Setting out on the road to Vishakhapatnam we had decided to visit the Satyanarayan temple at Annavaram. Many people had suggested not to miss it. Couple of people also told us that the temple was under renovation and we may not get darshan. As we moved along the NH5 we were near Annavaram and on the left there was a huge gate that declared the way to Annavaram temple, it said 3kms in. We took the diversion and the car spiraled up the hill. It was a sunny afternoon and the town below was resplendent in the warmth. We stationed the car in the parking lot which is one level lower to the temple complex and walked up the stone stairs. At the next level we had to remove our footwear at the safe keeping stand and dart up the flight of stairs to avoid blistering of our feet. Then thru a winding stairway and some halls we finally reached the sanctorium and we did get darshan of the Lord Satyanarayan flanked by his devis. The idols were beautifully decorated with flowers of all colors and most of all the sanct sanctorium had a large wide door and was brightly lit. This is rare in a South Indian temple, most places they have only oil lamps, for this reason this was a very satisfying darshan. We could actually see the good Lord! After which we went around the large complex, there is a sun dial there and when I clicked the picture it was exactly 12 noon.
There is a small is a cowshed in the complex and they call it Gokul. The views below the hill are soothing with the Godavari tributary flowing calmly and the Pampa reservoir that man has created
And true to its name the temple flower or the Champa, the sunny yellow centered Frangipani's sweet intoxicating smell permeates the surroundings. It was Dad's birthday and he is set to complete 7 decades on this planet. The celebrations had only started in Annavaram and we were looking forward to more fun in Vizag. Come along...
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