Sammakka Saralamma Jatara or Medaram Jatara is a tribal festival of honouring the goddesses celebrated in the state of Telangana, India.The Jatra begins at Medaram in Tadvai Mandal in Warangal district.[1] It commemorates the fight of a mother and daughter, Sammakka and Saralamma, with the reigning rulers against an unjust law. It is believed that after Kumbha Mela, the Medaram jatara attracts the largest number of devotees in the country. An estimated 10 million people gathered in 2012 It is celebrated in Medaram during the time the goddesses of the tribals is believed to visit them. Medaram is a remote place in the Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, a part of Dandakaranya, the largest surviving forest belt in the Deccan.
§==Ritual== Sammakka Sarakka Jatara is the time for the largest tribal religious congregation in the world, held every two years (biennually), with approximately ten million people converging on the place, over a period of four days, which is 90 km from Warangal city.[2] The Samakka Jatra is a State Festival of Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. Many tribal Devotees from different states of India (M.P, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Maharastra, Karnataka and parts of Jharkand)reach to the festive place to celebrate the Jatara. People offer bangaram/gold (jaggery) of a quantity equal to their weight to the goddesses and take holy bath in Jampanna Vagu (stream).It is a festival with no vedic or brahmanic influence. Until 1998, the only way to reach Medaram was by a bullock cart. In 1998 the state government declared the 1000-yr old festival as official and laid down a motorable road. In 2008, nearly 8 million people were estimated to have attended the festival. This fair is said to be the largest repeating congregation of tribal communities in the world. The traffic jam during the festival sometimes goes as far as 60 km on the Warangal highway. In 2012, approximately 1 crore people would attend the world's largest tribal festival. Content from Wikipedia
Komuravelli Mallikarjuna swamy Temple popularly known as Komuravelli Mallanna Temple is a Hindu temple located on a hill called Indakeeladri in Komrelly village Warangal District, Telangana sate. It is located near Siddipet on NH - 7 highway.[1] The main deity is of Mallanna or Mallikarjuna Swamy (Lord Shiva). It is located about 95 kilometers from Hyderabad
The Mallanna deity with Golla Kethamma and Medalamma is at the main temple. The temple is specially popular with the devotees belonging to the Kuruma and Yadava communities. The Oggu Katha singers sing the tale of Mallanna here. The temple is visited during Shivarathri day when Pedda Patnam is celebrated. Another temple, Konda Pochamma temple is nearby which is visited by the devotees who visit Mallanna temple.
Founder&Chairman of the Temple: Masanpally Narsing Rao Yadav. He lived in Hyderabad. First he started the kalyanam. He founded the temple. He died in 1991. There is no written script for the lord mallanna story. The story is written by "Oggu Katha".In these story swamy mallanna married goddess medallamma by facing conditions which are put by her brothers Content from Wikipedia
Bhadrakali Temple in Warangal, Telangana is known to be one of the oldest temples for Goddess Bhadrakali in India. This temple is located on the banks of the Bhadrakali lake, a picturesque location between Hanamkonda and Warangal about 1.5 km from Government Polytechnic.
The temple's main deity Goddess Bhadrakali's image is made in a 2.7x2.7 meters square stone facing west with pleasant looking eyes holding weapons in her eight hands with Shiva under her feet. 'Sree Chakram' and 'Utsava Vigrahas' of Bhadrakali are placed in front of the main deity. A statue of Lion, Bhadrakali's vahana on which she rides, is placed opposite the sanctum sanctorum. The temple also has a Dhwaja Sthambam and Balipeetham.
Some of the oldest deities in the Maha Mantapam along with Bhadrakali are Uma Maheshwara images on stone in front of Shiva Linga, Subramanya Swamy statue, Hanuman statue and Navagrahas all carved in stone. A new road was constructed in 1966 from the temple to the Warangal-Kazipet main road next to Government Polytechnic. The temple has been expanded in the 2000s with the addition of Alaya Shikaram, Maha Mantapam. Recently Sri Vallabha Ganapathi temple and temple parikrama have been added to the main temple. The temple management is also running a Veda Pathasala (School for learning Vedas) near the temple. There are 8 major and 12 minor temples in the mountains surrounding the Bhadrakali Temple including Padmakshi temple, Sri Shirdi Sai Baba, Sri Narasimha swamy temple and Sri Pothuluri Veerabrahmendra Swamy temple. Bhadrakali Temple has become a major tourist place and people from many parts of India visit this temple. Content from Wikipedia
Sanghi Temple, located at Sanghi Nagar in Telangana in India, is about 35 km from Hyderabad city.[1] The sacred Raja Gopuram, which is very tall, can be seen from several kilometers away. The temple complex is located on the top of Paramanand Giri hill, which attracts a number of devotees who seek the gods' blessings. The beauty of the slope around the temple is a popular view among its visitors. As you approach the Paramanand Giri, the gateway, or Maha Dwaram, welcomes the visitors. As you further proceed, the stone elephant is seen at the stairway. There are three Gopurams seen at the foot of the hillock which are so tall and seem as if touching the heavens. On the top of the temple complex, one can see the shrine of Lord Anjaneya, the son of Anjana devi and Wind God, who is believed to shower his blessings to his devotees.
