Bhadrachalam Sita Ramachandraswamy Temple
The Rama temple on the Godavari, inseparably linked with the devotee-poet Bhakta Ramadasu.
Significance
The temple stands on the banks of the Godavari and is dedicated to Rama with Sita and Lakshmana. Its history is bound up with Kancherla Gopanna, remembered as Bhakta Ramadasu, a seventeenth-century revenue officer who used state funds to build the temple and was imprisoned for it; the Telugu devotional songs he composed are still sung widely, and his story is among the best known in Telugu devotional tradition. The surrounding region is associated in local tradition with episodes of the Ramayana.
Temple in its present form from the 17th century
The Sri Rama Navami kalyanam here is the temple’s defining event, drawing very large crowds and considerable state involvement. Travel and accommodation around that period need planning well in advance.
Principal festivals
- Sri Rama Navami and the Kalyanam
- Vaikunta Ekadasi
Timings, darshan arrangements and dress codes change without notice, especially around festivals. Check with the temple administration before relying on anything here.