?Bhadrachalam Andhra Pradesh • India
Bhadrachalam
Coordinates: 17°40′N 80°53′E / 17.67, 80.88
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 50 m (164 ft)
District(s)	Khammam
Population	42,829 (2001)

Coordinates: 17°40′N 80°53′E / 17.67, 80.88 Bhadrachalam is a census town in Khammam district which falls in the Telangana region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Bhadrachalam shrine is a site of pilgrimage for Hindus. It is situated on the bank of the river Godavari (southern Ganges). This town of pilgrimage is connected to other major towns by rail and by road. Bhadrachalam is about 120 km from district head quarters, Khammam and 320 km from Hyderabad. Its name is derived from Bhadragiri (Mountain of Bhadra). , Andhra Pradesh (Telugu: , Urdu: ; pronunciation: ), the Rice Bowl of India, is a state in southern India. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links India_Andhra_Pradesh_locator_map. ... Image File history File links Locator_Dot. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... A time zone is a region of the Earth that has adopted the same standard time, usually referred to as the local time. ... Location of Mirzapur and the 82. ... The geography of India is extremely diverse, with landscape ranging from snow-capped mountain ranges to deserts, plains, rainforests, hills and plateaus. ... Basic Definition In geography, the elevation of a geographic location is its height above mean sea level (or some other fixed point). ... The divisions of a district. ... Khammanm is a district in Andhra Pradesh, India. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of the Volunteer The United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations Events January January 1 - A black monolith measuring approximately nine feet tall appears in Seattles Magnuson Park, placed by an anonymous... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... In India, a Census Town is one which has: a minimum population of 5,000; at least 75 per cent of male working population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits; and a density of population of at least 400 persons per sq. ... Khammanm is a district in Andhra Pradesh, India. ... Location of Telangana region Telangana region marked in white. ... India is subdivided into twenty-eight states and seven union territories; the states and territories are themselves further subdivided. ... , Andhra Pradesh (Telugu: , Urdu: ; pronunciation: ), the Rice Bowl of India, is a state in southern India. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... The Godavari River, adjacent to the town of Kovvur This article is about Godavari River in India. ... This article is about the river. ... Hyderabad or Haydarābād (Telugu: హైదరాబాదు Urdu: حیدر آباد ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. ...

This shrine was built by a devotee of Lord Rama, Kancherla Gopanna popularly known as Bhakta Ramdas in the 17th century (1630 A. D.). Gopanna was the Tasildar of Bhadrachalam (in the second half of the 17th century) is said to have utilized money from the government treasury to build this temple, and was imprisoned in a dungeon at Golconda. Lord Rama is said to have miraculously given the Sultan the money spent by Gopanna, after which he was released. Gopanna then became Bhadrachala Ramadasa, and went on to compose innumerable number of songs in Telugu in praise of Rama. Kancherla Gopanna (c 1620 - 1680 CE), popularly known as Bhadradri Ramadasu or Badrasala Ramadas, was a 17th century devotee of Rama and a composer of Carnatic music. ... Kancherla Gopanna (c 1620 - 1680 CE), popularly known as Bhadradri Ramadasu or Bhadrachala Ramadasu, was a 17th century Indian devotee of Rama and a composer of Carnatic music. ... Golconda is a ruined city and fortress 11 km west of the city of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh state, India. ... This article is about a Hindu incarnation of God (i. ... Telugu (తెలుగు) is a Dravidian language primarily spoken in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, where it is the official language. ...

Geography

Bhadrachalam is located at 17.67° N 80.88° E^[1]. It has an average elevation of 50 metres (164 feet). The or meter (see spelling differences) is a measure of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...

Demographics

As of 2001 India census^GRIndia, Bhadrachalam had a population of 42,829. Males constitute 50% of the population and females 50%. Bhadrachalam has an average literacy rate of 73%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 54% of the males and 46% of females literate. 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of the Volunteer The United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations Events January January 1 - A black monolith measuring approximately nine feet tall appears in Seattles Magnuson Park, placed by an anonymous... 1870 US Census for New York City A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). ...

