Mangalampadu

Mangalam-padu is a village in Nellore district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Sullurpeta mandal.^[1]

History and Background:
MANGALAMPADU, a tiny agraharam near Sullurpet on the Chittoor-Nellore inter-district border, has a proud history that runs into over four centuries, and has been a vibrant centre for Vaishnavite philosophy.

The village is located at a distance of about 100 km from Chennai on the way to Nellore and is about 70 km from Tirupati via Srikalahasti. It is well-connected by road from Sullurpet which is only 12 km away. Surrounded by lush green paddy fields on all sides, the village can boast of a big minor irrigation tank, which is the lifeline for agriculture and allied activities that thrive in the nearby villages.

Given as an endowment by Venkatapathi Raja I of Chandragiri empire in 1602 AD to Sri Rangaraja Iyengar, son of the renowned Kidambi Jagannathacharya Swamy, for his erudite scholarship in Ubhaya Vedanta, this village has been the nerve centre of traditional worship and academic accomplishments. What's more significant in terms of divinity is that the endowment was made in the very presence of Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala. So declares the gift inscription pertaining to the endowment.

Sriman Jagannathacharya Swamy's scholastic pursuits won him the title 'Vadikesari' as he was considered unparallelled in argument. His family tree points to his descendance from one Vedantodayana, who was the cook of the Visishtadvaitha Philosopher Bhagawad Ramanuja.

Venugopalaswamy Temple And it's Significance:
The temple of Lord Venugopalaswamy remained a not-so-popular shrine in a nondescript village in the olden days, but it appears to have grown in course of time. It houses a number of sub-temples for Bhaktanjaneya and the scores of Vaishnavite Acharyas.

The idol of Sri Venugopalaswamy is believed to have been found in the village well. This stone image has strong resemblances to the sculptural excellence of temples in the region ruled by the Vijayanagar kings. Akin to the deity of Sri Venkateswara at Tirumala, the image of Venugopala also appears very young when shorn of His embellishments. This standing image is known for its ornate carvings and extreme beauty as the Lord wears a cherubic smile. During later years, the temples of Bhagavad Ramanuja, Sri Vedanta Desika and Bhaktanjaneya have been added to make it a huge temple complex. Surprisingly enough, the Utsavamoorthy (processional deity) here is that of Sri Varadaraja and is believed to have been acquired from the temple city of Kancheepuram.

The people in and around Mangalampadu consider Sri Venugopala to be 'Santana Gopala'. Not just for namesake, but the Lord here is revered as the bestower of progeny and the perpetuator of lineage. Many of His devotees who were earlier childless confess to have conceived after offering prayers to Him and observing fast and other forms of abstinence.

VenugopalaSwamy Bramhotsavams

Although the temple has lost its sheen during the post-independence days, the last decade of the 20th century witnessed a great deal of development. The renovation of the 'Vimana Gopuram' in the year 1992, the offering of a new 'Garudavahanam' in 2000 and the reconstruction of the mandapams of Sri Ramanuja and Sri Vendanta Desika were a few among the major events that took place in the temple in the recent times. The newly-fabricated chariot had also been commissioned and dedicated to the temple with 'Ratha Samprokshanam' at a grand function in the temple complex. Also, 'Krishna Kalyan', a massive Kalyana Mandapam complex had been inaugurated in the holy hands of HH Sri Tridandi Srimannarayana Ramanuja Chinna Jeer, in the holy presence of HH Sri Vanamamalai Kaliyan Ramanuja Jeer and Sri Periya Kovil Kezhvi Appan Sri Ranga Ramanuja Jeer.

Venugopala Swamy Temple

In the month of Phalguna every year, 10-day annual brahmotsavam of Lord Venugopalaswamy takes place. This event has been attracting devotees from near and far.

Athreya's Birthplace:
This celebrated lyricist was born on May7, 1921 here to Smt. Seetamma and sri krishnamacharyulu, the most blessed parents. Unfortunate as he was, he lost his mother when he was a child. Acharya Athreya’s original name, as christened by his parents, was kilambi Venkata Narasimha Charyulu. And he came to be popularly known as Acharya Athreya. The poet takes up the second part of his name ‘acharya’ and adds to it the name of his Gothra, ‘athreya’ to make up his nom-de-plume or sobriquet.

Schools and Education:
Village has various schools starting from anganwadi to 10th Standard. Both Primary and Zilla Parishad High Schools teaches both Telugu and English mediums to the students. Students from here are constantly performing well in their academics, thanks to the teachers. Over the past decade, so many students from the village has been settled in various fields starting from IT(Information Technology), Management to Automobiles Industry.

Villagers And their Occupation:
Village is home for nearly 2500 people with nearly 636 homes. Agriculture is the main occupation of the village. However, people from various occupations resides here, which makes village self sufficient.

HOW TO REACH here:

By Road
Sullurpet is the Nearest Town to Mangalampadu. Sullurpet is 13 km away from here. Road connectivity is there from Sullurpet to Mangalampadu.

By Rail
Sullurpet Rail Way Station is the very nearby railway station to Mangalampadu. You can reach from Sullurpet to Mangalampadu by road after that.

By Bus
APSRTC runs Number of busses from major cities to here.

References

2. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/mangalampadu-beckons-devotees/article3159733.ece Coordinates: 13°44′N 79°56′E / 13.733°N 79.933°E / 13.733; 79.933

3.http://www.onefivenine.com/india/villages/Spsr-Nellore/Sullurpeta/Mangalampadu