Yaganti
Yaganti ( Telugu : యాగంటి) or Sri Yaganti Uma Maheswara Temple is an important Shiva temple ( mandir ) in the Kurnool district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh . The name Uma Maheswara indicates that Shiva's wife Parvati can also be worshiped here.
location
The temple is located near a spring about 300 m high in the mountains of the Banaganapalli administrative district ( mandal ) about 77 km (driving distance) south of the city of Kurnool . The town of Banaganapalli is about 11 km to the east. The temple complex of Mahanandi, which is also important for the region, is about 65 km to the east.
history
According to tradition, the temple was founded in the 14th century by the Vijayanagar rulers Harihara I and his brother Bukka Raya I , the founders of the Sangama dynasty.
Legends
The wise man ( rishi ) Agastya , already mentioned in the Vedas , wanted to build a temple for the god Venkateswara , a deity who was mainly worshiped in South India and had features of both Shiva and Vishnu . Since a toenail broke off the statue, the wise man had to do penance for years. When Shiva appeared, he liked the area very much. The sage Agastya asked God to give the believers an image of Uma-Maheswara made of one stone - a request that Shiva fulfilled. In another version the sage asked the god to settle with his wife forever in the beautiful landscape.
Temple complex
- temple
The construction of the temple corresponds to the South Indian Dravida style , which was also cultivated in the Vijayanagar empire. It consists of a vestibule ( mandapa ) and a cella ( garbhagriha ), in which there is an image of Uma-Maheshwara made from one stone .
- Temple pond
Strong regional importance is located immediately before the actual temple of stairs ( ghats ) enclosed Temple tank ( Pushkarini ). It is fed by spring water and is considered medicinal by the faithful. A temple-like pavilion rises in the lake, which ends with a dome-like stupika .
- Gopuram
The gate tower ( gopuram ) towering over the entire complex seems to be a later ingredient from the 17th or 18th century.
- Nandi statue
The stone Nandi figure set up in front of the cella ( garbhagriha ) has the property of growing even as determined by the Archaeological Survey of India - one inch every 20 years ...
Rock caves
Above the temple area, which is enclosed by steep cliffs, there are two caves ( Venkateswara Cave and Veera Brahmam Cave ), which are also legendary and which pilgrims and day-trippers like to visit because of the coolness that prevails here.
Web links
- Yaganti Temple - Photos and information (English)
- Yaganti Temple - Photos and information (English)
Coordinates: 15 ° 21 ′ 3 ″ N , 78 ° 8 ′ 22 ″ E