The temple is constructed in South Indian style of temple architecture and houses all important Hindu God idols. It is a favorite getaway point for the Hyderabadis as well as a popular tourist spot. The idol of Venkateshwara inside the sanctum sanctorum is 9-½ ft tall.
There are small temples inside the complex dedicated to Padmavati, Shiva, Rama, Anjaneya, Ganesha, Navagrahas, Goddess Ashtalakshimi, Durga and Kartikeya. There is also a Pavitra Vanam, or holy garden, in the temple complex where special leaves and flowers are grown for performing poojas. The temple opens at 5.00 a.m. For one hour, Suprabhatam is recited, followed by Archana to the deities from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. General darshan for the devotees is allowed from 8.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. and again from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Poojas and Sevas are held between 6 p.m. and 8 pm. The temple remains closed between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. and after 8 p.m. Weekly Abhishekam is performed to the deities between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. (Sri Ramalingeshwara (Mondays), Sri Hanuman (Tuesdays), Sri Venkateshwara, Ashtalakshmi, Parvathi, Padmavathi and Rama(Fridays). Timings of Sanghi Temple 08.00 a.m. to 08.00 p.m.,break b/w 1pm to 4pm on all days except notified public holidays. Other attractions of Sanghi Temple Cultural Film shows on all weekends in the afternoon.
Maheswaram is a village n mandal in RangaReddi district in the state of Telangana in India.
Maheshwaram is a popular tourist site located in the district. The remains of a magnificent temple of Lord Shiva are found among the ruins left by the ravages of time. Apart from the main temple, Maheshwaram also has two fortresses- Shiva Ganga and Vishnu Ganga- the Kacheri house of Akkanna and Madanna, famous ministers of Bhaktha Ramdas era, the Kodanda Ramalayam, and the Shivaji Durgam. Every edifice here bears the imprint of more than 500 years of history. The temples here house many exquisite and detailed sculptures.
Maheshwaram (Telugu: మహేశ్వరం) is located at 17° 55'0N 79° 54' 0E. It has average altitude of 221 meters. Maheshwaram is Major village Panchayath consisting of 3000 to 5000 people. Primary Occupation is Agriculrure, there are other occupations also like fishing, Toddy tapping, sheppards, carpenters etc... Maheswaram contains 3 ponds naming Maheswaram cheruvu, panjeruvu, veramma kunta. Village agriculture mainly depends on raining water and ground water. The main crops cultivating are paddy, cotton, corn, chilly, turmeric, ground nut etc... Content from TouristLink and Wikipedia
Keesaragutta Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Siva and his consorts Bhavani and Sivadurga at Keesaragutta in Rangareddy district. It is about 40 km from Hyderabad and 10 km from ECIL. It is located on a small hillock. The temple draws thousands of devotees on Shivaratri.
Legend has it that Sri Rama installed the Siva lingam here to atone for the sin of killing Ravana, a Brahman. He selected this beautiful valley surrounded by hills and verdant greenery for the purpose and ordered Hanuman to bring a Sivlingam from Varanasi. Hanuman was late in arriving with the Siva lingam and as the auspicious hour was nearing, Lord Siva himself appeared before Sri Rama and presented a Sivilingam for installation. Hence the lingam in the temple is called Swayambhu Linga. It is also called Ramalingeswara as lord Sri Rama had installed the lingam.
Hanuman returned with 101 lingams for selection from Varanasi and felt aggrieved at not having his lingam installed. Hence he threw them all over the area. Even to this day several lingams are found scattered all over the place outside the temple. To mollify Hanuman, Sri Rama ordained that precedence would be given to him for worship at the temple. He also said that the hillock where the lingam was installed would bear his name kesarigiri i.e., Hanuman, the son of Kesari. Over a period of time, it has colloquially transformed and is now known as Keesara and the hill as Keesaragutta. Ever since, the rituals follow the command of Sri Rama. Content from Wikipedia
Karmanghat Hanuman Temple is located at Karman ghat, closer to Sagar Ring Road, it is a temple of Lord Hanuman. It is one of the oldest temples in the city.
