Painting History

Hi, all today I would like to share a very interesting topic regarding painting on Tirumala Vengamamba Anna Satram. The people who visit Tirumala definitely will visit this annasatram for anna prasadam. Most people have seen the painting on a wall. It’s a stunning piece done with fluorescent colors that create a mesmerizing 3D effect, offering endless fascination to anyone who observes it. Let’s move on to Painting history.

Brief about painting:

This painting is about a special place called Seshachalam, which has five sacred spots. People who do deep meditation see it as a big snake called Anant Sesha. One end of the snake is open like a hood, and its body twists and turns until it becomes a tail. Under the hood lives Venkatachalam in a place called Tirupati, and at the very end of the tail is a holy place called Srisailam.

In the middle, there are three other holy spots. This is what the people who meditate see in their minds. A person named Annamacharya, who was very devoted, wrote a song about it and called it “Padilla seshula padagala mayamu.”

First Holy Place:

Now, let’s explore three special holy places. We’ll start with Tripurantakam, which comes after Srisailam. In Tripurantakam, there’s a temple where Lord Shiva is sitting. It’s in the Prakasam district, near Vinukonda, and it’s an amazing place to visit.

Here’s the story: Once upon a time, Kumara Swamy defeated a demon named Tarakasura. Tarakasura had three sons, known as the Tripurasuras, who sought the blessings of Lord Brahma. They got three flying saucers that were nearly invincible unless they lined up in a straight line for a moment. But Lord Shiva, using a special arrow and chariot, destroyed these saucers. Because of this, Lord Shiva earned the name Tripurantakeshwarudu, and Tripurantakam became famous for this event.

The Shiva lingam at Tripurantakam is not like the usual ones you see. It’s special because it has five sides, and it constantly has water flowing from its top. There’s a little dent on the top of the lingam where the water comes from all the time. The temple is also designed in a unique way that looks like a special symbol called Sri Chakram, and you can see it from outside the temple.

The temple is on top of a small hill, so just going there is an interesting experience.

When you come down the hill, you’ll find another temple dedicated to Ammavaru, who is in her Tripura Sundari form. She’s in a structure that looks like a lake. When it rains a lot, this temple and the deity inside go underwater, just like in the story of Venkateswara Mahatyam.

A famous saint named Adi Shankaracharya put a special symbol called Sri Chakram on top of this temple. People worship it when the Ammavaru temple is underwater. There are many Kadamba trees around the temple, which Ammavaru likes a lot.

Beside the temple, there’s a cave that some people say leads to Srisailam, which is another holy place. It’s like a secret passage to get there.

Second Holy Place:

In the painting, the second picture shows a cow standing on top of something called a Shiva Lingam. Mahanandi is a special place in Kurnool district, close to Nandyal. It’s famous because of a story about a cow and Lord Shiva. According to the legend, a cow poured milk onto a pile of dirt, and Lord Shiva was inside it. A person who took care of the cows saw this and got curious. When he tried to stop the cow, it accidentally stepped on the Shiva Lingam with its hoof. But Lord Shiva liked this gesture and left a mark on the Lingam, which you can still see today.

Mahanandi is a very holy place, and you should visit if you get the chance. There’s a special pool called a “pushkarini” in the temple, and its water is incredibly clear. If you drop a coin into it, you can still see the coin’s markings even though the pool is about 6 feet deep. Research shows that the water comes from beneath the Shiva Lingam, where three springs flow into the pool through a pipe shaped like a cow’s mouth (Gomukh). This water is used for thousands of acres for cultivation.

Third Holy Place:

Lastly, in the painting, there’s a place called Ahobilam, and it shows a picture of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy. Among the 108 special temples, only two are in Andhra Pradesh, and Ahobilam is one of them. There’s a pillar where Lord Narasimha Swamy came out to defeat a demon named Hiranyakashipu, and it’s still there. In this place, there’s also a pond where the Lord washed His hands after the battle. Something interesting happens with the water in this pond. When you look at it normally, it appears red, but when you hold it in your hands, it turns back to normal. But when you let it go, it goes back to being red.

Ahobilam is known for having six statues of Lord Narasimha on the hill and three at the bottom, which people call Nava Narasimhas. It’s a very special place and is believed to help with bad effects from certain planets. There’s a school on top of the hill where a famous character named Prahlad studied.

To sum it up, the painting at Vengamamba Bhojanalaya shows these five holy places, and three of them are not very well-known. When you go to Vengamamba Bhojanalaya next time, take a moment to look at this amazing 3D painting.

This is about the Painting on Tirumala Vengamamba anna satram.