Bhadrachalam temple is the abode of Shri Sita Ramachandra Swamy. This temple is in honor of Lord Rama. The temple is on the banks of the Godavari river. It also relates to the life events of Saint Kancharla Gopanna, who was a great devotee of Lord Rama.
What is the history of Bhadrachalam Temple?
According to the history of Bhadrachalam Temple, Gopanna the Tahasildar of Bhadrachalam (second half of 17th century), used money from government treasury to build this temple, and hence faced imprisonment in a dungeon at Golconda. Lord Rama miraculously gave the Sultan the money spent by Gopanna, after which he released him.
Gopanna then became Bhadrachala Ramadasa and went on to compose innumerable songs in praise of Rama.
Ramadasa heard the news that the villagers of palvoncha paragana were proceeding to witness Jatara at Bhadrachalam. He found the deities in an amazing appearance; and Ramadas then asked the villagers to contribute liberally for the construction of the temple.
So, the villagers appealed to him to spend the revenue collections for the construction of the temple with a promise to repay the amount after harvesting the crops.
The Golconda king Tanishah realized the devotional spirit of Ramadas after his imprisonment and took over the charge of temple administration.
Golconda king, Tanishah then realized Ramadas’s devotional spirit and dedication towards Rama, when Rama and Lakshmana repaid 6 lakhs Mohurs in the form of Ramoji and Lakshmoji, the servants of Bhakta Ramadas for the release of their devotee from imprisonment.
Thanisha gave voucher to these divine looking persons who approached him at his house during late night. Then they kept the voucher under the pillow of Gopanna where he was jailed. Tanishah who woke up the next morning realized that those divine looking persons were none other than Rama and Lakshmana and made arrangements to get release of Gopanna and prayed to forgive him by placing all the Gold Mohurs received previous night at the feet of Gopanna. But he refused to take back those mohurs except two as a mark of divine significance, and these two coins can still be seen in Bhadrachalam temple.
What is the significance of Bhadrachalam Temple?
Here is the significance of Bhadrachalam Temple:
- Shri Rama is a charming person, of handsome beauty, and well-built physique, wearing in his two hands, the Dhanus, and the Bana, and standing in the ‘Tribhanga’ attitude as opposed to the ‘Samabhanga’ pose.
- Sita stands near him, also in the Tribhanga attitude, with a lotus in one hand and the other hand shown in the ‘Katyavalambita’ posture.
- Temple also exhibits the importance of Ramayana, one of the great canons of Hindu literature.
- Moreover, the location Bhadrachalam exists in Dandakaranya, the spiritual significant region where Lord Rama, Goddess Seetha, and Lakshmana had spent 14 years of Vanavasam.
- Lord Rama takes His abode on the head of the sage Bhadra (immovable hill) famous as Bhadrachalam.
- A sub shrine of Goddess Lakshmi is also there inside the temple complex of Bhadrachalam temple.
What are the timings of Bhadrachalam Temple?
Here are the timings of Bhadrachalam Temple:
| Timings | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Open | 4:30 am | 8:30 pm |
| Abhishekam | 00 AM | 8.00 AM |
| Kesavanaamaarchanaa | 8:30 AM | 8.00 P.M |
| Sahasranamarchana | 8.30 A.M | 9.30 A.M |
| Suvarna Tulasi Astotharanamarchana (on Saturdays) | 8.30 A.M | 9.30 A.M |
| Suvarna Pushpa Astothara Namarchana (on Sundays) | 8.30 A.M | 9.30 A.M |
| Sakalbhishtaprada Sree Ramapuja | 8.30 AM | |
| Nitya Kalyana Ubhayam | 9.30 A.M | 11.00 A.M |
| Rajata Ratha Seva | 6.30 PM | |
| Alaya Chuttu Seva | 8.00 PM | 8.30 P.M |
| Vahana Seva (Garuda, Hamsa, Hanumantha, Rajadhiraja) | 8.00 PM | 8.30 P.M. |
What are the festivals celebrated at Bhadrachalam Temple?
Some of the festivals celebrated at Bhadrachalam Temple are:
- Vykuntha Ekadasi occurs in either December or January on the day of either Pushya or Margasira shuddha Ekadasi. The ten day festival Adhyayanotsavams and Dasavatara Mahotsavams (10 incarnations) of Sri Maha Vishnu are preceded to Vykuntha Ekadasi Fete.
- Sri Rama Navami occurs on every ‘Chaitra shuddha navami ‘ on ‘Punarvasu’ -‘Janma Nakshatra’, of Lord Sri Rama. Further, the priests recite hymns in Kalyanamantapam near the stadium, where devotees witness it.
How to reach Bhadrachalam Temple?
Here’s how to reach Bhadrachalam Temple:
- Air: Vijayawada is the nearest airport from where flights are available.
- Rail: The nearest Railway station is Bhadrachalam (Kothagudem) which is 40 km.
- Road: The state bus service, TSRTC operates numerous buses connecting the town to various places like Kothagudem, Hyderabad, Khammam, Warangal, Tirupati, Rajahmundry, Nalgonda, Chennai, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.
Where to stay nearby?
Some of the places where one can stay near Bhadrachalam Temple are:
- The Sita Nilayam Cottage, Bhadrachalam at Sree Seetha Ramachandra Swamy Vaari Devasthanam is a good place to check in. It has nice accommodations that the travelers find to be refreshing.
- Srinidhi Resdidency at Rajaveedhi is a great place that has excellent accommodations and closest to the bhadrachalam temple entrance.
What are some places to visit nearby?
Some of the places one can visit near Bhadrachalam Temple are:
- Parnasala is a significant and wonderful sightseeing destination of Bhadrachalam. Parnasala is a popular village in the Khammam district of Telangana, India.
- Jattayu Paaka (Yetapaka)- This Place is 2Kms away from Bhadrachalam. Jatayuvu, a devotee of Rama obstructed Ravana while he was proceeding on the chariot after kidnapping Sita. After the battle between Ravana and Jataayuvu, the heavily injured bird waited at this place for Rama. A wing of this bird fell at Rekkapalli, about 55 Kms from here, in V.R. Puram Mandal.
- Sabari in Bhadrachalam is the place where River Sabari joins River Godavari. Also, a woman named Dhammakka used to live here that used to have dreams in which Lord Rama appeared.
- Annavaram temple is located nearby.
- Yadagirigutta Temple
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