Bhadrachalam Sita Rama Swamy:-
The temple of Rama, called as Sita Rama Swamivari Devasthanam, is a sacred place in the town of Bhadrachalam. Situated on a hillock with the River Godavari flowing at the foot of it, this temple of Lord Rama is one of the most visited shrines in the South India. The main deity or the "moola virattu", consists of two granite idols- Lord Rama with His consort Sita seated on His lap and Lakshmana. A unique characteristic of the idol of Sri Rama is that the Panchajanya (conch) is in His right hand while the Sudarshana Chakra is in His left hand.
There is River Godavari flowing in the town of Bhadrachalam. For tourists, there is a scenic walkway and park where you have sculptures illustrating some prominent episodes from Ramayana.
The name Bhadrachalam:-
The name Bhadrachalam is derived from Bhadragiri meaning the mountain of Bhadra who was the boon child of Meru and Menaka. To get the grace of Lord Rama, the saint Bhadra performed penance at the bank of river Godavari in Dandakaranya.
The saint wanted Rama to be seated on his head, but Rama who was in search of his consort Sita gave promise to his Bhakta that his desire would be fulfilled on his way back, after finding Sita and accomplishing the process of punishing the wicked Ravana. But Rama could not accomplish the promise in Ramavatara, so the sage continued the frightened penance. Then Sri Mahavishnu manifests himself as Vykunta Rama with Shankh on the right hand and Chakra on the left hand and rushes to his devotee Bhadra along with Sita and Laxman.
The hill place where the Deities were seated on was the head place of Bhadra Achala. So this shrine was called the Bhadrachalam.
There is nothing particular about the architecture of the temple, and the edifices are built rather sturdily than elegantly. However, the images of Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are arresting by their divine beauty and anyone who meditated before the deity would feel that the image has not been made merely as a piece of sculpture, as an icon of the Lord, by an ordinary Sthapathi, but has been done by some great mystic, in a moment of complete and ecstatic oneness with the Lord. Such arresting beauty in sculpture is not known anywhere else.
The place is associated with Rama in more than one way. He spent a part of the 14 years of his "Aranya vasam" (exile) accompanied by his spouse, Sita and his brother, Laxmana. A few kilometers away from the temple is the Ushnagundam. It is said that Lakshmana had brought hot water from here for Sita to bathe. About 35 km away from Bhadrachalam is the Parnashala, believed to be the hut where Rama, Sita and Lakshamana lived during their exile in the forest and where Sita was abducted by the demon king of Lanka, Ravana.
Pokala Dhammakka found the idols of Vykunta Rama, Laxmana and Sita. She was an ardent devotee of Rama lived in 17th century was inhabitant of Bhadrireddypalem, a mile away from this holy place. One night, she had darshan of Rama in her dream and was told by lord Rama “the saints and sages are worshiping my embodied deity settled on Bhadragiri” and asked her to trace them, perform pooja and attain salvation. On the very next day morning she started searching for the idols - peeped into an anthill and found the idols hidden in it. She poured hundreds of pots of Godavari water on the anthill, which tardily dissolved and gave way to appear the hidden Deities. Since then, she used to perform pooja daily and offer 'nivedyam' with fruits fallen from near palmyra tree and constructed a mandapam with the help of local villagers.
About temple:-
The present temple was constructed in the middle of the 18th century. Bhadrachalam was then under the Kutub Shah kings, with capital at Golconda. Gopanna, nephew of Madanna, Minister of King Abul Hasan Tani Shah (1674-99), the last of the Kutub Shah Kings, became Tahsildar of the Bhadrachalam area. He was so intensely devoted to Lord Rama that he spent about Rs. 6 lakhs of revenue on the renovation of the temple and making ornaments for Sri Rama. For this diversion of royal money, he was arrested and incarcerated inside the Golconda fort. This dungeon is even now known as Ramadas's prison and is shown to visitors at Golconda. Sri Rama himself is stated to have appeared in his dream and handed over to him a receipt for the money spent in building the temple. Next morning, Tani Shah (Nawab of Golconda) himself came to the cell and released Gopanna.
A thoroughly shaken king not only restored Gopanna to his position as Tahsildar, but also gave huge amounts of gifts and in addition, sanctioned a substantial annual grant for the maintenance of the temple, continued by the Nizam's Government.
Ramadas is credited with having composed many devotional works, hymns and prayers to Sri Rama. "Dasarathi Sataka" is considered to be one of his most popular works.
After Ramadas's death, the temple fell into disrepair and it was left to another ardent devotee, Thummu Narasimhadas of Guntur, to make some improvements, to prevent further deterioration of the temple. He secured from Raja Chandulal, a Minister under the Nizam of Hyderabad, the gift of a village, the revenue from which was to be utilised for maintaining the temple services.
Sri Tyagaraja visited Bhadrachalam, drew inspiration from the kritis of Ramadas for his own immortal compositions and composed three or four kritis in the presence of the deity, the well-known among them being "Mohana Rama" and "Enna Ganu Rama Bhajana."
The temple lies on a hillock, commanding a grand view of the Godavari and can be reached by climbing about 100 steps.
On either side of the entrance to the muhamandapa are the Dwarapalakas — Jaya and Vijaya. The faces of the four pillars in the muhamandapa contain exquisite image of Ashtalakshmi, 18 forms of Lord Siva, Dasavatar, 12 Azhwars, etc. The ceiling of this mandapa contains the figures of a three-petal lotus, made out of a single piece of granite stone. Apsara women adorn the inner portion of the muhamandapa and the sanctum.
The octagonal-vimana (tower) over the sanctum is a three-storey construction with granite stones, the kind seen in the temples in Thanjavur and Chidambaram of the Chola period.
The other face of the Vimana contains beautiful stone images depicting the 48 forms of Lord Vishnu, Garuda, Simha, Somaskanda and Dakshinamurthy.
Another unique feature in the sanctum is that the sikhara (dome) crowning the vimana is carved from a single block of granite, weighing about 36 tonnes.
This is the biggest in the recent centuries, the oldest being the 80-tonne sikhara over the vimana of the Big temple in Thanjavur.
The Sikhara is crowned with Sudarsana Chakra, which Ramadas got from the Godavari. The eight-faced Chakra with thousand corners contains Sudarsana Murthi, engraved in the centre. Nearby stand three pillars — "Ramakoti Kratu Sthamba" among the 108 such pillars installed in various pilgrim centres in this country by Sri Ramanujar.