It was built in the 12th century A.D (approximately 1143). When a Kakatiya king went hunting and was resting under a tree, he heard the chanting of Lord Rama's name. Wondering who it was in the middle of a dense forest, he discovered a stone idol of Lord Hanuman, in seated posture and the voice coming from the vigraha. Having paid his respects, he returned to his capital, and that night, Lord appeared in his dream and asked him to construct a temple.
The temple was built immediately and successive kings ruled it well. About 400 years later, Aurangzeb sent out his armies to all corners of the country for further expansion of Mughal Empire. At this temple, the army couldn't even step close to the compound wall. When the general reported this to Aurangzeb, he himself went with a crow bar to break down the temple. At the threshold of the temple, he heard a deafening roar rumblning like thunder, and the crowbar slipped from his hands as he was shaking in fear. Then he heard a voice in the heavens "Mandir todna hai rajan, to kar man ghat" (translation: "if u want to break down the temple king, then make your heart stronger") which is why the place got the name kar-man-ghat. And to this day, Lord Anjaneya sits peacefully meditating and blessing devotees, as Dhyana Anjaneya Swamy. Content from Wikipedia
Chilkur Balaji Temple (Telugu: చిలుకూరు బాలాజీ దేవాలయము) popularly known as Visa Balaji Temple or Visa God is an ancient Hindu temple of Lord Balaji on the banks of Osman Sagar Lake near Hyderabad, India. It is 17 km from Mehedipatnam. It is one of the oldest temples in Hyderabad built during the time of Madanna and Akkanna, the uncles of Bhakta Ramadas. The shrine is instrumental for the temple's popularity as Visa God.
This temple does not accept any money, does not have a hundi, from the devotees, no green channel or privileges for VVIPs. The other such temple is the Jalaram temple in Virpur (Rajkot), Gujarat. This temple fought and won the right to stay out of government control. The only other such temple is "Ramanuj Kot", a temple in Jodhpur, Rajasthan
During a visit the devotee goes through the usual rituals of prayer, including 11 circumambulations of the inner shrine, and makes a vow. Once the wish is fulfilled devotees then walk 108 times around the sanctum sanctorum. The majority of wishes by devotees are visa related, thus Chilkur Balaji is also referred to as 'Visa' Balaji. The 11 circumambulations represent the secret of creation — 11 means "1 soul and 1 body" — uniting both with devotion and full determination to fulfill wish, dedicate on the lord; there is no second, everything is god. In the 108 circumambulations, 1 represents the Existence, Almighty, God (Paramathma, Balaji in the minds of the devotee), 0 represents Creation (Illusionary World, Jagath) and 8 represents Human Body need to come to this universe 8 months (Jivatma). The Chanting of following names of Lord Vishnu, immensely helps us in overcoming the obstacles in our daily life. "Om Vashatkaaraaya Namaha" : For Success in Business. "Om Aksharaaya Namaha" : For Success in Studies. "Om Bhuthabhavanaya Namaha" : For Good Health. "Om Paramaathmane Namaha" : For Self Confidence. Every devotee has to keep eyes open while doing darshan of God idol in the temple.
God is everything; God does not want anything from devotees; God expects Devotion, Determination and Dedication from devotees. This temple has chance to surrender the above aspects with God Content from Wikipedia
Birla Mandir is a Hindu temple, built on a 280 feet (85 m) high hillock called Naubath Pahad on a 13 acres (53,000 m2) plot. The construction took 10 years and was consecrated in 1976 by Swami Ranganathananda of Ramakrishna Mission. The temple was constructed by Birla Foundation, which has also constructed several similar temples across India, all of which are known as Birla Mandir.
The temple manifests a blend of Dravidian, Rajasthani and Utkala architectures. It is constructed of 2000 tons of pure white marble. The granite idol of presiding deity Lord Venkateswara is about 11 ft (3.4 m) tall and a carved lotus forms an umbrella on the top. There is a brass flagstaff in the temple premises which rises to a height of 42 ft (13 m). The temple does not have traditional bells, as Swami Ranganathananda wished that the temple atmosphere should be conducive for meditation.
Apart from the main shrine, the consorts of Lord Venkateswara, Padmavati and Andal are housed in separate shrines. The temple also has separate shrines for various Hindu gods and goddess including Shiva, Shakti, Ganesh, Hanuman, Brahma, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Saibaba. Selected teachings of holy men and Gurbani are engraved on temple walls. Birla temples are open to all, as identified by Mahatma Gandhi and other Hindu leaders. Content from Wikipedia
