Summary: Kondaveedu Fort is a fort with great history located in the Guntur District, let us explore some details about this fort.

There is a constituency called as Chilakaluripet constituency in the Guntur District. This constituency has a village named Kondaveedu. This village is the home for the famous Kondaveedu Fort in Guntur. It is actually located on a hill, which is situated at a distance of 520 meters above sea level. In addition to the main Kondaveedu Fort, there are two other forts nearby. But, the problem is that all these three forts that have seen many historical incidents are in the state of ruin now.

Construction:

Kondaveedu fort was actually built by the Prolaya Vema Reddy and the fort was under the rule of Reddy Dynasty between 1328 and 1428. Then, it came under the control of the Gajpathis of Orissa. When the Brahmi Kingdom took over this place during 1458, the fort came under Muslim Rulers. Again, the emperor of Vijayanagara, Krishnadevaraya captured this place in the year 1516. Krishnadeveraya had to fight against Golconda Sultans to retain in the fort during 1531, 1536 and 1576, but it was finally captured from Krishnadevaraya in the year 1579, who renamed it as Murtuzanagar.

Under French Colonies:

Again, in the year 1752, the fort came under the leadership of French Colonists and when it was widely defended, it finally came under the rule of English imperialists, who captured the fort in the year 1788, but they abandoned it in the early 19th century in favour of Guntur. Now, the remains alone showcase the history of the Fort and interior part of the fort has ruins of storehouses and magazines.

Geography of the fort:

The fort is stated to be the capital of Kondaveedu Province at one period. The fort was chosen for this purpose because it is located just at a distance of 8 miles to the west of Guntur Town. It is also located in between the South of Krishna River and Gundlakamma River. The three forts were constructed on a high ride of small range of hills with elevation as mentioned earlier. There are two ghat sections, one is north and this route will be steep, but one can reach quickly. The second and the most preferred option is by 2 miles trekking. The great thing about Kondaveedu Village and its surrounding forest areas is that they are rich in custard apple production.

History of Kondaveedu Fort:

The main fort of the three was known to be built by a king, who belonged to the Reddy Dynasty during the 14th century. The other two in its proximity are known to have been built in successive periods. These forts along with province in which they are located were ruled by many kingdoms. It is known that the Muslim rulers Hindu and British rulers had deviating approaches towards the administration of their province and the fort. While the Hindu Rulers were known to have shown their kindness to their subject, the Muslim rulers were known to have done many plunders for the people in the province. The Hindu Rulers also made the area prosper, during their rule.

In the year 1323, the rulers of Delhi called Tughlags, captured the entire Andhra Pradesh and Warangal. The destructions and cruelty shown by Tughlags, resulted in the formation of a confederation movement by the Hindu Kings of South India and this resulted in the departing of Muslims from the Warangal region and also Reddis were part of this movement.

Reddis of Kondaveedu were owning lands under the conditions of feudal systems with the Kings of Warangal. Inscriptions say that their rule conjectured with that of the Korukonda Reddis and that they moved from their earlier capital at Addanki in Guntur to Kondaveedu. The founder of the reign was Prolaya Vema Reddy.

The Reddys, who are one among the powerful non-Aryan castes, established the Reddy Dynasty. This rule covered the present day Vijayawada and Guntur towns and the Reddy reign was between 1328-1428 for 100 years. Until the year 1428, the first rule Prolaya Vema Reddy was followed by five other kings. The first ruler built many forts to defend his kingdom and Kondaveedu Fort is one among the many forts constructed by him.

Structure:

As mentioned earlier, the three forts inclusive of the Kondaveedu Fort is presently in ruin condition. Of these three, the first one was built during the 12th century and it is found from the inscriptions that the first fort built by the Reddy rulers, were refurbished in different ways by the rulers, who followed. Due to its height from the sea level, Kondaveedu Fort was considered as one of the strongest forts of this region. The fort is known to have 21 structures and there are two entry gates into the forts called as Nadella Darwaza and Kolepalli Darwaza. The entrance gate is made of granite stone and it is three storied. There were three different parts that acted as the source of water for people, who lived and ruled the fort.

