Mopi Devi is a village in Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh. This temple is at a distance of 70 km from Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The Presiding deity in Mopi Devi temple is Lord Subramanya. He took the form of Shivalinga and the deity is Suyambu (Self-manifested).
History
Sanath Kumara, Sanantana, Sanat Sujata, and Sanaka are highly devoted and knowledgeable. They are immortal and always appear as five years old, to others. Unaware of their worldly surroundings they were wandering naked. Once they came to Kailasa to worship Shiva. At the same time Sati Devi, Swaha Devi, Goddess Saraswati, and Goddess Lakshmi also arrived.
Lord Subramanya was sitting on the lap of his mother Goddess Parvati. He observed the difference between the clad and decked Goddess and nude rishis. Bewildered, he giggled in a childish way upon seeing the contrast. Goddess Parvati reproached him for his folly. Realizing his lapse, Lord Subramanya disguised himself as a snake and observed penance. Several years of penance freed and cleansed him from his sin. The place where Subramanya observed penance was later known as “ Mopi Devi “. Subramanyeswara Swamy took the form of a snake. He is called the “ God of snakes” and is present here in the form of a lingam.
Origin:
A potter named Veeravarapu Parvathalu once had a dream. Subramanyeswara Swamy appeared in the dream. He said that there was a lingam in the ant hill in Mopidevi. The potter was an ardent devotee of Lord Subramanya. He shared his dream with the villagers. They dug the anthill and found the Suyambu lingam inside it. The villagers got excited. Parvathalu started creating idols of Nandi, Garuda, and cock, in clay. These are very dear to Subramanya Swamy. He then baked these idols to harden them.
Significance:
The mighty Vindhya Mountain lies between north and south. Realizing its might, it started growing towards the sky and approached the Sun. Due to this, darkness prevailed everywhere. This left the devas, humans, flora, and fauna to suffer. The Devas requested Agasthya, who was in Kashi, to address this situation. They wanted Vindhya to realize its folly. Sage Agastya started traveling towards South India. Seeing the sage approaching, Mount Vindhya reduced its size and paved the way for the rishi to pass by. Sage Agastya made Vindhya promise not to grow further until he returned. Mount Vindhya promised to do so. The sage after reaching South India never returned. Vindhya never grew as the Sage never returned. The great sage with his disciples then reached the place where Subramanya took the shape of Linga.
Royal Family connection :
The Principal deity of Mopi temple is Sri Subramanyeswara Swamy. This is the family deity of the royal family of Challapalli which runs the temple at present. There is another temple nearby by the name Sri Sakaleshwara Swamy temple. This temple has a Swayambhu ( Self-manifested) Lingam. This temple derives its name from Sagara Chakravarthy, the grandfather of Sri Rama. He too had earlier worshipped this Lingam. The local people of that area discovered the lingam during floods in the year 1783. Adusumalli Gangubotlu, the landlord of the region, later constructed the temple. The Adusumalli family runs the Sakaleswara temple now.
Benefits of Worshipping in Mopidevi Temple:
Childless couples get blessed with children. Lord Subramanya, blesses those who spend a night in the temple premises. Women form a cradle using a new saree and hang it onto the sacred tree in the temple premises.
The temple performs poojas for Rahu Ketu Dosha, Sarpa Dosha, and Anapathya Dosha. Some get their children’s ears bored to get relief from Sarpa Dosha. Worshipping Mopidevi Sri Subrahmanyeswara Swamy sets the afflicted natives free of all Doshas.
People who want to get married early offer Pongal made of Jaggery and rice. People suffering from ear ailments get cured. Poor eyesight, skin diseases, and lack of progeny also get cured. People get their wishes fulfilled by visiting the temple and performing Poojas. The temple also conducts annaprasanam (the child’s first rice feed).
Temple Timings:
Morning: The Mopidevi temple is open from 5.30 am to 1.00 pm
Evening: The temple is open from 4.30 pm to 8.00 pm
How to reach Mopi Devi temple:
By air:
Vijayawada International Airport at Gannavaram is the nearest one. This is 63.8 kilometers away from Mopidevi Temple.
By Rail:
Devotees can alight at the nearby Repalle railway station. This is 12 kilometers away from the temple. Share autos also operate between Rappelle Railway Station and Mopidevi temple. The travel time is approximately 30 minutes.
Vijayawada Railway Station is 68 kilometers from the Mopi Devi temple.
By Road:
The Mopidevi temple lies on the Vijayawada-Avanigadda national highway. Several buses run from Avanigadda to Vijayawada. Andhra Pradesh State Transport Corporation is also plying special buses. Devotees can alight at Mopidevi. The Rappelle Bus station is 12 kilometers away from the temple.
