HYDERABAD: Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to Ramalayam temple in Devaryamjal village of Medchal-Malkajgiri 39 years ago during her nine-day India sojourn has shot the tiny unknown village to the international spotlight.
The Queen and Prince Philip visited the 1,000-year- old temple on November 19, 1983, marking their 36th wedding anniversary. The Queen mother visited the village on many occasions when the royal family stayed in the present-day Rashtrapati Nilayam in Bolarum.
The head priest of the temple Sitaram Achary, who was 15 years old in 1983, expressed grief at the Queen’s passing away. He recalled her visit to the village and the temple.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Achary said, “My uncle was the head priest when she visited the temple. She first visited the temple during World War II. Later, when she could not conceive, someone advised her to visit the temple and offer prayers to Lord Rama. She visited again. It is believed that Queen Mother’s first child Elizabeth II was conceived after her first visit to the temple.”
The Queen Mother is said to have narrated this experience to Queen Elizabeth and had urged her to visit the temple.
“The preparations were grand as the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister P.V. Narsimha Rao had specifically looked into the welcome arrangements for the Queen. The village soon boasted of a new gram panchayat building, tar roads, a new library, community hall and a residential colony of around 250 houses for the underprivileged,” said Achary. More than ten generations of the priest have served the temple.
Although the Queen did not stay in touch with the villagers or the temple after her 1983 visit, the event is vividly remembered by the locals as the temple got a makeover and the village was decked up for the grand occasion, which was unheard of.
A resident of Devaryamjal, T. Pavala Kumar, said, “When we got to know about the Queen’s visit to our village, I and my friend Papalal headed to the place on a bicycle. We were stopped by the police for breach of security, but we managed to reach the venue. She came in an open jeep along with her husband, dressed in a whitish gown. It was a breathtaking visual and she was very pretty. She was presented with handicraft idols by our villagers, who also performed a local dance in the temple premises.”
Rare features mark ancient temple
The Ramalayam located in Devaryamjal in Medchal district on the outskirts of Hyderabad is believed to be at least 1,000 years old.
It is believed that it was constructed by the Chola dynasty and the idol of Lord Rama was consecrated by Ramanujacharya.
The temple has three idols. Chaturbhuja Rama at the centre, with Sita on his right and Laxman on his left and Sri Hanuman seated at the feet.
Chaturbhuja means four hands, which is an unusual form of Lord Rama, who is always depicted in his human form with two hands.
It is said to be symbolic of the unified avatar of Lord Vishnu and Lord Rama in human form.
The varna (hue) of the deity is shaligram, indicating dark colour.
The Lord Rama idol holds a shankh, chakra and a vilu dhanush
The temple is spread over one acre of land. There is a pond to the left of the sanctum sanctorum. The pond is surrounded by 28 mini temples, symbolic of 28 nakshatras in Hindu astrology.
This temple design has distinct features like the rare combination of Shri Chakra on the floor and the Nagabandha on the ceiling exactly above it. This is found in temples in Travancore and Thanjavur. The Nagabandha is the rarest symbol to be found in any temple.
Sitaram Achary, Head priest of Ramalayam at Devaryamjal
My village Yamjal, about 20 km away from Hyderabad, has a huge 11th century Ramalayam with a well. The queen visited it in the 1980s.. that's how we got the road as well..."
— Sundeep Gummadi, Entrepreneur, Devarayamjal native
