Tag: Tallapaka

Ramulavari Meda (Rama’s Abode) - Tirupati Balaji Temple

Ramulavari Meda (Rama’s Abode) – Tirupati Balaji Temple

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Ramulavari Meda / Rama’s Abode

As soon as you cross Snapana Mandapam there is a narrow 12″ x 10″ passage. This is known as Ramulavari Meda. Before 1262-65 A.D. the researchers believe that this was not there. They believe that this was a part of the present Vaikunta Pradakshina path.

To enter Ramulavari Meda from Snapana Mandapam we have to pass through Six feet wide stone door frame. Outside this door frame wooden door frame with doors is built for protection. A locking system is provided to lock inner doors.

Sri Rama Rama Ramethi
Rame Raame Manorame
Sahasra Nama Thath Thulyam
Rama Nama Varanane

On both sides of Ramulavari Meda, there are raised terraces or platforms.

  • On the southern side raised platform the utsava statues of Angada, Hanuman, and Sugreeva, facing north are installed.
  • Similarly, on the northern side raised platform utsava moorthies of Venkateswara’s family members like Vishwaksena, Anantha, and Garuda are installed. These statues face south.

VISWAK SENA or SRI VISHVAKSENA or VISWAKSENA

Rama’s family

The Deities who belong to Rama’s family –

Sugreeva

Being the king of Vanaras, he has a crown on his head. He is offering his salutations to Rama by joining his two hands with upward palms. He will participate in the coronation ceremony of Rama which will be performed on Dasami Day after Sri Rama Navami.

Angada

After seeing Rama’s splendor in Lord Venkateswara of Venkatachala, Angada’s jaw gets dropped. Angada’s bewildered expression can be seen in the face. Being crown prince he has a small cap-like crown. He too will participate in the coronation ceremony of Sri Rama.

Obedient Hanuman

Obedient Hanuman is standing before Rama with his right hand covering his mouth. When he says ‘Yes My Lord’ to avoid spluttering he is covering his mouth with his right hand. Because of this particular behavior, he is known as the most obedient Hanuman. He plays an important role when Rama’s court gets assembled or at the time of Rama’s coronation.

Sri Venkateswara’s family

The Deities belonging to Sri Venkateswara’s family –

Anantha

Anantha is no other than Adisesha who becomes a comfortable bed for Lord Srinivasa by curling down. He has hoods and is showing blessing Mudra. This Moorthy is made of Panchaloha (an alloy of five metals).

ANNA UNJAL MANDAPAM
Hoisting of the Garudadhwaja on Dhwajastambham

On the very first day of Brahmothsavams before hoisting the temple flag a ceremony to invite eight guards who guard four directions as well as four corners, is performed. Anantha participates in this Gramotsav.

Vishwaksena

Vishwaksena is the commander-in-chief of universal Lord Sri Venkateswara’s army. He is also known as “Sena Mudaliyar” in Tamil. He has blessing hands and has Sankhu and Chakra. This Moorthy is also made of an alloy of five metals. He plays an important role in different courts – Ugadi, Deepavali, Anivara – He will head ceremonies like Ankurarpanam, Mrutti Sangraha (soil collection).

Being commander-in-chief of Lord Venkateswara he occupies an important place.

Garuda

He is Swamy’s aerial car. He will be ever ready to carry the Lord with open wings. This panchaloha Moorthy stands with folded hands. He participates on the first day of Swamy Brahmothsavam at the time of inviting rulers of all the eight directions. This Utsav Moorthy whose height is 1 ½ feet participates in all ceremonies.

garuda puranam

The idols of Seetha Rama and Lakshmana which are now kept in Sanctum Sanctorum were once on the raised platform. Because of this placement, that particular area gets the name of ‘Ramulavari Meda’.

It is said the idols which were once on the platform were shifted into Sanctum Sanctorum. But the name continues to be Ramulavari Meda even to this day. The other small idols that were there on the raised platform were, it is said, shifted to Ankurarpana (sprouting) Mandapam which is near the golden well.

When the crowd is larger, devotees will have the darshan of Lord Balaji from this Ramulavari Meda. Daily night Ekantha seva (solitude) will be performed here. At that time a descendant of Tallapaka Annamacharya with a Tambura (a stringed musical instrument) will sing a lullaby.

Tallapaka Annamacharya

Sri Chennakesava Swamy Temple, Tallapaka

Sri Chennakesava Swamy Temple, Tallapaka

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Sri Chennakesava Swamy Temple

Tallapaka is the Birthplace of Padakavitha Pitamaha Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya who wrote more than 32 thousand kirthanas on Sri Venkateswara Swamy of Tirumala. There is a Vishnu temple in Tallapaka. The deity of the temple is Sri Chennakesava Swamy who is known for His benevolence towards the devotees who are in dire need and He is known to bless all the devotees liberally.

