Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple

Location: Anantagiri Village, Ranga Reddy District,Andhra Pradesh,India.

Conveyance: The temple is located 75 kilometers from Hyderabad and 5 kilometers from Vikarabad. The buses to Tandur have a halt here. Also, we can avail buses to Vikarabad and catch a shared auto to reach the temple. The temple can also be reached by coming via train halting at Vikarabad Railway Station and have a different means of transport which 7 kilometers away from the railway station.

Notorious:

• Thick forest around compounded with multiple herbs.
• Lord Hanuman and Garuda statues at the entrance.
• Caves where Saint Markandeya performed his tapas(deep meditation).

Shrine:Sri Anantha Padmanabha Swamy Temple.

Legend about the temple:
The immortal saint Markandeya prayed Lord Brahma for an effective place for his tapas in order the deity had shown him this place called Anantagiri. By his great tapas for thousands of years, Markandeya made Lord Anantapadmanabha Swamy to make his presence here. The same way he had brought Ganga devi into hislakes over there. There onwards, the lakes are named as “Bhavanasi”. Considering an auspicious day i.e., on Ashada shuddha Ekadashi, at the early morning Bhagiradhi shows her presence in Bhavanasi every year.

Saint got disappeared after the Kali’s entrance(Kaliyug). The Lord Ananta Padmanabha Swamy, he prayed had become an famous place. Almost a 400 years ago, one of the Nijam rulers had lived in a summer with his horse by making a hut for some days in Anantagiri considering it as a place where to fight with many kinds of animals.

In order to fetch food for the horses, the fellow beings use to get grass everyday and the horses use to be fulfilled. Nawab by observing this, questioned the people that where the grass is being fetched from as I observe the difference day to day. Even they dont know of it and told Nawab “nearby there is a place where we observe the grass getting grown the same amount which is been cut the before day and so we are fetching from the same place.” Surprised Nawab went to the auspicious place and observed the same and had digged there which in resulted with a vasudeva salagramam. He didnt understand and slept for that day and dreampt of the Lord asking for constructing a temple for the Lord and so you will be well blessed.Awaken Nawab had been to the same place and asked to remove the bullet from his leg thereby to contruct the temple for him. Soon he was out of it and the temple is been built by Nawab along with a guest house over there.

As Nawab had built, we observe their traditions over there and as it is thick forest and a home for wild animals, all poojas had been stopped.

Later the Lord came into Allampalli village officer's dream and asked to move him to his village buliding a temple followed by all pooja procedures so that the officer's wish will be fulfilled. The village officer gathered people and informed that “it is a good morning for us. Anantagiri Lord told he is going to show his presence in our village so that we have to go and get him here”. With a great enthusiasm, people got the Lord to their village, bulit a temple and pooja procedures are followed by there onwards.

Many medicanal herbs are present here.medical facilities are available since 1945 and now it had become easy for everyone to visit as the forest is been reduced.

Places nearby to visit:

• Forest near the temple
• “Markandeya maharshi tapovanam” next to the temple premises.
• “Bugga temple” (Rama Lingeswara swamy).The main attraction here is water that comes from nandi.On a great research of scientists even didn’t come to know from where the water had originated from.

Darshan Timings:
Monday to Saturday:
Morning 7:30 AM to 1:00 PM
Evening 3:00PM to 8:00 PM

Sunday
Morning 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM
Evening 3:00PM to 8:00 PM

Temple Glimpses:

Lord Hanuman at entrance of the temple


Main Entrance





 
Inside Premises


Markandeya maharshi tapovanam


Forest

Dead bodies cremation

Why to burn bodies after death?
Life is a stitch between soul and body. A continuous stitch happens one after other when this process halts the life ends, it’s called as death. The breath is the key point which holds soul and body together. Ancient customs states that need to burn the body after death.

Cultural beliefs: 
According to ancients our body is composed of 'Panchabhootas' (earth, water, air, fire, space) known as elements of nature. To maintain equilibrium dead body need be distributed equally to elements of nature because our body is made of elements of nature. So that act of burning the dead body came into existence. When the body is burnt it will be mixed with Earth, air, fire and space and ash remains. Ash is collected and immersed in holy waters. There 5 life forces in our body namely 'prana, apana, samana, udana and vyana'. These life forces will not leave the dead body collectively. So people need to follow the rites and rituals which are prescribed in 'Garuda Purana'.

In Hinduism, dead body will be placed on floor pointing head towards north. Holy water from river Ganges with holy basil will be poured in the mouth of dead body. An oil lamp is lit and placed near the head. The five senses (mouth, nose, ears, eyes, hands) called as 'Panchendriyas' were closed manually. Mouth is filled with rice grains, eyes will be closed, nose and ears will be closed using cotton, and hands are closed with coins. Bathing will be done to dead body and holy ash was applied throughout the body in some communities.

The dead bodies will carry to cemetery traditionally which is nearer to a river. The dead body which is pointed head towards north and feet towards south will be kept on bed made of wood. This custom allows the soul to walk in south direction to reach Lord Yuma(God of death). The dead body will be burnt using woods and cow ghee. The family of dead person takes immediate bath and family male head will return to cemetery on the next day to collect the ash. The collected ash will be carried to immerse in holy waters. After immersion it is believed that the soul will reach its adobe of god. 

Scientific Reasons:
After the death, complete life force will not leave the body the vital breath will alone separated from the body. This can be observed as body heat remains for certain time in the dead body and the nails, hair will grow up to 11 days after death. It symbolically states that there is some attachment to soul and dead body.
Keeping oil lamp near the head , applying sacred ash, pouring river Ganges water in mouth, closing five senses are the measures to stop infections from the body. Also there is no room for infections to spread from dead body when burnt.
The dead body was burnt using ghee. The ghee will increase the temperature of flames and aids complete destruction of dead body in fire and controls environmental pollution. Space consumption is achieved when body was burnt.
Germs multiply quickly in the dead body so there is a custom came to burn the body as quickly as possible within 24 hours. Now a day’s people preserve the dead body for 2 to 3 days in ice cages for their convenience.