Khairatabad Ganesh

Lord Ganapathi, also described as Ganesha, is a very popular and revered Hindu deity and perphaps the most worshipped God in India. khairtabad ganesh is one of the tallest and biggest Ganesha which is established during the festival of Vinayaka Chathurthi. Every year the design different models of Vinayaka idol at khairtabad. This year they are going to construct the khairtabad ganesh which is really unique and the height of khairtabad ganesh is almost 56 feet.  The Lord Ganesha is designed has a Ganesh is riding a chariot of elephant. Actually the khairtabad ganesh height is 50 feet and about 6 feet you can find the statues of various goddesses like ,Brahma, Saraswati, shiva and laksmi. This time they are going to place the 30 ton laddu on khairtabad ganesh hand. On the right side of the khairtabad ganesh you can redefine the picture of bhavani presenting us sword to shivaji and on the left side of khairtabad ganesh you can get the image of Sun goddesses.

People mostly worship him seeking success in endeavors (siddhi) and intelligence. (buddhi). He also symbolizes wealth, wisdom, and happiness. He is worshipped before any venture or journey is embarked upon. Lord Ganapathi, having a curled trunk, one tusk partly broken, large ears, a massive body, four arms, and the radiance of hundreds of suns, elimintates all obstacles that impede success.

Lord Ganapathi is the elder son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, the universe's divine couple. He is the chief (Isa) of Lord Shiva's army and attendants, hence the name Ganesha. In the name Ganapathi, Ga denotes "knowledge," na means "salvation," and pati means "lord." He is known for removing all of the obstacles(vignas) in the path of progress and wellbeing of his devotees, therefore he is known as Vigneshwara. Due to this special power of Lord Vigneshwara, devotees lovingly shower him with prayers, sweets, and poojas at the commencement of every task and enterprise, thus becoming capable of completing the task without hardship or complexity. 

 While adoring thee idol of Ganesha, a devotee observes that his head is that of an elephant, and the body of a human being. In his upper right hand he carries an axe(Ankusa); in his upper left hand he grasps a noose(Pasha). He is always smiling (Prasanna Vadhana). He may also be shown conveying blessings, dancing, or holding a lotus and mace. Seated below him, there dwells a mouse(Mooshika), which is his vahana, or vehicle. He ties a serpent around his stomach. His round figure signifies prosperity. 

An ancient tale explains why Lord Ganesha is worshipped before any other deity prior to any other important event. One day Lord Shiva asked his sons Ganesha and Karthikeya to circle the world and return. Karthikeya hurried away on his peacock vahana. Instead, Ganesha walked around Shiva and Parvati three times. Ganesha explained that, to him, his parents constituted the world. Delighted and satisfied, Shiva granted him a blessing, affirming that no matter what the occasion or ceremony may be, Lord Ganesha should be worshipped before all other Gods. 

"Bolo Ganesh Maharaj Ke Jai"

Kanipakam Temple

AndhraPradesh is rich in historical monuments. It have many holy temples with architectural beauty, which attract large numbers of pilgrims and tourists from inside and outside country.

Kanipakam vara sidhi vinayaka temple is located in Chittoor district, which is significant for its purity and rich heritage. Kanipakam is a small village on the bank of Bahuda River. “Kani” means wetland and “pakam” means flow of water into wetland.

History:

According to the legend of the temple there were three brothers and each one had a handicap. VIZ., Dumb, Deaf, and Blind. They were earning out their livelihood by cultivating a small piece of land. In olden days water was drawn from the well by way of 'Piccota System'. As one of them used to irrigate the field through the channels, the other two used to ply on the Piccota. On one such operation they found that the water in the well got dried up and they could no longer continue their job. One of them got into the well and started digging it up. He was taken aback to see the iron implement hitting a stone like formation.

Later, he was shocked to see blood oozing out from it. Within in a few seconds the entire water in the well, turned blood red in colour. Thus, startled by this divine sight, all the three became normal getting rid of their deformities. As soon as the villagers came to know about this miracle, they thronged to the well and tried to deepen the well further. But their attempt proved futile because the 'swayambhu' idol (the self-manifested) of Lord Vinayaka emerged from the swirling waters.

Ultimately they offered many number of coconuts with all prayers- modesty kneeling before the new idol afford “MAGALHARATHI” etc. They declared the ideal of “SWAYAMBHU” and tendered number of coconuts. The coconuts water flowed into the channel to a distance of more than one and a quarter acres. The indication of this led to the modification in the usage of the Tamil word “KANIPARAKAM” and later pronounced as KANIPAKAM. Even today the idol is in the original well and the springs of the well are perennial and the eternal. During the rainy season, the holy water from the well overflows even today. 

Another striking and strange feature of the idol is that it is still growing in size. At present, we can see the knees and the abdomen of the idol. Smt. Lakshmamma, an ardent devotee had offered a 'Kavacham' (Armour) to the Lord, fifty years ago but today it is out of size and doesn't fit the idol. The holy water from the well is offered to the devotees as theertham.

The legend behind Bahuda River :

Long ago there lived two brothers Sankha and Likhita. They were on a pilgrimage to Kanipakam. As the journey was tiring, the younger brother Likhita felt hungry. Disregarding the advice of the elder brother he plucked a mango from the mango grove. Sankha felt bad and reported this to the ruler of that area and pleaded for punishment for the sin committed during the pilgrimage. Thus Likhita was punished severely being deprived of both arms. Later they took bath in the river near Kanipakam temple. Lo Behold! The chopped arms were restored to Likhita as soon as he had a dip in the sacred waters of the river. These incidents lead the ruler to rename the river as 'Bahuda' (Bahu means human arm). Thus the river beside Kanipakam temple is now known as 'Bahuda River'.  

Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka as up-holder of 'Truth'

The swayambhu idol of Kanipakam is the up-holder of truth. Day to day disputes between people is resolved by taking a 'special oath'. The people in the dispute take a holy dip in the temple tank and swear before the lord. It is taken as gospel truth. There are instances when the person who committed that sin voluntarily agrees as soon as he had the dip and much before entering the temple itself. It seems the Lord lawns invisibly on the sinner and makes him repent & feel guilty for his sinful deeds.

Thus the glory of Sri Varasiddhi Vinayaka spread far and wide and the honorable courts uphold the 'special oath' in their judicial pronouncements.

Bramhostavams:

The annual Brahmotsavam commences from Ganesh Chaturthi. It goes on for 20 days with all traditional pomp and gaiety. The utsavamurthi (Festive idol) is taken out in procession on all the days colourfully decked on different vahanams (Carriages). The soulful participation of the devotees is praise worthy. The float festival attracts pilgrims from all over the country.

Below this the images of the Bramhostavam in the following order.

1) Gramotsavam

2) Hamsa Vahanam

3) Peacock Vahanam

4) Mooshika Vahanam

5) Shasha Vahanam

6) Vrishabha Vahanam

7) Gaja Vahanam

8) Rathotsavam(Chairot)

9) Thiru Kalyanam

10) Vadayathu Utsavam

  

Morning Abishekam is performed on all the days of Bramhostavam. Hamsa Vahanam, around 6-7 P.M when Star Chitta enters Kanya lagnam.

"BOLO GANESH MAHARAJ KI JAI"