There is an embankment on the way to the fort and it is stated to be the security ring for providing complete protection to the royal families, who lived in the fort.

There is a temple for Lord Krishna at the foot of the hill and this temple is called as Gopinathaswami Temple. Also, there is a mosque within the fort, which is known to have been built with temple ruins. These structures clearly indicate that this fort was ruled both by Hindu and Muslim rulers.

Restoration works:

To bring out the past glory of the fort, it has been decided by the Department of Archaeology and Museums to carry out restoration works. It is proposed that hill roads are to be constructed. ISKCON has also shown their interest to make contributions to the restructuring of this historical fort that stands tall in the Guntur District of the state of Andhra Pradesh. There is a village near Kondaveedu Fort, which has a temple for Lord Krishna and it is known to have been built by Krishnadevaraya during his rule.

Summary: In India, temples are considered holy places and particularly, when they have historical connection, the deities are considered to be highly powerful.

As most of us would have experienced, temples bring us good vibrations and even you might have experienced that your mind gets calm when you visit holy spots. When it comes to Hinduism, the temples for gods located close to hills or on hill tops and in the banks of sacred rivers are considered holy abodes. The same traditional value is attached to the Amareswara Temple at Amaravati. This temple is rightly located on the banks of the holy Krishna River and with the announcement of Amaravati region as the capital city of the state this temple is now regaining its past glory. The unique feature associated with this temple is that it is blessed with the richness of both Hinduism and Buddhism. You are sure to get a mythological experience when you visit this temple. Let us explore some interesting details about this holy spot.

Other name:

This temple is otherwise referred to as Amararama and it holds the pride of being one of the five pancharama of Andhra Pradesh. What is Pancharama? This is the term used to denote the five ancient temples for Lord Shiva located in Andhra Pradesh. In these Pancharama kshetras, the lord is worshipped in the form of linga in different names and in Amareswara Temple, the lord is worshipped as Amareswara. In addition, this is also a data kshetra in which the Lord Dattatreya is worshipped.

Some interesting facts:

• This temple has many aspects that showcase the Dravidian style of architecture and it is surrounded by gopuras on all four sides.
• In general, rivers flow in west to east direction, but in Amaravati hill, the Krishna River flows in the north-south direction. This is something unique and so it is considered holy and this is the reason why people visiting the temple take a dip in the river before heading to darshan.
• The 15 feet linga for Lord Amareswara is the great uniqueness associated with this temple.

Mythological association:

Many mythological stories surround this temple and the sthala purana states that the devas were highly disturbed by the atrocities of the demon called Tarakasura. So, they jointly performed a prayer towards Lord Shiva. With the prayers of devas, Lord Shiva sent his younger son Lord Subramanya to destroy the demon. When the lord was fighting against the demon, the linga in his throat broke and fell in five different places and these places later turned out to be Pancharama kshetras. The biggest of the five fell in Amaravati and this place turned out to be the Amareswara Temple.

The biggest piece:

The biggest piece of shivalinga, which fell in Amaravati started to grow towards the Sky. To stop the linga from growing the chief of the Devas, Indira embedded a nail on the top of it. A red spot that can be found even now on the top of the linga show cases the blood spot. Towards the end of the dwapara yuga, the shivalinga was installed by the guru of devas, the guru of demons and Indira deva.

Mention in holy books:

Skanda Purana:

This temple has found a mention in Skanda Purana, which talks about the life history of Lord Subramanya. According to this purana, at the end of Dwaparayuga, Saint Narada was requested to show the ideal path for moksha by the Sounakadika munis. The reply they received was that Lord Krishna once suggested rishis to live near the Krishna River and take a bath in the holy water to attain liberation from the birth-death cycle. This is why even today, it is believed that those, who stay near this temple for three days and takes holy bath in Krishna River and worships Lord Amareswara will get salvation.

Kshetra mahatyam:

Most of the holy temples in India have Kshetra mahatyam and this thing associated with Amareswara temple states that demons started to disturb devas after getting blessings from Lord Shiva. So, devas approached the god to help them get relived from the disturbances of the demons. The lord vowed them to kill the demons and till such time devas were known to have stayed in Amaravati.

