Bhairavakona: Devotee’s delight
Prakasam district in which the temple is situated, was recently
declared drought- ridden. Yet, in a wondrous manner, precious water is
available 24/7, 365 days a year at Bhairavakona. The Nallamala forest
once was garrison to Maoists but the temple stood undamaged despite
these activities for the past several decades.
The main attraction here is the Durga temple and devotees, after bathing in the holy pond, tie threads around a nearby tree in the hope of having their prayers answered.
According to a legend, Lord Siva and goddess Parvati once visited the place and were captivated by its beauty. They left behind a Siva lingam that resembles the one at Amarnath. According to archaeologists, this temple belongs to the 7th or 8th century AD.
Kalabhairava is said to have once reigned over this region and from there stems the name, Bhairavakona. Kalabhariva temple is sometimes called the temple of the Holy Trinity. This is perhaps the only temple in India where Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara are worshipped at one place. An interesting feature of this place is that eight temples were carved out of one rock.
Lord Siva appears in eight different forms of Shashinaga, Rudra, Visweswara, Nagarikeswara, Bhargeswara, Rameswara, Mallikarjuna and Pakshamalika Linga. Devotees also come to Bhairavakona to see the moonlight fall on the idol of goddess Durgadevi on the days of Kartika Pournami and Maha Sivaratri.
Sadly, there are no facilities for people to stay at this natural wonder, which is situated on the borders of Prakasam, Nellore and Kadapa districts about 120 km from Ongole. There is also no train service to Bhairavakona and people have to travel in APSRTC buses, operational on festive occasions. It is also a world away from civilisation as mobile phones also fail to work in the forest.
The fort on the hill, built by the Pallava dynasty, is in ruins due to the negligence of the archaeological and tourism departments. Recently, on November 21, three teenagers went missing in Bhairavakona and it took the police 20 hours to trace them around 10 km into the jungle.
Public demand is for appointed guides to help devotees and tourists who visit the area.
Pit stop
Another temple tourists can visit is Mittapalli Lakshminarsihma Swamy temple which is located 24 km from Bhairavakona. Local people believe that Lakshminarsimha Swamy in the loin avatar protects them from wild forest animals. A jatara (village festival) will be conducted every year during Dasara when people from all over the state come to the temple and worship the Lord.
Trivia
The ragi sankati (soup prepared with natcheny and other ingredients) is famous delicious food available at Bhairavakona.
Localites mix ragi sankati with rice and they prefer this combination better than rice with chicken or vegetable curry. Ragi sankati is very easy to cook and is quite delicious.
Ingredients
1 cup of ragi flour
Fistful of rice
¼ teaspoon of salt
4 cups of water
1 teaspoon of ghee
Method
Take water and rice in a saucepan, add salt and bring to a boil. When the rice is soft, add ragi flour into the pot. Do not stir. Cover and put this mixture on medium heat for few minutes. Stir the ragi-rice mixure vigorously.
Reduce the heat and let it steam cook for about 15 minutes. Switch off the heat. Let it cool a little bit and make balls with it. Place the ragi mudda in a bowl and pour the sambar over it.
The main attraction here is the Durga temple and devotees, after bathing in the holy pond, tie threads around a nearby tree in the hope of having their prayers answered.
According to a legend, Lord Siva and goddess Parvati once visited the place and were captivated by its beauty. They left behind a Siva lingam that resembles the one at Amarnath. According to archaeologists, this temple belongs to the 7th or 8th century AD.
Kalabhairava is said to have once reigned over this region and from there stems the name, Bhairavakona. Kalabhariva temple is sometimes called the temple of the Holy Trinity. This is perhaps the only temple in India where Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara are worshipped at one place. An interesting feature of this place is that eight temples were carved out of one rock.
Lord Siva appears in eight different forms of Shashinaga, Rudra, Visweswara, Nagarikeswara, Bhargeswara, Rameswara, Mallikarjuna and Pakshamalika Linga. Devotees also come to Bhairavakona to see the moonlight fall on the idol of goddess Durgadevi on the days of Kartika Pournami and Maha Sivaratri.
Sadly, there are no facilities for people to stay at this natural wonder, which is situated on the borders of Prakasam, Nellore and Kadapa districts about 120 km from Ongole. There is also no train service to Bhairavakona and people have to travel in APSRTC buses, operational on festive occasions. It is also a world away from civilisation as mobile phones also fail to work in the forest.
The fort on the hill, built by the Pallava dynasty, is in ruins due to the negligence of the archaeological and tourism departments. Recently, on November 21, three teenagers went missing in Bhairavakona and it took the police 20 hours to trace them around 10 km into the jungle.
Public demand is for appointed guides to help devotees and tourists who visit the area.
Pit stop
Another temple tourists can visit is Mittapalli Lakshminarsihma Swamy temple which is located 24 km from Bhairavakona. Local people believe that Lakshminarsimha Swamy in the loin avatar protects them from wild forest animals. A jatara (village festival) will be conducted every year during Dasara when people from all over the state come to the temple and worship the Lord.
Trivia
The ragi sankati (soup prepared with natcheny and other ingredients) is famous delicious food available at Bhairavakona.
Localites mix ragi sankati with rice and they prefer this combination better than rice with chicken or vegetable curry. Ragi sankati is very easy to cook and is quite delicious.
Ingredients
1 cup of ragi flour
Fistful of rice
¼ teaspoon of salt
4 cups of water
1 teaspoon of ghee
Method
Take water and rice in a saucepan, add salt and bring to a boil. When the rice is soft, add ragi flour into the pot. Do not stir. Cover and put this mixture on medium heat for few minutes. Stir the ragi-rice mixure vigorously.
Reduce the heat and let it steam cook for about 15 minutes. Switch off the heat. Let it cool a little bit and make balls with it. Place the ragi mudda in a bowl and pour the sambar over it.
