History of Verdant Godavari
“Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,” is a captivating sentence in the Rudyard Kipling poem ‘The Ballad of East and West’. Never the Twain Shall Meet is also the title of two prominent Hollywood blockbusters, including a 1925s silent movie.
Dhowleswaram is a prominent place in the Godavari delta. It is here that the majestic River Godavari assumes the shape of the geometrical figure of a triangle. The Vasishta River which is on the west delta forms the boundary between the two districts of East and West Godavari.
The landscape west of Vasishta is West Godavari and locales east of it fall under the jurisdiction of East Godavari. The twain indeed do not meet, just a physical contiguity. The prepossessing Konaseema is the area between Vasishta and Gouthami rivers. This is the verdant and alluring triangle. Konaseema is an integral of East Godavari. Konaseema lies south of Gouthami and east of Vasishta.
West Godavari district or Paschima Godavari Jilla is one of the 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh. The administrative headquarters of the district is the viridescent town of Eluru. The town is sandwiched by Krishna district on the west, East Godavari (on the east), the gargantuan Bay of Bengal on the south and the newly carved state of Telangana to the north.
History
The Chalukyas were once the potentates of coastal Andhra (700 AD-1200 AD), with Vengi as their capital. Historical evidences of the empire have been discovered in the villages of Pedavegi and Guntupalli (Jilakarragudem).
It is noteworthy to mention that Eluru was then to become part of the Kalinga Empire until 1471. Later it fell under the Gajapathi dynasty. In 1515 Sri Krishna Deva Raya overran Eluru and subsequently when the Vijayanagara kingdom capitulated to the Sultan of Golkonda, Kutub Shah, the town exchanged hands once again.
In modern times during the reign of the Britishers, West Godavari District was formed with Eluru as the headquarters and all the district offices and regional offices were set up at Eluru. West Godavari district was hived from the existing Godavari District in the year 1925. The erstwhile Godavari district was renamed East Godavari district and the new district was named as West Godavari district.
West Godavari has a flat terrain and generally the rivers in the district move from western to eastern direction. Three rivers cut across the district, namely Godavari, Yerrakaluva and Tammileru.
Paddy, banana, sugarcane, and coconut are the principal agricultural products of the district apart from the buoyant fisheries and prawn cultivation. Further, cashew nut, mango and tobacco have received impetus over the years, making them significant products from the district.
Some Important Towns
Bhimavaram or ‘The Gift of Bhima’, named after the celebrated Pandava is a prominent township. Legends mention that around 890 AD –918 AD, an Eastern Chalukya king named Chalukya Bheema built a famous Shiva Temple here.
The town was originally called ‘Bhimapuram’ but was subsequently changed to ‘Bhimavaram’. Some important temples dotting the landscape of Bhimavaram and nearby towns are the Sri Someswara Temple, the Amararama Temple in Amaravathi, the Kumararama Temple in Samalkota and the Ksheera Rama Temple in Palakollu.
The Shiva lingam at the Sri Someswara Temple is known for its unique properties. It is believed that the lingam had been installed by Lord Chandra. The colour of the linga assumes alterations as per the penetration of the lunar rays. During full moon days it dramatically transforms into shimmering white while on the day of Amavasya (no moon) it metamorphoses into black.
Sri Adikesava Embermannar Swamy Temple at Narsapur is of similar architecture and design as the renowned Sriperumbudur Temple in Tamil Nadu. Interestingly this is the only temple where Goddess Lakshmi has a name attributed to a devotee of the lord; the Goddess of fortune or ‘Varaprasadi’, the one who bestows all wishes. The Aasanam (altar) of Sri Emberumanar Swamy is called Bhadravedi or Thrivedi, exemplar of authority in the triad of Sruthis namely Bheda, Abheda, and Ghataka.
The Jagan Mohini Kesava Swamy temple is renowned at the township of Rayali. The exquisite idol, made of black stone depicts Maha Vishnu and Mohini on the anterior and rear respectively. The surrealistic idol is a marvel of sculptural dexterity. As per popular folklore once a flower from the plait of Mohini fell on the ground during a squabble over sharing of the Holy Divine Nectar (Amrit) and thus the town acquired the name Rayali (‘to fall’ in Telugu language).
It is widely believed that unmarried girls discover a suitor by performing 108 Pradakshinams (circumambulations) on seven continuous Tuesdays, paying obeisance at the Maddi Anjaneya Swamy temple at Gurvaigudem. Worshipping the Lord unflinchingly on Saturdays diminishes the malefic effects on the devotee from demonic forces and unfavourable planetary configurations.
Scenically situated at the banks of River Godavari, Rajahmundry is often described as the cultural capital of Andhra Pradesh. There are twenty nine important temples in Rajahmundry and it is among the major Hindu pilgrimage sites in India.
The bustling city is also popular for the duo decennial congregations of Pushkaralu. Rajahmundry witnesses a spectacular festival where millions of devotees throng its soil.
There is the famous Kotilingeswara Temple, a prominent religious site which was built in the 10th century. This temple has bathing ghats all around it. The loftily constructed temple attracts thousands of pilgrims. The Draksharamam Temple, Mahalaxmi Gudi, Markandeya Temple, Iskcon Temple, Somalamma Temple are other significant places of worship in Rajahmundry.
Only by travelling across the swathes of East and West Godavari can a tourist appreciate the pristine fragrance and unalloyed culture of the place, populated by people who are by nature highly emotive.
