Tucked inside a cave on the pristine Gandikota hills of Kondapuram mandal in Kadapa district is a nondescript temple drawing a larger number of devotees with each passing year.
More than the fact that it is an abode of Lord Sri Venkateswara Swamy, a unique custom in vogue here makes the temple a rare one.
What gives the temple a distinct identity, but one that is not renowned yet is the offering of chicken as ‘naivedyam’ to the deity, a practice perhaps not seen in any Vaishnavite temple in the country.
Located near K. Bommepalli village, and very close to the site where a pumped storage hydropower project is about to be set up, this temple called Sri Donthikona Venkateswara Swamy temple teems with devotees on Saturdays like any other Venkateswara Swamy temple, but one thing about it that stands out is the ritual sacrifice of poultry birds.
There is no idol here, but only a stone on which the shape of the God is etched and adorned every Saturday.
P. Ramanjulu, chairman of Sri Donthikona Venkateswara SwamySeva Trust, told The Hindu that the temple was existent for over a century.
The legend
The elder members of his family and priests say that legend has it that Lord Narasimha Swamy, to whom prayers are offered in a small temple perched on a rock just a few meters away, used to eat non-vegetarian items and feed Sri Venkateswara Swamy with chicken to satiate His hunger whenever He used to pass by, and the tradition had since caught up with the devotees.
Of late, the rush of devotees has increased to such an extent that the trust earned ₹10 lakh last year.
“We are trying to develop the temple further, for which we set up a trust. There is a suggestion to seek the assistance of religious bodies like Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, but I am doubtful as it may not support a temple where non-vegetarian food is offered as naivedyam to the deity,” Mr. Ramanjulu observed.
Published - February 02, 2024 07:43 pm IST