On the sides of the pillars are carved inscriptions of "Samkshipta Ramayana" in Sanskrit in Devanagari script. One of the pillars contains the verses from "Dasarathi Sataka" written by Ramadas with a white marble stone of his image in front.
The most attractive and awe-inspiring feature is the Kalyana Mandapa outside the temple. It is a treasure house of sculptures, which are not only those of gods and goddesses, but also scenes from legends.
There are also exquisite floral designs. On the ceiling, the Ramayana and the 12 zodiac signs are inscribed.
Close to the temple on the top of another hillock is the Ramadas Dhyana Mandir, a huge hall used for conducting philosophical and devotional programmes. The interior and exterior walls are inscribed with poems from Dasarathi Sataka and kritis sung by Ramadas. A life-size statue of the poet stands in front of this building.
Chitrakuta Mandapa is used for conducting cultural activities and performing marriages by devotees. The `sthala purana' of this place is depicted on the walls.
Another Unique feature of this Temple town is there are two Kshetra Palakas for the main temple. Those are:
Sri Yogananda Jwala Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy (Lord Narasimha)
Sri Annapurna Kasi Vishweswara Swamy (Lord Shiva)
In the above two temples also the main Deities face westside towards river Godavari. These two temples are sub temples to Seeta Ramachandra Swamy Temple and are equally important with the main temple. Both these sub temples are also located on small hillocks as Sri Rama temple, but Lord Shivas' temple is located in the higher ground along with Nava Gragahs and Vignadipathi Vinayakudu (Lord Ganesh). These temples are also equally significant along with the main temple of Lord Sri Rama.
One more place, well known and famous, and it is called "Gnanamandiram" which is located in top hill. from here we can see the curve of Godavari River and the complete view of Bhadrachalam. inside the Gnamandiram we can see and read the "Ramayanam" on stone plates.
History of Bhadrachalam:-
Bhadrachalam is situated in an area, which once formed part of the Dandakaranya forest, visited by Sri Rama,Sita and Lakshmana during their exile (vanavasam). The jungle in the vicinity of the temple was the actual site of Rama's retreat and it was at the parnasala (32 km from here) that he built a hut for himself and Sita and from where Sita was abducted by Ravana.
The history of this shrine stands for the significance of Ramayana Era, and vicinity of the temple had its incongruous add mixture of another story which depicts the exigency of " Sri Mahavishnu " to manifest himself as Rama long after Ramavatara was to fulfill his promise to his Bhakta Bhadra (a mountain king), a sage who had been continuing the frightened penance to get grace of Lord Rama.The name Bhadrachalam derived from Bhadragiri (Mountain of Bhadra - child of Meru and Menaka).
The temple at Bhadrachalam has the Archa Murthys of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana and are considered to be Svayambhu Murthys (self-manifested ones).Srirama appeared in a dream to a woman called Pokala Dammakka and informed here about the existence of vigrahas on Bhadragiri hills. To her surprise she found the "Vigrahas" and put up a modest structure.Dhammakka, cleared jungle and offered puja to the deities.
Idol:-
The idol of Sri Rama (moolavar) is in the padmasana possture with four hands, (Chaturbuja Rama) holding the bow and arrow in the front two hands. Sankha and Chakra in the rear hands. He is holding the Sankha in the right hand and Chakra in the left, indicating that having completed the destruction of the "rakshasas" with the Chakra confirming the Lord is assuring the world of peace and protection. To the left of Sri Rama is Sita and Lakshmana is on her left. But in the utsava deity, Sita and Lakshmana are on either side of Rama. Adi Sankara, who has visited this temple, described Sri Rama as "Vaikunta Rama."
Temple History:-
The history depicts that the need emerged the incarnation of Vykuntha Rama was that to fulfill a long desire of his ardent devotee Bhadra. The Saint Bhadra - Bhadra performed penance at the bank of river Godavari in this " Dandakaranya " to get grace of lord Rama and in countenance of his beloved God - The exulted "Rishi" implored Rama to be seated on his head, but Rama who was in search of his consort Sita gave promise to his Bhakta that his desire would be fulfilled on his way back, after finding Sita and accomplishing the process of punishing the wicked Ravana and establish 'Dharma'. Thus the sage had been in continuation of the frightened penance, as Rama could not accomplish the promise in Ramavatara. Then Sri Mahavishnu manifested himself as Vykuntha Rama and rushed to his devotee Bhadra, signaling his arrival by blowing 'Shanku', accompanied by his consort Sita and brother Laxmana, resembling that of 'Gajendra Moksham ' - Thus, the moorthies of Rama (having four hands) - Shanku on the right, Chakra at his left and Dhanurbhana (Bow and Arrow in the rest two hands), Sita had condescended on the left lap of Rama and brother (at Rama's left) are existed. And the hill place where the Deities were seated on, was the head place of Bhadra - achalam (hill), thus this shrine was transformed into Bhadrachalam. Pokala Dhammakka found the idols of Vykuntha Rama, Laxmana and Sita. Pokala Dhammakka, an ardent devotee of Rama lived in 17th century was inhabitant of Bhadrireddypalem, a mile away from this holy place .On new fine night, she had darshan of Rama in her dream and was told by lord Rama that " the saints and sages are worshiping my embodied moorthy settled on Bhadragiri " and asked her to trace them, perform pooja and attain salvation. On the very next day morning she started searching for the idols - peeped into an anthill and found the idols hidden in it. She poured hundreds of pots of Godavari water on the anthill, which tardily dissolved and gave way to appear the hidden Deities. Since then, she used to perform pooja daily and offer 'nivedyan' with fruits fallen from near palmyra tree and constructed a mandapam with the help of local villagers.
Legends of Bhadrachalam:-
Legend has it that the town is located in the area that was once a part of the Dandakaranya forest. According to Hindu legends, Lord Rama and Sita Devi together with his brother Laxmana lived in this forest for some time during the duration of their exile. Many people believe that the forested area near the Sri Rama Temple is the place where the God stayed with His wife and brother for a few days. Some 32 km from the temple. Lord Rama built a dwelling place for His family. This was the same hut from where Ravana abducted Sita and carried her with him to Lanka.
