Pushpagiri Temple Complex,
Kadapa – History
There is a lot of documented
history about the Pushpagiri
Temple Complex. The
temple has been mentioned in the Srisaila Khanda of Skanda
Purana and Sriranga Mahatmya of Garuda Purana. It has been mentioned
as the Dakshina Dwara (Southern gate) for the famous Jyothirlinga site
of Srisailam in Ikshvaku inscriptions that were later excavated from
the site. The
place has been considered sacred from the ages of Karikala
Chola of the early Chola Dynasty.
It is said that Sri Adi
Shankaracharya, one of the greatest philosopher, visited Pushpagiri and installed
Sri Chakra in Kamakshi Shrine of Vaidyanathesvara
Temple. The Srichakra is believed to have been worshipped later by
Vidyaranya Swamy, the founder of the Vijayanagar Empire. The
Temples in Pushpagiri received extensive patronage from Ikshvakus,
Pallavas, Cholas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Vaidumbas, Kayasthas, Vijayanagara Kingdom
and local chieftains who ruled over this region.
Somadeva of Vaidumba Dynasty and
Pallava king Chiddana Devaraja have provided grants to the
temples. The earliest reference to the Indranatha
Swamy Temple was made in an inscription in 1078 CE which registers a land
by the Ahavamalladeva of Vaidumba dynasty. Another inscription dated 1182 CE
grants some land in the area of Mulakanadu for the daily worship of the
presiding deity of the Indranatha
Swamy Temple.
The
Vaidyanathesvara Swamy temple built by Chola Dynasty and was patronized by
the Rashtrakuta king Krishna Vallabha, who gifted lands for the daily
maintenance of the
temple. The
Kamaleshwara Temple, Hachaleshwara
Temple and Pallavesvara
Temple in the Trikuteswara
temple complex were built in 1255 AD. The inscriptions in the Sanathana
Malleswara temple mention the existence of five shrines dedicated to
Vaidyanatha Swamy.
Gangaya Sahini and Ambadeva, the
chieftains of Kakatiya dynasty built various other temples in Pushpagiri
in the names of themselves, their wives and their daughters. The
Chennakesava Swamy temple was built by the Musunuri Nayaks under the rule
of the later Vijayanagara kings. King Saluva Narasimha Deva
Raya of the Vijayanagara Kingdom has made multiple grants to the Chennakesava
Swamy temple and to other temples in this
temple complex.
Aghora Sivacharya, a tantric saint
had built the Rajagopuram of the Chennakesava
Swamy temple as per the inscription available in the
temple. Pushpagiri
is used to be a very popular pit stop for the pilgrims traveling the Varanasi
– Rameswaram route. There were instances of disturbances to the pilgrims
in this region from the dacoits during Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya. He ordered
his feudatory Vankara kumara Dhuli Basivi Naidu to safeguard the pilgrims who
are on their way to this place.
The successors of Naidu after a
couple of generations joined hands with the dacoits during the reign of Krishnadevaraya.
Krishnadevaraya summoned Musili Naidu and advised him against such activities.
Naidu initially revolted against the rulers of Vijayanagara Empire and used to
harass the pilgrims as a way to show his disloyalty but started to obey the
king once he was made in charge of the
surrounding villages with the capital at a place called Jillella.
Krishnadevaraya visit to the Pushpagiri
temple has brought to light some of the interesting social conditions then
prevailing. The priests at the
temple were Tambalas by caste, but Krishnadevaraya discovering that they
were Tambalas and not Brahmins replaced them with the latter and granted them
Goturu and Pushpagiri as Agraharams.
Pushpagiri
is an important seat of Advaita Mutts that have large following both within and
beyond Rayalaseema region. It has as many as 24 Sarva Agraharams and several
other imams dispersed over various districts in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Pushpagiri
was once a great seat of the Saivites. Aghora Saivacharya, a great seer is said
to have lived here. Pushpagiri Thianna, great Telugu poet hails from this
place.
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