Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swamy Vari Devasthanam

The Satyanarayana Swamy Vari is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is located in Andhra Pradesh. It is approached with prayers for material gain. Annavaram, near the Ratnagri Hill, is where the temple of Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayana swamy is situated. The Zamindars who lived here were known for their free food distribution and the place itself got its name, Annavaram. Some say that the deity blessed devotees with Anina Varam (the boon that they sought after), and so the place is called Annavaram. Apart from the main temple of Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayanaswamy, there are other temples built for Rama, Vana Durge and Kanaka Durga. The Gramadevatha (village deity) temple is at the foot of the hill. The story goes that Raja I.V.Ramarayanam, a Zamindar of Gorasa and Kirlampudi near was told by God in a dream to find this idol on a hill, who installed it at the present spot on Sravana Suddha Vidiya of the Telugu year Khara (i.e.) 1891 (Fasli 1301). The temple has a view of the Bay of Bengal on one side and Eastern Ghats on the other, with green fields around and close to the Pampa River. Legend has it that Meruvu, the lord of the hills and his consort Menaka did penance and had 2 sons Bhadra and Ratnakar. Bhadra pleased Lord Vishnu and became Bhadrachalam on which rama settled and Ratnakar became Ratnagiri (hill). The temple is in the form of a chariot with four wheels with the kalyana mantapa in front. Further inside, is the Ramalaya and the shrine of Vana Durga, who guards the Lord. The temple has been constructed according to ancient principles and so the front of the temple depicts a chariot the symbol of the seven lokas above and the seven below. There is a Meru on the floor, a pillar in the middle and idols which depict the idea and God is in the centre of one's heart and also fills the universe. The wheels represent the sun and the moon. There is a sun dial and the navagrahams outside the temple. The temple is in 2 levels the lower one has the unique Yantra (based on the Tripad Vibhuti Narayana Upanishad, a part of the Devarshi Sakha of the Adharva Veda) and the Peetham of the deity and there are 4 deities surrounding this Ganapati, Suryanarayanaswamy, Bala Tripurasundari and Maheswaraswamy. There is a shrine to Rama close by which is where the swayambu idol of Satyanarayanaswamy was found. Rama is the Kshetra Palaka of this temple of Satyadeva. The story goes that in a dream, the Lord told his people that his Vigraha was abandoned on a hill and that they must find it. They found the idol under a tree and installed it. The garbha griha has four entrances with the Sivalinga tripeethas like a panavattam in the middle. The beejak sharasamputi of the yantra is above this over the Meru. At the top is a monolithic pillar with the image of the deity in the middle, the Goddess on the right and a Sivalinga on the left, all in gold kuvachams. Sri Satyanarayana Vratham is done here with great fervor. The story goes that Sage Naradha was distressed by the misery of men and prayed to Vishnu who told him that the Satyanarayana Vratham was the answer. A pious Brahmin from Benares did this first. King Ulkamukha of Bhadrasilanagaram, Emperor Tungadhwaja, some Gollas, Sadhuvu, a Vaisya businessman and a poor woodcutter of Banaras also did this and were blessed. The story is told of a Vaisya couple Sadhuvu and Leelavathi who had taken a vow to do the Vratham if they had a child and were blessed with a daughter Kalavathi. The girl grew and was married, and their business flourished, but they forgot to do the Satyanarayana Vratham. One day when they went to Ratnasanapuram to do business, the treasury of the king was looted and Sadhuvu and his soninlaw were arrested on suspicion. Overnight they lost everything and the mother and daughter had to beg for food. One day Kalavathi saw the Vratham being done in a Brahmin's house, told her mother, who remembered that she had to do it, and performed it immediately. The lord was pleased and Sadhuvu and his soninlaw were released and all their wealth was restored. When they were on a boat, setting off on business, Satyanarayanaswamy was on board in the form of a sanyasi and asked Sadhuvu what he had on the ship. He said that it did not concern him and said that he had some trash. The sanyasi said "'be it so', and all Sadhavu's wealth turned to rubbish. Devastated by the loss, Sadhavu and his son in law fell at the feet of the Sanyasi and begged for forgiveness, who reminded him that he hadn't performed his Vratham. News reached his wife that they were returning and Leelavathi hurried to finish her Satyanarayana pooja to receive the men. In their hurry, they forgot to take the prasadam. The boat capsized and the cargo was lost and Ratnakara, the son in law drowned. Sadhavu was devastated to see his daughter prepare for sahagamana and prayed to Lord Satyanarayana, who revealed that it all happened because Kalavathi did not take the prasadam. So, she rushed home, took the prasadam and came back to find her husband alive and well. Ratnakara prayed and with the Lord's blessings, turned into the Ratnagiri hill where the Lord decided to reside. It is said that the river Pampa that flows near the hill is actually Kalavathi, who literally melted with ecstasy at the whole incident.Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayanaswamy Temple

In Annavaram is one of the most famous Holy Shrines in India second place after after Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. Satyanarayanaswamy temple is built in the Dravidian style and the glory and richness of Lord SATYADEVA was widely described in Revakhanda of Skandhapuranam. The presiding deity Lord Satyadeva with his consort Sri Anantha Lakshmi on one Side and with Lord Siva on the other side took his abode on Ratnagiri, which is named after Ratnakara, son of Meru the king of holy mountains. Like in all Divyakshetrams as surrounded and followed by holy rivers, Sri Satyanarayana Swamy at Annavaram is also followed by sacred Pampa River touching the feet of the hill. Lord Satyadeva the god of truth is showering his eternal blessings on mankind in his beautiful manifested form of the DIVINE TRINITY namely Hari Hara Hiranya Garbha Thrimurtyatmaka. Hence this is only the temple that is attracting the Pilgrims of both Vishanava and Saiva Hindu religion.