All about the Twin Temples of Tadipatri (Andhra Pradesh)

Twin Temples of Tadipatri-Bugga Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple and Chintala Venkataramana Swamy Temple, aren’t twins per se but the local legend states that the temples were built by 2 brothers in a day.

Unfortunately, the Bugga Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple couldn’t be completed but the locals believe if it would have been completed it would have been the “Dakshin Kashi“.

So post our explorations of the Gandikota Fort and then the Bellum caves we headed over to Tadipatri to see these ancient temples which piqued my interest because of the local legends.

Our first halt was at the Bugga Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple.

History of Bugga Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple at Tadipatri

The Bugga Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple is located on the banks of the river Pennar. It got its name from the continuous stream of water flowing below known as ” Bugga”.

The main deity of the Temple is Lord Shiva. There is a swayambhu Shiv Ling in the temple below where a continuous stream of water flows throughout the year which is considered holy by the locals.

Bugga Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple was built by Ramalinga Naidu, a chieftain from the Vijayanagara dynasty in the 16th century who called a sculptor named Yellanchari from Benaras to construct it.

The local legend states that the site of the temple is the exact place where Lord Parshuram lived and did meditation. The legend also states that there is a tunnel from the Bugga Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple that connects/ leads to Tirupathi.

The locals believe that if the water of the Pennar River reaches the navel of the statues of the goddess present on its banks that would be the end of the city.

Our visit to Bugga Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple

I stood still outside the entrance awestruck looking at the beauty and magnanimity.

As we entered the temple, we were warmly welcomed by the Pujari who also told us about the temple, its history, and heritage and showed us around the temple.

The central temple with 2 deities has pillars of stones that can create the sapt sur i.e. Sa-re-ga-ma with tapping.

Then there is the swayambhu shiv ling below which the perennial stream flows. Besides this there is a small temple for the nav graha.

Apart from that, the Pujari showed us the Vijayanagara seal/symbol, the snake idols, the Nandi, the Shiva Purana, and a few scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata which are carved on the temple walls.

While the Pujari kept giving us valuable insights these 2 young boys were showing us around. They showed the statues, and the surrounding area and mentioned some traditions where they hit flowers on the pillar and if it hits the right place your wish comes true, which I found very amusing.

It was almost 5.30 pm when we headed out to our next destination. Time was a crucial factor since by 6 pm the whole place became dark. We reached just in time.

History of Chintala Venkataramana Swamy Temple

Chintala Venkataramana Swamy Temple is located in the heart of the city and was built in the 16th century. The presiding deity of  Chintala Venkataramana Swamy Temple is Lord Vishnu in the form of  Venkataramana Swamy.

This temple was built by Timma Naidu, Son of Ramalinga Naidu around the same period as Hampi. Scenes from the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Bhagavata Geeta have been intricately carved upon the walls of the temple.

The Archeological Department has sealed the tunnel that leads the route from the temple to the Gooty Fort.

Our Visit to the Chintala Venkataramana Swamy Temple

It was dark by the time we reached there. The temple looked so beautiful that I kept praying that it wouldn’t turn dark.

The beautiful carving on the walls kept me busy so much so that I didn’t realize that most of the group had moved away. Torn between standing there to absorb the beauty and searching the entire group.

I, unfortunately, had to choose the latter but then everything happened for good.

We got to witness the rituals for Kartik Poornima. One unique ritual is that the men revolve around the disc placed above the center monument and each man rotates it clockwise and anti-clockwise alternately.

Though I don’t know the significance it struck a chord in me.

We then got some amazing prasad but the best part was sharing it.

Finally, after spending the evening viewing the temples, we left Tadipatri to Mumbai with a heavy heart and a promise to return to explore more.