Gangapur Temple, Gangapur village in Kumuram Bheem Asifabad District: The Balaji temple is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in this district. It is thought to have been built in the 13th century on the beautiful banks of a stream on the edge of Gangapur. The temple is five kilometres from the centre of the Mandal. Devotees go there to worship the god on the full moon day of the sacred Hindu month of Magha.
The story goes that Mummadi Pothaji, a strong follower of Lord Venkateswara Swamy, would go to Tirumala yearly to pray. Pothaji couldn't go to Tirumala for one year because he was sick, and in his old age, he was sad that he couldn't make the pilgrimage. Lord Balaji then showed up in Pothaji's dream and told him that he could find the Lord by drilling into a hillock. So, Pothaji used a crowbar to make a hole in the rocky hillock. After a while, he found an idol of the Lord in the hole. Every time there was a full moon in Magha, he would pray to the idol and say special prayers.
In the 16th century, rulers of the Kakatiya dynasty came to the temple and put up an idol of the goddess Padmavati. They also built a holy pond in front of the temple. But the pond has been gone for a long time. But you can still see the crowbar on top of the shrine.
By Air:
The nearest airports are in Hyderabad and Nagpur.
By Road:
Several buses run from Hyderabad MGBS to Asifabad and then to Rebbena Mandal. There are several shared Autos from there to the temple.
By Train:
Trains run from Secunderabad to Nagpur. The closest stations to this location are Asifabad Road-ASAF and Sirpur Kaghaznagar-SKZR.
Gangapur Temple
The story goes that Mummadi Pothaji, a strong follower of Lord Venkateswara Swamy, would go to Tirumala yearly to pray. Pothaji couldn't go to Tirumala for one year because he was sick, and in his old age, he was sad that he couldn't make the pilgrimage. Lord Balaji then showed up in Pothaji's dream and told him that he could find the Lord by drilling into a hillock. So, Pothaji used a crowbar to make a hole in the rocky hillock. After a while, he found an idol of the Lord in the hole. Every time there was a full moon in Magha, he would pray to the idol and say special prayers.
In the 16th century, rulers of the Kakatiya dynasty came to the temple and put up an idol of the goddess Padmavati. They also built a holy pond in front of the temple. But the pond has been gone for a long time. But you can still see the crowbar on top of the shrine.
How to Reach Gangapur Temple
The nearest airports are in Hyderabad and Nagpur.
By Road:
Several buses run from Hyderabad MGBS to Asifabad and then to Rebbena Mandal. There are several shared Autos from there to the temple.
By Train:
Trains run from Secunderabad to Nagpur. The closest stations to this location are Asifabad Road-ASAF and Sirpur Kaghaznagar-SKZR.