Excursion

Temples

Kodandarama Swamy Temple:
One of the inscriptions in the temple says that Sri Venkateshwara Swamy is incarnation of Sri Rama, and Padmavathi whom he married was at the time of Ramavatara a woman named Vedavati, who was substituted for the real Sita at the time of Ravana's abduction. It is believed that Narasimharaya Mudiliyar started the temple construction.

The pilasters found on the walls of the garbhagriha and antarala have Vijayanagara capitals. There is a projecting cornice above the wall with its outer surface decorated with Simhalalata gables and its surface cut into compartments by vertical and horizontal rafters. The Vimana is of the ekatala type containing the series: kuta, panjara, sala, panjara and kuta. Above this tala, there is a phalaka containing lions in the Four Corners. The sikhara is round and contains vertical ribbon cuttings and belongs to the vesara order. There is a single metal kalasa above the sikhara. This temple is about 3 km from Tirupati railway station and is well connected by road and there are frequent buses.

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Lord Venkateswara Temple:
The temple of Balaji at Tirumala Hills is famous world over and millions of pilgrims from across the globe visit the temple annually. The Pallavas, Pandyas, Cholas, the Vijayanagar rulers and the Maharaja of Mysore patronized the temple, which finds mention in ancient texts. The main temple is an excellent example of South Indian temple architecture. The vimana over the sanctum sanctorum as also the Dhwajasthambam (flag post) are gold plated. The idol of Lord Venkateswara itself is divine to behold and pilgrims are blessed with a sense of complete bliss and satisfaction the moment they glimpse the idol during the 'darshan'.

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The Govindarajaswami Temple:
This Temple is the main attraction for pilgrims at Tirupati and the biggest in town. The earliest of the records belong to the year 1235 AD. The Guruparampara accounts of the Vaishnavas ascribe the foundation of the shrine to Ramanuja. Peculiar features of the temple are that there are two shrines and not one, as usual, in the centre of the innermost enclosure and an outer wall encloses these two. The shrine to the South is that of Krishna, popularly known as Parthasarathi, while the shrine to the North is that of Govindaraja. The Krishna shrine is presently closed for worship. The earliest record found on the innermost gopura belongs to the fifteenth year of the Yadavaraya chief, Viranarasingadeva of 1224 AD. The Govindaraja Swami Temple in Tirupati is situated at a distance of 1 km from Tirupati railway station and 2 km from Tirupati Bus Station.

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Birla Mandir:
Overlooking the Tank Bund, the Birla Mandir presents an arresting sight when illuminated in the evening. This magnificent structure built entirely out of marble from Rajasthan, stands atop the Kala Pahad, the twin hillock of the Naubat Pahad. Built by Birla Foundation over a span of ten years, the main temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateshwara. It combines the architectural styles of the Southern and Northern Indian temples. The intricately carved gopurams (tower) at the base are in typical South Indian style, while the smooth sikhara (dome) at the top is in the North Indian Rajasthani style. The temple has beautiful marble carvings and some of them illustrating verses from the Ramayana. The inner shrine of the temple is a replica of the Venkateswara temple at Tirupati. The Birla Mandir presents a colourful spectacular sight when illuminated at night. A trip to Hyderabad remains incomplete without a visit to the enchanting Birla Mandir.

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Mecca Masjid:
Mecca Masjid is one of the largest mosques in India accommodating upto 10,000 worshippers. This is the biggest mosque in Hyderabad and lies within hundred yards to the southwest of Charminar. The mosque got its name from the belief that the bricks inserted over the central arch were baked out of clay brought from Mecca, and also from the grand mosque at Mecca on which it is patterned. The constructions of this mosque was started by Sultan Muhammad Qutub Shah, the work continued during the reign of Abdullah Qutub Shah and Abul Hassan Tana Shah and was completed in 1694 by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.

The hall measures 67m by 54m and is 23m in height. Fifteen arches, five on each of the three sides, support the roof. A high wall to provide the 'mehrab' blocks the western side. A room in the courtyard is believed to house the relic of the Prophet Mohammad. At each end does an arched gallery that is crowned by a dome top two huge octagonal columns made out of a single piece of granite each. The colonnades and door arches have inscriptions from the Quran. Now it has been wire meshed to stop birds nesting in the ceiling and liming the floor. It took about 8000 Masons and laborers and 77 years to complete.

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Amaravati:
The origin of the temple shrouded in mystery, though there are many legends, puranic and historical, about it. But the sanctity and the holiness of the place attract thousands of pilgrims even now. Amaravati is situated in Sattenapalli Taluk of Guntur District and it is famous as the seat of a temple to Lord Shiva worshipped here as Lord 'Amareswara' and also for the Buddhist sculptures, which are world famous. 'Amareswaram' is considered sacred because of three things, the Krishna River, an important Kshetra with an 'Sthalamahatyam' and the Sri Mahalinga Murthy, which are three sacred principles embodied in one. Here, Lord Siva is in the form of five, lingas, viz., 'Pranaveswara', 'Agasteswara', 'Kosaleswara', 'Someswara' and 'Parthiveswara'. The Lord Amareswara here is worshipped with his consort 'Bala Chamundika' who is considered as the fourth of the 18 goddesses.

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Kanaka Durga Temple:
Kanaka Durga, goddess of power, riches and benevolence is considered the presiding deity of Vijayawada. The temple is set on the Indrakiladri hill. The deity in the Kanaka Durga temple is regarded as Swayambhu or self-manifested, hence is considered very powerful. It is said that Adi Sankara visited this temple and installed the Sri Chakra here.

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Malleswaraswami Temple:
Adjacent to the Kanakadurga temple is the shrine of Malleswara Swamy on the Indrakiladri hill. Mallikarjuna or the Malleswara as he is known in the Puranas is installed by Yudhishthira, the eldest of the Panch Pandavas, as a token of their victory of the South.

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Vijayeswara Swami Temple:
The Vijayeswara temple is set on the Indrakiladri hill in Vijayawada. The installation of Vijayeswara is done by Arjuna, to commemorate his victory with Lord Shiva in the form of 'Kirata' (hunter).

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Hazrathbal Mosque:
Hazrat Bal Mosque, a site of religious significance in Vijayawada. A holy relic of Prophet Mohammad is kept here and displayed once a year.

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Gundala Church:
Gundala Church is situated on a hillock on the eastern side of the town, at Gundala. It attracts a large number of devotees. A fair is held annually in the month of February, in which thousands of devotees participate.

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Thousand Pillar Temple:
4-km from Hanumakonda crossroad in Warangal district is the Thousand Pillar Temple, a fine specimen of 'Kakatiya' architecture and sculpture. It is the main attraction of Hanamkonda. 'Rudra Devi' built the temple in 1163 AD. The temple is in shape of a star and has three shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Surya. The temple is built on a 1m high platform on the slopes of the Hanumakonda hill, and has a majestic monolithic Nandi. The black basalt Nandi, a monolith, has a lovely polished finish. There are many small lingam shrines surrounding the gardens. The temple is famous for its richly carved pillars, screens and detailed sculpture. The atmosphere is calm and serene with the sonorous ringing of the puja bells, gentle chirping of the birds and the soothing cool breeze.

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