Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swami is the
presiding deity at Srinivasa Mangapuram which
is situated 12 kms. from Tirupati. Here the God
Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swami is the very
form of Sri Tirumala Venkateswara Swami. Those
who cannot visit Sri Tirumala Venkateswara
Swami for any reasons can have the darshan of
Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swami. It is necessary
to know about the pauranic accounts of Sri
Tirumala Venkateswara Swami to know about the
historicity of Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Swami at
Srinivasa Mangapuram.
Lord Venkateswara Swami of Tirumala has
many manifestations in the temples in and around
the Tirumala Tirupati. Every manifestation has its
own significance in the history of Tirumala temple
from time immemorial. Almost eleven Puranas praise the Divine splendour of Lord Srinivasa and give abundant information about the God of the Gods giving further all details about various places where Srinivasa has wandered before he settled on the Tirumala Hills. Even the present notion that the Tirumala Hills are not confined to this little compass of Tirumala-Tirupati region as they look now. Their extent was much wider spread to an extent of 30 Yojanas length (240 kilometres in length) and three yojanas width (24 kilometres width) as mentioned in the Sri Venkatachala Mahatmya part of the Brahma Puranam. This region of such great length has been sanctified by the divine grace of Sri Venkateswara Swami through his stay and visits to various of places of this holy land. To proceed further it is essential to draw a sequence of events that took place ever since Goddess Lakshmi left Vaikuntha.
Lord Vishnu, after the departure of Bhrugu, reached the Earth
mounting on the back of Garuda in search of Goddess Lakshmi. He
reached Kolhapur and stayed there for some time. The Goddess without
any form (Asharira vani) suggested him to reach the region of Tirumala
Hills to get reunion with Goddess Lakshmi. Accordingly Lord Vishnu
reached the Venkatadri Hills on the banks of the river Suvarna Mukhi
and settled in an anthill to do penance. While He was there Brahma
assumed the form of a Cow. Rudra became his calf. Mahalakshmi
became the cowherd woman. That cow was everyday coming to the
anthill in which Lord Srinivasa is dwelling and were feeding him. After a
few incidents Srinivasa met Varahaswami and requested him to provide
Him some place on the Venkatadri for His settlement as that region is
under the rule of Varahaswami. Lord Srinivasa was permitted to dwell
there and Vakulamba who was Yasoda in rebirth was appointed as the
caretaker of Lord Srinivasa.
Srinivasamangapuram, situated 10 Kms. to the West of Tirupathi adjacent to Madanapally highway, was at the height of its fame once. It was called ‘Siddakuti’ or Alimelumangapuram. It belonged to a Manjara called Kottalasthalam. The place ‘Nagapatla’, adjacent to the ‘Syamala’ forests was its central location according to the donative inscription of Tarigondavengamamba of 19th Century who belonged to Vaikuntavalanadu (Chandragiri) Taluq and Tiruvelakuttam (Tirumala Tirupathi) District. The village prospered on the banks of the river Kalyani (Vikalya), a tributary of the Swarnamukhi river.
In the mean while Akasha Raja the ruler of
the nearby region got a female child from the
ground while ploughing the earth. He gave her to
his wife Dharani and named her Padmavathi
having accepted Her as their divine daughter. After
getting her they got a son named Vasudasa. In
course of time by the Divine wish the princess
Padmavathi became the spouse of Lord Srinivasa
on an auspicious day.
After their grand marriage ceremony Lord
Srinivasa was asked not to mount the hills for six
months. During that time sage Agastya was staying
in his Ashram near the Agastyeswara temple. The
sage requested Lord Srinivasa to stay in his
Ashram surroundings for six months. Accordingly
Lord Srinivasa stayed there.
During the time of His stay at this place His
father in law Akasha Raja was on the death bed.
Lord Srinivasa and Goddess Padmavathi went to
Narayanavanam where Akasha Raja was in his last
days. The king while passing away handed over
the responsibility of taking care of his younger
brother Tondaman and his son Vasudasa. After the
death of Akasharaja, Vasudasa and Tondaman had
a serious fight for the kingdom.
As per the word given to His father in law
Lord Srinivasa joined in the fight standing on the
side of Vasudasa and gave His Sankha and Chakra
for protecting Tondaman. Thus He helped both of
them. After a great fight for a good length of time,
by the advice of Agastya the kingdom was equally
shared between the two by Lord Srinivasa.
Vasudasa became the ruler of Narayanapuram and
Tondaman became the ruler of Tundiramandalam.
