My house goddess -- kaikaluru shymalamba devi

Route: Vishakapatnam (MVP colony) to Kaikaluru

Vehicle: Train (Simhadri Passenger)

Trip members: 2

Date of travel:  11^th June 2016 

Temple timings: 6:00am-12:00pm  & 5:00 -8:00 pm

 

Trip plan!!!

To go to Kaikaluru, in Krishna district.

Journey fromVishakapatnam to Kaikaluru!!!!!

We booked a tatkal ticket a day before our journey in Simhadri Express which has only one reserved compartment and an AC reserved compartment. This train travels from Vishakapatnam to Nidadavolu Junction. The train divides from here into two the main train and joined to Bhimavaram train; from here the main train moves towards Vijayawada.To reach Kaikaluru it’s a big deal because there are no direct trains available from Vishakapatnam. We had no other options but to switch two more trains to reach Kaikaluru in quite hot and sultry conditions.

After a long interchanging trains journey we reached kaikaluru.Kaikaluru is a small town in Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh,where  my ancestral roots are rooted.but later in due-courses of time all families were scattered to differenent places and settled .It is the place where our ancestors have lived their lives to the fullest.Now let me introduce our house goddess shymalamba devi located in the core heart of the city kaikaluru and very famous among the villages goddesses .

Kaikaluru, the place where my forefathers lived. We took an auto to Shyamalamba Devi temple and reached there by 03:15 pm. The temple was closed and we came to know from the locals that it usually opens by 05:00 pm. we sat in temple premises and time passing......

Shyamalamba Devi Temple!!!

The   The temple houses Shymalamba devi ,Ramalingeshwara swamy, Rameshwara swamy & kanaka lingeshwara swamy.The temple is very old and consists of history dated back to 300 years.In the intial days the temple is very small and is in dilapidated condition ,later-on some group of villagers took intiation and started renovation of the temple and during later stages under the guidance of the swamy jayendra saraswathi ,kanchi kamakoti peetadhi pathi in 2007  the temple gained its glory back again.

She is most powerful goddess ,even my forefather was named after her as Uppuluri Shymalaraju.Srichakra has carved on a stone in front of shymalamba devi and performed Pooja on daily basis.

The temple lies at a distance of 2kms from busstop and railwaystation in centre of the town of the busiest market.The temple is at higher elevation & faces east.The Raja gopuram is 5-tiered & once we enter into temple premises we see 4 stupas (dwajasthambas) for each lord ,three temples facing rajagopura and shymalamba devi facing west side.

Shymalamba devi -she looks pretty and is a fine piece of icon in smiling pose always.she is beautifully bedecked with jewellery , garlands & nicely dressed up with bordered saree.

And the face is covered with turmeric & looks very beautiful.All devotees stand in devotion in a rapt attention till the aarathi is offered  to the goddess.

Adjacent to the devi sannidhi facing rajagopuram 3 shrines lord rameshwara swamy, kanaka lingeshwara & rama lingeshwara swamy and all shrines houses  in row sequence bedecked with dothi and garlands & has 3 separate temple houses.There are no nandis installed here infront of the lords but there is a small nandi facing lord is placed inside the inner sanctoraum which is proportionately small sized.

There is only a mukha mantapa.There is a  place around temple for circumbulation.Now the temple is beautifully decorated in south indian styled temple towers and stood elegantly drawing  attraction in near by villages .

During every dussera 10days a huge festival celebrations takes place & year long temple covers up with some special pujas.

Unique feature of temple!!!The goddess here is unmarried. 

Train journey from vizag to kaikaluru

Route: Vishakapatnam (MVP colony) to Kaikaluru

Vehicle: Train (Simhadri Passenger)

Trip members: 2

Date of travel:  11^th June 2016

Trip plan!!!

To go to Kaikaluru, in Krishna district.

Journey fromVishakapatnam to Kaikaluru!!!!!

We booked a tatkal ticket a day before our journey in Simhadri Express which has only one reserved compartment and an AC reserved compartment. This train travels from Vishakapatnam to Nidadavolu Junction. The train divides from here into two the main train and joined to Bhimavaram train; from here the main train moves towards Vijayawada.To reach Kaikaluru it’s a big deal because there are no direct trains available from Vishakapatnam. We had no other options but to switch two more trains to reach Kaikaluru in quite hot and sultry conditions.

Journey from Visakhapatnam!!!

Our train was at 07:20 am and I started from MVP colony, took an auto at 06:40 am and the auto walla charged me Rs.100/- till railway station.  After getting down I called up my friend and enquired about the platform & he said that it was on platform number seven. Reached there and got into the train, first task completed successfully.

Journey in Simhadri Passenger crossing as many as four districts Vishakapatnam, East Godavari, West Godavari & Krishna districts.

We got one window seat, even though it was reserved compartment all locales sit in this compartment. I felt these trains were MMTS local trains in Vizag. Our train started around 07:40 am, we crossed some local stations at around 9:30 am we crossed Tuni from here we cross Vishakapatnam district and enter East Godavari district.

As it was a connecting train to our destination we had to get down at Nidadavolu Junction and interchange compartments, here the train divides into two some of its compartments and attach to Bhimavaram train.This was the information given by some locales and by TTC/TTE; he gave a ticket till kaikaluru and guided us as in how to reach there. The last two compartments in Nidadavolu is divided into two & is attached till bhimavaram & bhimavaram to vijayawada train. At around 12:30 we reached Nidadavolu and we got down here and moved to the last compartment (Second task completed). Resumed our journey, Mean while we reached Rajamundry Bridge, it was awesome. This is the most beautiful place in Konaseema.

Rajamundry is known as Rajamahendram by eastern Chalukya King Raja RajaMahendra, Andhra King dated back to 11^thcentury. During his time Telugu took its form as a language. He ruled this kingdom making Rajamahendravaram as his capital on the banks of Godavari. The east & west Godavari districts are situated on the banks of river flowing in east & west directions.

We have three bridges in Godavari, the oldest being a railway bridge built connecting Kovvur in west Godavari & Rajamundry in East Godavari. Another one is an Arch bridge which was built in 1997 starts at kovuru Railway Bridge & ends at Godavari station which comes before main Rajamundry station. On left side we can see the third bridge which is a rail-cum-road bridge and was opened to traffic in 1977, which is 2.7 kilometers in length making it the second longest rail-cum-road bridge in Asia. The rail track is below the road way.

Coming back to the journey the train at Nidadavolu was not packed as it was in Simhadri Express; we enjoyed the interchanging process and reached

Bhimavaram finally (Third Task Completed). There was a train which was ready to move to Kaikaluru and then onto Vijayawada. We got into the train by crossing railings. Finally boarded the train and reached Kaikaluru in about 40 minutes (Fourth Task Completed).

Kaikaluru, the place where my forefathers lived. We took an auto to Shyamalamba Devi temple and reached there by 03:15 pm. The temple was closed and we came to know from the locals that it usually opens by 05:00 pm. we sat in temple premises and time passing......