- Annavaram
Annavaram a village is situated on the banks of river Pampa in
East Godavari district ofAndhra Pradesh inIndia .The meaning of Anna-varam is as follows. "Anna" means whatever you say or you desire and "varam" means boon, hence whatever you desire will be given as boon by the deity.
The most distinctive feature of Annavaram is the shrine to Lord Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy on the hill top. The name of the Goddess is Ananta- lakshmi Satyavathi Ammavaru.
The Vijayawada-Vishakhapatnam section of the South Central Railways (SCR) and the Kolkata-Chennai National Highway (NH)-5 pass via Annavaram. The nearest railway station is Annavaram, two miles away from the temple. Some of the important trains plying on the Vijayawada - Vishakapatnam section of the SCR like the Chennai - Howrah Mail and Vijayawada - Vishakapatnam Ratnachal Superfast Express have a halt at Annavaram. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) operates regular bus services from Kakinada to Tuni, Rajahmundry to Tuni, and Yele-swaram to Tuni via Annavaram. The temple, situated on the hill top is about four furlongs away from its base. It can be reached either by steps covered with canopy, via ghat road or trekked through a rusty stone paved trail road.
The popularity and importance of the temple is gaining among the pilgrims and this place is considered as second only to Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. Festivals are celebrated round the year at this temple with great pomp and show. Some of the popular festivals celebrated are the Kalyanam festival in May, Devi Navaratri festival in September, the Swayamvara Vardhanti of Sraavana Suddha Ekadashi Day, Srirama Kalyana, Kanakadurga Yatra, Prabha Utsavam, Teppa Utsavam and Jalatoranam.
The serene atmosphere of the temple and its surroundings captivate devotees of Lord Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy. The
prasadam offered to the devotees has a wonderful taste and it is said that it cannot be replicated.References
* [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/2/Annavaram.html Falling Rain Genomics.Annavaram] http://annavaramdevasthanam.nic.in
Temple History
As per the puranas the presiding deity of the place blesses the devotees with Anina Varam (Wanted Boon) the place is called Annavaram.
The hillock by the side of the village is considered to be very sacred. Meruvu the Lord of the hills and his consort Menaka did great penance and begot two sons by the grace of Lord Vishnu. One was named Bhadra and the other Ratnakara. Bhadra pleased Lord Vishnu with his devotion and penance and with his grace became Bhadrachalam on which Lord Sri Rama had permanently settled. Ratnakara desired to emulate his brother and succeeded in pleasing Lord Vishnu by his penance to settle on him as Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy, Ratnakara remaining as Ratnagiri hill.
The temple of Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy is the main temple on the Ratnagiri hill. There is also a temple of Sri Rama and the shrines of Vanadurga and Kanaka Durga nearby. The temple of gramadevatha (village deity) is in the village at the foot of the hill.
It is said that Raja I.V.Ramanarayanam,the then zamindar of Gorsa and Kirlampudi estates, having been ordained by the Lord in his dream, traced the idol on the hill, worshipped it and installed it at the present spot on sravana suddha vidhiya of the telugu year Khara, 1891. The hillock it self is about 300ft above sea level, green fields all-round the hills and the pampa river encircling Ratnagiri. About 460 well laid stone steps leads to the top of it.
“The main temple constructed in the form of a chariot with the four wheels at each of the four corners. In front of the main temple is the kalyana mantapa, constructed and decorated with modern pieces of architecture. As we go down the way, we come across Ramalaya and then the shrines of Vana Durga and Kanaka Durga.
The Akriti of any temple is, according to the Agni Purana, merely a manifestation of the Prakriti. According to this the chariot of the temple is intended as a symbol of the Seven Lokas and the seven Lokhas above with, the garbhalaya of the Lord, at the heart’s center ruling over the entire Universe.
The temple at Annavaram has been constructed to depict this idea concretely. The front side of the temple depicts the chariot. The Meru on the floor with the pillar at the center, and the idols at the top are intended to bring forth the idea that the Lord not only remains at the heart’s center but also permeates the entire universe. The wheels depicting the Sun and the Moon serve to remind us that this Juggernaut moves on the wheels of time, and goes on for ever and ever, Thus the Annavaram temple satisfies both the ritualistic values and the spiritual aspirations of the devotees.”
External links
* [http://annavaramdevasthanam.nic.in/ Annavaram Devasthanam Official Site(annavaramdevasthanam.nic.in)]
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