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Showing posts from September 25, 2014


Boyakonda Gangagamma – Goddess Durga Temple on top of Boyakonda hill Near Punganur in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh

Goddess Durga Temple located on top of Boyakonda hill Near Punganur in Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh is a famous shrine in the region. The murti worshipped here is famous as Boyakonda Gangagamma and the temple which is around 60 km from Chittoor is visited by thousands of people. Legend has it that Goddess Durga appeared here in the form of an old woman to protect the tribes of the region and defeat the forces of a greedy Nawab. The tribal people who lived in the region were constantly harassed by the army of the Nawab. The escape from the violence, the tribal people propitiated Goddess Durga in the form of Jaganmatha. The tribal people got the darshan of Goddess in the form of an old woman. She then took a ferocious form and annihilated the army of the Nawab. The sword used by the goddess in the battle fell on a rock atop the Boyakonda hill and it cracked. It is today worshipped and seen as a living testimony of the divine power of Maa Durga. Navratri – D

Saptamatrikas – Seven Divine Mothers – Saptamatris

In Hinduism, Saptamatrikas are the seven divine mothers and is often associated with Shiva and Shakti. The Saptamatrikas are Brahmani, Vaishnavi, Maheshwari, Kaumari, Varahi, Indrani and Chamundi. Stories about Sapta Matrikas are found in the Varaha Purana, Kurma Purana and the Mahabharata. Yogeshwari, a Shakti created by Shiva, is also mentioned among the Saptamatris and then the count becomes eight. Saptamatrikas are among the numerous incarnations of Goddess Shakti. But their characteristics differ from region to region and from scriptures to scriptures. General belief is that the Saptamatrikas appeared to defeat the thousands of Anadhakas that were born from the blood of demon Andhaka. Andhaka was actually the third son of Shiva. Lord Shiva injured demon Andhaka when he tried to take away Goddess Parvati. Andhaka had received a boon that a single drop of blood spilled from his body will create thousands of Andhakas. So when Shiva injured Andhaka thousands of Andh