Presenting the activities at Jillellamudi during this quarter is quite a daunting job. The spontaneous enthusiasm of devotees, the festivity at Jillellamudi has only to be seen to be believed. Hyma’s Idol installation on 24th April 2002 was an event, countless devotees were looking forward to for many months. Devotees started thronging Jillellamudi much in advance of the function and started involving in the preparations and arrangements there. In fact, the arrival of Hyma’s Idol to Jillellamudi itself had ignited a spontaneous participation by all the villagers not only from Jillellamudi, but also from all the neighboring villages. The marble Idol packed securely arrived in a special carrier on 25th March 2002 around 7.30 p.m. at the ‘Welcome Arch’ at 7th mile. Great cheer and thunderous welcome greeted the arrival of Hyma. From there, the procession through the 2.2 km path to Jillellamudi through the unprecedented crowd took nearly four hours.
The actual installation rituals started on 19th April with ‘Maha Rudrabhishekam’ in Himalaya in the morning and initiation of “Homam” rituals in specially built Yagashala adjacent to the temples. A team of eleven highly learned ‘ritwika’ along with their assistants from East Godavari District came specially to conduct the elaborate rituals on all the five days before the actual installation of the Idol in Himalaya.
Many cultural, literary activities took place alongside the traditional religious rituals during all the festive days with the participation of a good number of celebrities. On 20th evening a book written by Vasundhara Akkayya titled ‘SREEVARI CHARANA SANNIDHI’ (At the Lotus feet of the Lord) was released at a well organized function in TTD Kalyana Mandapam in Jillellamudi. The function was presided over by Dr.Pothuri Venkateswara Rao, Chairman, A.P.Press Academy. Sri Pothuri, apart from being a celebrity in the journalistic field, is one of the very old devotees of AMMA. Sri Sri Vasudevanandagiri Swamy of Lalita Peetham from PedaPulipaka graced the function and blessed the gathering. The book was released by Ravi Annayya, AMMA’s second son and was reviewed by Sri Kondamudi Hanumantha Rao, a physicist and by Smt. U. Varalakshmi, Reader in Arts & Science College, Bapatla The book is a compilation of many daily events at Jillellamudi, painstakingly diarised by Vasundhara Akkayya since the 1960s. It is a great work of tremendous import.
Nextday, on 21st April there was another important function, the Upanayanam (thread ceremony) of Chy. Prem Chaitanya, AMMA’S eldest grandson and that of nine others. They are 1. Chy. Anasuyeshwar, S/o Kattamuri Venkateswara Rao, Guntur, 2. Chy. Vijaya Narasimha, S/o Ravuri Prasad, Hyderabad 3. Chy. Haranadh Babu, S/o Dhulipala Sreenivas, Visakhapatnam, 4. Chy. Naga Sai Venkata Ramana, S/o Sri PVR Shankar, Guntur, 5. Chy. Siva Subba Rao, S/o Late Sri Krishna Murty, (Sri K. Rama Rao his uncle performed the ceremony) 6. Chy. Venkata Sesha Raju, S/o Sathiraju Krishna Mohan, Hyderabad. 7. Chy. Durga Prasada Rao, S/o Sathiraju Krishna Mohan, (Sri Vundavalli Ramakrishna Rao, his uncle performed the ceremony), Hyderabad 8. Chy. Ravi Chandra, S/o Chakka Gokul Raja, Vijayawada, 9. Chy. Krishna Babu, S/o Ramaraju Krishna Murthy, Guntur.
Thread ceremonies of collective nature are a rare event in Jillellamudi after AMMA’s physical departure. On that day, all those present in Jillellamudi strongly felt the presence of AMMA. The function was held in TTD Kalyana Mandapam. In the afternoon. a Compact Disc composed and designed by Chy. Valluri Premkumar. Son of Sri Valluri Panduranga Rao, was released in the presence of AMMA in Anasuya Swaralayam. In the evening, Dr. Prasadaraya Kulapati conducted the now very famous and popular literary playlet ‘Anasuya Samrajyam’. Head of Kutralam Peetam Sri Sri Sri Siva Chidananda Bharati swamy graced all the functions that day and blessed the gathering.
