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Jodugullapalem a settlement named after twin temples
Visakhapatnam:
Jodugullapalem, a tiny settlement nestled between the Kailasagiri and Seethakonda hills right on the beach, has a vast majority of people belonging to the Vada Balaji community who eke out a living by fishing and building boats. They mainly worship Gangamma Thalli.
The twin shrines of Gangamma Thalli and Koth Ammavaru Thalli were built in 1925 when a group of families migrated from Old Jalaripeta to build a new settlement and named it after the shrines.
S Bhimeswara Rao, the priest of the temple complex, said, “There is also a third shrine that was built to accommodate the Bhulokamatha. The three shrines represent ‘Shakthi’ in a complete and wholesome form. However, this shrine is now in a dilapidated condition.” According to the priest, the temple complex was modernised from 1985 onwards and the Jatara was also revived in the same year. “The Jatara or annual fest was revived after a long hiatus and is held in a grand manner every January,” he added.
Devotees visit the shrine during the Magha Maasa and seek the blessings of the Mother Goddess after taking a holy dip in the sea. There are a number of other shrines in the complex dedicated to the Mother Goddess in various forms. Another unique feature about the temple is that this complex does not have a Brahmin priest.
Rao pointed out, “We have been the priests of this complex right from the beginning. However, we have been trained in the basic scriptures by Brahmin priests who taught us the basic mantras and rituals that need to be conducted. I was trained by a Brahmin scholar from Simhachalam by name Appala Charya, who initiated me into the basic Vedic practices.”
History buff BS Mahesh said, “As the village was populated only by Vada Balajis, the priests had to be drawn from the same community. One must understand that this was quite a common practice in India and many Hindu priests are not actually Brahmins. In the case of Vaishnavaite shrines, the priests are Stana Vaishnavaites.”
Local shrines
1) The complex came into existence in 1925
2) The shrines are tiny and built in a pyramidal style
3) The site is littered with waste thanks to beach goers
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Visakhapatnam / Venkatesh Bayya / TNN / March 05th, 2016
Greenhorns at Their Innovative Best
Visakhapatnam :
While young entrepreneurs Dhananjayan and VNV Srikanth from Vijayawada were seen erecting their stall by putting up a large flexi of their startup ‘Isthriwala’, a team of youngsters from the city were busy promoting their “Jagoo”, the first time in Vizag.
One can hire bikes on daily basis. GITAM students interacted with the delegates on their 300cc ‘All Terrain Vehicle’, and some entrepreneurs from Hyderabad were showcasing their apps.
The ‘StartAP Fest’ is a platform for budding entrepreneurs in and around the state to showcase their innovative ideas here. Students have set up many stalls of their companies and are busy in giving wide publicity to their products.
Isthriwala with a difference
“We have come from Vijayawada. We came up with Isthriwala just four months ago, and this fest is a great opportunity for us to showcase our startup. Generally in other laundry services, they just wash and deliver, but we, in Isthriwala, will deliver clothes in sealed packing, like new clothes bought from a shop. Customers will feel that he has got new clothes each and every time, and their satisfaction is our priority,” said Dhananjayan, a member of Isthriwala, while giving details about the startup.
Organisers of the fest said it’s all about entrepreneurs showcasing their products, and get them promoted. “There is a chance of delegates lapping up their idea and they might enquire about other innovations too. We have suggested to student entrepreneurs to talk to as many delegates as they can during the two-day fest,” said Nikhil Agarwal, CEO of Innovations Society.
There are eminent personalities from India, Dubai, Singapore, the USA, the UK and many other nations. Moreover, their experience during initial stages of setting up startups and their success stories will surely stimulate the youngsters, he added.
The stalls set up by entrepreneurs from Hyderabad, Benguluru, Chennai, Warangal, Tirupati and the stalls of locals drew many eyeballs.
Jagoo: Bikes on hire
“We have a website as well as contact number. People can call us anytime and can book bikes,” said SR Brahmananda Reddy, the managing director of another startup Jagoo.
He said there are six types of bikes – Royal Enfield, Apache, Duke, Activa, Pulsar and Scooty Pep– available. One can hire a bike for `250 a day.
He also said that one should have a driving licence to hire bikes. “We launched the company last month and it needs much promotion now, and this StartAP Fest is really helping us,” he added.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Harish Gilai / March 06th, 2016
Buddhist settlement discovered on Seethanagaram hill
Archaeologist and CEO of the Cultural Centre of Vijayawada (CEO) E. Nagireddy has discovered a huge Buddhist settlement with traces of stupas, chaityas and viharas on the Seethanagaram hill located on the outskirts of Vijayawada city.
The relics surfaced as part of a survey conducted under the guidance of Mr. Nagireddy.
A rock-cut cistern, once used by the Buddhist monks during the rainy retreat, located next to the recently taken up Ramanuja-Vasudeva temple complex by the Jeeyar Trust provided a clue on the existence of a Buddhist monastery on the right side.
Further probing revealed brick-built viharas datable to 1st century BC to the 2nd century AD. The bricks used in the construction measured 60x28x7 cm. “A rock-cut steps-like path leading to the top of the hillock perhaps helped the monks reach the monastery,” says Mr. Nagireddy.