Both of them were very much pleased and gifted
32 villages to Lord Srinivasa.
After his returning to the Ashram of Agastya
the king Tondaman came there and by the direction
of sage Agastya he constructed a beautiful
mansion for Lord Srinivasa on the Hill top of
Venkatadri. After Six months time was over, Lord
Srinivasa went back to Tirumala hills where
Tondaman constructed a beautiful building for him.
Thus the same Venkateswara Swami is
dwelling in both the temples. Visiting both the
Deities fetches equally good consequences.
While coming back to Venkatadri he blessed
the place where he stayed to have the powers to
fulfil the desires of all the devotees who ever visit
Lord Sri Venkateswara in that place. The place
where Lord Srinivasa dwelt is now popularly known
as Srinivasa Mangapur am. As it was during His
newly married days He stayed there the deity is
known as Kalyana Venkateswara Swami.
People who visit this place will have good
health, riches, children and well being of all. People
will get all kinds of comforts and contentment.
Let us all visit this sacred place
Srinivasamangapuram and be blessed by Sri
Kalyana Venkateswara Swami to this
Brahmotsavams.
Sthala Purana: Sage Agasthya built a beautiful ashram on the banks of the river ‘Swarnamukhi’, close by Srinivasamangapuram. At that time, on their way to Varahakshetra, the newly wedded couple Padmavathi devi and Lord Srinivasa visited the ashram in their ceremonial attire. Sage Agasthya blessed the newly wedded couple and said that it was forbidden for them to climb the hill and cordially entreated them to stay at his ashram for six months. Lord Srinivasa conceded to his request.
Srinivasamangapuram is known for its pleasant climate.
It is the shortest way to Tirumala via Srivarimettu. The Lord,
having enjoyed the natural beauty of the Seshachala forests for
six months, took leave of Sage Agasthya and reached Tirumala
via Srivarimettu together with his consort. Thus, the path is holy
as it received the holy impressions of the toe rings of Goddess
Padmavati. Later, many kings who ruled Chandragiri had the
holy darshan of the deity at Tirumala following the same short
route from the fort of Chandragiri to the temple of the Presiding
Deity.
The stairway beginning from the Mettu, situated 6 Kms
away to the North of the temple of Srinivasamangapuram to
Tirumala is called ‘Srivarimettu’ or ‘Sripathimettu’. It is
considered the first step towards spiritual advancement. As the
stair way is in the direction of Chandragiri, it is also called the
‘Chandagiri Sopanamargam’ (stairway of Chandragiri)
This holy path from Srivarimettu is the
actual path that was sanctified by the footprints
of Lord Srinivasa and his consort Padmavathi
devi while they walked. They entered the
towered palace of Anandbhavanam built by the
emperor Thondaman and flourished as
ever newly married couple. The path
of Srivarimettu walked by Lord
Srinivasa and His consort Padmavathi devi in the later years became the
main road for several kings and pilgrims to
reach Venkatachala. Several other kings of
Vijayanagara Empire such as Narayanavanam
King, Akasaraju and Tondaman and others
have chosen Srivarimettu as their passage to
Tirumala. During their stay at the fort of
Chandragiri, the Kings of Vijayanagara used
to commence their meal only after hearing the
ringing of the holy bell arranged at different
stages indicating the Naivedya (offering) to
the Presiding Deity.
According to the inscriptions dated
22nd November 1433, the temple flourished
at the height of its fame.
This village, which
was called Siddakutti, Siddakutam,
Srinivasapuram and Srinivasamangapuram
gradually, disappeared from the sight. Again,
after the gradual development over a century,
the Emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire Sri
Achyutadevaraya, donated Srinivasapuram as
a ‘Sarvasamanya Agraharam” to the poets of
Tallapaka. During this time,
Chinatiruvengalanadhu, the grandson of
Tallapaka Annamacharya, got the temple of
Srinivasamangapuram renovated with all its
luster and fanfare. He got the dilapidated idols
replaced by new ones and arranged for the
systematic conduct of temple worship and
festivals. His disciples Padmasalebhakthas
have paid 16,000 gold coins as ‘Guru
Dakshina.’ (Fee offered to Guru) His younger
brother ‘Chinnanna’ continued the renovation
of the temple of Srinivasamangapuram adding
another 10,000 gold coins to the amount
already donated by his brother. The stone mine
“Allagattu” was purchased for this purpose.
With all rights, the temple of Lord
Venkateswara under the control of the family
of Tallapaka was restored its ancient glory.
