Mahanandi Temple
Location
Mahanandi Temple is located at Mahanandi village near Nandyal town in
Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. The temple is also known as “Sri
Mahanandiswara Swamy Temple”. It is surrounded by Nallamala Hills which
range towards east and encircled by thick forests. This temple is one of
the nine Nandi temples, which are referred to as Nava Nandis. Nandi
denotes a bull that is the sacred vehicle of Lord Shiva. The other eight
Nandi temples are situated within the range of 15 km radius from this
temple. The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Shiva.
History of the Temple
According to a legend, there was a King named Nanda who was the ruler
of Nandyal in ancient time. He thought of performing Abhishekam to Lord
Shiva. His thought was taken care of and as a result, hundreds of cows
were being brought from Gopavaram for this cause. The main supply to the
king among all the cows was from the lone black cow. After few days, it
was noticed that this cow was coming empty everyday and its milk
production also get lessened. To see the main reason of it, the cowherd
followed the cow one day and he hides beneath a bush. He was astonished
to see the cow’s milk oozing out on anthill and saw Lord Krishna in the
form of young child drinking that milk. The king was amazed after
hearing this and to get glimpse of it, he followed the cow next day. As
usual, the cow did the same routine. The king after witnessing this
miracle was overjoyed and therefore, trampled upon some provisions. As a
result, the child disappeared and the cow embossed the anthill in
fright. Then, the king realises his mistake and asked Lord Shiva to
forgive him. Pleased with the King’s devotion, Lord Shiva appeared in
his dream and told him that the anthill will cool down and would become a
Swayambhu Lingam at Mahanandi. The king started worshipping lord Shiva
at this place and constructed the temple.
The imprints of the cow can be still seen on top of the anthill. The
temple is ancient in much sense and dates back over 1500 years. It is
said that Devashilpis, the architect of Gods, reconstructed this temple
during 10th century. The temple is rebuilt and repaired several times
over the centuries.
Construction of the Temple
The temple has a glorious architecture. It has a Nandi bull statue at
the entrance and therefore this place is also known as Mahanandi
Tirtha. You can see the Nandi from each and every part of the village as
it is so huge. It is said that this is the world’s biggest Nandi
statue. After passing the Nandi at the entrance, you will find two
eternal pools with crystal clear water in them. By walking a little
further, one will see the second prakara (temple compound) and then, 60
square feet large Pushkarani or Kalyani (Holy water tank) with a
Mantapam (Pavilion like structure) at its centre. A small Shiva Linga is
installed in this Mantapam.
This temple is known for its curative and miraculous powers found
within this holy tank. The inlets and outlets of the tank are
constructed in such a way that the depth of the water remains constant
at 5 feet for the devotees to take a bath in. The interesting thing is
that this holy water is cold during the summer and hot in winter
naturally. The devotees can touch the Shiva Linga here, which is unusual
as in other Shiva temples; devotees can’t touch the main deity.
If you want some peace and want to witness the nature exotica, do visit Mahanandi.
Best Time to Visit
October to March
Temple Timings
Temple remains open for pilgrims from 5:30AM to 9PM every day.
Transportation
By Air
Hyderabad Airport is the nearest one, 290 km away from the temple and
has well connected flights to major cities of India and abroad.
By Rail
The nearest railway station is at Nandyal, which is just 20 km away and is well connected to major cities of India.
By Road
APSRTC operate regular buses that ply to Nandyal and Kurnool from
major cities of the state. From there, you can go by a bus or taxi to
Mahanandi.