About the Devasthanam:

There are three circles in the temple campus, which is huge. Here are some details about these three circles:

• The first circle has shrines for Agasteswara swamy, Omkaareswara swamy, Guru Dattatreya, Veerabhadra swamy and mahishasura mardhini.
• The second circle has temples for Lord Krishna, Kalabhairava, Anjaneya, Vinayaka, Subramanya Swamy and Nagendra Swamy.
• To reach the third circle, the devotees will have to take steps to reach the shrines of Mallikarjuna swamy, Kasi Viswanatha Swamy, Pushphadanteswara Swamy and Kalahasthiswarar.
• In the centre of these three circles, there is the Lord Amareswara in the form of linga. Once cannot find the base of the linga as the temple is built in two stories and the base is not visible. The base is believed to stop the flow of River Krishna into the temple.
• To south of the main deity, there is the shrine for Bala Chamudika.
• The walls of the temple have different inscriptions to showcase the rules of different kings in this area.
• The main festivals in the temple are Mahashivarathri, Navarathri and kalayana utsavas are also celebrated every year as the way of honouring and praying the lord for the wellness of the whole world.

Accommodation:

For those, who wish to stay near this holy temple for three days to achieve salvation, they can stay at the travellers’ bungalow that functions under the Public Works department of the state. Of course, there are many other private choultries and hotels to stay near the temple and one can easily reach the temple after having a holy dip at the Krishna River.

The temple can be reached either by road or by boat service operated in Krishna River. It is located at a distance about 32 kms from Guntur, 46 from Vijayawada and 40 from Sattenapalli. Nearest railway station is Vijayawada railway station.

Summary: Those suffering from the sins of ragu and kethu planets are recommended to visit Subrahmanya Swamy Temple at a place called Mopidevi to get relieved of their sins.

Have you heard about Mopidevi earlier? It is nothing, but a small village and mandal located in the Krishna District of the state of AP. The special thing about this place is that the popular temple with sthala purana is located in this village and the temple is called as Subrahmanya Swamy Temple. This village is located at a distance of about 70-80 kms from the city of Vijayawada and about 30 kms from Machilipatnam.

About the temple:

It is stated that people suffering from any type of doshas associated with Raghu and kethu doshas and also those suffering from anapathya dosha and Sarpa dosha can nullify the negative effects caused by these doshas in their life by worshipping the lord in this temple.

Story behind the temple:

The four great rishis namely Sanatsujata, Sanatkumara, Sanakasa and Sankara were highly detached from worldly pleasures and self-awareness and so they even won’t wear any dress to cover their body. Once these rishis came to Kailash to worship lord Shiva and during this time lord Subramanya, the younger son of Lord Shiva was sitting on the lap of his mother. He was a small boy and seeing the rishis without any dress, he giggled at them and his mother Goddess Parvathi scolded her son for his foolishness. Lord Subramanya then realized his mistake and he agreed to do a penance to get rid of the sin he has done to the rishis by giggling at them. Then, lord did the penance in the form of a snake for several years and at the end he successfully achieved self-cleaning from the foolishness he showed towards the rishis. The present Mopidevi village is known to be the place in which Lord Subramanya did his penance.

What do holy texts show?

When the Sage Agasthya once passed through the place in which the lord conducted penance, the sage felt the same and stated that when one heads to the eastern direction from that particular place, he can reach the temple of Lord Kumaraswamy called as Subramanyeswar. The sage also stated that when people visit the particular temple, they will get whatever they look for in their life and finally they will be in a position to achieve salvation. This is why even today prayers in different forms are conducted by devotees and they do different sacrifices for their life issues to get resolved. For instance, childless women make a cradle out of new saree and tie it to the sacred tree in the temple to get a child. Like this, people pray for marriage, health issues and many other issues and they are getting resolution after offering their prayers to the lord.

