District Chittoor | Time zone IST (UTC+5:30) | |
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Ramagiri is one of the villages in Pitchatur Mandal, Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh State in India. Ramagiri is located 76.85 km distance from its District Main City Chittoor.
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Map of Ramagiri, Andhra Pradesh
Famously known as Ramagiri hills which is a rocky hill formation interspersed with dense vegetation located to the west of Sricity, in Chittoor District. This place, also called Kaalinga Madu Karai or Thirukkaarikkarai is about 5 km from Nagalapuram. It is a beautiful and scenic place nestled between mountains and sylvan scenery.
Ramagiri can be reached either from Chennai, the gateway to South India, or from the world famous Hindu pilgrim site of Tirupati. It's located almost at the same distance from Tirupati and Chennai. If you travel from Chennai, you can reach this place after passing through Uttukkottai, Surruttapalli, and Nagalapuram.
History
There are two ancient temples here, one at the top of the scenic hillock and the other one at the foot of the hill. Ramagiri is locally known as the "Bhairava Kshetra". Which means the home of the Lord Bhairav. The temple was built by Pallava rulers around 11th-12th century AD.
Main Deities: Sri Vaaleeswarar and Goddess Sri Maragadhambikai. Though this is a Shiva temple, the prime deity here is Sri Kala Bhairavar, also called as Santhaana Praapthi Bhairavar.
The presiding deity of the foothill temple is Lord Kalabhairava, which is one of the many forms of Lord Shiva. In this particular form, he is assumed the role of the commander of the temple at the foothills. The second temple at the top of the hill is dedicated to Lord Murugan, the son of Lord Shiva & Goddess Parvati.
There is a tank near the temple, which is said to have curative powers. The water flows in from a perennial sweet water spring from the top of the mountain into the tank. Water keeps flowing out from Nandhi’s mouth perennially, the source being unknown; The temple is being maintained by Archeology department of Andhra Pradesh. Sivaraathri and Pradhosham and aadi kirthika days are celebrated well here.
Ramagiri Hills has a long and interesting legend linked with it. At the behest of Rama, Anjaneya was making his way by air with a Shivalingam taken from Kasi to Rameswaram to be installed there. He was surprisingly confronted by strange and dry weather and scorching sun premeditated by Lord Kalabhairava, who wanted the Linga to be installed right here at his place. Unaware of this and driven by thirst Lord Anjaneya went on screening the whole area for water until finally found a beautiful calm cool pond. As the Linga was not to be placed anywhere before Rameswaram He looked for someone to keep the Linga while He drank water. Lord Kalabhairava in the form of a small boy came by and consented to hold the Linga. While Anjaneya was quenching his thirst, the boy told Anjaneya, that the Shiva Lingam was too heavy for him to hold anymore and kept it on the ground and went off. Anjaneya came back and saw the Shiva Lingam on the ground. He tried lifting it but he couldn’t. He roped around the Shiva Lingam with his lengthy tail and tried to pull it up using all his strength. The Shiva Lingam tilted a bit but never came off the ground. Anjaneya understood the trick and he cursed the pond to become a hill. The pond became the hill here, on which a Murugan Temple is situated now. The Shiva Lingam which was brought by Lord Anjaneyar is situated in the temple at the foot hill. Since Anjaneya tried to pull the Shiva Lingam with his tail, the Lord here is called as Vaaleeswarar (Vaal means Tail in Tamil & Vaalam is the Sanskrit word for tail).
There is however another story associated with the same temple. This is associated with the Vanara King Vaali . Vaali had the Habit of doing the Sandhya ablutions in the nearby oceans and the sea in the earlier days was much closer to the present day Temple. On seeing the Lord Shiva manifesting himself there in Swayambhu Linga form, Vaali wanted the same to be installed in his Capital Kishkinta, (the present day Hampii) and tried to take the statue. However he failed in his efforts how much ever he tried. So in a fit of anxiety,he tied his Tail (Vaalam) around the Linga and tried uprooting the same. And Lo! and behold.. He fell down losing all his energy and power and then realised the sacrilege that he had committed. Then he prayed to Lord Shiva and begged for forgiveness of his act. The lord ever so beneign appeared with his consort as a Gypsy complete with dogs etc. and camping outside the temple, taught Vaali the process to regain his energy. The Lord also created this Tank and said whosoever takes a ritual bath in this tank and worships him would regain sound health and lost strength and to this day this tank water has such properties. The statue that we can still see opposite the Lord in the main temple believed to be that of Hanuman is actually Vaali ( Hanuman being Shivamsa would never have committed such a sacrilege). The Durga idol that we see also is in the Vaamachara pose signifying rectification. The same is also corroborated by the fact that Vaalam being tail, the name would be Sree Vallameswarar and not Vaalieswarar. This name is gotten by the fact that the Lord being the benefactor for Valli is aptly called Sree Vaali- eswarar.
This temple also has an excellent Deity in Sree Dakshinamoorthy and Sri Shanmuga . The other most astonishing place inside the complex is the Temple Tank where one can find a perennial flow of water from the mouth of a Nandi installed there. The water which must be spring waters of the hills nearby flow underneath the surface and emerge from the Nandimukh straight into the tank and has been so for centuries. Devotees pray here for progeny and on grant of the wish come and fulfil their pledge by offering special prayers and a Small Dog's statue to Lord Bhairava. We can see a lot of such statues there as well.
A trip to this place is memorable indeed.