Another legend attached to the town of Bhadrachalam is that of Lord Vishnu and His devotee Bhakta Bhadra. Bhadra was a sage who was an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. The Lord met the sage when He was on His way to Lanka to rescue Sita. The sage implored Lord to sit on his head. However, the Lord, who was in a hurry to rescue His wife, promised the sage that He would fulfill his wish on His way back. However, this could not happen, and the sage continued worshipping Lord Vishnu in order to get a glimpse of Vishnu’s Rama avatar. It is believed that, impressed with the devotion and penance of Bhadra, Lord Vishnu appeared to his devotee in the avatar of Lord Rama along with His wife Sita and brother Laxmana. The Lord announced His coming by blowing a conch. The Lord was seated on the top of Bhadragiri, His wife sat on the left lap and His brother on the right side. This event is believed to have occurred many years after the end of the ‘Ramarajaya’ or the rule of Rama. The name of the town is derived from the name of this devotee of Lord Rama.
A very interesting legend attached to the Sri Rama Temple is that the Lord Himself appeared in the dream of a woman called Pokala Dammakka. Lord Rama told the woman of the presence of vigrahas on the slopes of Bhadragiri. The woman visited the mountain the next day and to her surprise found many vigrahas scattered on the mountain. She formed a simple structure on the mountain and named it Dhammakka. She tried to clear the jungle as much as she could and started worshipping at the altar every day. Ever since then, the mountain of Bhadragiri has become an important holy center for Hindu pilgrims from all over the world. Every year millions of devotees come to the place to offer their prayers and to seek forgiveness for their earthly sins.
Maharshi Bhadra:-
Bhadra performed penance at the bank of river Godavari in this " Dandakaranya " to get grace of lord Rama and in countenance of his beloved God - The exulted "Rishi" implored Rama to be seated on his head ,but Rama who was in search of his consort Sita gave promise to his Bhakta that his desire would be fulfilled on his way back , after finding Sita and accomplishing the process of punishing the wicked Ravana and establish 'Dharma' . Thus the sage had been in continuation of the frightened penance as Rama could not accomplish the promise in Ramavatara . Then Sri Mahavishnu manifested himself as Vykuntha Rama and rushed to his devotee Bhadra , signaling hisarrival by blowing 'Shanku',accompanied by his consort Sita and brother Laxmana , resembling that of 'Gajendra Moksham ' - Thus , the moorthies of Rama ( having four hands ) - Shanku on the right , Chakra at his left and Dhanurbhana ( Bow and Arrow in the rest two hands ) , Sita had condescended on the left lap of Rama and brother ( at Rama's left ) are existed . And the hill place where the Deities were seated on , was the head place of Bhadra - achalam ( hill ) ,thus this shrine was transformed into Bhadrachalam .
The idols of Vykuntha Rama, Laxmana and Sita were found by Pokala Dhammakka. Pokala Dhammakka, an ardent devotee of Rama lived in the 17th century and was an inhabitant of Bhadrireddypalem, a mile away from this holy place. On one fine night, she had darshan of Rama in her dream who said "the saints and sages are worshiping my embodied moorthy settled on Bhadragiri" and asked her to trace them, perform pooja and attain salvation. On the very next day morning she started searching for the idols-peeped into an ant-hill and found the idols hidden in it. She poured hundreds of pots of Godavari water on the ant-hill which tardily dissolved and gave way for the appearance of the hidden Deities. Since then, she used to perform pooja daily and offer 'naivedyam' with fruits fallen from near palmyra tree and constructed a mandapam of thatch hut with the help of local villagers. Bhagawan Rama told Dhammakka that at a later date, one of his devotees would construct a Mandir at this site. Dhammakka waited patiently for the devotee. The devotee turned out to be Bhakta Ramadas.
Bhakta Ramadas and construction of temple Bhadrachalarama temple was constructed by Kancharla Gopanna popularly known as Bhakta Ramadas in the year 1674 A.D.
Bhakta Ramadasa:-
Bhadrachalam RamdasSri Kancharla Gopanna popularly known as Bhakta Ramadasa or Bhadrachala Ramadasa was born in 1620 AD at Nelakondapalli village of Khammam in Andhra Pradesh and lived for 68 years on this earth.
As per the last verse of his Dasarathi Satakam, his name was Gopanna the son of Linganna Mantri of Atreya Gotram. The Mantri surname is because of the fact that their ancestors were ministers of the then King. Born to pious couples Linganna Murthy and Kamamba, Gopanna was brought up as pious and devoted gentleman. He had developed good taste for music and was an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. As a good singer he devoted his talents in singing in praise of Lord Rama. Many of his cousins and nephews were working in the administration of the royal treasury. His nephew Akkanna who was in the court of then Sultan Taani Shah of Golconda (Abdul Hasan Tana Shah the Nawab of the Qutub Shahi dynasty) had appointed Goppanna as Tahsildar of present Bhadrachalam region.
Construction of temple by Bhakta Ramadasa:-
As a Rama Bhakta Sri Goppanna while conducting his routines of collection of taxes for the royal treasury devoted time for spreading Ramanama also. During his course of duty he visited the temple of Lord Vaikunta Rama at Bhadrachalam. The Rama Bhaktha in him was overwhelmed at the sight of Lord Vaikunta Rama. The temple then was not in good shape and Goppanna thought that the temple requires renovation and reconstruction. He made an appeal to the people of the region, to raise funds to this effect. Basically an agriculture dependent society, they told him to use the tax collected with a promise to replenish the fund after the harvest. In the hope he will be able to replenish the amount in time, Goppanna spent the tax money towards the construction of the temple.
After completion of the construction, his miseries started. Sultan Taani Shah of Golconda had come to know of what Goppanna had done in Bhadrachalam and he dismissed Goppanna from service for misappropriation of royal funds and sentenced him for twelve years of imprisonment. Goppanna was kept in prison in Golkonda and tortured by the Sultan. Twelve long years he was kept there and tortured. Goppanna sought refuge in singing to Lord Rama to get away from the miseries he had to undergo. The out pour from his anguished heart is now popularly known as ‘Dasaradhi Sathakam’. His songs are a reflection of the deeply felt bitter - sweet agonies and ecstasies of a devotee in distress in the form of ‘keertanas’.
Repayment of Goppanna’s debet by Lord Sri Rama:-
On hearing His Baktha’s anguish, Sri Rama and Sri Lakshmana went to the Sultan’s palace on that very night woke up Sultan and paid the money due to the royal treasury through Goppanna. Sultan was perplexed to see the divine looking young lads repaying the money due from Goppanna. The young lads got the release papers signed by the Sultan. Unaware about the repayment of the money, next morning Goppanna had found the release papers signed by Sultan in his bedside. To the astonishment of Sultan the release papers were presented from the prison next day morning. The mohars repaid by the Lord were brought in front of the Sultan in the morning. The mohars had the Pattabhishekam scene on one side and the picture of another Rama Bhaktha, Anjaneya on the other side.
