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Bhadhra:chalam - The divine abode of Sri: Si:tha Ra:machandra Peruma:l
Article By: Kum. Swa:thi Mudumbai Ra:ma:nuja Da:si

The view of the Gopurams of Bhadhrachalam temple

Trivia

Location: Andhrapradesh, India. It is at a distance of over 300 km slightly northeast of Hyderabad.

Significance: During the Exile period, Lord Ra:ma lived in this holyplace along with Si:tha and Lakshmana. Si:tha is abducted by demon Ra:vana at this place only.

Famous Devotees : Maharshi Bhadra, and Bhaktha Ra:ma Da:s (Kancherla Go:panna).

Prayer:

va:ma:nkasthitha ja:naki:pari:lasath ko:danda dandam kare:
chithram cho:rdhvakare:na ba:hu yugale: sankham saram dakshine:
bibhra:nam jalaja:thapathra nayanam bhadraadri moordna sthitham
ke:yu:raadi vibhu:shitham raghupathim soumithri yuktham bhaje:!!

I pay my salutations to one, who has mother Si:ta piratti  seated on the lap of the va:ma charanam , who holds the bow, Ko:danDam and the Chakram in the va:ma hasthams and in the dhakshina hasthams, the arrow and the Sankham, whose eyes are like beautiful lotus petals and who wears the precious glowing ornaments, to one who is the head of the Raghu dynasty, to one who is always accompanied by Lakshmana Swami and who stays permanently on the top of the small mountain called Bhadhra, and to one who is called Si:ta Ra:ma Chandra Swami.

About Bhadhra:chalam:

Bhadhrachalam is the place where Si:ta Ra:ma Chandra Swa:mi resides along with Si:ta Piratti and Lakshmana swami as Chathurbhuja moorthi, on the head of a devotee called Bhadhra, the mountain.

The Sthala pura:nam of this kshethram is mentioned in the Bramha:nda pura:nam and Ska:ndha pura:nam. This abode of Si:taRamaSwamy perumal is located on the banks of the sacred river Godavari, called Gautami here, in the area of the “Dhandaka:ranya” ( the present place Bhadrachalam) that was mentioned in Valmiki Ramayanam. Bhadhra, the mountain is the incarnation of a stone, on which Sri:rama used to sit for taking rest during their vanava:sam in the Thryetha yuga.

This stone itself, after Dwapara yuga, in the beginning of the Kaliyuga, took birth in the form of Bhadra to the Me:ru Parvatha couple. Having directed by Rishi Narada, Badhra did a long thapas and attained the grace and boon from Sita Rama Chandra Swamy that the swamy would reside on his mountain permanently.

The places around Bhadrachalam:

The Parnasala:

During the vanava:sa period, Sri:Ra:ma swamy, along with Si:ta Pira:tti and Lakshmana Swami wandered in this forest called Dhandaka:ranyam and on the advice of Agasthya Maharshi, they built a Parnasa:la in the area of Panchavati and lived there for some time. This is the place where the key incidents in Ramayana like the visit of Su:rpanakha, the magic game played by Ra:vana and Ma:re:cha and the abduction of Si:ta Piratti took place. Some idols made out of mud are installed here which depict those incidents in the respective locations in Parnasa:la.

The mud idols of Si:ta Ramachandra swami, Ra:vana Lakshmana drawing the raksha re:kha with his arrow and Si:ta piratti.

The parna kuteeram with the colourful idols of Sita, Rama and lakshmana swamis

This sacred place of the great epical importance can be seen now as “Parnasa:la” which is 36 kms away from Bhadhrachalam town. Apart from this, we see here the Sabari river flowing and merging into the Godavari (Gauthami).

The sacred river Gautami (Godavari)

The Si:tha Lake:

The other important sacred place is the Sita lake near Parnasa:la. It is nothing but the “Padma saras” that is specified in Va:lmi:ki Ra:ma:yanam. It is said that mother Si:ta used to take bath in that lake and the Goddess Bhoomi had arranged some small rocks to supply the materials like turmeric powder, kumkum powder etc., that are necessary for her daughter to take bath. It is believed that she used to dry her clothes on the rocks present over there. Those signs are still visible even now on those rocks.

Inside the main sanctum:

The Rajagopuram        

                 The main sanctum of Si:ta Ramachandra perumal

The temple of Bhadhrachala Si:taramachandra swami faces the west. Inside the temple, on the west side, there is a sanctum for Hanumath alwaan and a Dvaja sthambham. On the North side, there are Uttara gopuram, Adhyayana mandapam, the mirror palace, Satya Na:rayana swami mandapam (Ekadasi mandapam), Kanakavalli Tha:ya:r mandapam (Dva:dasi mandapam), the sannidhis of Sri:Ranga Na:yaka perumal, Hayagreeva perumal, Manvalama:muni, Udayavar, Kurathalwaan, Nammalwa:r, Viswaksena, Thirumangai alwaar, Thondaradippodi alwar, Thirumazhisai alwaar, the Kalya:na mandapam and Vaikunta (Uttara) dwa:ram.

The Sa:sana sthambhams inside the temple

On the south side, the Dakshina gopuram, Sa:sana sthambhams, the sannidhis of Ranga Na:yaka swami, Gopala swami, A:nda:l, Sri:Ve:ntakeswara Perumal, A:di Va:ra:ha perumal, Na:rada Rishi, Ra:ja Go:pa:la  perumal, Pogai, Poodhatha, Periyalwar, Rajya Lakshmi Tha:ya:r, Vijaya Go:pa:la swami, Lakshmi Na:ra:yana perumal, Para Vaasudeva perumal, and Sri:Ra:ma dhyaana mandapam are present.

Apart from these sannidhis, inside the temple premises, we can see the Yaagasa:la, Patta:bhishe:ka mandapam, Pavithrothsava mandapam, Vaahana mandapam, Punarvasu mandapam, Chitraku:ta mandapam, Uttla mandapam, Vishraanthi mandapam etc,. And also, there is a statue of Sri:Bhaktha Ra:ma da:sa  in front of the main sanctum.

In the temple premises itself, there is a small museum in which the golden and diamond ornaments offered by Ra:mada:sa to peruma:l and his pariva:ram and the utensils and the wooden boxes that were used in the period of Ra:mada:sa are being displayed.

The temple culture and atmosphere

pic: The view of the whole temple on the banks the river Gautami
In the very step of the temple culture and rituals performed there, we see that the Sri:Vaishnava samprada:yam is predominant in this temple. The nithya aaradhana, archana and nithya kalyanam are being offered to the perumal in a sampradayic manner. The daily bhajans and the keerthana:s inside the main sanctum during the evenings create a very pleasant spiritual and divine atmosphere inside the temple.