Yaganti Temple:
Sri Yaganti Uma Maheswara Temple or Yaganti is a temple of Lord Shiva in the Kurnool district in the Andhra Pradesh state of India. It was built in accordance with Vaishnava tradition.
Yaganti Temple History:
The temple was built in the 15th century by King Harihara Bukka Raya of the Vijayanagara Empire’s Sangama Dynasty. It was developed according to the style of Vaishnava.
One story of the origin of the site is as follows: on this site the sage Agastya decided to build a temple for Lord Venkateswara. The statue that was made, however, could not be mounted because the idol’s toenail was broken. The sage was angry about this, doing Shiva’s penance. He said the place suits Shiva better when Shiva appears as it resembles Kailash. Agastya then asked Shiva in a single stone to send the devotees a Parvathi Goddess as Lord Uma Maheswara, coerced by Shiva.
A second version is as follows: Shiva’s devotee Chitteppa worshiped Shiva and Shiva appeared as a tiger to him. Chitteppa realized that in tiger form it was Lord Shiva, shouting Neganti Shivanu ne kanti (meaning: I saw Shiva I saw), and dancing with joy. There’s a cave nearby called Chitteppa. One of the few temples patronized by one of India’s great dynasties is the Sri Yaganti Uma Maheswara Temple. Every year there is a festival of Maha Shivaratri and a large number of devotees from around Andhra Pradesh. The central deities in this temple are Shiva, Parvati and Nandi.
This temple is in kurnool dt, 14 km from Banaganipalli. For some time, the holy lord Veerabrahmendra swami stayed here and wrote Kalagnanam.
Yaganti Nandi:
The devotees claim the Nandi idol in front of the temple is growing its size continuously. Initially the idol was much smaller than its present size, the locals say. They state that there has been some work on this idol and it has been said that the form of rock from which the idol is carved is associated with an increasing or expanding nature. India’s archeological survey has verified that in every 20 years the idol increases by 1 inch. The experiment indicates that an increasing nature exhibits the rock used to make the idol.
Yaganti Pushkarini:
A highlight of this temple is its Pushkarini, on the temple premises a small water pool. Water flows through the mouth of a Nandi (bull) into this Pushkarini from the bottom of the hill. The water, as it comes from the mountains, is fresh and sweet. Nobody knows how the water reaches the pond throughout the year and this temple architecture reveals the expertise of ancient Vishwakarma Sthapathis in terms of its design. Devotees consider it very convenient to have a holy bath in Pushkarini. We pay homage to Lord Shiva after taking a bath in Pushkarini. In Pushkarini the sage Agasthya bathed and worshiped Shiva
Yaganti Caves:
Agastya Cave:
This is the cave where Agastya carried out his Shiva penance. Through ascending 120 steep stairs, one can reach the cave. A Devi idol is mounted and can be decorated here.
Venkateswara Cave:
In this cave is the broken statue of Lord Venkateswara. It is easy to climb compared to the cave of Agastya, although the steps are steep. This idol was present in this cave, according to the myth, before the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple was built. But it couldn’t be worshipped as the idol is broken near the foot. In his Kala Gynanam, Sri Sri Potuluri Veera Brahmendra Swami tells us that this location can be an alternative to Tirupati.
Veera Brahmam Cave:
This is the cave where St. Sree Potuluri Veera Brahmendra swamy wrote some of his prophecy Kala Gnaanam. The cave’s height is lower and one has to lean half over to get into it
.Yaganti Temple Accommodation: There is no accommodation available in yaganti temple. Kurnool is the nearest place to stay in Hotels.
Mahanandi to Yaganti Distance: 1 h 41 min (62.0 km) via Anantapur – Tadipatri – Guntur Hwy and Tadipatri – Abdullapuram Rd/Tadipatri – Banaganapalle – Nandayal Hwy
Belum Caves to yaganti Distance: 1 h 11 min (44.8 km) via Tadipatri – Abdullapuram Rd/Tadipatri – Banaganapalle – Nandayal Hwy
Yaganti Temple Address: Yaganti Temple, Temple Gopuram, Yaganti Rd, Yaganti, Andhra Pradesh
How to Reach Yaganti Temple:
Yaganti Temple is located in Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh State, India, about 100 kilometers from Kurnool Town. The temple is on the Banaganapalle-Peapully road 14 km west of Banaganapalle (Mandal headquarters). Even from the historic site Belum caves we can reach the temple in 1.5 hours and calculate a distance of 45 km.
Famous Temples in Kurnool District
Yaganti Video:
