From here & there

A hill shrine in Raichur district

A remote village belonging to Gillesugur Panchayat in Raichur district, Ganadhalu has a popular hill shrine called  Panchamukhi Anjaneya, the hill deity with five faces. The saint of Mantralaya, it is said, performed tapasya for the blessings of Panchamukhi Pranadevaru (Anjaneya) when the saint desired to attain jeeva  samadhi at nearby Mantralaya.

Next to the main temple is a cave shrine with Anjaneya and other deities worshipped by the saint. A small Brindavana of saint Raghavendra can also be seen inside the cave rocks. Adjacent to this cave shrine, there is a small temple where Padarakshas (footwear) are kept since there is a belief that hill God blessed his devotee who offered Padarakshas.

The family of Bheemaiah belonged to the village Kerebudur and is known to have offered handmade Padrakshas to the hill deity. Decades ago, Bheemaiah offered the very first pair of Padurakshas to Panchamukhi Anjaneya, and his family has continued the tradition.

Next to the hill shrine, to the north is a rock cave with the deity dedicated to Yarakallamma. Goddess Yarakallamma is known to be the village deity of Ganadhalu village. Boulders of all shapes and sizes can be seen here. The rock formations have been one of the tourist attractions at Panchamukhi. It is 20 km from Mantralaya and about 30 km journey from Raichur. There are buses from Mantralaya, Manvi and Raichur to Panchamukhi.