India had always been rich in cultural and architectural heritage. The art is displayed in the ancient temples that stand erect even to this day. One such ancient temple in southern India is the Sri Ranganayaka Swamy Temple located at Srirangapuram village of Mahabubnagar District of Telangana State. The temple was built in 18th century A.D. by King Krishnadevaraya, the ruler of Vijayanagaram.
History of the Sri Ranganayaka Swamy Temple:
Once when King Krishnadevaraya had visited the Sri Ranganayaka Swamy Temple at Srirangapuram, he got captivated by the beauty of the temple and decided to construct one in his kingdom, Vijayanagaram. Soon after this, Ranganayaka (Lord Vishnu) instructed the king in his dream to follow an eagle that would guide him to locate His idol that is lying concealed in his kingdom itself. The king carried out the instruction and indeed found the idol at the place shown by an eagle. This place was between Kothakota and Kanvyapalli mountains. The king then got the temple constructed near Ratna Pushpakarni Lake in the kingdom.
Sri Ranganayaka Swamy Temple is indeed an Architecture Marvel with the huge Gopurams and mandapams adding beauty to the already beautiful carvings of the temple. The temple signifies the Vijayanagar period architecture. The temple on the bank of Ratna Pushpakarini Lake was built by Rajas of Wanaparthy Samsthanam.
Temple Management:
The temple is managed by Sri J Krishnadeva Rao under Sri Krishnadevaraya Group of Temples. The other temples under the management are the temples at Wanaparthy, Peddagudem, Rajanagaram, Kanaipalle and Kothapeta of Mahabubnagar District.
Special Occasions of the Place:
The Sri Ranganayaka Swamy Temple witnesses hude crowd of devotees on three major occasions. ‘Kotai Vutsavalu’ is celebrated marking the Sankranthi. This festival is observed for a month. ‘Rathotsavam’ is another festival being celebrated in the temple during March for a period of about 15 days. The Sravana Masam is the month that draws crowd through out the month due to the existence of the water body near the temple.
Special Tourist Attractions around the Sri Ranganayaka Swamy Temple:
There are other nice places to be visited around the temple area that may interest the tourists. The Tirumalaya Gutta which is about 16 Kms from Pebber, the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Wanaparthy and the Anjaneya Swamy Temple, Beechupalli on the NH-7 which is about 15 km away from Ranganayaka Swamy Temple are a few such places to visit.
How to Reach:
By Road: One may reach the Ranganayaka Swamy Temple from Pebber or from Wanaparthy. The temple site is about 10 kms from Pebber and 25 kms from Wanaparthy. The other points to reach are from Kollapur which is 25 kms away and Hyderabad from where the travelling distance is 160 kms. The temple is about 100 kms from Mahabubnagar town.
By Train: One may board the train and reach the Gadwal station which is 40 kms away. From the station, one may take up the public transport to reach the temple.
By Air: The Shamshabad airport at Hyderabad is the nearest airport. This is 120 kms away.
Accommodation Facilities:
The temple management provides limited boarding facilities with just five rooms with attached bathrooms for the tourists. These rooms can be booked over phone. This facility is not available in most of the temples. However, it is being provided here to facilitate tourism.
Temple Timings: 6.00 am to 1.00 pm and 4.00 pm to 8.00 pm.
Temple Address:
Sri Ranganayaka Swamy Temple
Srirangapuram Village,
Pebbair Mandal, Mahabubnagar.
Telangana 509105.
Other tourist attractions in Mahabubnagar:
Gadwal Chenna Kesava Swamy Temple
Kollapur Madhava Swamy Temple
Pillalamarri
Kollapuri Someswara Swamy Temple – Somasila
Agasthyeswara Swamy Temple – Jetprole