Vedaranya Swamy Temple, Nagalapuram

One of the few temples to Vishnu in the form of Matsya Avatara is the Vedaranya Swamy temple at Nagalapuram, in Tirupati district. The place was called as Vedapuri, Vedaranya Kshetram in ancient times. It’s believed that after Vishnu in the form of Matsya Avatara, killed Somasura, who had stolen the Vedas and hid in the ocean. He then handed over the Vedas to Brahma at this spot, which has come to be known as Vedaranya, as well as Harikantapuram.

It was Sri Krishnadeva Raya who got most of the current temple built including the Sapta Dwaras, Pancha Prakaras, and exquisite sculptures. He named the village around the temple as Nagulapuram, in memory of his mother Nagamamba , which is mentioned in the inscriptions here.

The entrance to the temple under the main Gopuram is very wide, and there are two more Gopuras flanking it on either side. The main temple is in the inner courtyard, which has the deity of Vedaranya Swamy, which is represented in Matsya form, carrying the Shanku Chakra. One feature is that that the Chakra here is held in a prayoga form, read for release. Swamy Vaaru is flanked on either side by Sridevi and Bhudevi his consorts.

The complex has smaller shrines dedicated to Narsimha, Vedavalli, Veeranjaneya, and Rama, Lakshmana, Sita.

One of the main features of the temple is that on Shudda Dwadasi,Trayodasi and Chaturdhasi of Phalguna month( last week of March) , every year, the sun rays travel from the main gopuram, and fall directly on the Moola Virat( main deity) which is 630 feet away. On the first day, the sun rays fall on the deity’s feet, on the second day on the deity’s navel, and on the 3rd day, directly on the deity’s face. Many devotees visit the temple on these 3 days to witness the event, not just from Andhra Pradesh, but also neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Apart from the temple, the thick forest and hills surrounding the temple is worth exploring for it’s beautiful scenery. There is a beautiful trek where you can visit 3 waterfalls each having a deep pool of water.

The temple, the forest and waterfalls around all make Nagalapuram worth a visit. It can be reached from Tirupati, Chennai, Chittor by road.