Venugopala Swamy Temple EDUNUTHULA

Edunuthula village and its historic importance:

Edunuthula, meaning ‘seven wells’, has a long history because of its name and the big village tank (Oora cheruvu) with a well right on the tank bund. The origin of the well is traced to the period of Kakatiya kings who ruled between 1083 and 1323 CE from Orugallu, the present Warangal. The name of the village is attributed to that well as it is said to have been constructed by seven sisters. Another reason for the derivation of the name is that there are seven pairs of granite slabs fixed at right angles deep down the well at fixed intervals. The well water is exceptionally of good quality and a majority of the village popoulation uses the water for drinking purposes. The village was originally in Nalgonda district and it was transferred to Warangal district in 1953. It was formerly under Jangaon taluk and presently under Kodakandla Mandal. The Mandal H.Qrs. is about 5 k.m. from Edunuthula. The village is on Kodakandla- Palakurthi Road.

There is a place called ‘seven wells’ near Madras, acquired by East India Company and the wells were well protected when Hyder Ali’s army attacked the British. The wells at that place were the source of drinking water supply to Fort St. George and Madras.

A poet referred to the village Edunuthula as ‘Saptha koopa puram’ and the poem used to be recited during puja in the temple by Sathani Ramaiah Pantulu. The presiding Deity is Sri Venugopala Swamy. Sri Katoori Venkatachari and his forefathers were the priests of  this temple. None belonging to that family is living in the village. 

Tirupathi is a famous pilgrimage centre in South India and the Deity at Tirumala is  Lord Venkateshwara, also known as Balaji, Srinivasa, Seshachalavasa, Venkataramana etc. The temple is on the top of seven hills. The Deity is also popular as the Lord of Seven Hills (Sapthgirivasa). Devotees during their pilgrimage, with deep reverence to the Lord in a raised voice, say: “Edu Kondala Vaasa, Venkataramana, Govindaa, Goovinda”. Similarly during Seva time in the village Edunuthula, when ‘Festival Idols’ (Utsava Vigrahas) are taken out in procession in the streets, people with great fervor and devotion chant; “Edu Nuthula Vaasa, Venugopala, Govindaa, Goovinda.”

In Medak district, River Manjeera flows by the side of the village Nagsanpalli. The river gets divided into seven rivulets at a particular place and the place is called ‘Edu Payalu’.The seven streams are said to represent seven rishis. There is a temple dedicated to the Goddess Vana Bhavani and a jatara is held every year at the time of Shivaratri and a large number of devotees visit the place.  

Significance of ‘Edu’, ‘Sapta’ or ‘Seven’:

Since the name of the village Edunuthula begins with ‘Edu’ or ‘Sapta’, that is ‘Seven’, significance and ethos of the number ‘seven’ in our culture and tradition will make an interesting study.

There are seven sacred rivers-Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswathi, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri-Saptha Nadulu. They represent Sapth Rishis. Who knows, Edunuthula may symbolically represent the seven sacred rivers.

There is a hill range by name ‘Sapthamala’ which in course of time in usage has come to be known as ‘Satmala’.

 There are seven saints (Sapta Rishis) mentioned in our ancient scriptures. They are; Atreya, Bharadwaja, Gautama, Jamadagni, Kashyapa, Vasishta, and Viswamitra.

In a Hindu wedding, a ritual called ‘Edu Adugulu’ (Sapta padi) is performed to make seven promises / vows. The bride and groom make one promise in each step totaling to seven, for happy married life, for being truthful and trustworthy to each other, for love and fidelity, for caring for children etc.

Music is divine. There are seven musical notes (Sapta swara): Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Da, Ni. The attributes of the seven notes are: Shadja, Rishaba, Gandharva, Madhyama, Panchama, Daivata, and Nishada.

There are seven colors in a rainbow - VIBGYOR. Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green,  Yellow, Orange and Red.

There are seven (New) wonders of the world, Viz. Chichen Itza, Mexico; Christ Redeemer, Brazil; The great wall of China; Machu Picchu, Peru; Petra, Jordan; The Roman Colosseum, Italy; and the Tajmahal, India.

There are seven continents of the world: Africa, Asia, North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Antarctica. 

There are seven oceans: North Pacific; South Pacific; North Atlantic; South Atlantic; Indian; Arctic; and Antarctic.

In Malaysia, there is a beautiful waterfall at a place called ‘seven wells’; It is a geological marvel and has become a tourist attraction. The name is derived because of its cascading water broken by a series of seven natural pools.

There are seven wells vineyards and winery in California and Kentucky of U.S.A. The property is owned by a family. Quality wine is prepared here with grapes.

Seven Wells of Texas is so named after several natural springs near Colorado city in Texas at the confluence of Champion Creeks.

Besides, there are many hotels named after seven wells in Tamilnadu, Malaysia, London, Turkey etc. and they have earned good reputation.

It is seen that the name of Seven Wells (Edu Nuthulu) echoes all over the world. The sons of the soil of Edu Nuthula have a duty to uphold the greatness of the village and endeavour to work for its development. We find lately that awareness for developmental works in the village is growing and it is gratifying to see some youngsters are coming forward to do voluntary work in the temple renovation and school improvement.