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Mantralayam Is a Quiet Village on the Banks of River Tungabhadra. It Is the Seat of Guru Raghavendra's Brindavanam, Where He Attained Jeevan Samadhi in 1671 AD

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Mantralayam Is a Quiet Village on the Banks of River Tungabhadra. It Is the Seat of Guru Raghavendra's Brindavanam, Where He Attained Jeevan Samadhi in 1671 AD Mantralayam Mantralayam is a quiet village on the banks of river Tungabhadra. It is the seat of Guru Raghavendra's Brindavanam, where he attained Jeevan Samadhi in 1671 AD. He was one of the greatest pontiffs of Dwaita philosophy as enunciated by Sri Madhwacharya. Venkanna was his pre-monastic name. He was a child prodigy, who learned all four Vedas in his early days. He joined the Kumbakonam Mutt to study under Guru Sudhindra Thirtha and earned several titles like Parimalacharya, Mahabhashyacharya etc. While expounding the philosophy of his gurus, Sri Raghavendra performed several miracles. Once when he was in Adoni, the then Nawab presented him with a plateful of non-vegetarian food, covered with silk cloth. Before taking it, the Guru sprinkled holy water on it, and to the surprise of all, the food turned into flowers and fruits. Realising the greatness of the Guru, the Nawab begged his pardon and offered him several villages as gift. But the Guru accepted only Mantralayam for his Brindavanam. A unique feature about Brindavanam is that the Swamiji himself selected the spot and even the stone slab for his Samadhi. The holy spot is believed to be the place where Prahlada, the child devotee of Lord Vishnu, performed yagna. The stone slab is believed to have been used by Sri. Rama when he was wandering in Dandakaranya during his exile. Today thousands of devotees throng Mantralayam to seek the blessings of their Guru, who is Kalpakavriksha and Kamadhenu for them. He entered the Brindavanam with a veena in his hand, singing the praise of Lord Hari. The Brindavanam contains 700 Saligramams, signifying 1 / 3 Mantralayam that the Guru will live there for another 700 years. Every year in the month of Sravan, Shukla Paksha Thrithiya (Aug-Sept), devotees of Guru Raghavendra all over the world celebrate the Aaraadhana Day. Access: The nearest railhead is Mantralayam Road on the Chennai-Mumbai rail route. From this station, Mantralayam is 15 km. Buses are available from Kurnool, Adoni and Hyderabad (351 km). Lepakshi (16 km from Hindupur): Here is a well-known Siva temple dedicated to Lord Veerabhadra, noted for its finest order of art, paintings and sculpture of Vijayanagar period. The temple was constructed by Virupanna, the then governor of Penukonda province. The vast area of the temple sprang around an ancient shrine of Siva as Papanaseswara on Kurmasaila, a tortoise-shaped hillock. Sage Agastya is believed to have installed the Lingam here. The Lepakshi Nandi, the largest of the monolithic Nandis in the country (8.25- metre long and 4.60 metre high), is absolutely realistic in every minute detail. The paintings in the temple could be the finest example of classical style. Scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata and the story of Manuneethi Chola are among the noteworthy paintings, equal to those at Ajanta and Ellora. The beautiful sculptures on the prakaram attract the pilgrims' attention. These include 14 forms of Siva, like Dakshinamurthi, Ardhanareeswara, Tripurantaka etc. The Hall of Creepers is another excellent work of art, which has provided perennial inspiration to textile designers over the years. Puttaparthi (30 km from Dharmavaram & 250 km from Bangalore): This small village in Anantapur district has shot into international fame with the graceful presence of His Holiness Sri Satya Sai Baba on this sacred soil. Prashanti Nilayam is the abode of Sri Sai Baba, who preaches love for humanity and religious tolerance. This holy centre attracts thousands of devotees every day. Sri Sai Baba spends most part of the year here, but occasionally camps in Whitefield Ashram in Karnataka. Map 2 / 3 Mantralayam {mosmap lat=15.9413776| lon='77.4257319} 3 / 3.
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