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

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

Visakhapatnam:

Sri Rangapuram, a tiny settlement nestled in Krishnanagar of Maharanipeta area, was once an Inam estate of the noble Paravasthu family, who were Satana Vaishnavaites, scholars of Telugu literature and teachers of Vaishnavaite scriptures.

The Paravasthus had received the Inam prior to their permanent settlement in 1803 and since then, have been residents of Visakhapatnam, though originally they hailed from Nellore district. The Visakhapatnam Paravasthu branch is also an off-shoot of the original branch, the products of which are people like Paravsthu Chinnayya Suri, who played a major role in the modernisation of Telugu language and was also one of the earliest advocates of social reform.

Members of the Visakhapatnam branch of the Pravasthus have been hereditary trustees of several old Vaishnavaite temples in Vizag and even supported a Veda Pathashala. The famous Venkateshwara temple in the Old City is one such temple that received services from the Paravasthus as hereditary trustees. Over the generations, the Paravasthus greatly promoted traditional scriptural education till the 1950s, after which they lacked the financial means to support their spiritual and benefactor duties chiefly due to the Estate and Inam Abolition Act that came into existence in the early 1950s.

Today, the entire area known as Krishnanagar was once part of the Paravasthu estate and because they were ardent Vaishnavaites, the place is named after Lord Krishna. More importantly, a vast majority of the villagers of Sri Rangapuram are Yadavas, who are ardent worshippers of Lord Krishna and extremely devout Vaishnavaites. The Paravasthus also used to hold court and conduct the Krishna Janmastami celebrations with splendour during their hay days. However, the changes post independence forced many of them to suspend their activities and a vast majority of the Paravasthu clan left the country.

“One of the Paravasthus, Paravasthu Ranga Chari, a descendent of the original Inamdar, used to be an active member of the Theosophical Society and would attend the meetings there. His beliefs and views were quite modern, though they completely agreed with what was basically written in the old scriptures. He was a true practitioner of the Dharma Siddhanta,” said PN Rao, an old resident of the area.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / February 27th, 2016

Visakhapatnam :

St Joseph’s Church inside the premises of St Joseph’s College for women was built in 1903. The church was originally consecrated as a chapel for the St Joseph’s sisters who used to reside at the abbey in Gnanapuram. It was later converted into a church to accommodate other members of the Christian community.

Gnanapuram originally began as a settlement and was reclaimed by the Roman Catholic Mission which commenced operations in Visakhapatnam in 1847. Slowly, a large colony spread around the area and even today, a vast majority of the residents of Gnanapuram are Christians, chiefly Roman Catholic.

St Joseph’s Abbey in the premises is a unique structure and built in typical Neo-Gothic style with soaring arches and a high roof. The structure (the church) is typically European in architectural style with massive arches supported by columns which in turn supporting the roof. Built entirely of stone, it is uniquely French in style with the tiles and stained glass windows imported from France.

According to heritage expert Edward Paul, the structure is unlike most other churches in South India. “As far as the church is concerned, it is uniquely European in feature and character. There is not a hint of local colonial architectural influence on the church.”

However, regarding the abbey, Edward Paul observed that the colonial influence was quite strong. He pointed out that the second floor or the upper portion of the abbey was tiled with beautiful wood work and added that much of the wood was imported from Burma.

History buff BS Mahesh said, “The abbey is probably the largest in Vizag with three main wings and attached smaller wings. He observed that this was structure much larger than the district collectorate and spread over a combined plinth of 60 to 70 thousand square feet.”

Local residents of Gnanapuram observed that this church and abbey once so beautifully located are now situated in one of the most polluted areas of the city. K Joseph, an engineer and resident of the area, said, “The pollution from the port and the factories around have done much damage to the church and abbey. It is unfortunate that the beautiful stained glass work and the interiors of the church suffer due to severe particulate pollution.”

A former student of St Joseph’s and now housewife B Kameswari said, “When I was in college student in the early 1960s, it used to be a lovely sight. Today, whenever I pass by, I feel sad that all the pollution around has taken a toll on the structure.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Visakhapatnam / TNN / January 14th, 2016