Helavanakatte Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is located at Komaranahalli near Davanagere, Karnataka.
Story of Helavanakatte Sri Ranganathaswamy
The Divine Blessing of Aruna
Aruna, the charioteer of the Sun God, once prayed earnestly
to Bhagavan Vishnu:
“Bhagavan, Garuda and I are brothers. You have blessed Garuda
with the fortune of being Your divine vehicle and remaining eternally near You.
What wrong have I committed that I have not received such grace?”
Hearing this heartfelt plea, Bhagavan Srihari Vishnu smiled
compassionately and replied:
“Dear Aruna, do not grieve. Your brother Garuda enjoys this
privilege because of the merits earned through his past deeds. Such fortune is
rare. Yet, I grant you another blessing — people shall always utter your name
before Mine. In the age of Kali, you shall be born as a humble disabled devotee
(Helava), and through that birth, you will attain My grace.”
It is believed that this very Aruna was later born as the devotee associated with Helavanakatte.
Discovery of the Self-Manifested Lord
As time passed, a disabled devotee named Helavanakatte, manifestation of Aruna, noticed something unusual among the cows brought daily for grazing by village boys. One cow would separate itself from the herd every day and climb a nearby hill.
Curious, the devotee slowly crawled up the hill one day to
observe it. What he witnessed astonished him.
The cow stood before an anthill and began pouring milk over
it on its own. Filled with wonder and devotion, he called the cowherd boys and
asked them to clear the anthill.
Inside, they discovered a self-manifested (Swayambhu) form
of Bhagavan Vishnu
Overwhelmed with divine bliss, the devotee praised Bhagavan with deep devotion. That night, Bhagavan appeared to him in a dream and said:
“I shall reside here as Sri Ranganatha Swamy. As promised in
your previous birth, this place will become famous as Helavanakatte. People
will remember your name before Mine and worship Me as Sri Helavanakatte
Ranganatha.”
Having fulfilled the purpose of his earthly birth, the
devotee merged spiritually with Bhagavan. With the help of the cowherd boys, he
had first built a small shrine there. Over time, this sacred place became
renowned as Helavanakatte, and the deity came to be worshipped as Sri
Helavanakatte Ranganatha Swamy.
Helavanakatte Sri Ranganathaswamy History
The Punganur Kings and the Temple Renovation
In later years, the kings of Punganur renovated and expanded
the temple. They also donated nearly 300 acres of land to ensure uninterrupted
daily worship and temple maintenance.
Why did the Punganur rulers come here and serve the Lord?
The story behind it is remarkable.
King Jayaraya of Punganur had a son named Achyutaraya, who
was born blind in both eyes. Distressed, the king traveled to Tirupati and
prayed fervently to Lord Venkateshwara.
Pleased by his devotion, Bhagavan Venkateshwara appeared in the
king’s dream and said:
“I have granted sight to one of your son’s eyes. If you wish
for vision in the other eye, travel to Malebennur. There lives my devotee, the
great saintly woman Giriyamma. Through her blessings, your son shall regain
full sight.”
Following this divine command, the king journeyed directly
to Malebennur and met the spiritually exalted devotee Giriyamma. After hearing
the king’s plea, Giriyamma meditated briefly upon the Lord. She then took the
sacred soot collected from the ghee lamp she lit daily before Sri Ranganatha
Swamy and applied it to the prince’s eyes, praying:
“May Sri Ranga fulfill your wish.”
Miraculously, the prince regained his eyesight completely.
Filled with gratitude, the king asked:
“Mother, you have restored life to my son. What can I offer
you in return?”
Giriyamma replied humbly:
“I desire nothing for myself. If you truly wish to serve,
then restore and expand the temple of my beloved deity, Sri Helavanakatte
Ranganatha Swamy.”
Honoring her wish, the king rebuilt the temple grandly and also created flower gardens and temple tanks nearby.
Who Was Giriyamma?
Giriyamma was born in Ranebennur and later became the wife
of Tipparasa, son of the village accountant Krishnappa of Malebennur.
Detached from worldly life, she became an ardent devotee of
Sri Helavanakatte Ranganatha Swamy. She composed devotional songs praising the
Lord and prayed sincerely for the welfare of devotees.
Many miracles are associated with her:
- During
severe droughts, her prayers are believed to have brought rain.
- She
reportedly revived the only son of a family from Dibbadahalli after the
child had died suddenly.
- She
lovingly worshipped Sri Rama as though He were her own child.
- She
experienced divine visions of Bala Gopala (child Krishna).
- She
protected her brother-in-law Venkataraya from unjust punishment.
- When
one of the Lord’s rings went missing, she sang invoking the Lord’s power,
and a sparrow that had carried the ring returned it before everyone.
Finally, near Kammaragatte close to Honnali, she is believed to have merged into the sacred Tungabhadra River and attained Vaikuntha (the abode of Vishnu).
Spiritual Significance of Giriyamma
Tradition regards Giriyamma as an incarnation of Devaki, the
mother of Bhagavan Krishna. It is also believed that Bakula Devi, the foster mother
of Srihari Srinivasa of Tirupati, was an incarnation of Yashoda.
According to this belief:
- Devaki,
though Krishna’s mother, could not witness His childhood pastimes.
- Therefore,
she was reborn as Giriyamma to experience and cherish the divine childhood
plays of Sri Ranga.
- Similarly,
Yashoda had missed witnessing Krishna’s marriage.
- As
Bakula Devi, she was blessed to witness the celestial wedding of Lord
Srinivasa.
This spiritual connection is considered one of the unique and sacred aspects of the Helavanakatte tradition.