Homams continued on all the days from 20th April onwards with the participation of a large number of devotees, who took part in the Japa Deeksha’ prior to the Idol installation function. The installation of Idol in the temple actually is an elaborate ritual. The statue has to go through the process of getting sanctified with several rituals like ‘JALADHIVASAM (keeping the idol in water), ‘KSHEERA DIVASAM’ (in milk), ‘CHHAYADHIVASAM’ (under shade), ‘DHANYA DIVASAM (in grain), ‘PUSHPADHIVASAM’ (in flowers), ‘GHRITHADHIVASAM (in ghee and honey), and finally ‘SHAYYADHIVASAM’ (in sleeping posture on a bed). Only then, the statue is ready for Installation in the Sanctum Sanctorum of Himalaya, which took place on 24th April 2002 at 10.47 a.m. followed by erection and installation of DHWAJASTHAMBHAM in front of Hymalayam and KUMBHABHISHEKAM to the Shikharam of Himalaya with milk and water.
Sri Sri Purnananda Swami from Srisailam has a special affinity for Jillellamudi. He was regarded as the incarnation of Lord Siva. Though Swamiji is no longer physically present, he has a large following of devotees. Swarniji’s Ashram at Sunnipenta, Srisailam has a large photograph of Amma in the Dining Hall and they feed the visitors free of cost. A team of seven girls from Swamiji’s Ashram specially came to attend the Idol Installation programme. The melodious and impressive rendering of ‘DURGA SAPTASHATI’ by these sisters electrified the atmosphere in the Yagashala. Their most disciplined conduct of Puja, Parayana and Homam is exemplary. Swamiji’s presence was predominantly felt in every movement of these sisters.
AMMA’s 80th birthday falls on 23rd of April as per the lunar calendar. ‘Anasuya Vratam’ by a large number of participants of about 300 devotee couples was performed in TTD Kalyana Mandapam. Sri PSR Anjaneya Prasad and Sri Ravuri Prasad conducted the Vratam.
Smt.Kusuma Chakravarthy is a prolific writer of Amma’s literature in recent times. She already has five books on AMMA to her credit. She has produced her sixth book on AMMA, titled ‘AMMA SATCHARITRA, Vol-III’. The book was released on 23rd evening at a well-organized meeting presided over by Sri B Ramabrahmam, president, SVJP. Sri M.Dinakar, senior member of Sri Viswajanani Parishat, who held several important positions in the Parishat, released the book. Sri Sri Sri Nirmalananda Swamy from Singarayakonda blessed the gathering. Dr.K.V.S.Acharya, Sri Mallapragada Sreemannarayana Murthy, and Sri M.S.Saratchandra Kumar reviewed the book.
The next programme that day was a real treat to the ears. Many brothers and sisters at Jillellamudi know Smt. R. Anasuya since her childhood as the darling daughter of brother Tangirala Sastry.
That, she has blossomed into an accomplished artist and an exponent of carnatic classical music, has come as a pleasant surprise to many inmates of House of All that evening after her impressive performance for nearly two hours. Kudos to Anasuya and her team of accompanists.
The much-awaited moment did finally arrive. Jillellamudi woke up early on 24th in eager anticipation of Installation of Hyma’s Idol in pure white marble in the fully renovated and expanded precincts of Himalaya. The installation took place exactly at the stipulated time. HYMA has at last graced Jillellamudi in exquisitely carved and immaculately white marble, as pure as Her Grace and compassion. The large gathering that assembled in Himalaya that day was very fortunate as they had the unique privilege of having the first Darshan of Hyma in the form of Mahalakshmi. It was a most memorable and thrilling moment, everyone present there preserved carefully and reverentially in the depths of their hearts. Exactly thirty-four years after AMMA consecrated HYMA, and declared to the world that Divine Hyma is present there to instantly grant the desires of spiritual seekers,. an image of Hyma in pure white stone gracefully blessing humanity is installed.
Sri Viswajanani Parishat express their sincere and heartfelt gratitude to the team of Sri Voleti Parvateesam, Programme Executive of Doordarshan Kendra, Vijayawada for covering the function to its minutest detail and preparing a single episode on AMMA’s, to be telecast shortly. Sri Parvateesam, though a first time visitor to Jillellamudi, was very much impressed with the philosophy of AMMA. He interviewed many people closely connected with AMMA.
It is the fulfillment of AMMA’s direction given more than three decades ago that Hyma’s Idol shall be in pure white marble in Himalaya and Her own Idol shall be in black granite in Anasuya Swaralayam. It is the fruit of intense penance for many years by hundreds of brothers and sisters. It is the result of painstaking, determined and dedicated effort of many more brothers. Trying to list all of them individually is like trying to count the stars in the sky. May AMMA’s eternal and infinite blessings be with them forever.