“I am Chitram Harigopala Sharma, a Krishna Yajurveda Pandit. I have been in charge of the prayers offered to the goddess Maridi Kameshwari at the Maridamma temple at Srikakulam since the age of 29 years. I perform the Vedapranaya twice everyday.
Legend has it that 400 years ago, when this area was heavily forested the goddess appeared before the farmers who had brought their cattle to graze near the Monoji river in the form of a wooden idol. The farmers informed the other villagers about their sighting of the goddess, after which she appeared in a dream of the head of the Chintapalli family, who were landlords in the village. She informed him that she was the daughter of the Samarlakota Palace and asked him to build her a temple. Not only was the temple built, but the Chintapalli family has been finding the festivals during the Ashada Masam ever since.
The goddess brought about many miracles, curing diseases such as cholera and masuchi which didn’t have any cures at the time and increasing the growth of crops in the region. The villagers started celebrating utsavas to honour the goddess and a belief grew amongst them that she would fulfill all desires. This attracted pilgrims not only from Srikakulam, but from all.over Andhra Pradesh. She bestowed many couples with children. I myself had come from Samalrakota and had prayed to the goddess for a job and a daughter, promising that I would name my daughter after her as a token of my gratitude for answering my prayers. Surely enough, I got a job in the 1990’s and was blessed with a daughter, who I named Maridi Kameshwari. Devotees of all religions visit the temple to seek the goddess’s blessings. It is only through the divine path that people would get the thought of serving others.”
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