339. Temple Darshan – 1

 Sometime back, my cousin Vidya had sent a news item about a new temple near Hyderabad.  It was the Swarnagiri temple which was constructed near (about 20 kms away😊) the Yadagirigutta temple.  It was inaugurated in March this year.  Few details about the temple below from Telengana Today…

Yadadri Tirumala Devasthanam, also known as Swarnagiri Sree Venkateswara Swamy Devasthanam, situated atop Manepally Hills in Bhuvanagiri, has emerged as a captivating new destination just 47.3 kilometres from Hyderabad and a mere 19.7 kilometres from Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Yadadri.

Recently opened for devotees, albeit partially under construction, this temple is quickly becoming a focal point of spiritual significance and architectural magnificence. Nestled on a sprawling 22-acre land owned by the Manepally family, the new temple is hailed as one of the largest Balaji temples in South India.

Its location on the picturesque Swarnagiri hill lends it an ethereal charm, especially when the temple is illuminated. Ascending the 108 steps to the temple, visitors are greeted by a blend of Pallava, Vijayanagara, Chola, and Chalukya architectural styles.

Four Rajagopurams adorn the temple walls, leading to spacious mandapams and culminating in a five-storied Vimana Gopuram atop the sanctum sanctorum. Inside the garba gruha stands a majestic 12-feet tall statue of Lord Sri Venkateshwara, said to be the largest in Telangana. Noteworthy features include a 120-feet Hunumana Mandapa housing a 40-feet monolith statue of Hanuman, and a massive bronze bell weighing about one and- a-half tons, the second largest in India.

The temple features the Jala Narayana Swami Sannidhi, a water-filled sanctum illuminated with lights in the evening, offering a visual delight to visitors.

Why and when did the Manepally family start building the temple? “It was in 2016 that my wife Vijayalakshmi had a mishap in an escalator leading to her breaking her bones and pushing her into a coma. The doctors gave up. But it was the holy water (tirtham) that somebody brought from Tirupati that brought her back to life. And then we decided to use our land to build a temple as a way of thanksgiving and also celebrate the miracle. It took over seven years to get it into shape,” says Rama Rao. The construction work is still on with rooms being built to accommodate pilgrims.

Sine Jayesh was at home, we wanted to visit this on his birthday in April.  However, something else came up and we decided to do this on a Sunday.  Seeing the crowded photos on internet, we decided to visit the site early morning.  So, about 5am, we started from home and reached there by 630-7am or so.  You can either walk the 108 steps to the temple or you can go back side of the temple and park your vehicle there.  Since my mother was with me, they allowed me to go to the back side of the temple so that she does not have to climb the steps. 

The temple has the facility of renting out wheelchairs for people who cannot walk.  Unfortunately, Jayashree had sprained her ankle and she too was not able to walk properly.  So, we rented 2 wheelchairs😊!  A nominal amount of refundable Rs 500 per wheelchair was collected.  Jayesh piloted his grandmother’s wheelchair and I was the pilot for Jayashree😊! 

Since we had wheelchairs, we were asked to skip the line and directly go to the deity through another side.  We had to climb 5-6 stairs and were near the door of the deity.  We had a very good darshan standing very near the deity.  There was no hurry from the pandits there to vacate the place.  We were there near the deity for some 2-3 minutes.     There was a small crowd of about 100 odd people who had lined up and were coming in line to visit the deity.  Within 10-15 minutes the crowd was gone.  Maybe at that time, the word-of-mouth had still not spread around, for visitors to throng the place.

After the visit to the Balaji deity, we went to visit the Hanuman statue and the bell.  Here, there was some crowd.  Then we visited the Jala Narayan Swami Sannidhi.  Lord Vishnu is lying on the Sesh naag. 

Since we went in the morning, we could not see the entire place illuminated by the light.  However, we saw it on internet.  Afte the visit, we returned the wheelchairs and collected the deposit and left the place.

I have attached a small file containing the pictures taken on site.  I am sure you will enjoy them!

Cheers till next week for the next darshan😊!!