Visiting places in and around Bhadrachalam:-
Parnasala:-
This is supposed to be the exact spot where Rama, during his vanavasa in Dandakaranya, constructed a hermitage and spent his exile with his consort Sita and brother Laxmana. Agastya had selected this spot for Rama and is about 35 km from Bhadrachalam.
The picturesque display of some scenes of vanavasa could be seen at Parnashala. One can see the foot prints of Sita devi, Mosaic of Maarecha in the guise of golden deer and Ravana in the guise of Sanyasi for Bhikshatana. Also found in the vicinity are Sita Vaagu-where she had bathed and collected the turmeric and Kunkum from nearby stones and the marks of her saree on the rock near Sita Vaagu. These are all the visiting places for the pilgrims. As Ravana kidnapped Sita, the deity at Parnashala is called Sokarama. The tracks of the chariot of Ravana while kidnapping Sita can be seen on the mountain on the other side of the river bank at Parnashala temple.
Jattayu Paaka (Yetapaka):-
This Place is situated from 2 km away from Bhadrachalam. According to Itihasas, the bird Jatayuvu, a devotee of Rama had obstructed Ravana while he was proceeding on the chariot after kidnapping Sita. After the fearful battle between Ravana and Jataayuvu, the heavily injured bird had waited at this place in search of Rama. A wing of this bird fell at Rekkapalli, about 55 km from here, in V.R. Puram Mandal.
Dummugudem:-
Here Rama is called the Atmarama. The story reveals that Rama killed 14000 demons headed by the brothers Khara and Dushana. As the village was said to be built upon the ashes of these demons, the place is named after as Dummugudem.
Gundala:-
It is a place 5 km away from the sacred town Bhadrachalam, where springs of hot water could be traced on the river bank when we dig a pit at any place in this area. It is believed that the divine trios (Brahma Vishnu Maheswara) had their dips in winter season according to Brahma Purana.
Sree Rama Giri:-
This place is situated on the bank in the down stream of river Godavari, about 55 km from here. The deity of Yoga Rama Temple is on a hill and is named as Ramagiri.
Venkatareddipeta:-
This place is situated 12 km away from bhadrachalam, where lord venkateswara swami kalyan will celebrate every year.
Gannavaram:-
This place is situated 25 km away from bhadrachalam, where BOTLAMMA will receive prayers from the devotees.
Bhadrachalam Temple Timings:-
Morning – 4:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Evening – 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM.
Name of Seva & Pooja
Abhishekam (at Bhadra Temple)
7.00AM to 8.00AM
Rs. 50/-
Alaya Chuttu Seva
8.00PM to 8.30PM
Rs. 200/-
Antaralaya Abhishekam ( Mulavarulu on every Sunday)
7.00AM to 8.00AM
Rs.250/-
Astotharanamarchana
8.30AM to 8.00PM
Rs.100/-
Nitya Kalyana Ubhayam
9.30AM to 11.00AM
Rs. 601/- Couple
Rajata Ratha Seva
from 6.30PM
Rs.1116/-
Sahasranamarchana
8.30AM to 9.30AM.
Rs.50/-
Sakalbhishtaprada Sree Ramapuja
8.30AM every day
Rs.116/-
Suvarna Pushpa Astothara Namarchana (on Every Sunday)
8.30AM to 9.30AM
Rs.250/-
Suvarna Tulasi Astotharanamarchana (on every Saturday)
8.30AM to 9.30AM
Rs.250/-
Vahana Seva (Garuda, Hamsa, Hanumantha, Rajadhiraja)
8.00PM to 8.30PM
Rs. 516/
Fairs and festivals:-
Two major festivals are being celebrated every year which were introduced and traditionally celebrated right from the tenure of Bhakta Ramadas. "Vykuntha Ekadasi" a religious festival that attracts lakhs(hundred thousand) of devotees from all over the country at this famous shrine Bhadrachalam, is celebrated in the months of either December or January in 'Dhanur Masam' on the day of either Pushya or Margasira shuddha Ekadasi. The ten day festival called Adhyayanotsavams and Dasavatara Mahotsavams(10 incarnations) of Sri Maha Vishnu are preceded to Vykuntha Ekadasi Fete.
On Dasami day , the colourful Teppotsavam is a special attraction to the devotees . The deities of Rama and his consort Sita will be taken into rounds on the holi river Godavari on a well decorated "Hamsavahana" ( on the swan shaped motor launch ) amid display of crackers and stupendous illumination . And on the auspicious Vykuntha Ekadasi day on the early hours exactly at 5 am Vykuntha dwarams at Northern Gate will be thrown open for darshan to devotees .The devotees believe that they will attain salvation after having Vykuntha Dwara darshan .This holi festival attracts lakhs of pilgrims .
Vaaggeyakaara Mahotsavams:-
Vaaggeyakara Mahotsavams are being celebrated every year to commemorate Bhakta Ramadasa, a vaaggeyakara and an ardent devotee of Sri Rama. Dhyana Mandir, a prayer hall was constructed in 1972 in memory of Bhakta Ramadasa by Mr. Neelamaraju Venkata Sheshaiah, the then editor of Andhra Prabha by collecting funds from public through donations from Andhra Prabha (Telugu Daily News Paper) readers. Since then, the Vaggeyakaara mahotsavams are being celebrated during Mukkoti Ekadasi by inviting renowned musicians.
Sri Rama Navami:-
Sri Sitha Rama Kalyanam is performed in a grand scale at Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh,India , every year on Sri Rama Navami day, millions of people turn up to witness the Sri Sitha Rama Kalyanam at Bhadrachalam, and also take a dip in the sacred river Godavari. Performing Sitha Rama kalyanam on Rama Navami day is special tradition followed in AndhraPradesh.It is at this templer site that, long after Ramavatara, Sri Mahavishnu manifested Himself as Rama again to fulfil a promise He made to His Bhakta Bhadra, who continued his Tapas through Yugas, praying for the grace of the Bhagawan Sri Ramachandra murthy.Then Sri Mahavishnu manifested himself as Vykuntha Rama and rushed to his devotee Bhadra , signaling his arrival by blowing 'Shanku',accompanied by his consort Sita and brother Laxmana , resembling that of 'Gajendra Moksham ' - Thus , the moorthies of Rama ( having four hands ) - Shanku on the right , Chakra at his left and Dhanurbhana ( Bow and Arrow in the rest two hands ) , Sita had condescended on the left lap of Rama and brother ( at Rama's left ) are existed . And the hill place where the Deities were seated on , was the head place of Bhadra - achalam ( hill ) ,thus this shrine was transformed into Bhadrachalam .