Members of the Trust, while laying a ghat road in the area, also discovered two Vishnu idols carved in khondalite stone and one Govardhana Giridhara idol datable to 6th to 10th century. The idols currently are in the safe custody of the Trust.
Extensive survey planned
Going by the ample possibility of existence of more such Buddhist relics at the site, Mr. Nagireddy has requested the Trust members to safeguard the antiquities that could be exhibited to the public at a later stage.
He said the CCV will take up an extensive survey of the place very soon.
Archaeologists believe that Andhra Pradesh became a Buddhist stronghold due to the active patronisation by the wealthy classes of the Godavari-Krishna delta.
A large number of Buddhist chaityas, viharas and stupas have been unearthed in this State. Some major sites in the area where Buddhist relics have been excavated are Nagarjunakonda, Anupu, Dhulikatta, Aduru, Bhattiprolu and Bavikonda.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by P. Sujatha Varma / Vijayawada – March 04th, 2016
Medal-winning constable felicitated
Lakshmi Devi bagged a gold medal and a silver medal in an athletics event in Sri Lanka
Deputy Inspector-General of Kurnool Range B.V. Ramana Kumar on Thursday felicitated a woman head constable Nemmipati Lakshmi Devi who bagged a gold and a silver medal in the international athletics championship held in Sri Lanka.
Ms. Lakshmi Devi, working in the Armed Reserve headquarters in Kurnool, secured gold medal in hammer throw and silver medal in discuss throw held at Diogama Mahindra Rajapakshe sports stadium at Colombo in Sri Lanka in February last week. The DIG felicitated the woman head constable with a shawl and garland and wished that she win more laurels and earn a good name for the police department. Reacting to the felicitation, Ms. Lakshmi Devi said women were excelling in all sectors on par with men and lamented discrimination against women in some aspects.
Gives credit to family
She said she could emerge as an international athlete with the encouragement of her family members.
Additional SP (Administration) T. Chandrasekhar Reddy, Additional SP (Armed Reserve) M.K. Radhakrishna, DSPs D.V. Ramana Murthy, J. Babi Prasad, G. Veeraraghava Reddy, Police Officers Association president T. Narayana and executive members Raghuramudu and Noor Ahmed participated.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Andhra Pradesh/ by Special Correspondent / Kurnool – March 04th, 2016
NALCO CMD Elected AAI President
Visakhapatnam :
CMD of Navratna CPSE National Aluminium Company Limited (Nalco) Tapan Kumar Chand has been unanimously elected as president of Aluminium Association of India (AAI) in its National Governing Council Meeting, held here Wednesday.
AAI is a body that represents the entire spectrum of Indian aluminium industry. General secretary of AAI KSS Murthy said that with the election of Chand, the AAI would have a more assertive and affirmative approach in promoting the consumption of aluminium and boosting the growth of the industry.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Andhra Pradesh / by Express News Service / March 03rd, 2016
A trip down the ages
Rickshaw heritage rides give an opportunity to appreciate our rich past
Heritage walks on the ancient lanes of the city’s Old Town area are like time machines that take you on a journey through the pages of history and give a glimpse of some chapters that make your soul recoil with pain and poetry.
The small group of people, which participated in the rickshaw heritage ride recently, took back with it slices of the rich historical past of the city.
For Anita Rao, an artist, the experience was a trip down the ages — to how the area was a few centuries ago. “The over 250-year-old Queen Mary’s School encouraged and made special arrangement to educate widows and even paid them Rs.15 per month to study in the early 1900s. There were several such stories we learnt about the places that give me a reverence for these structures, which we often take for granted,” she said.
Intrigued by the fascinating tales of many such structures, some of which no longer exist, Rao made a watercolour sketch of the Kurupam Market entrance, which was demolished a few years ago.
The participants were taken around 10 important heritage places of the locality — Town Hall, Town Hall Lane, Kurupam Market, Old European Cemetery, Queen Victoria’s Pavilion, St. John Church and School, Queen Mary’s School, Ishak Madina Dargah, St. Aloysius School, and Light House. Sandhya Parimala Vijapurapu, a youngster, said that the heritage trail gave an in-depth understanding of the city’s history.
The experience made her realise that heritage was more than old buildings.
“When I hold my camera and shoot the walls of the Town Hall, it gives me a different perspective now after sifting through the multiple layers of historical facts. We saw old chairs piled up in corners of the thick walls of the building, which are now silent spectators of the city’s rapid transition,” she said, and added that the exciting part of the tour was the rickshaw ride that promoted the modest ecological mode of transport. Leading from the front was city-based social and heritage activist Jayshree Hatangadi, who had been conducting these Sunday rickshaw heritage rides for the past few months.
The heritage trail takes participants around in four rickshaws.
“The idea behind doing these rides is also to highlight the issues of preserving heritage sites. For instance, the Town Hall needs to be repaired and its surrounding area cleaned so that it can be a place of display of our heritage and have interesting speakers every month to give a talk or a presentation. Once the locations are cleaned, we can have visitor brochures and guides trained to talk about the history of the place. Even the European Cemetery has a big story to tell. Several tombstones have their life in short beautifully calligraphed,” added Hatangadi.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Cities> Visakhapatnam / by Nivedita Ganguly / Visakhapatnam – March 02nd, 2016