Maremma appeared in the dream of the trustee’s wife, Smt. Lakshmi. The Goddess commanded that a new temple be consecrated. She told her husband Kamatham Srinivasulu of the vision. That is why the trustee Kamatham Srinivasulu decided to rebuild the temple.
Accepting the words of the gracious lady, Sri Kamatam Srinivasulu wore the garment of Deeksha (promise of doing the job) and laid the foundation stone for renovating the temple on 31stJuly, 2009. The villagers and others, and devotees from the surrounding villages took part in the function in large numbers. Though the work was begun with not even a pie in hand, the work proceeded with good speed and there were no hurdles.
With the overflowing compassion of the Goddess Maremma, there were no problems and the work was finished by January 2011. For this newly reconstructed temple, the Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishad of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams gave financial help. The chief priest of Tiruchanur Ayyappaswamy temple, Sri U. Tyagaraja Gurukkul and his son Sri U. Ranjit Swami along with their group of priests grandly performed the Kumbhabhisheka Mahotsavam for three days, i.e., from 18.3. 2011 to 20.3.2011.
Installation of 3 Shaktis
There were also homas. Apart from the images of Pothuraju and Goddess Maremma during the renovation, on the advice of Sri U. Tyagaraja Gurukkul, the figures of dwarapalikas for the Goddess, Sri Klashini Sakthi and Sri Harshini Sakthi were installed.
So also, in the pradakshina circle around the sanctum, images of the three Shaktis, Sri Saraswati Devi, Sri Vaishnavi Devi and Sri Durga Devi, were installed. The cost of renovation came to more than 25 lakhs. Sri Kamatham Srinivasulu said that this large amount came from the villagers, devotees of Goddess Maremma and his friends.
Consecrating the Image of the Goddess
In 1973, the temple trustee Sri Kamatham Srinivasulu and his friend M. Bhaskar went to the devasthanam of Goddess Maremma temple in Samayapuram near Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu. There they had good darshan of the presiding deity, Goddess Mariamma.
They decided to make in the same shape and with a height of two feet an image of Goddess Maremma and an image of Pothuraju with a height of one and a half feet.
So they approached the sculptor Sri Kannan of Narasingarayanipeta near Chittoor. With great devotion, sincerity and ritual purity, Sri Kannan made the sculptures of Goddess Maremma and Pothuraju. They were brought to the village with great care and were kept for forty-one days one mandalam in water and paddy. After all the preliminaries, they were consecrated after the newly constructed temple was completed. The images were reconsecrated in it in 2011.
Along with them, at the entrance to the sanctum of the Goddess, on the left and right side, Sri Klashini Sakthi and Sri Harshini Sakthi were placed as dwarapalikas, and at the centre of the Mukhamandapa facing the Goddess, the image of her mount, the Lion, and the Balipeetham were set up.
Outside the Mukhamandapa, in the front portion, the vigraha of Pothuraju and a Trident were installed. Thus, as soon as one enters the temple, devotees get the darshan of Trisool which is the divine weapon of the Goddess. Immediately after, they get to see Pothuraju, the brother of the Goddess. Later, in the pradakshina circle outside the sanctum, on the wall, we see Sri Saraswati Devi in the south, Sri Vaishnavi Devi in the west (the rear side of the sanctum) and Sri Durga Devi in the north.
Devotees who circumambulate in the temple get to see the Shaktis of the Trimurtis before seeing the Mahashakti, Goddess Maremma. They can pray to her also in the same way. That is, whoever does pradakshina in the temple stands to gain — those who want knowledge have Sri Saraswati; riches, health and gold who worship Sri Vaishnavi Devi, physical and mental health can be gained from Sri Durga Devi. And by worshipping Goddess Maremma in this temple, one gains everything and can feel fulfilled.
Amenities for devotees in the temple
Amenities have been made for devotees who come to worship daily, those who come to give offerings, and those from surrounding villages who come with their families. To prepare prasada (kitchen), a storeroom for groceries like rice and cereals for preparing prasada and dwelling places for archakas have also been provided.
There is also a wide cement platform around the temple for devotees to perform anga-pradakshhina. A variety of flowering plants are also being grown in the empty spaces of the temple. They are using these flowers for the daily worship of the Goddess.
Special Functions that take place in the Sannidhi of the Goddess
Every year one month after the Tirupati Tatayyagunta Gangamma jatra, villagers join to celebrate jatara for Goddess Maremma with great enthusiasm. They celebrate grandly the Navaratri festival for nine days.
- The Goddess is decorated as Kamakshi on the first day,
- as Balatripurasundari on the second day,
- on the third as Annapoorneswari Devi,
- on the fourth as Bhuvaneswari Devi,
- on the fifth, it is Mamiti Seva (Siva Parvati),
- on sixth as Lakshmi Devi,
- on seventh as Ashtabhuja Durga Devi,
- on eighth as Saraswati Devi.
- On the ninth and last day, she is decorated as Goddess Maremma
and taken in procession through the streets of the village. The celebrations go on splendidly. With this the Navaratri festival comes to an end.
Apart from these, every Friday, on pournami and during other festival days, they do special decoration and pujas for the goddess.
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The Greatness of the Goddess
The Goddess fulfils the prayers of Her devotees. Many people desiring children come to the temple of the goddess and perform pujas. Unmarried people pray to the Goddess for getting married and when their desire is fulfilled they come with their family and fulfil their prayers to the Goddess. For this, the family of the Dharmakarta itself is an example! Earlier Kamatham Ankaiah Naidu of this family and his wife Kamatham Subbamma had no children and went to many temples to offer prayers. But they remained childless.
Once when a swamiji came to the village, they arranged for his food. He was happy with their hospitality and gave them some advice before leaving: “Both of you go to the temple of Sri Maremma in the village, bathe in the pure water in the temple well, go with wet clothes (at that time there was no temple; people used to worship the goddess beneath the neem tree) and pray to her sincerely. You will get children.” He then left the place.
Following the command of the holy man, the couple worshipped Sri Maremma. After that, they were blessed with a male child. He was named Maraiah by the family. After that, sons born in that family were given names to synchronize with the name of the Goddess. From then to this day they worship Goddess Maremma as their Kuladaivam. They fulfil the aspirations of the temple trustee without fail by helping with the daily pujas and serving the temple’s growth.
The villagers have realised the greatness of Goddess Maremma, convey to her their problems and get them solved. Some devotees who have fallen prey to the drinking habit wear a band and have given up the bad habit. Also, many devotees come and describe the marvels of the Goddess, her Shakti’s immensity and their visions.
Thus for the villagers in nearby places and devotees, the Goddess is verily a wish-yielding tree, a Mother who saves people in distress. The compassionate Goddess Maremma’s temple has several pujas daily and with offerings brought by devotees whose wishes have been fulfilled, is flourishing grandly.