How to reach Bhadrachalam:-
By bus:-
From Khammam, It is better to go catch a Bus for Bhadrachalam. Direct rail connectivity from khammam doesn't exists. 2.5 Hours journey from Khammam to Bhadrachalam by bus.
By train:-
Khammam to Badhrachalam_Road a passenger train does its service(Train No. 57254). From Badhrachalam_Road every 15 min a bus service available to Badhrachalam town.
By Air:-
Rajamundry is the nearest airpot to Bhadrachalam
The temple of Rama, called as Sita Rama Swamivari Devasthanam, is a sacred place in the town of Bhadrachalam. Situated on a hillock with the River Godavari flowing at the foot of it, this temple of Lord Rama is one of the most visited shrines in the South India. The main deity or the "moola virattu", consists of two granite idols- Lord Rama with His consort Sita seated on His lap and Lakshmana. A unique characteristic of the idol of Sri Rama is that the Panchajanya (conch) is in His right hand while the Sudarshana Chakra is in His left hand.
There is River Godavari flowing in the town of Bhadrachalam. For tourists, there is a scenic walkway and park where you have sculptures illustrating some prominent episodes from Ramayana.
The name Bhadrachalam:-
The name Bhadrachalam is derived from Bhadragiri meaning the mountain of Bhadra who was the boon child of Meru and Menaka. To get the grace of Lord Rama, the saint Bhadra performed penance at the bank of river Godavari in Dandakaranya.
The saint wanted Rama to be seated on his head, but Rama who was in search of his consort Sita gave promise to his Bhakta that his desire would be fulfilled on his way back, after finding Sita and accomplishing the process of punishing the wicked Ravana. But Rama could not accomplish the promise in Ramavatara, so the sage continued the frightened penance. Then Sri Mahavishnu manifests himself as Vykunta Rama with Shankh on the right hand and Chakra on the left hand and rushes to his devotee Bhadra along with Sita and Laxman.
The hill place where the Deities were seated on was the head place of Bhadra Achala. So this shrine was called the Bhadrachalam.
There is nothing particular about the architecture of the temple, and the edifices are built rather sturdily than elegantly. However, the images of Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are arresting by their divine beauty and anyone who meditated before the deity would feel that the image has not been made merely as a piece of sculpture, as an icon of the Lord, by an ordinary Sthapathi, but has been done by some great mystic, in a moment of complete and ecstatic oneness with the Lord. Such arresting beauty in sculpture is not known anywhere else.
The place is associated with Rama in more than one way. He spent a part of the 14 years of his "Aranya vasam" (exile) accompanied by his spouse, Sita and his brother, Laxmana. A few kilometers away from the temple is the Ushnagundam. It is said that Lakshmana had brought hot water from here for Sita to bathe. About 35 km away from Bhadrachalam is the Parnashala, believed to be the hut where Rama, Sita and Lakshamana lived during their exile in the forest and where Sita was abducted by the demon king of Lanka, Ravana.
Pokala Dhammakka found the idols of Vykunta Rama, Laxmana and Sita. She was an ardent devotee of Rama lived in 17th century was inhabitant of Bhadrireddypalem, a mile away from this holy place. One night, she had darshan of Rama in her dream and was told by lord Rama “the saints and sages are worshiping my embodied deity settled on Bhadragiri” and asked her to trace them, perform pooja and attain salvation. On the very next day morning she started searching for the idols - peeped into an anthill and found the idols hidden in it. She poured hundreds of pots of Godavari water on the anthill, which tardily dissolved and gave way to appear the hidden Deities. Since then, she used to perform pooja daily and offer 'nivedyam' with fruits fallen from near palmyra tree and constructed a mandapam with the help of local villagers.
About temple:-
The present temple was constructed in the middle of the 18th century. Bhadrachalam was then under the Kutub Shah kings, with capital at Golconda. Gopanna, nephew of Madanna, Minister of King Abul Hasan Tani Shah (1674-99), the last of the Kutub Shah Kings, became Tahsildar of the Bhadrachalam area. He was so intensely devoted to Lord Rama that he spent about Rs. 6 lakhs of revenue on the renovation of the temple and making ornaments for Sri Rama. For this diversion of royal money, he was arrested and incarcerated inside the Golconda fort. This dungeon is even now known as Ramadas's prison and is shown to visitors at Golconda. Sri Rama himself is stated to have appeared in his dream and handed over to him a receipt for the money spent in building the temple. Next morning, Tani Shah (Nawab of Golconda) himself came to the cell and released Gopanna.
A thoroughly shaken king not only restored Gopanna to his position as Tahsildar, but also gave huge amounts of gifts and in addition, sanctioned a substantial annual grant for the maintenance of the temple, continued by the Nizam's Government.
Ramadas is credited with having composed many devotional works, hymns and prayers to Sri Rama. "Dasarathi Sataka" is considered to be one of his most popular works.
After Ramadas's death, the temple fell into disrepair and it was left to another ardent devotee, Thummu Narasimhadas of Guntur, to make some improvements, to prevent further deterioration of the temple. He secured from Raja Chandulal, a Minister under the Nizam of Hyderabad, the gift of a village, the revenue from which was to be utilised for maintaining the temple services.
Sri Tyagaraja visited Bhadrachalam, drew inspiration from the kritis of Ramadas for his own immortal compositions and composed three or four kritis in the presence of the deity, the well-known among them being "Mohana Rama" and "Enna Ganu Rama Bhajana."
The temple lies on a hillock, commanding a grand view of the Godavari and can be reached by climbing about 100 steps.
On either side of the entrance to the muhamandapa are the Dwarapalakas — Jaya and Vijaya. The faces of the four pillars in the muhamandapa contain exquisite image of Ashtalakshmi, 18 forms of Lord Siva, Dasavatar, 12 Azhwars, etc. The ceiling of this mandapa contains the figures of a three-petal lotus, made out of a single piece of granite stone. Apsara women adorn the inner portion of the muhamandapa and the sanctum.
The octagonal-vimana (tower) over the sanctum is a three-storey construction with granite stones, the kind seen in the temples in Thanjavur and Chidambaram of the Chola period.
The other face of the Vimana contains beautiful stone images depicting the 48 forms of Lord Vishnu, Garuda, Simha, Somaskanda and Dakshinamurthy.
Another unique feature in the sanctum is that the sikhara (dome) crowning the vimana is carved from a single block of granite, weighing about 36 tonnes.
