Sri Dwaraka Tirumala Temple

My wife, brother-in-law, and I were on a spiritual retreat trip to Rajahmundry during the last week of January 2025. We just wanted to attend the retreat and return.  We did not plan to other places.

 I had long desired to visit Dwaraka Tirumala in India's Eluru district of Andhra Pradesh State, but it could not occur. On the last day, one of the retreat participants suggested that we visit the temple as it is nearby. I thought Lord Sri Venkateshwara had sent a call through that participant. The organisers were kind enough to arrange transport.

We started at about 6:30 a.m. from our retreat centre. The journey was entirely on the highway except for the last lap of about 10 km. The road journey was pleasant. We had specially prepared tea at a roadside hotel on our way.   We reached the temple around 8.00 am. And went directly into the temple.  Temple electric autos were plying from the main road to the inside of the temple to take senior citizens free of cost. On reaching the temple complex, we purchased tickets for Asthothara pooja and went inside. Some other pooja was going on, and the deities were taken around in a procession within the temple. After that, our pooja was performed, and we had Darshan of the Lord Sri Venkateshwara Swamy.  It was a pleasant and satisfying darshan as there was not much rush that day. After Darshan, we went around the temple, came out, and had breakfast at the temple canteen opposite the temple. There are anna dana satrams (Free meals for pilgrims)

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Sri Maddi Anjaneya Swamy Temple

After breakfast, as we were thinking of our next visit, our driver suggested we visit Maddi Anjaneya Swamy temple, which is twenty km from Dwaraka Tirumala. As my wife is a staunch devotee of Anjaneya Swamy, we thought it was a call from the Lord Hanuma to his devotee. We immediately preferred the temple visit. We started at about 10:30 a.m. and reached the temple by 11:00 a.m.   

The temple has a large complex and many pilgrims. Most were doing pradakshinas (walking around the sanctum sanctorum). They go around twenty-one times to present their wish to the Lord and 108 times after it is fulfilled. Most people prefer to do these pradakshinas on either Tuesdays or Saturdays to fulfil their desires. We directly entered the temple sanctum sanctorum. The Lord Hanuman deity was at the base of the old Maddi tree(Ferwinalia alata). The deity was found in the tree base about a thousand years ago. Initially, it was a small temple. About forty years back, devotees developed the present complex. Now, the tree is aged. The sanctum sanctorum is constructed around the tree, leaving space for devotees to go around and for the priests to do pooja for the deity—the tree projects from the roof.  There is a big hall in front of the sanctum sanctorum where people can sit. We were engrossed with devotion to the lord as we entered the temple complex and the sanctum santorum. Our minds were full of Lord Hanuman. As you enter the sanctum sanctorum, you dive deep into devotion. We felt blessed by the darshan of  Sri Maddi Anjaneya Swamy.   The temple is worth visiting in one’s lifetime.

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