Sri Boyakonda Gangamma Temple ( శ్రీ బోయకొండ గంగమ్మ దేవస్థానం )

Sri Boyakonda Gangamma temple -Legendary Hills :

          Gangamma is the incarnation of Shakti. It is at diguvapalli, Chowdepalli(mandal), Chittoor (District), near Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, her temple is dedicated to the sister of Venkateswara. The temple is located 18 km from punganuru, 150 km from bengaluru, 20 km from madanapalli.  

History :

          Centuries ago the tribals Boyas and Yelikas lived in the forest area around the hillock. They stood up and resented the repressive and automatic rule of the Nawabs. They retaliated against the Muslim soldiers and chased them. The Golconda Nawab rushed additional troops to crush the revolt. Boya tribals could not withstand the onslaught of the Muslim army and fled into the forest and prostrated near the hillock and prayed Almighty to save them. The spirit of the Goddess Shakti descended from the hillock, shielded the tribals and crushed the Nawab's army. Local people say that the Shakti has tied the heads of soldiers to banyan tree branches.

In the event of victory Boyas built the Gangamma temple, which saved them against evil forces and became famous for centuries. There is a huge well below the temple, and the water is believed to cure many skin ailments. Local people believe that the Pushkarini water is very powerful, and sprinkling it in the field will yield good crop. Devotees can test whether their wishes will be fulfilled by placing a flower on the head of the deity. Locals believe that if the flower falls on the right side it is positive and negative if it falls on the left.

Once a year the temple Navartri festival brings in lakhs of people from all over India, particularly the south.The Gangamma temple was taken over by Endowments Department of Andhra Pradesh in 1990. Since then an Executive officer is in charge of administration of the temple and efforts were made to develop the temple and facilities were created for devotees.

Significance of Sri Boyakonda Gangamma Temple:

As the name indicates this is a devi temple. According to Purana, the Sri Boyakonda Gangamma devi is a sister of Sri Venketeswara Swamy. This makes Sri Gangamma one of the most significant Goddess connected with Tirupati, perhaps only next to the Lord's consort Sri Padmavathi Ammavaru.

  

               It’s believed that Sri Gangamma devi is known to care and protect her devotee's. She readily addresses the problem of his devotee's and ensures that they are swiftly resolved. This temple was constructed in the memory of the goddess facing and defeating the invading Navab's army.

  

Specialties at the Sri Boyakonda Gangamma Temple :

With the power and excellence of Sri Boyakonda Gangamma Devi, the temple has gained fame and followers in the recent years. Today the temple receives a steady flow of visitors, counting up to 20,000 devotees in a day.

At this temple, the devotee's seek the permission and direction from Sri Gangamma devi through placing a flower on top of her head. This permission seeking is known as Pushpam Aduguta. If the Goddesses let the flower drop onto here right side, this is taken an affirmative permission and the devotee continues with his/her decision. If the flower falls onto her left side, then this is taken as warning from Sri Gangamma devi, meaning that he/she needs to be further careful while taking the decision.

There is a miraculously huge well at the top of the hill, where the geographically underwater resource is scarce. This water resource has been known for centuries as a cure to many diseases. Some Ayurvedic practitioners have even used this water as a medicinal property with great success. According to Local farmers, sprinkling this water before the seeding process will yield a rich crop.

Legend/Purana of the Sri Boyakonda Gangamma Swamy Temple :

According to the Purana, the Sri Gangamma Temple is dedicated to the sister of the Lord Sri Venketeswara Swamy. At present Sri Gangamma devi is considered the protector of her devotee's and eliminating the defectors. A few centuries ago two tribal known as Boyas and Yelikas used to live in the forest surrounding the hill. The Gangamma devi was considered as her chief deity, where they prayed for good life and crops. But the peaceful time was broken by the Navab invasion from the North. The two tribes united to repel back the attackers. Now the king of Navabs feared a massive revolt, pulled out his main army to crush the Boyas and Yelikas. Needless to say, the tribal solidarity was not enough the massive trained and groomed army of Navabs. Both the tribes withdrew into the Sri Gangamma Temple, praying for the support and leadership of Devi. It’s believed that Goddess Sakthi took a physical form, to crush the invading Navab soldiers. According to legends, the anger of Devi was sated only after separating the heads of the Navab soldiers who tried to harm her bhakta's. 

Location: Diguva Palli Village, Chowdepalli ( Click Here )  

Timings: N/A .  

Distance:

90 kms from Tirupati RTC Bus stand ( See route map ).

22 kms from Madanapalli RTC Bus stand ( See route map )

           

Address:

           Boyakonda Gangamma temple ,

           Diguvapalli Village,

           Chowdepalli Mandal, Chittoor District,

           Andhra Prades. Pin :