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Ryali Temple – A rare temple for Mohini Avatar of Lord Vishnu !!
We have come across numerous temples dedicated to Lord Vishnu throughout India. In all those temples, the Lord is found in various forms and Postures. Of those incarnations of Lord Vishnu, the only female avatar is the Mohini Avatar. Have you ever heard of any temple dedicated to Mohini Avatar? Yes, we do have a temple in Ryali, Andhra Pradesh that is considered as one and only temple for the Mohini Avatar of Lord Vishnu.
The main God of the temple is Lord Vishnu and he is known as Jagan Mohini Keshava. The main shrine is formed of a single stone (Black Salagrama) of 5ft tall and 3ft wide.The front portion of the idol is depicting the Lord in the male form and the rear portion is depicting the female form which is Jagan Mohini. The male form of Lord Vishnu is seen with 4 hands. The Sangu and chakra are found in 2 hands while the other two hands hold Gadha and Mount Mandara. The female form is seen with the fine and flowing lock of hair and knit with flowers. The legs are seen with beautiful ornaments. Another rare feature of this temple is the flow of Ganga at the feet of Lord Vishnu. It is believed that the feet of Lord Vishnu is the origin of Akasha Ganga and this can be witnessed here.
According to the Sthala Purana, the devas and Asuras were quarreling for sharing the Amruth (Divine Nectar). At that moment, Lord Maha Vishnu came to the rescue of the Devas in the form of Mohini and convinced both the groups by promising to distribute holy divine nectar in equal share to Devas and Asuras. After distributing the divine nectar among the devas, Mohini disappeared.
At that time, Lord Shiva after seeing the fascinating beauty of Mohini, chased her, forgetting the presence of his wife Parvathi Devi. (It is believed that this union of Lord Shiva and Mohini resulted in the birth of “Shri Ayyappa Swami” !). While Lord Shiva was chasing, one flower from the plait of Mohini fell down and it was smelt by Lord Shiva. Then he realized that the Mohini is none other than the Lord Vishnu and felt shy for his behavior. The regretted Lord Shiva self-manifested here as a Shiva Linga. This place where the flower from the plait of Mohini fell is named as Ryali. In Telugu, Ryali means “fall”.
The Suyambu Shiva Linga in the Ryali temple is known by the name Shri Uma Kamandaleswara Swamy. It is believed that Lord Brahma worshiped Lord Shiva with the Holy water from his Kamandala (Holy water Pot) and hence the name Kamandaleswara. The rare feature of the temple is that both Shiva and Vishnu shrines are located facing each other (i.e. facing East and West directions).
The temple was originally built by Raja Vikrama Deva in the 11th Century. The village of Ryali was a part of a wild forest that was ruled by the Chola Kings. Raja Vikrama Deva who was ruling these parts during those days came to this place for hunting. As he was tired, he took rest under the shade of a big Punnai tree and fell asleep. In his dream, Lord Vishnu appeared and revealed his whereabouts. He directed the king to make a wooden chariot and pull it along this area. He also, said that wherever the nail of chariot falls, the shrine would be found in that place under the ground. The king did accordingly and the land where the nail of chariot fell was dug and they found the idol of Lord Vishnu in the form of Mohini. He constructed a small temple during 11th Century with a unique Art and Architecture.
As I said before, the Goddess Ganga is in the posture of Padmasana. The water sprouts continuously from the underground of the Lord’s Holy Feet. This Holy water wets the flowers that are kept at the Lord’s Feet and the water from these flowers will be sprinkled on the devotees.
You can reach this Ryali temple either by bus, train or by air. The nearest Railway station and the bus stand is Rajahmundry. The nearest airport is Vijayawada. Many local buses and cabs are also available from the railway station and the bus stand.