Bhadrachalam

Bhadrachalam is located in Khammam District, Andhra Pradesh at a distance of over 300 km slightly northeast of Hyderabad. A famous pilgrimage shrine, the abode of Lord Rama, situated at the bank of holy river Godavari, and also the home of ITC PSPD which is one of the premier paper manufacturers in the world, while retaining the charm of a rural Indian town. Combining high technology and modern facilities with stable employment, and retaining the religious and holy nature of the age-old practices makes Bhadrachalam a great place to visit.

Today devotes of Lord Rama can still be a part of the services performed from the time of the construction of the temple, and visit the beautiful surroundings of Bhadrachalam. Also, not forgetting the modern infrastructure built by ITC and the modern techniques and life of the people who work for the paper manufacturer.

Temple Legends

Bhadrachalam Rama Temple across Godavari River

The temple in Bhadrachalam is closely connected with the life of the saint composer Bhakta Ramdas who was known as Gopanna. Gopanna was the Tasildar of Bhadrachalam (second half of the 17th century) is said to have utilized money from the government treasury to build this temple, and was imprisoned in a dungeon at Golconda. Lord Rama is said to have miraculously given the Sultan the money spent by Gopanna, after which he was released. Gopanna then became Bhadrachala Ramadasa, and went on to compose innumerable number of songs in Telugu in praise of Rama. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 433 pixelsFull resolution (843 × 456 pixel, file size: 275 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 433 pixelsFull resolution (843 × 456 pixel, file size: 275 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Rama ( in IAST, in Devanāgarī) or Ramachandra is a legendary or historical king of ancient India. ... The Godavari River, adjacent to the town of Kovvur This article is about Godavari River in India. ... Kancherla Gopanna (c 1620 - 1680 CE), popularly known as Bhadradri Ramadasu or Bhadrachala Ramadasu, was a 17th century Indian devotee of Rama and a composer of Carnatic music. ...

Bhadrachalam and Vijayanagara are sites said to have been closely associated with the Ramayana. Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are said to have stayed at Parnasala, 35 km away from Bhadrachalam. Rama is said to have crossed the river Godavari on his way to Sri Lanka to rescue Sita, at the spot where the Bhadrachalam temple stands, on the northern bank of the river. Legend has it that the son of Meru - Bhadra performed penances towards Rama here. Kabirdas, a Muslim by birth is also closely associated with this temple. It is believed that the images of the deities miraculously disappeared when Kabir was refused entry into the temple and that they reappeared miraculously upon his being permitted to enter.

Bhadrachalam attracts hundreds of thousands of devotees from all over the world. This hill place that is encircled by Holy River Godavari flowing towards southern direction is the famous shrine Bhadrachalam - The name derived from Bhadragiri (Mountain of Bhadra - a boon child of Meru and Menaka). The history of this shrine stands for the significance of Ramayana Era, the coherent hill place existed in " Dandakaranya " Of Ramayana period where Rama with his consort Sita and brother Laxmana had spent their vanavasa - 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 and shuffled again to the mortal coil - 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.there is another temple in gogulamudi .it very near to guntur & it come under the dist of guntur . It all about to be 30km from the guntur. it constructed by the villagers it self. After the construction of the temple the people are very happy & they now villing to to keep vigrahalu.these are donated by JK brothers in the gogulamudi.this done by brothers and sons of Jakkam siva satyanarayana

Exigency of incarnation

The history depicts that the need emerged the incarnation of Vykunta Rama was that to fulfill a long desire of his ardent devotee Bhadra. The Saint Bhadra performed penance at the bank of river Godavari in 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 Vykunta 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 deities 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 Ram’s left) are existed. And the hill place where the Deities were seated on, was the head place of Bhadra - Achaia (hill), thus this shrine was transformed into Bhadrachalam.

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 'nivedyan' with fruits fallen from near palmyra tree and constructed a mandapam with the help of local villagers.

This signs the existence of Lord Srirama in kalyuga

Bhakta Ramadas and construction of temple

Kancharla Gopanna popularly known as Bhakta Ramadas in the year 1630 AD constructed Bhadrachalarama temple. He was born to Linganna Murthy and Kamamba in Nelakondapalli village of Khammamett Taluk in 17th century (1630 AD). As Tasildar he was discharging his official duties earnestly and collecting revenues due to Nawabs in continuation of daily preaches - Chanting of 'Ramanama' and the feeding the poor at his house. Ramadasa who heard the news that the villagers of palvoncha paragana were proceeding to witness Jatara at Bhadrachalam, He too out of curiosity visited Bhadrachalam. He found the deities in an amazing appearance; Ramadas then asked the villagers to contribute liberally for the construction of the temple .The villagers in response appealed him to spend the revenue collections for the construction of the temple with a promise to repay the amount after harvesting the crops. As such Ramadas constructed the temple with an amount of Rs 6 Lakhs collected from the land revenues with out the permission of the Nizam Nawab.