Again with all its grandeur and festivity, equal
to that at the temple at Tirumala, the temple
of Kalyana Venkateswara of
Srinivasamangapuram gleamed in the spiritual
skies. The temple of Kalyana Srinivasa was damaged in the wild floods of the river Kalyani. Some idols were
disfigured or damaged during the Muslim invasions. The 10-foot
tall idol of the Presiding Deity of Sri Kalyana Venkateswara over a
hundred years remained with all its inner effulgence under the trees
and molehills, like a live piece of coal covered by a thin film of ash.
In this way, in 1906 the splendor of the Lord received a
momentum. Let us learn about it. All of a sudden one day, a mad
woman appeared in Srinivasamangapuram. No one knew her
whereabouts. She did not speak much to anyone. She used to be in a
state of madness like a Yogin or Avadhuta. (a person who has reached
a stage in spiritual development in which he/she grows beyond worldly
concerns) She was named “Tayaru’.
She lived at the temple of Lord
Srinivasa, which was hidden under the trees and molehills. She went
door to door and collected some oil, rice and dhal. Then, she returned
to the temple, arranged a three stone stove and boiled them all in an
earthen pot. Later, she poured oil in an earthen calyx, placed a wick
and lit a lamp in the temple. In the pitch darkness, she used to go into
the temple in the light of the flame of the burnt coconut fronds. On
the way, she was surrounded by snakes but she had no fear for them.
Further, she called them by names such as “oh, Naga, Seshu” etc.
Thus, she went into the temple, offered flowers at the feet of the
Deity, lit a lamp in the earthen calyx and made rice offering. She
used to bring out a portion of it, distributed the same to all, and ate
some of it for herself. She offered milk to the snakes. This became
her routine. One day, she announced that she would not come from
the next day and a saint would come. A Swami came as she said.
SundaraajaSwami from Kanchipura came. The Deity used to
appear in his dreams and prompted him to come. Further, He told
the Swami that he was in darkness under the trees and molehills and ordered him to worship Him. When the Swami replied that he
did not know where the Deity was, he was instructed to
undertake a pilgrimage to Venkatachala to find the way to
Him. He was further ordered to worship the deity on the
forthcoming Ashada Suddha Saptami - the seventh day of the
Indian lunar month of Ashada. SundararajaSwami started in
search of the Deity. He reached Srinivasamangapuram in 15
days. On enquiring the people there, he learned about
Tayaramma and her procedure of worship. He told everyone
about his dream. All of them cleaned the Ashram.
It was the year of Vikramanama. 11.07.1940 fell on the
auspicious occasion of the seventh day of Indian lunar month of
Ashada (Ashada Suddha Saptami) associated with the star of
Uttara Phalguni. Following the reinstallation of the Deity by
Sundararajaswami, the first worship was performed after a
hundred years. Since 11.07.1940, a three-day temple festival
in the name of “Sakshatkara Vaibhavam” (those who cannot
climb the Tirumala for Lord’s ‘darshan’ could have it here) is
celebrated to Kalyana Venkateswara of Srinivasamangapuram
every year. Later, under the priesthood of Sundararajaswami,
the temple prospered day by day into a great fame.
Subsequently, in the year 1967, the temple was taken over by
the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams.
Architectural Style of the Temple: The five-storied
main towered entrance of the temple at a height of 10 feet was
built by many architects and sculptors in 1980 with
innumerable sculptures. In the spacious open place crossing
the main entrance, one can see the ‘Balipetam’ (Sacrificial
Pedestal) and ‘Dwajasthambam’ (Flag Staff) right opposite.
