Sri Talapagiri Ranganatha Swamy Temple - Nellore
Sri Talpagiri Rangantha Swamy temple is located at Nellore city in the state of Andhra Pradesh. One of the famous temples in South India.
Sri Ranganatha Swamy is
the main deity of this temple who is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, facing West
direction. The Idol of The Lord Ranganatha inside the Sanctum Sanctorium is in
a reclining position on Adisesha 10 feet long. In the right hand there is a
chakra and left hand there is a shankam. At the Lord’s feet 26-inch high
deities of Sridevi and Bhudevi.
Ranganayaki devi is consort of Ranganayaka Swamy.
This temple is located on the banks of the Penna River
The interesting thing about this temple is that the idols face
west towards River Penna, Unlike most temples where the deity faces east.
There is 7 tiered Raja gopuram with 70 feet in height.
The name “Talpagiri”
comes from the legend, that says that Adisesha took the form of a hill here
when Lord Sri Maha Vishnu came down to Earth and rested here. “Talpa” refers to
the bed of the Adisesha serpent in which Lord Maha Vishnu stands out. So, the
temple's name is Talpagiri Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple or Uttara Srirangam.
Temple faces the East direction and was built in the Dravidian style of
architecture.
The main entrance of the
Gopuram is Seven Tired and is 70 feet high, covered with hundreds of forms of
Lord Vishnu, and has seven gold-plated kalasas on top of it. The Galigopuram
was constructed by a Brahmin Sirastadar of a local court in the British regime
by the name of the Late Sri Yeragudipati Venkatachalam Pantulu. A
Dhwajastambham stands in the temple courtyard.
Old inscriptions in Tamil
refer to the temple as Tirupparkadal (sea of milk). Addalamandapam (mirror
hall) presents the most picturesque sight with its high-definition of mirrors.
The hall is decorated with costly Belgian mirrors. Hundreds of images of the
deity are reflected in them when the idols are placed on an elevated seat in
the middle of the hall on special days. It is an exquisite and breathtaking
view. Devotees also love the painting of Lord Krishna on the ceiling of the
mandapam. If eight people stand at the eight corners of the mandapam and look
at the painting, each one can feel the Lord’s eyes on him or her. There are
marvelous Tanjore-style paintings of the 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu in the
hall. The gold border to the paintings shines when light falls on them. The
mandapam was built by a staunch devotee of the Lord, Muppirala Chinna Narasimha
Charyulu, at the beginning of this century.
As per the Legend, Lord
Vishnu wanted to visit Bhooloka along with his consort Sridevi. He said
Adisesha to be the place for a Lord's residence to stay at Bhooloka obeying the
order of the lord. Lord came down to Earth and rested here. Temple was built by
Pallava rulers in the 7th and 8th Centuries A.D. This temple was later
developed by King Raja Mahendra Varma in the 12th Century A.D.
Sage Kashyapa on his
pilgrim’s journey to varied sacred places reached this place and performed
Poundarika Yaga on the day of Ekadasi. It is quoted in ‘Aranya Kanda’ of the
epic Ramayana. The Lord Rama visited this place as part of his journey. The
second among the ‘Kavi Trayam’ (Trinity of Poets), Tikkana Somayaji translated
the final 15 chapters of the epic Mahabharath into Telugu in this Temple.
A large festival is held every year in the
months of March and April (which varies depending on the Indian calendar). They
are known as Brahmotsavam.
Temple Timings :
6.00 am to 12.00 pm
4.30 pm to 9.00 pm
Pooja Schedule :
6.00 to 6.30 am – Suprabatha Seva
7.00 am to 8.00 am – Abhishekam
8.30 to 11.30 am – Arjitha Seva
11.30 am to 12.00 pm – Nivedana
5.00 pm to 6.00 pm – Nitya Kalyanam
7.00 pm to 7.45 pm – Thomala Seva
8.45 pm to 9.00 pm – Ekanta Seva
How to Reach the Temple
5 kms from Nellore Bustand
4 km from Nellore Railway Station.
Nearby Temples :
Vedagiri
Narasimha Swamy Temple – 15 kms
Jonnawada
Kamakshi Amma Temple – 17 km
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