Krishna Temples in Telugu States
On the occasion of Sri Krishna Janmasthami, taking a look at some of the Krishna temples in Telugu states.
Karvetinagaram Venugopala Swamy Temple near to Puttur, the only Krishna Temple around Tirupathi, surrounded by hills, very picturesque. It was one of the prominent zamindaris during the Vijayanagara Empire.
The main deity of the temple is Sri Krishna as Venugopala Swamy with a cow behind him, pot of butter just near his feet and flanked by his two consorts Rukmini Ammavaru and Sri Satyabhama Ammavaru . The famous poet Sarangapani wrote around 200 Kirtanas around Venugopala Swamy in
The Panduranga Swamy temple at Chilakalapudi, Machilipatnam was built by one Narasimham in 1929, spread across 6 acres, very much similiar to the one in Pandharpur.
The main deity is around 3 feet in height, decorated with Vastras and the ornaments and the precious diamond crown. Devotees offer pattika bellam( rock sugar candy) to Panduranga Swamy here. There is also an old banyan tree in the complex, under which many Rishis are believed to have meditated.
Along with Panduranga Swamy,the complex has shrines of Radha, Rukmini and Satyabhama, as well as a Sahastralinga Kailasa mandapam. The temple draws large crowd of devotees during Karthika month, many of whom take a dip in the Manginapudi beach nearby during Kartika Purnima, there are 12 wells on the seashore, believed to represent 12 holy rivers.
Another famous Krishna Temple is that of Venugopalaswamy at Movva, Krishna dt, close to Kuchipudi. As per Sthala Purana, a rishi named Modugalya, did penace near Krishna river, and later found a swayambhu murthi, which he installed. The temple has the Dasavatarams carved too, and the deity is flanked by his consorts Rukmini, Satyabhama.
The great Telugu poet Mahakavi Kshetrayya hailed from Movva. He real name was Varadayya and he was illiterate. However his devotion to Krishna pleased Venugopala, who blessed him with learning, and he later wrote many famous poems on Shree Krishna.
The other famous Krishna temple is Venugopalaswamy Temple at Hamsaladeevi, where the Krishna river meets the Bay of Bengal. The main gopuram faces east, and the temple dates back to Eastern Chalukyan era. Apart from the temple, it is also known for the point where the Krishna river flows into Bay of Bengal, the meeting point, the beach is worth a visit too.
Alghu Malluru Krishna Swamy Temple close to Sullurpet in Nellore dt, was built in 17th century by Bangaru Yadama Nayudu. It's believed Krishna defeated Jambavan in a duel here, and here the main deity is flanked by his consorts Satyabhama and Jambavati here.
Venugopala Swamy Temple built by Chinna Ranga Rao the ruler of Bobbilli kingdom for their family deity, is quite prominent, with it's tall Raja gopuram. The deity is flanked by his consorts Rukmini and Satyabhama.
Madana Gopala Swamy temple at Jetaprolu, in Mahabubnagar dt, close to Kollapur, is one of the prominent Krishna temples in Telangana, built during 16th century. The place is so named as it's believed Jatayu fought Ravana here. It is built in typical Vijayanagara style with large mandapas, gopurams and richly carved pillars.
And you have the ISKCON temples at Anantapur,Rajahmundry, Tirupati, Vizag, Vijayawada, Nellore which are worth a visit.
