GOVADA BALAKOTESWARA SWAMY TEMPLE, CHERUKUPALLI, GUNTUR

MUKTHI AND MOKSHA : 


I STARTED REALIZING THAT IN MY SUBTLE MIND THERE IS A GROWING FEELING TOWARDS THE ULTIMATE MUKTHI AND MOKSHA.
I HAVE IMMENSE FAITH THAT IT IS THE GOD WHO WILL TAKE ACTION ON THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE FOR DISTURBING MY LOVING FAMILY.  IN ORDER TO REDUCE MY INNER TENSIONS, 
I STARTED PACIFYING MY INNER SELF WITH THE AGE OLD PHILOSOPHY OF KARMA IN THE PREVIOUS LIFE AS MY FATHER TAUGHT ME SINCE MY CHILDHOOD DAYS. 


I CONTINUE TO PRAY TO THE GODS TO GIVE ME INNER PEACE, MUKTHI  AND MOKSHA.  

On Maha Shiva Ratri day Friday 12th Feb. 2010, God blessed me with an opportunity to visit GOVADA. The day before Shiva Ratri thast is on Thursday night 11th Feb. 2010, I reached Epurupalem after my Guntur trip.  I got delayed in Guntur due to heavy rush at RTC bus stand because of the coming up Maha Shiva Ratrip festival next day.   On Mahashiva raqtri day, early morning, I  went to see my sister and there I have taken bath (headbath), then we discussed and proposed a trip to Govada and Kakani Shiva temples.  My brother-in-law was well aware of the route to Kakani temple just adjacent to Guntur on the highway to Vijayawada.  But, route to Govada temple is not clear to us.  We proposed to take lunch and start together.  Then, I firwst visited shivalayam of my village, and have darshan along with Pragada   Kishore's brother-in-law family who met me on my way to Shivalayam.  After that I went to seemy sister where we had lunch.  My brother-inlaw was not feeling well so do my sister thus, they have proposed to postponed the visits and avoid travel at that day. I went to my home and took an hour rest till 2:40 PM.

After that I went to railway station and narrowly missed the Passenger train that was going to Tenali.  Then, I proceeded to bus stand of Epurupalem and boarded Repalle bus.  Took ticket upto Bapatla.  On enquiry the conductor told me the easiest way to go to GOVADA temple is to cotinue in the same bus, up to Cherukupalli. where the buses to Govada temple are queing up for Mahashvaratri festival and it is just a mere 3 km from Cherukupalli busstand.  True.  As I got down from this bus, I boarded the next bus to Govada temple.  After one km run in the midst of Cherukupalli houses and street, I saw temple farway but, visble clearly in the fields.  The Govada temple the bus haqs taken a left turn.  Later I came to know that the right side of the road goes to the Govada village.  I reached the temple nearby temporary bus stand by 4PM.  I proceeded through the crowds for half a km and reached the ques of devotees.  There are four ques, (1) free darshan, (2) Rs.10/- fee, (3) Rs.20/- fee and (4) Rs.50/- fee.  With a view to spend more time to see the temple area and around, I took the Rs.50/- ticket and in an hours time, I was blessed with the devine darshan of Lord Shiva  Lingam.  The shiva Lingam is about 1 or 2 feet high.

I saw more than a dozen big size "Prabhalu"  of 5 meters height or more arriving towards the temple through the fields as I was in the que for almost an hour.  At the temple while having the daqrshan I prayed to the Lord to bless my son-in-law, my daughter and safe guard the health of the wood be mother.  I prayed to the Lord to turn the minds of my children to realize my love and affecrtion, my thoughts, my  feelings towards them (Anil, Venkat, Rohini).  Also, prayed to the Lord to bless me with Moksha as I got deprived of the love of my children in this life, may be because of the Karma of my past lives.

Locally this temple is quite famous, however, I could not find any book describing the stala puranam of this one of the anicent  temples.