Tallapaka is located at a distance of eight kilometers from the Rajampeta town in the Annamayya district of Andhra Pradesh. Previously the place was known as Tatipaka as the people of the area used to live in palm leaf huts. The hut is also known as Paka in Telugu. Later Tatipaka changed to Tallapaka. Sri Chennakesavaswamy Temple is one of the ancient temples of Tallapaka.

Legend

There is an interesting Sthalapurana about the temple and the deity there. As per legend, the temple of Tallapaka Sri Chennakesava Swamy temple was established by Janamejaya Maharaja. Along this temple, many Vishnu temples and Shiva temples are associated with the name of Janamejaya. Janamejaya’s father Pareekshit Maharaja was the grandson of the Pandavas and Son of Abhimanyu.

One day, Parikshit Maharaja went hunting, and when he saw an animal, he chased it. The animal entered the ashram of Shameeka Maharshi. Pareekshit entered the Ashram and asked the Maharshi about the animal. However, the Maharshi did not answer as he was in a yoga sleep (Yoga Nidra). With this King Pareekshit got angry and put the dead snake around Maharshis neck and left from the Ashram.

After some time, the son of Maharshi entered the Ashram and saw a dead snake around his father’s neck. He got angry and cursed that – “Whoever put the dead snake around my father’s neck will die within a week due to a snake bite”.

After some time Shameeka Maharshi woke up from his yoga sleep and was upset to know what had happened and told Pareekshit Maharaja about the curse. With this, the Maharaja built a large building to escape the curse and stayed in it. Finally one day the Maharaja died after being bitten by a snake. After that, Janamejaya Maharaja the son of Pareekshit did the Sarpayaga. He wanted to completely eradicate the snakes that had caused his father’s death.

After Sarpayaga Janamejaya built 108 Shaiva temples and 108 Vaishnava temples and worshiped the deities to get rid of the sin he had incurred by Sarpayaga. Local mythology reveals that Chennakesava temple was one of the temples built by Janamejaya.

History of Sri Chennakesava Swamy Temple

According to historical sources, the temple was built by the Chola kings around the 11th century A.D. It is believed that the Kakatiyas, the Vijayanagara emperors, and the local rulers developed the temple. During the last decade, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams undertook the development of the temple.

At present, the temple is administered by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams. Sri Chennakesavaswamy was worshipped by the ancestors of the Tallapaka Annamacharya. The history of Annamayya shows that Annamayya’s grandfather Narayanaiah was a devotee of the Swami. Local legend also reveals that Sri Chennakesava Swami wrote the Beejaaksharas on the tongue of Tallapaka Annamacharya.

Sri Chennakesava Swamy temple Hanuman

Temple Description

Sri Chennakesava Swamy Temple is located next to the house where the Annamacharya lived in the village of Tallapaka. Sri Sudarsana Chakrattalwar Temple is located in front of the temple. The temple consists of Mukhamandapam and Garbhalayam. In Garbhalayam, we can see Sri Sudarshan Chakratalwar carved on a black stone.

At the bottom of the Sudarshana Chakra, we can see Lord Krishna in a reclining position with butter in hand. Sri Sudarshana Chakrattalwar is worshipped as Sri Sudarsana Chakrattalwar and as Sri Santana Venugopalaswamy also.

Sri Chennakesava Swamy Temple - Tallapaka

Sri Chennakesava Swamy Temple is located in a spacious courtyard facing east. There are Balipeetham, Dwajasthambam, and Garudalwar Mandapams in front of the main temple in temple premises. The main Temple consists of four mandapas i.e. Mukhamandapa, Antaraalayam, and Garbhagruha.

In the main sanctum sanctorum, we find the idol of Sri Chennakesava Swamy having four hands with Shanku, Chakra, Gadha, and Abhaya hastam.

In temple premises, to the northeast side of the main temple, there is a separate temple for Sri Anjaneyaswamy. Devotees believe that by worshipping this Swami they will get rid of planetary sufferings and attain all kinds of victories.

Brahmotsavams

Tallapaka Sri Siddeswara Swamy Brahmotsavams will be performed every year in the month of Ashada for Nine days apart from daily poojas. During Brahmotsavams different vahana sevas including Rathotsavam and Kalyanotsavam will be performed in a grand style. Besides Brahmotsavam, every year Vaikunta Ekadasi, and Dhanur Masa Pujas will be performed grandly.

Accommodation and Transportation

No accommodation facilities for the devotees in Tallapaka. Accommodation is available only at private lodges in the towns of Rajampet and Kadapa. Tallapaka is located at a distance of 50 km from Kadapa, 8 km from Rajampet, and 95 km from Tirupati.

Transport facilities are available from Rajampet. There are regular buses to Rajampet from Tirupati, Chittoor, Anantapur, Nellore, Kadapa, Kurnool, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Srisailam, Bangalore and Chennai. All trains stop at Rajampet Railway Station on the Chennai- Mumbai main railway line.