This is the biggest in the recent centuries, the oldest being the 80-tonne sikhara over the vimana of the Big temple in Thanjavur.
The Sikhara is crowned with Sudarsana Chakra, which Ramadas got from the Godavari. The eight-faced Chakra with thousand corners contains Sudarsana Murthi, engraved in the centre. Nearby stand three pillars — "Ramakoti Kratu Sthamba" among the 108 such pillars installed in various pilgrim centres in this country by Sri Ramanujar.
On the sides of the pillars are carved inscriptions of "Samkshipta Ramayana" in Sanskrit in Devanagari script. One of the pillars contains the verses from "Dasarathi Sataka" written by Ramadas with a white marble stone of his image in front.
The most attractive and awe-inspiring feature is the Kalyana Mandapa outside the temple. It is a treasure house of sculptures, which are not only those of gods and goddesses, but also scenes from legends.
There are also exquisite floral designs. On the ceiling, the Ramayana and the 12 zodiac signs are inscribed.
Close to the temple on the top of another hillock is the Ramadas Dhyana Mandir, a huge hall used for conducting philosophical and devotional programmes. The interior and exterior walls are inscribed with poems from Dasarathi Sataka and kritis sung by Ramadas. A life-size statue of the poet stands in front of this building.
Chitrakuta Mandapa is used for conducting cultural activities and performing marriages by devotees. The `sthala purana' of this place is depicted on the walls.
Another Unique feature of this Temple town is there are two Kshetra Palakas for the main temple. Those are:
Sri Yogananda Jwala Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy (Lord Narasimha)
Sri Annapurna Kasi Vishweswara Swamy (Lord Shiva)
In the above two temples also the main Deities face westside towards river Godavari. These two temples are sub temples to Seeta Ramachandra Swamy Temple and are equally important with the main temple. Both these sub temples are also located on small hillocks as Sri Rama temple, but Lord Shivas' temple is located in the higher ground along with Nava Gragahs and Vignadipathi Vinayakudu (Lord Ganesh). These temples are also equally significant along with the main temple of Lord Sri Rama.
One more place, well known and famous, and it is called "Gnanamandiram" which is located in top hill. from here we can see the curve of Godavari River and the complete view of Bhadrachalam. inside the Gnamandiram we can see and read the "Ramayanam" on stone plates.
History of Bhadrachalam:-
Bhadrachalam is situated in an area, which once formed part of the Dandakaranya forest, visited by Sri Rama,Sita and Lakshmana during their exile (vanavasam). The jungle in the vicinity of the temple was the actual site of Rama's retreat and it was at the parnasala (32 km from here) that he built a hut for himself and Sita and from where Sita was abducted by Ravana.
The history of this shrine stands for the significance of Ramayana Era, and vicinity of the temple had its incongruous add mixture of another story which depicts the exigency of " Sri Mahavishnu " to manifest himself as Rama long after Ramavatara was to fulfill his promise to his Bhakta Bhadra (a mountain king), a sage who had been continuing the frightened penance to get grace of Lord Rama.The name Bhadrachalam derived from Bhadragiri (Mountain of Bhadra - child of Meru and Menaka).
The temple at Bhadrachalam has the Archa Murthys of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana and are considered to be Svayambhu Murthys (self-manifested ones).Srirama appeared in a dream to a woman called Pokala Dammakka and informed here about the existence of vigrahas on Bhadragiri hills. To her surprise she found the "Vigrahas" and put up a modest structure.Dhammakka, cleared jungle and offered puja to the deities.
Idol:-
The idol of Sri Rama (moolavar) is in the padmasana possture with four hands, (Chaturbuja Rama) holding the bow and arrow in the front two hands. Sankha and Chakra in the rear hands. He is holding the Sankha in the right hand and Chakra in the left, indicating that having completed the destruction of the "rakshasas" with the Chakra confirming the Lord is assuring the world of peace and protection. To the left of Sri Rama is Sita and Lakshmana is on her left. But in the utsava deity, Sita and Lakshmana are on either side of Rama. Adi Sankara, who has visited this temple, described Sri Rama as "Vaikunta Rama."
Temple History:-
The history depicts that the need emerged the incarnation of Vykuntha Rama was that to fulfill a long desire of his ardent devotee Bhadra. The Saint Bhadra - Bhadra performed penance at the bank of river Godavari in this " Dandakaranya " to get grace of lord Rama and in countenance of his beloved God - The exulted "Rishi" implored Rama to be seated on his head, but Rama who was in search of his consort Sita gave promise to his Bhakta that his desire would be fulfilled on his way back, after finding Sita and accomplishing the process of punishing the wicked Ravana and establish 'Dharma'. Thus the sage had been in continuation of the frightened penance, as Rama could not accomplish the promise in Ramavatara. Then Sri Mahavishnu manifested himself as Vykuntha Rama and rushed to his devotee Bhadra, signaling his arrival by blowing 'Shanku', accompanied by his consort Sita and brother Laxmana, resembling that of 'Gajendra Moksham ' - Thus, the moorthies of Rama (having four hands) - Shanku on the right, Chakra at his left and Dhanurbhana (Bow and Arrow in the rest two hands), Sita had condescended on the left lap of Rama and brother (at Rama's left) are existed. And the hill place where the Deities were seated on, was the head place of Bhadra - achalam (hill), thus this shrine was transformed into Bhadrachalam. Pokala Dhammakka found the idols of Vykuntha Rama, Laxmana and Sita. Pokala Dhammakka, an ardent devotee of Rama lived in 17th century was inhabitant of Bhadrireddypalem, a mile away from this holy place .On new fine night, she had darshan of Rama in her dream and was told by lord Rama that " the saints and sages are worshiping my embodied moorthy settled on Bhadragiri " and asked her to trace them, perform pooja and attain salvation. On the very next day morning she started searching for the idols - peeped into an anthill and found the idols hidden in it. She poured hundreds of pots of Godavari water on the anthill, which tardily dissolved and gave way to appear the hidden Deities. Since then, she used to perform pooja daily and offer 'nivedyan' with fruits fallen from near palmyra tree and constructed a mandapam with the help of local villagers.
Legends of Bhadrachalam:-
Legend has it that the town is located in the area that was once a part of the Dandakaranya forest. According to Hindu legends, Lord Rama and Sita Devi together with his brother Laxmana lived in this forest for some time during the duration of their exile. Many people believe that the forested area near the Sri Rama Temple is the place where the God stayed with His wife and brother for a few days. Some 32 km from the temple. Lord Rama built a dwelling place for His family. This was the same hut from where Ravana abducted Sita and carried her with him to Lanka.
