Dharmapuri, Andhra Pradesh

Dharmapuri is a village and mandal headquarters in Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh, India. [cite web
url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/
title=List of Sub-Districts
publisher=Census of India
accessdate=2007-05-29]

Dharmapuri is situated at a distance of about 28-30 km from Jagityal town and 51 km from Peddapalle railway station on the Kazipet-Balharsha section of the South Central Railway. Dharmapuri attained religious importance owing to the existence of the shrine dedicated to Narasimha Swamy, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Siva With Dakshinamurthy, Vinayaka and Sapitha Mathrukas carved on a single slab of stone and Mahishasuramardhani, the sixty pillared temple, Mahalakshmi temple,Akkapalle Rajanna, and over five hundered years old sri Sita Rama Swami temple are the other temples of importance that heighten the sancity of the places of tourist interest in the state.

Dharmapuri has one of the largest settlement of Vedic Brahmins in Andhra Pradesh. There is a Sanskrit College and even till date. There have been some traditional families practicing Vedic Hymns and some of the family even have old Talapatra scriptures. There are several small temples virtually in every corner of the street of the town. Until recently people, mostly brahmin scholars have taken bath in river Godavari before they would perform vedic rites in the temple. There is one rare temple of the God Dattatreya [son of Lord Brahma] which is very rare.

Dharmpuri is located on the Bank of River Godavari. River Godavari flows West to East except in Dharmapuri where it flows North to South hence the river is termed as Dakshina Vahini [South Flowing] .

References

The Ramalingeswara Temple which is of about 1000 years old, is in the proximity of the Narsimha Swamy Temple. It is said among local inhabitants that the Shiv Lingam installed in this temple was installed by Lord Rama during his exile and on way to Lanka in search of Sitha Maatha.

Though all the villages surrounded by Dharmapuri have regular Dialect of Telangana Accent of Telugu, Dharmapuri has a typical Telugu Accent spoken by local Vedic Brahmins which is very peculiar to this Ancient Vedic Village. For eample, to say "ATU" meaning "That side", they say "Ashoo". Similarly "ITOO" referring "This side" they say "ISHOO". Local Brahmins used to refer the Godavari river as "Ganga" since Godavari is considered to be Dakshina Ganga.

Dharmapuri has produced some of the best Sanskrit Scholars. The temple presently under the management of Endowment Department of Government of Andhra Pradesh, has an old Copper Relics depecting the "Sthala Purana" [The locational Description] .

Local Brahmins had the peculiar custom of marrying within their own relations as such lot of families spread within themselves. Some of them married girls from Tamilnadu and Karnataka. Those young brides married way back in 1930s and 1940s during the time of Nizam, people of Tamilnadu married their young children presuming "Dharmapuri" to be one of Dharmapuri near Salem of Tamilnadu.

Dharmapuri Narasimha swamy temple has two different statues of the lord Narasimha. The oldest one is called "Pata Narasimha Swamy" meaning Older Narasimha swamy and the one established later is called "kottha Narasimha Swamy" means the Newer one.

The Shiva Lingam establisher here by Lord Rama during his exile has an interesting story attached to it.