The temple of Kalyana Venkateswara was built upon a stone
pedestal of 10 foot height in the open space amidst the square
shaped tall compound walls. This temple was built of 5
different ‘Mandapas’ (pillared halls or pavilions) namely
Mukhamandapa or Ghanta Mandapa, (pavilion or porch
constructed in front of the doorway of the temple/the four
pillared porch having a big bell) Ardhamandapam,
( intermediary space between the temple exterior and the
sanctum sanctorum) Sayanamandapam, (the room for the
Lord’s idol to relax) Antaralam and Garbhalayam. (Small
antechamber or foyer between the Garbhagriha (shrine) and
the Mandapa) The Kalyana Mandapa (a mandapa dedicated
to divine marriage) of the Lord is situated in the south west of
the temple area. The Garudalwar temple (the vehicle of the Lord) is situated in the Ghantamandapa directly
opposite the Presiding Deity towards the West. Two
huge bells are hung in the North-west of the
Mukhamandapa. The statues of Jaya and Vijaya can
also be seen there. The Ardhamandapa is situated
inside after the statues of Jaya and Vijaya. It is also
called the Swapnamandapam where the jewelry and
ornaments of the Lord are preserved. Beyond this
lies the Sayanamandapam. The Antarala is situated
further inside the Sayanamandapam. On the Southern
wall of the Antarala is the stone image of
Lakshminarayana in the sitting posture faced towards
the North. Goddess Lakshmi is seated on the left
thigh of the Lord. The Stone image of Sri
Ranganathamurthy lying on the five-headed Adisesha
(King of all Nagas) with His head towards the West
is seen on the Northern wall. The Brahmothsava of
this Lord was celebrated in February 1980 and
the first Kalyanothsavam (Celebration of divine
wedding) was performed on a grand scale on 19th
of February 1981. The sanctum sanctorum was
situated inside beyond the Antarala (small
antechamber or foyer) after crossing the threshold
of Kulasekhara. The main or Presiding Deity is
installed east faced. On the top of the sanctum
sanctorum, the Eka Kalasavimanam (a single
round pinnacled tower/a tower having metal pot
with a large base and small mouth on its top) was
built in the form of Trikalagopuram. The Presiding
Deity is four armed having the Sankha and Chakra
in the two upper arms. One of the two hands below
is in the posture of dispensing boons while the other
is at the knee showing His lotus feet.
Sri SundararajaSwami conducted the
worship of the Lord as per Tantrasaragama in the
Madhwa cult. After him, the worship of the Lord
is being conducted as per Vaikhanasagama Sastra.
Festivals and Services to the Lord:
Suprabhataseva, (early morning service)
Tomalaseva, (adorning the deity with garlands of
flowers and Tulsi leaves) Sahasranamarchana,
(recitation of 1008 glorious names of Lord)
Nityakalyanothsavam, (celestial wedding ritual performed daily) and paid Brahmothsavam (mini
Brahmothsavam) are among the daily rituals performed
to the Lord. Only the Aswavahanam, (horse vehicle)
Hanumanthavahanam, (vehicle of Hanuma) and
Garudaseva (the vehicle of the celestial eagle) are
performed during these Brahmothsavas. Ekanthaseva
(the last service performed to the Lord before the temple
closes for the day during which the garlands adorning
the Presiding Deity are removed) is also performed.
Among the weekly rituals, Swarnapushparchana,
(worshipping the Deity with small golden flowers)
Satakalasabhishekam, (Pouring water from thousand
small pots on the Deity while chanting Mantras)
Tiruppavadaseva, (Offering of tamarind rice as
Naivedyam to the Lord) Netradarsanam, (seeing the
lord all with ornaments removed except a small
Namam) Poolangiseva, (complete decoration of the deity from crown to feet with garlands) Abhishekam, (the
sprinkling of holy water on the Deity) Vasthralankaraseva,
(decorating the Deity with flowers, red and yellow cloths)
and Gramothsavam (procession in village) are conducted.
During the monthly rituals, the Unjalaseva (the placing of
the idols of the Lord and his consorts in the swing) is
celebrated on the Sravana star.
As part of the annual
festivals, Ugadiasthanam, Sriramanavami,
‘Dhanurmasapuja’ and ‘Brahmothsavas’ for 9 days in the
month of Magha ending on the star of Sravana during the
month of Kumbha as per the solar almanac are celebrated.
Every year, in the month of Phalguna, the Pushpayaga
(Worshipping the deity with varieties of aromatic flowers
and sacred leaves) is celebrated on the star of Sravana. In
the month of Vaisakha, the 3-day annual Vasanthothsavas
(celebrating the arrival of spring season) are celebrated to
end with the Star of Sravana. Every year, Sakshatkara
vaibhavothsavas (the cleansing ceremony followed by
Garuda Seva and Hanumadseva) are celebrated for three
days including the previous and following days of Ashada
Sudha Sapthami (the seventh lunar day of the month of
Ashada). The Anivarasthanam (submitting the annual
accounts of the Lord’s income and expenditure, assets etc.)
is conducted. The 3-day ‘Pavithrothsavas’ (penitential as
well as propitiatory festivals) are conducted annually in
such a way as to end on Aswayuja Bahula Dwadasi (on the
12th day of the dark or bright fortnight.)
Therefore, let us have the darshan of such a famous
and prominent Lord Sri Kalyana Venkateswara and get
sanctified.
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