Another legend attached to the town of Bhadrachalam is that of Lord Vishnu and His devotee Bhakta Bhadra. Bhadra was a sage who was an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. The Lord met the sage when He was on His way to Lanka to rescue Sita. The sage implored Lord to sit on his head. However, the Lord, who was in a hurry to rescue His wife, promised the sage that He would fulfill his wish on His way back. However, this could not happen, and the sage continued worshipping Lord Vishnu in order to get a glimpse of Vishnu’s Rama avatar. It is believed that, impressed with the devotion and penance of Bhadra, Lord Vishnu appeared to his devotee in the avatar of Lord Rama along with His wife Sita and brother Laxmana. The Lord announced His coming by blowing a conch. The Lord was seated on the top of Bhadragiri, His wife sat on the left lap and His brother on the right side. This event is believed to have occurred many years after the end of the ‘Ramarajaya’ or the rule of Rama. The name of the town is derived from the name of this devotee of Lord Rama.
A very interesting legend attached to the Sri Rama Temple is that the Lord Himself appeared in the dream of a woman called Pokala Dammakka. Lord Rama told the woman of the presence of vigrahas on the slopes of Bhadragiri. The woman visited the mountain the next day and to her surprise found many vigrahas scattered on the mountain. She formed a simple structure on the mountain and named it Dhammakka. She tried to clear the jungle as much as she could and started worshipping at the altar every day. Ever since then, the mountain of Bhadragiri has become an important holy center for Hindu pilgrims from all over the world. Every year millions of devotees come to the place to offer their prayers and to seek forgiveness for their earthly sins.
Maharshi Bhadra:-
Bhadra performed penance at the bank of river Godavari in this " Dandakaranya " to get grace of lord Rama and in countenance of his beloved God - The exulted "Rishi" implored Rama to be seated on his head ,but Rama who was in search of his consort Sita gave promise to his Bhakta that his desire would be fulfilled on his way back , after finding Sita and accomplishing the process of punishing the wicked Ravana and establish 'Dharma' . Thus the sage had been in continuation of the frightened penance as Rama could not accomplish the promise in Ramavatara . Then Sri Mahavishnu manifested himself as Vykuntha Rama and rushed to his devotee Bhadra , signaling hisarrival by blowing 'Shanku',accompanied by his consort Sita and brother Laxmana , resembling that of 'Gajendra Moksham ' - Thus , the moorthies of Rama ( having four hands ) - Shanku on the right , Chakra at his left and Dhanurbhana ( Bow and Arrow in the rest two hands ) , Sita had condescended on the left lap of Rama and brother ( at Rama's left ) are existed . And the hill place where the Deities were seated on , was the head place of Bhadra - achalam ( hill ) ,thus this shrine was transformed into Bhadrachalam .
The idols of Vykuntha Rama, Laxmana and Sita were found by Pokala Dhammakka. Pokala Dhammakka, an ardent devotee of Rama lived in the 17th century and was an inhabitant of Bhadrireddypalem, a mile away from this holy place. On one fine night, she had darshan of Rama in her dream who said "the saints and sages are worshiping my embodied moorthy settled on Bhadragiri" and asked her to trace them, perform pooja and attain salvation. On the very next day morning she started searching for the idols-peeped into an ant-hill and found the idols hidden in it. She poured hundreds of pots of Godavari water on the ant-hill which tardily dissolved and gave way for the appearance of the hidden Deities. Since then, she used to perform pooja daily and offer 'naivedyam' with fruits fallen from near palmyra tree and constructed a mandapam of thatch hut with the help of local villagers. Bhagawan Rama told Dhammakka that at a later date, one of his devotees would construct a Mandir at this site. Dhammakka waited patiently for the devotee. The devotee turned out to be Bhakta Ramadas.
Bhakta Ramadas and construction of temple Bhadrachalarama temple was constructed by Kancharla Gopanna popularly known as Bhakta Ramadas in the year 1674 A.D.
Bhakta Ramadasa:-
As per the last verse of his Dasarathi Satakam, his name was Gopanna the son of Linganna Mantri of Atreya Gotram. The Mantri surname is because of the fact that their ancestors were ministers of the then King. Born to pious couples Linganna Murthy and Kamamba, Gopanna was brought up as pious and devoted gentleman. He had developed good taste for music and was an ardent devotee of Lord Rama. As a good singer he devoted his talents in singing in praise of Lord Rama. Many of his cousins and nephews were working in the administration of the royal treasury. His nephew Akkanna who was in the court of then Sultan Taani Shah of Golconda (Abdul Hasan Tana Shah the Nawab of the Qutub Shahi dynasty) had appointed Goppanna as Tahsildar of present Bhadrachalam region.
Construction of temple by Bhakta Ramadasa:-
After completion of the construction, his miseries started. Sultan Taani Shah of Golconda had come to know of what Goppanna had done in Bhadrachalam and he dismissed Goppanna from service for misappropriation of royal funds and sentenced him for twelve years of imprisonment. Goppanna was kept in prison in Golkonda and tortured by the Sultan. Twelve long years he was kept there and tortured. Goppanna sought refuge in singing to Lord Rama to get away from the miseries he had to undergo. The out pour from his anguished heart is now popularly known as ‘Dasaradhi Sathakam’. His songs are a reflection of the deeply felt bitter - sweet agonies and ecstasies of a devotee in distress in the form of ‘keertanas’.
Repayment of Goppanna’s debet by Lord Sri Rama:-
On hearing His Baktha’s anguish, Sri Rama and Sri Lakshmana went to the Sultan’s palace on that very night woke up Sultan and paid the money due to the royal treasury through Goppanna. Sultan was perplexed to see the divine looking young lads repaying the money due from Goppanna. The young lads got the release papers signed by the Sultan. Unaware about the repayment of the money, next morning Goppanna had found the release papers signed by Sultan in his bedside. To the astonishment of Sultan the release papers were presented from the prison next day morning. The mohars repaid by the Lord were brought in front of the Sultan in the morning. The mohars had the Pattabhishekam scene on one side and the picture of another Rama Bhaktha, Anjaneya on the other side.
