Sri Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari Temple, Penugonda

Andhra Pradesh, West Godavari, Amaravathi

Situated in Penugonda, a town in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, Sri Vasavi Kannika Parameshwari Temple is a famous temple dedicated to Goddess Sri Vasavi Kannika Parameshwari. This temple is considered as the "Kasi of Vysyas" and is a holy place for Vysyas.

Legend

According to the legends, Kusuma Sresti was ruling the kingdom of Penugonda and his wife was Kususmamba. Even after many years of marriage, the couple didnâ€™t have any children. So they approached Guru Bhakaracharya and he advised them to perform Puthrakameshtiyaga. As per the advice, they conducted the yagna and later Kusumamba gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl on 10th of Vaishakha month. They named the boy as Virupaksha and the girl as Vasavamba. Virupaksha learned horse riding, martial arts and other qualities required to rule the country under the guidance of Bhaskaracharya and Vasavamba studied fine arts and mastered philosophical subjects. Once the Chalukya King, Vishnu Vardhana happened to see Vasavamba and seeing her beauty, he made his mind to marry her. The marriage proposal was sent to Kusuma Sresti and the queen was in a dilemma as Vishnu Vardhana is already married to Rathnavathi. Therefore, Kusuma Sresti and other Vysya elders left that decision to Vasavamba. Vasavamba expressed her feelings to be a virgin throughout her life and intention to meditate upon endless problems. When Kusuma Sresti informed the King about Vasavambaâ€™s decision, he became angry and attacked Penugonda to get Vasavamba. When the Kingâ€™s army defeated the Penugondaâ€™s army, Vasavamba decided to enter Homagundam to stop the inhumanities. The couple of 102 Gothras joined Vasavi to enter 103 Homagundas which were constructed. The people realized that Vasavamba is the incarnation of Goddess Parvathi and she revealed her true self as Viswaroopadarshan of Goddess Kanyaka Parameswari. Vasavamba entered the raging fire to reach Kailsam and others followed Her. When Vishnu Vardhana reached the place, he heard what happened to Vasavamba and he died after vomiting blood. Virupaksha installed 101 Lingas for each Gothra in Penugonda to memorialize the incident. The King Narendra, son of Vishnu Vardhana installed a statue of Vasavi as a token of respect. From that day onwards all Vysyas began performing poojas to Vasavamba and she is considered as Vysyakula Devatha-Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari.

Architecture

The temple has vast garbha griha with tall raja Gopuram and adorned walls penned by beautiful sculptures. The temple is constructed in strict accordance with Vastu Sastra. The temple has prakaras, tall Gopuras, big courtyards, numerous mini-shrines, massive garba-grihas and glorious mukhamandapas. The temple faces east. There are other shrines; Lord Nageshwara Swamy, Goddess Kanyaka Parameswari, Goddess Mahishasuramardhini, Lord Vinayaka and Navagrahas. There is Astalakshmi Temple beside Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari Temple.

Darsan Info

Morning: 6: 00 AM to 12:00 PM and evening: 3:30 PM to 8:00 PM

Darsan Dresscode

Clean and conservative clothing preferred; also avoid shorts.

Famous Festival

Vasavi Matha Athmarpana Day

Devi Navaratrulu

Culture

West Godavari district or Paschima Godavari Jilla is one of the 13 districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The district is situated in Coastal Andhra region of the state.The Eastern Chalukyas ruled coastal Andhra from 700 to 1200, with Vengi, near Pedavegi village, as their capital.West Godavari is a flat country with a slight eastern slope along the rivers of the district flow. The rivers in the West Godavari district generally flow from West to East.The region has a tropical climate similar to the rest of the Coastal Andhra region. The summers (Marchâ€“June) are very hot and dry while the winters are fairly pleasant.Telugu is the most widely spoken language.Vedas, which has oral heritage recognition from by UNESCO are taught at Sri Venkateswara Veda Patasala of I.Bhimavaram village in the district.