Jeedikal

Category Others

Sri Ramachandra Swamy Devasthanam is a famous Srirama Temple located in Jeedikal village, near Jangaon. According to a local lore, the temple’s existence dates back to ‘Tretayuga’ as it was here that Lord Rama, while in exile, is said to have shot rakshasa Maricha with an arrow, who comes in the guise of a golden deer. When Maricha asks for Lord Rama’s forgiveness and promises to worship him, the latter agrees to emerge as ‘Swayambhu’ on the hillock here in this temple.The Sri Rama’s Paduka’s or the spot at which the golden deer met its death, locally famous as “Lady Banda”, every edifice, be it made of a stone or mud or the pond that’s inside the natural stone rock, throws evidence of lord Sri Rama visiting this place on his chase for the golden deer.Local legends say that while lord Sri Rama in his Vanavas, on the advice of sage Bharadwaj stayed at Chitrakoot, a beautiful hill against the river Malayavati. With so much to talk about nature’s magnificence and tranquility, it became home for many sages of India. On one day, the absolutely devoted wife of Sri Rama gets carried away by a beautiful golden deer and requests the lord for its presence, adorning the garden of their hut house. Lord Sri Rama vows her request by setting himself on an expedition to bring the deer dead or alive and leaves Sita devi, entrusting his brother Sri Lakshmana to protect her under his absence.In the chase for the golden deer by the lord, the lord gets tired of bringing it alive and shoots an arrow at it, hurting and making it fall on a rock. The deer after falling down transforms itself into a human form which makes the lord furious and upon his explanation understands that his name was Chitraradha and was cursed by Koushika Maharashi and got liberated by Sri Ramas arrow and praises the lord for his kindness.Sri Rama delighted by this asks Chitraradha if he had any wish? Chitraradha asks for the water that has touched the lord’s holy feet. Lord Sri Rama there upon presses a small rock nearby with his thumb and prays the lord Ganga to flow through it, making it famous as “Uttar Ganga”. Even today, upon clearing the dust from the hole, one can experience the fingers getting wet. Also it is observed by the local people that the color of the rice changed to yellow at the temple premises exactly at the time when the priests at Badrachalam were preparing “Thalambralu” for Sri Rama and Sri Sita devi’s wedding.

God also blesses a sage nearby who was in great penance by keeping lords idol in front of him and asks him to wish something. The “Veera = great” great sage asks for an opportunity to perform “Pada Seva” (Pada seva-offering prayers to ones feet) until his life on earth. Lord Sri Rama happy with his devotion grants him that wish by entrusting life into the idol what he has made and leaves behind his foot wear at this place and tells him that this place will be famous as Veerachalam. Even today if you step at this place one will notice a pond that’s with in a rock and Sri Rama paduka’s under worship. Even though the water is being used at the temple premises, the water level neither has gone down nor risen up, in the history so far.The temple is built on a pond that never goes dry even during peak summer.