Bhavanarayan Temple

Legend has it that two elder men, a man and his brother-in-law, belonging to a nearby village went into the forest for bringing wood logs. During the process one man tried to cut down a tree which resulted in splashing out some milk like liquid on the man. The man turned unconscious and fell down. The other man came in search of him by calling ‘Bava-o Bava’ (meaning brother-in-law in Telugu) to which a voice from the tree responded ‘oyee’. The man reached the place and found his brother-in-law lying unconscious. He tried to wake him by calling ‘Bava -Bava’, again a voice came from the tree trunk responding. Astonished by the incident, the second man rushed to the village to inform the villagers and all of them reached the site and started praying that tree by offering Pongal(sweet and milk rice), by the time the first man came to consciousness and enquired about the situation. Since then the villagers worshipped that tree as Bavayya swamy and started offering pongals regularly.

Later in time, a Chola king named Krimi Kantha Chola marched into the region annexing the local kingdoms. The king halted his army in a place near the site where this tree is being worshipped.  The elephants were taken to a nearby pond by the mahoths, which on return came across this sacred tree surrounded by pongals offered. The elephants started eating those pongals and in the process tried to uplift branches of that tree, resulting in sticking of their trunks to that sacred tree. The news reached the Monarch, who immediately rushed to the site and enquired villagers about the tree. The king prayed the tree and expressed his will to build a temple, but confused for whom it should be devoted to. That night, a Devine voice is heard in the dream of king saying that the divinity in the tree is Lord Vishnu and he is being called as Bavayya swamy. Thus the Monarch built a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu which in later times settled as Bhavanarayana temple.

The temple was built in 10th-11th centuries after the spread of Sri Vaishnavism of Ramanujacharya. The temple consists of huge number of inscriptions engraved on the walls of the dates between the 10th and16th Centuries CE, representing the Velanati Chodas, Kakatiyas, Reddies of Kodaveedu, Gajapatis of Odisha and Vijayanagara rulers which record the donations and endowments to the temple for its maintenance, daily rituals and festivals. The temple was credited with the birth place of the famous dancer Lukumadeva of Kumaragiri Reddy (1386-1404CE) times.

The temple was renovated by Sri Raja Kadrengula Jogi Jagannatha Rao Bahadur from Rajahmundry in 18th century and later by Raja Vasireddi Venkatadri in early 19th century who built the Gopura (temple tower) of 80feet high in 1850 AD. 

The temple consists of a Garbhagriha, an Arthamandapa, a Mukhamandapa and an entrance mandapa represents the Sandhara model in which a circumambulatory path is provided around the main chamber within the main structure. The temple also has a 16 pillared Kalyanamandapa with a vimana on top of its roof. There are a total of 108 pillars in the temple structure. A shrine is dedicated to Sundaravalli Rajyalakshmi, the consort of Lord Bhavanarayana within the main structure. The temple has three Vimanas out of which the main one is of stone.

The sub-shrines inside the complex are dedicated to Chennakeshava, Bala-Narasimha, Ananthasayana, Kodanda Rama and Hanuman. 

The pillars in the temple are circulars with a capital at top which resembling the Pallava style. There are hardly any sculptures on the walls except toranas on Kosthas.

There are life-size carvings of Dwarapalas on either side of entrance of the main chamber standing in cross leg pose (Artha Swasthikasana) with four arms carrying a Shanka, Chakra in upper hands and a Gada and Suchi mudra in the lower hands.

On vertical axis it consists of an adhisthana, plain walls with simple kostha topped by makara and chitra toranas. The pillars, mostly circular and a few square bear decorative elements. The prastara portion is decorated with hamsamala and kirthimuka. The Sikhara has Nasis. The door frames contain stamba sakhas with latapatras and devarapalas at the bottom.

The main celebrated days in the temple are Vaishaka Sudha Purnima and Vaishaka Sudha Chaturdi. All other days sacred to the Vaishnavism are also celebrated in the temple as per the Vaishnavagamanas.

The annual Radhostavam (temple cart festival) is conducted on Vaishaka Sudha Purnima which attracts huge crowd to witness the Cart pulling fair in which Lord is carried in the cart into the streets. This fair is locally called as ‘Bavayya tirunala’ by locals which signifies the legend and the Lords relation with the locals. 

The other event celebrated is on Vaishaka Sudha Chatudi on which annual Kalyanostavam is performed in the morning. Garudostavam is performed in the afternoon and in the evening Ustava-Murtis are taken for Radhostavam.

5.30AM-1PM, 3PM- 8PM