 Brindavanam of Sri Guru Raghavendra Swamy, who was a saint and follower of Sri Madhwacharya, is situated in Mantralayam, a quiet village on the banks of river Tungabhadra in Andhra Pradesh. It is the seat of Guru Raghavendra's Brindavanam, where he attained Jeevan Samadhi in 1671 AD. It is believed that Guru Raghavendra Swamy dwells in Brindavana since past 339 years. He was one of the greatest pontiffs of Advaita philosophy as enunciated by Sri Madhwacharya. Venkanna was Sri Raghavendra's pre-monastic name. He was a child prodigy, who learned all four Vedas in his early days. He joined the Kumbakonam Mutt to study under Guru Sudhindra Teertha and earned several titles like Parimalacharya, Mahabhashyacharya and others.
Legends of Brindavanam While expounding the philosophy of his gurus, Sri Raghavendra performed several miracles. Once when he was in Adoni, the then Nawab presented him with a plateful of non-vegetarian food covered with silk cloth. Before taking it, the Guru sprinkled holy water on it, and to the surprise of all, the food turned into flowers and fruits. Realizing the greatness of the Guru, the Nawab begged his pardon and offered him several villages as gift. But the Guru accepted only Mantralayam for his Brindavanam. A unique feature about Brindavanam is that the Swamiji himself selected the spot and even the stone slab for his Samadhi. The holy spot is believed to be the place where Prahlada, the child devotee of Lord Vishnu, performed yagna. The stone slab is believed to have been used by Lord Rama when he was wandering in Dandakaranya during his exile. Religious Significance of Brindavanam Today thousands of devotees throng Mantralayam to seek the blessings of their Guru, who is Kalpakavriksha and Kamadhenu for them. He entered the Brindavanam with a Veena in his hand, singing the praise of Lord Hari. The Brindavanam contains 700 Saligramams signifying that the Guru will live there for another 700 years. Every year in the month of Sravan, Shukla Paksha Thrithiya (August-September), devotees of Guru Raghavendra all over the world celebrate the Aaraadhana Day. Visiting Information The nearest railway station to reach Brindavanam is at Mantralayam Road on the Chennai-Mumbai rail route. From this station, Mantralayam is 15 kilometres. Buses are available from Kurnool, Adoni and Hyderabad. |
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