Gangamma Temple, Boyakonda, Andhra Pradesh

Gangamma Temple, Boyakonda, Andhra Pradesh

Gangamma Temple is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Goddess Sakthi, located at Boyakonda in Andhra Pradesh, India. The Gangamma temple was taken over by Endowments Department of Andhra Pradesh in 1990. Since then an Executive officer is in charge of administration of the temple and efforts were made to develop the temple and facilities were created for devotees.

Legends

Gangamma saved Boya Tribals from Muslim Army:

Centuries ago, the Tribals Boyas and Yelikas lived in the forest area around the hillock. They stood up against the repressive and autocratic rule of the Nawabs. They retaliated against the Muslim soldiers and chased them away. The Golconda Nawab rushed additional troops to crush the revolt. Boya Tribals could not withstand the onslaught of the Muslim army and fled into the forest and prostrated near the hillock and prayed Almighty to save them.

The spirit of the Goddess Shakti descended from the hillock, shielded the tribals and crushed the Nawab's army. Local people say that the Shakti has tied the heads of soldiers to banyan tree branches. In the event of victory Boyas built the Gangamma temple, which saved them against evil forces and became famous for centuries.

Sister of Tirumala Venkateshwara Swamy:

According to Purana, Boyakonda Gangamma Devi is sister of Venkateshwara Swamy. This makes Gangamma one of the most significant Goddess connected with Tirupati, perhaps only next to the Lord’s consort Padmavathi.

Temple

The temple of Goddess Gangamma is situated on a hill top. The word "Baikonda" pronounced as "Baa-ee-kon-da" means mountain which has a well. The Goddess resides right besides this well and is believed to be very powerful. This goddess is known to destroy all evil and those who sincerely worship her are bound to succeed.

There is a miraculously huge well at the top of the hill, where the geographically underwater resource is scarce. This water resource has been known for centuries as a cure to many diseases. Some Ayurvedic practitioners have even used this water as a medicinal property with great success. According to Local farmers, sprinkling this water before the seeding process will yield a rich crop.

Festivals

Navratri festival is the most famous festival celebrated here.

Prayers

Devotees come here and make their wishes and once the wish comes true, they come back to make an offering to the Goddess Gangamma which they would have agreed upon once their wish became true. The water from the well is believed to cure many skin ailments. Local people believe that the Pushkarini water is very powerful and sprinkling it in the field will yield good crop. The offering for the Goddess is generally a hen or a sheep which will be sacrificed to the Goddess and the meat will be cooked at the same place and shall be eaten by all the family members who would have come along.

At this Boyakonda Gangamma Temple, the devotee’s seek the permission and direction from Sri Gangamma Devi through placing a flower on top of her head. This permission seeking is known as Pushpam Aduguta. If the Goddesses let the flower drop onto here right side, this is taken an affirmative permission and the devotee continues with his/her decision. If the flower falls onto her left side, then this is taken as warning from Sri Gangamma Devi, meaning that he/she needs to be further careful while taking the decision.

Connectivity

The Temple is located at about 5 Kms from Venkatagirikota, 7 Kms from Venkatagirikota Bus Stand, 21 Kms from Mulbagal, 38 Kms from Bangarapet Railway Junction, 41 Kms from Kuppam, 76 Kms from Krishnagiri, 87 Kms from Vellore and 118 Kms from Bengaluru Airport. The Temple is situated at trijunction of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Location