When the temple reached completion, he had a problem of fixing the 'Sudarshana Chakra' at the crest of the main temple. Deeply distressed he fell into sleep. On the same night, Rama in his dream asked him to have a holy dip in the river Godavari where he would find it - accordingly. On the next day morning Gopanna did so and found holy Sudarshana Chakra in the river with out much difficulty. He presumed that Sudarshana Chakra itself was shaped up with the divine power of his beloved God Rama. Soon after the construction, his miseries started. He was dismissed from service for mis-utilisation of revenue for constructing the temple and was kept in jail for 12 long years in Golconda Fort and was tortured. Unable to withstand the miseries, Ramadas implored Rama to relieve him by singing many praising and emotional songs, which got popularized from the stanzas of 'Dasaradhi Sathakam ' and 'Keertanas' of Bhakta Ramadasa.

The Nizam Nawab Tanishah, the then ruler of Nizam's territory became a devotee of Rama who realized the devotion spirit of Ramadas after his imprisonment and took over the charge of temple administration. This resembles the communal harmony amongst the Hindus and Muslims.

The Nizam Nawab, Tanishah realized Ramadas's devotional spirit and dedication towards Rama, when Rama and Laxmana repaid 6 lakhs Mohurs exposing themselves as Ramoji and Laxmoji, the servants of Bhakta Ramadas to get release of their devotee from the imprisonment. Thanisha gave voucher to these divine looking persons who approached him at his house during late night. Then they kept the voucher under the pillow of Gopanna where he was jailed. Tanishah who woke up on the very next day morning realized that those divine looking persons were none other than Rama and Laxmana and made arrangements to get release of Gopanna and prayed to forgive him by placing all the Gold Mohurs received last night at the feet of Gopanna. But, he refused to take back those mohurs except two as a mark of divine significance, and these two coins can still be seen in Bhadrachalam Temple.

Influenced by the majesty of Lord Rama, Golconda Ruler Tanishah earmarked the income derived from the said Palwoncha paragana which came to Rs 20,000 and odd for the maintenance of the temple which was continued during Nizam's reign and offering Pearls on the occasion of kalyana mahotsavam (Sri Rama Navami) to Deities on an elephant through a specially sent messenger. That procedure of sending pearls to the Deities is still followed by present state Government and continued to offer during Sri Rama Navami Festival.

Tumu Narsimha Dasa, Tahasildar of Palwoncha paragana, along with his associate Varada Ramadasa came here from Guntur and took over charge of Bhadrachalarama temple after Ramadas made inscribed the performance of Nitya Poojas and sevas right from early morning "Suprabhata Seva" till night "Pavalimpu Seva" before closure of the temple as "Silaasaasanaalu" on these two pillars. This inscription gave details of daily dittam and daily rituals also.

People Who Worked in Bhadrachalam Dr.A.P.Ranga Rao worked as Medical Officer in Govt.Civil and ID Hospitals after returning from U.K in 1974 till 1978. Sri.Hari Narayana Jandhyala IAS Present Cheif Secretry Govt.Of Andhra Pradesh Worked here as Sub Collector Which was his first Posting. Sri.Jainder Singh IAS Presently Secretry Information Technology Govt.Of India Was first Posted as Sub Collector Bhadrachalam. Sri.R.C.Samal IAS Presently Cheif Commissioner Vigilance Govt.Of Andhra Pradesh worked Here As Sub Collector Bhadrachalam. Dr.Bharath who is a dental Surgeon in Hyderabad lived here From 1974 to 1978.

Education Institutions

Dr Paul Raj Engineering College, little flowers educational institutions

References

External links

• Bhadrachala Rama
• Bhadrachalam Travel guide
• [1] - A Telugu movie portraying the epic of the temple of Bhadrachalam and the devotee Sri Ramadasu.