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| Sree Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy Varu with Lord Shiva and Ananta Lakshmi Satyavati |
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| Steps to reach the temple |
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| Temple Garden |
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| Vrata Mandapam |
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| Gokulam |
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| View from the hill |
In East Godavari
District there are many historic temples to visit. Most of these temples are
seen near the banks of rivers and hence one can enjoy the scenic views of paddy
fields and orchards beside the flowing river. The temple of Sri Veera Venkata
Satyanarayana Swami’s temple is the most well-known and most popular temple in
this region. In Reva Khanda of Skanda
Purana and in Maha Vaikunta Narayanopanishad the name of this famous lord has
been mentioned. Ratnakara and Bhadra are
the two sons of Meru Mountain. Both of them did penance and got boons from Lord
Vishnu that the Lord should dwell on their peaks. In Bhadrachalam Sri Rama’s
famous shrine is there and in Annavaram Lord Satyanarayana dwelt on Ratnagiri.
The River Pampa also got a boon from Sri Rama that he should dwell near her
banks.
This holy place has got many special and unique features.
Lord Vishnu here is a unified manifestation of the holy Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu
and Shiva). The idol of Satyanarayana Swami is self-manifested in the waters of
Pampa River which flows near the foothill called Ratnagiri. The local Raja of
Gorasa village Sri Inuganti Venkata Rama Rayanam dreamt about the presence of
the Lord. His friend Sri Eeranki Prakasa Rao, a devotee of Vishnu, also got the
same dream and so both went and unearthed the idol near the banks of the Pampa River
on sixth of August, 1891.
In 1934 the
idol was installed on Ratnagiri hill with the help of a learned Vedic scholar,
Sri Addepalli Krishna Sastry. He brought from Kashi a very powerful Yantra
called Tripadvibhuti Maha Vaikunta Yantra.
After installing that Yantra in the main spot , a thirteen foot-high stone pillar was placed above it and
the idol of Lord Satyanarayana was
installed on the top of that pillar .On the right side of the main idol the
idol of Shiva was placed and Goddess Ananta Lakshmi Satyavati on the left side
. One of the priests there explained that
in the name of the Goddess “Anantha” refers to Durga, “Lakshmi” to
Goddess of wealth and “Satyavati’ refers to Goddess Saraswati thus implying the Goddess is a unified
manifestation of three Devis. The Ratna Giri hill is nearly 300 feet above sea
level and one has to climb 460 steps to reach the temple. One can also travel
by buses run by Devasthanam or by taxi to reach the main temple.
In this temple many devotees come to perform
Satyanarayana Vratam which gives prosperity and fulfills all the wishes of the
people. The meaning of Annavaram means Anina=whatever asked and Varam means
given. So the Lord promises that he would fulfill the wishes of his devotees.
For performing Vratams there are many halls with readily available pooja
material. The cost of the Vratam fee is of various types like Rs.150/-, 300/-,
700/- (Special Vratam) and Rs.1500/- (Visishta Vratam) depending on the material
used and prasadam given. The Vratams can be performed between 6.00 a.m. and
6.00 p.m. Nitya Kalyana Seva is done
between 9.30 a.m. and 11.30 a.m. Just like Tirupati laddu, the prasadam of Lord
Satyanarayana Swami called “ Bhogam prasadam”. It is also very delicious and it
is prepared with wheat Ravva, cowmilk, cow’s ghee, sugar and cardamom. This
prasadam is available in the sale counters of the main temple and also near the
entry to the pedestrian way to the hill.
The view from the
hill gives a very beautiful view of the flowing river, green fields and
gardens. The temple was built at two levels.
On the ground level one can see the lower portion of the stone pillar with the powerful
yantra. The lower portion of the pillar is regarded as Brahma and the middle
portion as Shiva. Here one can also see the idols of Aditya, Ambika, Ganesha
and Maheshwara in four corners as per the conventions of Vishnu Panchayatanam.
On the upper storey one can see the main deity Lord Sri Hari Hara Hiranyagarbha
Trimurtyatmaka Satyanarayana Swamy along with Lord Shiva and Ananta Lakshmi on
either side. Lord Vishnu here is seen with a moustache, a very rare feature
seen in very few temples. The main
temple is built in the shape of a chariot with four wheels seen in four
directions. On one side of the main temple tower, another temple tower with a
trident on its top, a symbol for Lord Shiva and Ganesha is seen. Behind the
main temple one more temple tower
(Vimana )is seen with a Chakra, symbolizing the Sun and Ambika.
On the right side of the main temple there is a temple for
Lord Sri Rama and for Vana Durga. Lord Sri Rama is regarded as the guardian
deity (Kshetrapalaka) of this temple. Just beside this temple there are many
mandapas (halls) for performing Satyanarayana
Vratams and a dining hall. Nityannadanam is done here between 11.00 a.m.
and 2.00 p.m. near the South Gopuram entrance. At the foot of the hill there is
a temple for the village goddess called Nerellammavaru.
On the north eastern
side of the temple a sanctuary for cows called “Gokulam is seen. Many devotees
worship cows here by paying Rs.116/- for Gopooja. The milk from this place is
used for performing Abhishekam and for preparing prasadams. Just beside the temple
there is a sundial called “Kaala Nirnaya Nirdesa Yantram “set up by Sri
Pidaparti Krishnamurti Sastri in August,
1943. Near it there is a beautiful garden with holy basil plants and in the
middle of the garden there is an anthill. In 1970 a part of the temple was
damaged by a lightning bolt. The temple was renovated later with a few changes
to make the temple space wider and convenient for visitors. In2011-2012 also
the temple was renovated at a cost of four crores.
The temple opens at 3.30 a.m. when Suprabhata Seva is done.
Between 4.00 a.m. and 5.15 a.m. Abhishekam and Archana are done. Sarva Darshanam
is from 6.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and Mahanaivedyam is between 12.30 p.m. and
1.00 p.m. Again Sarvadarshanam is from 1.00 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. Sarva darshanam
is free for all. For Seeghra darshan one has to pay Rs. 50/- per head and for
Antaralaya Darshan one has to pay Rs. 100/- per person. Online sevas are
available through Mee-Seva (A.P.Govt’s portal) for booking Vratams, Kalyana Seva
and accommodation. There are many choultries and hotels both on the hill and in
the Annavaram town. Sri Satyanarayana Swamy
Temple Management runs Nitya Annadanam, a free dispensary, Nature Cure Hospital
, a free Veda Patashala and Gokulam. Lockers and a canteen are also there for
the convenience of the pilgrims. There is a river water barrage near Pampa
River and one can enjoy boat ride in that lake which provides a panoramic view
of hills and greenery around.
Special poojas and programmes are organized on festive days
like Sri Rama Navami, Sri Krishna Jayanti, Sri Vinayaka Chaviti, Devi Nava
Rathrulu, Diwali, Ksheerabdi Dwadashi , Ugadi and On Sravana Suddha Vidiya ,
the day when Lord Saya Deva appeared on this earth. Every year on Kartika
Poornima day, the utsava Vigrahas of Lord Satyanarayana Swamy and His consort are taken in a procession in a
decorated palanquin around the hill (Giripradakshinam for 10 kms) in the
morning time. On Ksheerabdi Dwadashi
float festival is organized in the river with colorful illumination in a grand
manner. The nearby famous
temples are Draksharamam (75kms), Simhachalam (128kms),Pithapuram (30 kms) and
Talupulamma Thaalli (22kms).
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6th September, 2018 Somaseshu Gutala
