The village is more popular in the hearts of devotees of Sri Hanuman because of the ancient temple for the Lord located in this village. Lord of the kshetra is known by the name Sri Sanjeevaraya Swami. Many devotees from nearby districts and people from Karnataka even visit this temple and have dharshan of the Lord. After all it was this Lord Sri Sanjeevaraya who had got this village named ‘vellala’.
Why the name ‘vellala’
During Sri Rama – Ravana war, Lakshmana was inquired and fell unconscious. To bring him back from the unconscious state few medical herbs were required. Those herbs were told to be beyond the Himalayas. Sri Hanuman was ordained by Sri Rama to bring those medical herbs within short time. Sri Hanuman went leaping and got the mountain of herbs and was returning to Lanka. During the sandya time [sunset time], to offer prayers for Surya, He interrupted His journey in the bank of Kumudavathi. While He was performing His Sandya vandhan, devas and rishis came to witness His miraculous act of bringing the entire mountain. No sooner He finished His prayers, He was to leap again in the air. The rishis who were on the banks of the river requested the Lord to stay back in the kshetra itself, to which Lord told them since he is on the mission of Sri Rama, he ‘had to go’ [vellala vellala – in Telugu] and promised to come back to this kshetra.
The Temple for Sri Sanjeevaraya
Later when the karunya of Lord Sri Sanjeevaraya spread, a befitting temple was built for the Lord. Later rulers added more and expanded the temple. The temple is on the outskirts of the village and at the side of the main road leading from Proddatur to Allagadda. Today the temple welcomes the devotees with an imposing five tier Rajagopuram. Entering the main Rajagopuram to the outer prakara, one can see the Stone dwaja stampa of this temple which is special signature of Vijanagara style. Sri Ganesha and Sri Anjaneya are sculptured in the dwaja stampa. The stala purana of this kshetra written in Telugu is also seen here. The outer wall of the main temple is surrounded with a plateform supported by stone pillers. As one enters through the muka dwara which has an arch decorated with figures of Sri Rama, Sita, Siva, Bhrhma all of them showing abhya mudra.
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