“Whether we like it or not, we all come from someplace. And at some point in our lives, we have to make peace with that place”, writes the author
2.
The year was 2004. It was the first day of November when I alighted from a train at Guntakal in the Rayalseema area of the undivided Andhra Pradesh to take charge as the Senior Divisional Operations Manager at Guntakal Division.
Guntakal is a bijou town known primarily for its railway establishment. The Divisional headquarters provides preeminent connectivity from Chennai towards Mumbai, Howrah and Bengaluru.
The region is endued with high-priced minerals and metals like dolomite, bauxite, quartz, limestone, and iron ore. There are important cement factories that dot the landscape. My brief in operations was to enhance iron ore exports to China (the country was building stadia across its landscape) by ensuring efficient loading from a host of terminals spanning from Bellary to Guntakal West. Apart from mineral deposits, there is the Rayalseema Thermal Power Plant at Muddanur that generates power to illuminate the area; Temples of Modern India, to quote Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru.
Rayalseema is an arid and sun-baked region by day and as the sun sinks into the western skies, an unexpected chill sets in and a cool breeze wafts across the desiccated landscape. I distinctly recall that potable water was in short supply and the railway establishment imported cans of water from Nandaluru, another nanoscopic almost vest-pocket size town in the region.
I hurriedly freshened up and reached my new office. However my personal secretary had other ideas. He declared in a rather supplicant manner, “Saar, you have to pay obeisance to Lord Hanuman who had wrecked havoc over the diabolical and demonic Ravana.” Thus pell-mell we made our way to the Sri Nettikanti Anjaneya Swami Temple, the famous Lord Hanuman temple in Kasapuram, barely 4km from the railway station.
Little did I know that our religious sojourn would not terminate there. In quick succession I was chaperoned to the Buggasangala Sivalayam, Jambudweepachakra at Konakondla, Sri Venkateswara Temple and eventually to the Sri Guntakallappa Temple (the presiding deity of Guntakal). I well nigh wondered whether such a delay would be viewed in proper spirit by my new boss.
However the effervescent Divisional Railway Manager, Mr. Carmelius parried my doubts. Waving his hands affectionately, he mentioned that he too had undertaken a parikrama of these holy shrines upon joining the coveted post. Later I realised, it was almost an unwritten ukase for all railwaymen joining Guntakal Division. Officers of all faiths, castes and creeds undertake this peregrination to ward off the baleful eye. I was quintessentially impressed with the plurality and facileness of the denizens of Guntakal.
The Rayalseema is a geographic entity in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It includes the southern districts of Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool and Anantapur, an area of 67,526 km2. Although Rayalseema is a piffling region compared to the rest of Telugu-speaking areas, its contribution to Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, and Urdu arts, culture and literature is unparalleled.
The well-known suzerain of the Rayalseema region was Sri Krishnadevaraya. It was also the original home of the Eastern Chalukyas, who gradually expanded their sway over Karnataka under pressure from the Chola kings.
During the British era, the Nizam of Hyderabad ceded this area to the British, and the area came to be known as the ‘Ceded Districts’. Around the time of the freedom movement, the area was renamed as Rayalseema; an amalgamation of the words ‘Rayala’ (from the title ‘Raya’ or ‘Rayalu’ used by the Vijayanagara kings) and ‘seema’, which was an administrative unit of the Vijayanagara Empire.
Rayalseema is larger than several states in India and borders Tamil Nadu to the south, Karnataka to the west and Telangana to the north.
The region contributes 52 assembly segments to Andhra Pradesh state legislature and 8 parliamentary constituencies. These Telugu-speaking districts were part of the Madras Presidency until 1953, when Telugu-speaking districts of the Presidency were carved out to form Andhra State. From 1953 to 1956, the region was part of Andhra State.
In 1956, the Telangana region too was merged with Andhra State to form Andhra Pradesh State. Earlier, Bellary district too was part of Rayalseema. With the formation of states based on languages, Bellary was joined to Karnataka though the city continues to have large numbers of Kannada and Telugu speaking people.
It would be singular to mention that signs and symbols play a role in all the world’s religions as objects on which thoughts and prayers can be focussed. Spiritual and religious symbols point a way through the numinous world of religious belief, acting as badges of faith, teaching tools and aids on the pilgrimage towards appreciating complex philosophies.
The landscape of Rayalseema is dotted with a humungous number of temples and pilgrimage spots which provide sanctuary to the faithful. The most prominent is the Lord Venkateswara Temple, the Lord of Seven Hills at Tirumala. There are several others too. Important among these is the Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjana Swami temple at Srisailam, the only temple in India revered as a Jyotirlinga and Shaktipeeth. The fabled Khadiri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Kadri and Tallapaka the birthplace of the legendary Annamayacharya are significant spots.
In modern times the devout make a beeline to the Raghavendra Swami Mutt at Mantralayam on the banks of Tungabhadra River. Raghavendra Swami is believed to be in a state of live samadhi over here. At Puttaparthi is Prashanti Nillayam, where Bhagwan Satya Sai Baba lived and cast his mortal self. The abode of Jiddu Krishnamurthy, erudite scholar and philosopher is located at Madanapalle near Horsley Hills.
The region of Rayalseema is replete with history, historical places, ancient historical sites like the Belum caves and an array of temples. It is a must visit area for agnostics, theists and atheists alike.
“Your daily life is your temple and your religion. When you enter into it take with you all,” wrote Khalil Gibran. The inhabitants of Rayalseema adhere to this principle in letter and spirit.
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