Devuni Kadapa is a part of
Kadapa City and a historical site. It is also known as ''Patha Kadapa,'' meaning ''Old Kadapa''.
It is famous for its temple of Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara Swami.
Toponymy
The name "Devuni Kadapa" is derived from the word ''gadapa'', which means "threshold" or "door sill". The pilgrims who wanted to visit the
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple
The Venkateswara Temple of Tirumala or Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hills of Tirumala, Tirupati Urban Mandal in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a for ...
, located in
Tirupati
Tirupati () is a city in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Andhra Pradesh and serves as the administrative headquarters of Tirupati district. It is known for its significant religious and cultural heritage, being home to th ...
, had to first visit the Lakshmi Venkateswara Swami Temple in Devuni Kadapa, hence gaining its name.
History
Kadapa is named after the word ''Gadapa'' which is originated from the words "Devuni Gadapa" means "Threshold of the entrance for The Lord Venkateswara Swamy". The Idol of the Lord Venkateswara has been established by
Kripacharya
Kripa (, ), also known as Kripacharya (, ), is a figure in Hindu mythology. According to the epic ''Mahabharata'', he was a council member of Kuru Kingdom and a teacher of the Pandava and Kaurava princes.
Born to warrior-sage Sharadvan and ...
, hence the ancient name of Devuni kadapa is also mentioned in
as "Kripavathi Kshetram". Sri Lakshmi Venkateshwara Temple stands as an example of
Vijayanagara architecture
Vijayanagara architecture of 1336–1565 CE was a notable building idiom that developed during the rule of the imperial Hindu Vijayanagara Empire. The empire ruled South India, from their regal capital at Vijayanagara, on the banks of the Tung ...
. It is said that
Tallapaka Annamacharya
Tallapaka Annamacharya () (09 May 1408 – 23 February 1503), also popularly known as Annamayya, was a Telugu musician, composer, and a Hindu saint. He is the earliest known Indian musician to compose songs called '' samkirtanas.'' His devoti ...
visited this place and all the
Sankaracharya
Shankaracharya (, , "Adi Shankara, Shankara-''acharya''") is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi Shankara; teachers from the successive ...
s of the Advaita Mutt and the great poet
Kshetrayya
Kshetrayya (–1680) was a prolific Telugu poet. He lived in the area of Andhra Pradesh in South India. He composed a number of ''padams'' and ''keertanas'', the prevalent formats of his time. He is credited with more than 4000 compositions, ...
also visited this place. This temple was undertaken by the
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam
Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is an independent government trust in India managed by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. The trust primarily oversees the operations and finances of the richest and the most visited religious center Venkatesw ...
.
Architecture
The temple exhibits classic
Dravidian architecture
Dravidian architecture, or the Southern Indian temple style, is an architectural idiom in Hindu temple architecture that emerged from Southern India, reaching its final form by the sixteenth century.
In contrast with North Indian temple styl ...
, characterized by a towering gopuram (gateway tower) and intricately carved pillars. The main sanctum houses the idol of Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara Swamy, flanked by idols of Goddess Lakshmi and other deities. The temple complex includes several mandapams (pillared halls), a dhwaja stambham (flagpole), and a large temple tank (pushkarini).
Transport
It has the nearest railway station of Kadapa. The nearest airport is the
Kadapa Airport
Kadapa Airport is a domestic airport serving Kadapa (formerly Cuddapah) in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located from the city, and is spread over of land. It has been upgraded at a cost of ₹ 42 crore. The upgraded airport was inaugurated ...
which is located in the outskirts of the city and is about 9.5 km from Devuni Kadapa.
References
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Kadapa