Temple structure:

The primary deity of the Subramanya Swamy Temple is the Lord Subramanyeswara and the temple is under the operations of the royal family of Challapalli, who are presently managing the expenses related to the temple. Not just this temple, there is also another temple nearby this temple for Lord Shiva, who is in the form of Sri Sakaleswara Swamy. This swamy is known to have been self-manifested and the lord got this name because Sagara Chakravarthy, the grandfather of Sri Rama is known to have worshipped this lingam. In the year 1783, there was a huge flood in Mopidevi village and it was during this time the self-manifested linga was found. When this is stated as a story, there is also another story that states that linga was found by a potter. Let us find the story here

Veeravarapu Parvathalu, was not only a potter, but he was also a great devotee of Lord Shiva. The lord was pleased by the devotion of Parvathalu and appeared in his dream and guided him to dig up the anthill to find his lingam in Mopidevi village. Parvathalu then shared about his dream to the villagers and the villagers joined together to dig the place pointed out in his dream. To their surprise, they found the linga at the place pointed out and being a potter, Parvathalu, himself prepared the idols for Nandi, Horse, Garuda and Cock and baked them to make sure that they do not lose their form.

Major festivals:

Not just every week Tuesday and Shashti days every month, other festivals like skandha shashti, subrahmanya shashti is also celebrated in a grand manner in this temple every year.

How to reach?

This temple is located in the Vijayawada-Avanigadda roadline and a number of buses are being operated by the state government and private buses are also operated from Vijayawada to Avanigadda. The traveling time by bus from Vijayawada will take around two hours and on the way places like Kankipadu, Pamarru and Challapalli will pass by. Not just these buses, Vijayawada to Nagayalanka buses also pass through Mopidevi and so people traveling by bus can also choose these buses.

Share auto facilities:
Not just by buses, people can also reach Repalle railway station by train and from the railway station, share autos can be the ideal means to reach the temple, which will hardly take around 20-30 minutes. Even, people can also choose to travel on their own vehicles or private transportation services, such that they can spend more time on the temple as against taking bus or train as they will halt at each stopping/station, thereby consuming a lot of time.

Summary: For those, who love to pamper themselves away from the excess hot weather during your summer vacation at Vijayawada, the ideal place to visit is Manginapudi Beach.

Manginapudi is actually a beachside fishing village and the beach here is also called by the same name. This beach is located at a distance of about 11 kms from Machilipatnam. Some years ago, the village in which the beach is located was serving as a port. Generally, we see a type of soil in all beaches, which will be light brown, but in this beach it is black soil.

Festivals:

Magha pournami is a festival, during which pilgrims throng this beach to have a dip on the water and they consider it to be a holy dip on the Magha pournami festival. The popular dance form of Andhra Pradesh – Kuchipudi is taught in a dance school that is closely located near the beach. Every year, in the months of March or February, a festival called as Krishna Utsav is celebrated on the banks of Manginapudi Beach.

A pristine experience for tourists:

Surrounded by river, sea and lake, this beach can offer an excellent spot for relaxation during summer for the tourists. It is not that they should visit this spot only during evening hours during summer, they can even plan their visit during a sultry afternoon and the breeze from the beach can relax them until it turns out to be dark to get back to their hotel rooms.

How to reach?

Many trains are operated between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam and when tourists take one of these trains, they can get down at Machilipatnam and once they reach the town, they can take auto rickshaw to reach the beach that is located at a distance of 10 kms. Even, tourists can take taxi services from Vijayawada to directly visit the beach.

A must visit stop over:

One the way to Manginapudi Beach, tourists can plan their visit to Chilakalapudi as a stopover. This is the manufacturing spot for imitation jewelleries.

When you are at the beach during the time of sunset, you can find crabs running here and there to sand their homes for night. In addition, the Andhra Pradesh State tourism has arranged two resorts to provide boarding and lodging for tourist. Never forget to plan your visit to the light house, which stands as an excellent example for great construction.

There is also a park with a fountain attractively laid and a temple for Lord Shiva to worship for the tourists. The shallow water is safe to play around for tourists and swimmers and skiers can also enjoy it to be the ideal spot for relaxation. So, rejuvenate yourself by visiting this spot and cherish the moments for your entire life.