| Temples & Legends Of Andhra
Pradesh |
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| Temples & Legends Of
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MAHANANDI |
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| There are two
popular legends as to why the place came to be called Nava Nandi. One version is that in
the beginning, of Kitayuga one Parvata had two sons called Silada and Nandi. The eldest
son Silada got his name due to his strict tapascharya in which he gave up eating any food
except Sila or stone. The Lord was so pleased that he converted Silada into a holy hill
and began to live upon him. Thus it is said that Silada as a famous shrine in the same
range of hills came into existence. In the same manner, the second son Nandi also
meditated upon the Lord Siva, and the Lord converted him as his Nandi or his vahana. The
place where Nandi conducted his tapascharya is considered to be the portion where the
present Mahanandi exists. The other version is that a dynasty of local kings, known as
Nandas, ruled here in the 11th century A.D. and they built a number of temples and
worshipped their tutelary deity namely the Nandi. Temples here have received the patronage
of kings of several dynasties including those of the famous Vijayanagar kings. |
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