About Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swami Temple Information-Annavaram

The temple of Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swami at Annavaram is its main attraction. If you have an over-all look of this shrine it appears in the form of Ratham (chariot) with four wheels at the four corners. The Annavaram temple is a two-storied complex where the main idol of Sri Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Swami is installed in the upper floor with His consort Ananthalakshmi Satyavathi Ammavaru and other deities. 

The ground floor has a unique and famous Yantra (a diagram of mystical nature containing core letters of a spell called as Beejaksharas). This Yantra is based on the Tripada Vibhuti (a title for the spiritual sky, the threefold opulence ) Narayana Upanishad (Hindu Scriptures that contains teachings of Vedanta) which is a part of Devarshi Sakha of Antharva veda. The Chariot shaped temple depicts the seven lokas (world) both above and below, the lord on the pillar in the centre depicts that he pervades the entire universe and the wheels depicts the Sun and the Moon.

The Sanctum sanctorum of the Lord has four entrances with a Pannavattam (platform, similar to the one found under Shiva Lingam) in the centre. There are Tripeethas constructed on which, over the Meru Portion, the Beejakshara Samputi of the Yantra is slitted open. On the top of this Pannavattam, there is a massive pillar on which stand the idols of Sri Veera Venkata Narayana Swami, along with His consort to His right and a Shiva lingam on the left, graciously adorned with gold Kavacham (body armour). 

On the ground floor of the garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum), the idols of Aditya, Goddess Ambika, Lord Ganapati and Lord Maheshwara (Lord Shiva) are installed in the four corners. The main idol of Sri Satyanarayana stands in the centre forming a Vishnu Panchayatanas (five deities) along with these four deities.

The most important and auspicious of all the rituals performed to the deity here is called as Satyanarayana Vratam. This Vratam is performed on Bhishma Ekadashi and has an interesting legend behind its origin. It is said that Bhishma Pita Maha, the legendary hero of Mahabharata, gave up his life voluntarily on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. A day before this, he initiated (started reciting) the most powerful of all mantras - Vishnu Sahasranama (thousand names of Lord Vishnu) to Yudhishtira (one of the Pandavas). 

These sacred mantras are put into practice by a vratam called as Satyanarayana Vratam which is dedicated to this Vishnu Sahasranama. From then on, this Vratam is performed on Bhishma Ekadashi day in Annavaram as the temple here is dedicated to Lord Satyanarayana Himself. This is one of the most powerful of all the vratams performed in the Annavaram temple. 

There is a sundial in the temple premises which shows the Indian Standard Time.