Sri Siddheswara Swamy Temple, Tallapaka

Sri Siddheswara Swamy Temple, Tallapaka

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Sri Siddheswara Swamy Temple in Tallapaka

Siddheswara Swamy Temple

There are many temples in different parts of our country for Lord Shiva. Since ancient times, many deities, and sages have worshipped Lord Shiva in the form of a Linga. Many Shiva temples are said to have been constructed by Sri Ramachandramurti.

One of such temples established by Lord Rama in the Threta Yuga is Sri Siddheswara Swamy Temple in Tallapaka. After Sri Rama, Lord Shiva in Tallapaka received the worship of many sages and Siddhas. Hence, Swamy is named ‘Siddheswara’.

Tallapaka is located at a distance of eight kilometres from Rajampeta town in Kadapa district. Tallapaka is the birthplace of Padakavithapithamaha Tallapaka Annamacharya. Previously the place is known as Tatipaka. The people of the area used to live in a palm-leaf hut. The hut is also known as Paka in Telugu. Later Tatipaka changed to Tallapaka.

Tallapaka Annamacharya
Tallapaka Annamacharya

Legend

There is an interesting Sthalapurana about the temple and God. As per legend, Sri Ramachandra Murthy established Sri Siddheswara Swamy here during the Treta Yuga. Sri Ramachandra Murthy along with Sita Lakshmana during their Vanavasam (exile) visited this place known as Dandakaranya.

Sitadevi was attracted by the natural beauty of the place and asked Lord Rama to stay in the area for some time. Lord Rama agreed and stayed here for some time. During this period Lord Sri Rama worshipped Lord Shiva in the form of a Linga. After that Lord Rama left the place and the sages worshipped this Shiva Linga. This Shiva Linga disappeared at the beginning of Kaliyuga.

In Kaliyuga the Siddhapurushas who came to this place in their journey identified the Shiva linga surrounded by trees and bushes. They cleaned up the surrounding areas, built a temple, and performed pujas. Historical sources reveal that the ancestors of the Tallapaka Annamacharya including the father of the Tallapaka Annamayya were priests in this temple.

Sri Siddheswara Swamy Temple - Nandi

History of the temple

According to historical sources, the temple was built by the Chola kings around the 11th century AD. It is believed that the Kakatiya, Vijayanagara emperors, and the local rulers developed the temple. During the last decade, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams developed the temple. At present, the temple is administered by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams.

Temple Structure

Sri Siddheswara Swamy Temple is located in a spacious courtyard. The temple faces east. To the opposite of the main temple, there are Nandeeswara, Dwajastambam, and Balipeetham. The main temple consists of Mukhamandapa, Antaralayam and Garbhalayam. In the main sanctum sanctorum, we find Lord Sri Siddheswara Swamy in the form of a Linga. Opposite Swamy, there is a small Nandeeswara. In Antaralaya we can see the Utsavamurthis.

In temple Mukhamandapa there is a separate temple for Deveri of Siddheswara Swamy. In this temple, we can see Goddess Sri Kamakshi Devi facing south. We can see Maha Ganapati, Siddhi Ganapati, Dakshinamoorthy, Valli Devasena sametha Sri Subramanya Swamy in Mukhamandapa.

Sri Siddheswara Swamy Temple

It is said that a sage named VekaTatayya used to live in this area. Once he had a headache. He used many medications for headaches but, he was not relieved of it. He reached the place with a severe headache and was about to break his head. Then Swamy appeared and gave relief from headache and gave a boon to Veka Tatayya that those who suffer from headaches should be relieved if their head touches Veka Tatayya’s head.

We can find Veka Tatayya’s image in Mukhamandapa. People who suffer from headaches hit their heads to Veka Tatayya’s head. Devotees can visit Sri Veerabhadra Swamy temple in the temple premises.

Along with the temple of Sri Siddheswara Swami, devotees can also visit

  1. Sri Sudarsana Chakrattalwar Temple,
  2. Sri Chennakesava Swamy Temple, and
  3. The Annamacharya Meditation Hall in Tallapaka.

Brahmotsavams

Brahmotsavams are performed every year in the month of Ashada for nine days for Tallapaka Sri Siddheswara Swamy apart from daily poojas. During Brahmotsavams different vahana sevas including Rathotsavam and Kalyanotsavam are performed grandly. Besides Brahmotsavam, every year Sri Mahashivarathri, and Kaartheeka Masa Pujas are also performed in a great way.

Accommodation and Transporation

There are no accommodation facilities for the devotees in Tallapaka as of now. Accommodation is available at private lodges in the towns of Rajampet and Kadapa.

Tallapaka (click on the name for Maps Location) is located at a distance of

  • 50 km from Kadapa,
  • 8 km from Rajampet, and
  • 95 km from Tirupati.

Transport facilities are available from Rajampet. There are regular buses to Rajampet from all corners. All important trains stop at Rajampet Railway Station on the Chennai-Mumbai main railway line.