Visiting places in and around Bhadrachalam:-
Parnasala:-
The picturesque display of some scenes of vanavasa could be seen at Parnashala. One can see the foot prints of Sita devi, Mosaic of Maarecha in the guise of golden deer and Ravana in the guise of Sanyasi for Bhikshatana. Also found in the vicinity are Sita Vaagu-where she had bathed and collected the turmeric and Kunkum from nearby stones and the marks of her saree on the rock near Sita Vaagu. These are all the visiting places for the pilgrims. As Ravana kidnapped Sita, the deity at Parnashala is called Sokarama. The tracks of the chariot of Ravana while kidnapping Sita can be seen on the mountain on the other side of the river bank at Parnashala temple.
Jattayu Paaka (Yetapaka):-
This Place is situated from 2 km away from Bhadrachalam. According to Itihasas, the bird Jatayuvu, a devotee of Rama had obstructed Ravana while he was proceeding on the chariot after kidnapping Sita. After the fearful battle between Ravana and Jataayuvu, the heavily injured bird had waited at this place in search of Rama. A wing of this bird fell at Rekkapalli, about 55 km from here, in V.R. Puram Mandal.
Dummugudem:-
Here Rama is called the Atmarama. The story reveals that Rama killed 14000 demons headed by the brothers Khara and Dushana. As the village was said to be built upon the ashes of these demons, the place is named after as Dummugudem.
Gundala:-
It is a place 5 km away from the sacred town Bhadrachalam, where springs of hot water could be traced on the river bank when we dig a pit at any place in this area. It is believed that the divine trios (Brahma Vishnu Maheswara) had their dips in winter season according to Brahma Purana.
Sree Rama Giri:-
This place is situated on the bank in the down stream of river Godavari, about 55 km from here. The deity of Yoga Rama Temple is on a hill and is named as Ramagiri.
Venkatareddipeta:-
This place is situated 12 km away from bhadrachalam, where lord venkateswara swami kalyan will celebrate every year.
Gannavaram:-
This place is situated 25 km away from bhadrachalam, where BOTLAMMA will receive prayers from the devotees.
Bhadrachalam Temple Timings:-
Morning – 4:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Evening – 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM.
Name of Seva & Pooja
Abhishekam (at Bhadra Temple)
7.00AM to 8.00AM
Rs. 50/-
Alaya Chuttu Seva
8.00PM to 8.30PM
Rs. 200/-
Antaralaya Abhishekam ( Mulavarulu on every Sunday)
7.00AM to 8.00AM
Rs.250/-
Astotharanamarchana
8.30AM to 8.00PM
Rs.100/-
Nitya Kalyana Ubhayam
9.30AM to 11.00AM
Rs. 601/- Couple
Rajata Ratha Seva
from 6.30PM
Rs.1116/-
Sahasranamarchana
8.30AM to 9.30AM.
Rs.50/-
Sakalbhishtaprada Sree Ramapuja
8.30AM every day
Rs.116/-
Suvarna Pushpa Astothara Namarchana (on Every Sunday)
8.30AM to 9.30AM
Rs.250/-
Suvarna Tulasi Astotharanamarchana (on every Saturday)
8.30AM to 9.30AM
Rs.250/-
Vahana Seva (Garuda, Hamsa, Hanumantha, Rajadhiraja)
8.00PM to 8.30PM
Rs. 516/
Fairs and festivals:-
Two major festivals are being celebrated every year which were introduced and traditionally celebrated right from the tenure of Bhakta Ramadas. "Vykuntha Ekadasi" a religious festival that attracts lakhs(hundred thousand) of devotees from all over the country at this famous shrine Bhadrachalam, is celebrated in the months of either December or January in 'Dhanur Masam' on the day of either Pushya or Margasira shuddha Ekadasi. The ten day festival called Adhyayanotsavams and Dasavatara Mahotsavams(10 incarnations) of Sri Maha Vishnu are preceded to Vykuntha Ekadasi Fete.
On Dasami day , the colourful Teppotsavam is a special attraction to the devotees . The deities of Rama and his consort Sita will be taken into rounds on the holi river Godavari on a well decorated "Hamsavahana" ( on the swan shaped motor launch ) amid display of crackers and stupendous illumination . And on the auspicious Vykuntha Ekadasi day on the early hours exactly at 5 am Vykuntha dwarams at Northern Gate will be thrown open for darshan to devotees .The devotees believe that they will attain salvation after having Vykuntha Dwara darshan .This holi festival attracts lakhs of pilgrims .
Vaaggeyakaara Mahotsavams:-
Vaaggeyakara Mahotsavams are being celebrated every year to commemorate Bhakta Ramadasa, a vaaggeyakara and an ardent devotee of Sri Rama. Dhyana Mandir, a prayer hall was constructed in 1972 in memory of Bhakta Ramadasa by Mr. Neelamaraju Venkata Sheshaiah, the then editor of Andhra Prabha by collecting funds from public through donations from Andhra Prabha (Telugu Daily News Paper) readers. Since then, the Vaggeyakaara mahotsavams are being celebrated during Mukkoti Ekadasi by inviting renowned musicians.
Sri Rama Navami:-
Sri Sitha Rama Kalyanam is performed in a grand scale at Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh,India , every year on Sri Rama Navami day, millions of people turn up to witness the Sri Sitha Rama Kalyanam at Bhadrachalam, and also take a dip in the sacred river Godavari. Performing Sitha Rama kalyanam on Rama Navami day is special tradition followed in AndhraPradesh.It is at this templer site that, long after Ramavatara, Sri Mahavishnu manifested Himself as Rama again to fulfil a promise He made to His Bhakta Bhadra, who continued his Tapas through Yugas, praying for the grace of the Bhagawan Sri Ramachandra murthy.Then Sri Mahavishnu manifested himself as Vykuntha Rama and rushed to his devotee Bhadra , signaling his arrival by blowing 'Shanku',accompanied by his consort Sita and brother Laxmana , resembling that of 'Gajendra Moksham ' - Thus , the moorthies of Rama ( having four hands ) - Shanku on the right , Chakra at his left and Dhanurbhana ( Bow and Arrow in the rest two hands ) , Sita had condescended on the left lap of Rama and brother ( at Rama's left ) are existed . And the hill place where the Deities were seated on , was the head place of Bhadra - achalam ( hill ) ,thus this shrine was transformed into Bhadrachalam .
How to reach Bhadrachalam:-
By bus:-
From Khammam, It is better to go catch a Bus for Bhadrachalam. Direct rail connectivity from khammam doesn't exists. 2.5 Hours journey from Khammam to Bhadrachalam by bus.
By train:-
Khammam to Badhrachalam_Road a passenger train does its service(Train No. 57254). From Badhrachalam_Road every 15 min a bus service available to Badhrachalam town.
By Air:-
Rajamundry is the nearest airpot to Bhadrachalam
