Rare temple of Lord Krishna to be revived at Sullurpet

A rare 11th century shrine, where Lord Krishna is believed to have fought Jambavantha for the Syamantakamani, has been lying in a dilapidated condition for years.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Trust is now planning to release Rs 25 lakh for its renovation. The shrine, located at Mannar Polur village, about 2 km from Sullurpet town in Nellore district, is known as Sri Alagu Mallaru Krishna Swamy temple. It is believed to have been built by emperors of the Chola dynasty in the 11th century AD, but is now just a pale shadow of its former glorious self. Its tall and majestic statues are now preys to the vagaries of weather. The temple tank (Pushkarini) located in front of the main shrine is also in a pitiable condition. The meagre revenue is not even enough for conducting daily rituals.

"It had remained closed for decades and it was my father Venkata Raghavachary who took the initiative to reopen it in 1957," said the priest of the temple, V C V Muralikrishna.

The shrine is one among the 108 Divya Tirupati temples blessed by Panniddalvaru, a great Vaishnava devotee. There are references to the shrine and the locale in the Brahmanda Purana which says that Lord Krishna, who came in search of the Syamanthakamani, wrestled with Jambavantha here for 21 days before defeating him.

A giant statue of Jamabavantha guards the rear of the temple, and this gives more credence to the legend.

The main idol of Lord Krishna is accompanied by Satyabhama and Jambavathi instead of Goddess Rukmini, unlike in other shrines.

There is also an interesting idol of a sad-looking Garuda, with folded hands and tearful eyes, in front of the main deity. Local people narrate a legend in connection with this peculiar statue.

According to lore, Lord Krishna wanted to teach the proud Garuda a lesson and sent him to summon Hanuman from the forest. However, Hanuman refuses to accompany him and a fight ensues in which Garuda is defeated. A humiliated Garuda realises that he had been inordinately proud and assumes a contrite demeanour.

There are also big statues of Sugreeva and Jatayu in the premises. This is probably the only shrine where such statues could be found.

However, authorities have not cared to take care of the rare shrine. Nobody knows what happened to the hundreds of acres donated to the temple by kings. "We are struggling to conduct the annual Asthanotsavam and the procession of the deity on the day of Vaikunta Ekadasi," said Muralikrishna. The priest also does not get salary regularly but conducts pujas because of his devotion.

(Courtesy: Deccan Chronicle)