A Humble Offering at the Lotus Feet of Lord Sri Kodanda Rama and Goddess Sita Devi (Vontimitta) : Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao

 A Humble Offering at the Lotus Feet of

Lord Sri Kodanda Rama and 

Goddess Sita Devi (Vontimitta) 

Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao 

(November 13, 2026)

It was an exceptionally blessed and spiritually fulfilling day in my life: Thursday the November 12, 2026. I had the sacred privilege of dedicating my English Translation comprising four volumes covering all the Six Kandas (Titled ‘Simplified and Faithful Rendering of Adi Kavya) of the Valmiki Sanskrit Ramayana, faithfully sourced from the Andhra Valmiki Ramayanam, the Letter-Perfect Grammatical Telugu Version of Valmiki, which was subsequently retold in colloquial Telugu by me.

This work represents my humble endeavour to make the timeless wisdom, literary splendour and eternal message of Maharshi Valmiki's Adi Kavya accessible to English-speaking readers. This is an effort to ‘Bridge Languages, Generations, and Continents.’ I had the divine fortune of placing all four volumes at the lotus feet of Lord Sri Vontimitta Kodanda Rama Swamy and Goddess Sita Devi in their thousand-year-old sacred temple at Vontimitta.

It was not merely the dedication of a literary work; it was an offering of devotion, gratitude and reverence to the divine couple whose sacred life and ideals form the very heart of the Ramayana. Sixteen years of my life have been devoted to my Telugu Version of the Valmiki and Andhra Valmiki Ramayana, and now I have completed the journey of bringing that treasured work into English, with the divine blessings of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita Devi.

I consider this moment a blessing and the fulfilment of a long-cherished aspiration. Whatever little I could accomplish in bringing this great epic closer to English readers, I offer with utmost humility to Lord Sri Rama and Mother Sita. And therefore, I Placed the English version of all these volumes, at the lotus feet Lord Rama and Goddess Sita. Sharp at 9:30 AM, fifty-sixty of our family friends, relatives, literary scholars, spiritual practitioners, people with medical knowledge, chartered accountants, NGO representatives gathered at temple entrance.

They are all with diverse ideological backgrounds. They assembled affectionately at the entrance of the thousand-year-old Sri Kodanda Rama temple at Vontimitta. My wife, Vijayalaxmi, our daughter Prema (a journalist), and I were deeply touched by their presence and participation. Leading the gathering at the forefront are Dr Satya Sindhuja and Sri Chilakapati Vijayaraghavacharylu, along with our family. The others followed in an orderly procession for the sacred ‘Temple Pradakshina.’

As we commenced the Pradakshina, the three of us in the lead carried specially arranged large plates, each containing a complete set of the four-volume work, reverentially held above our heads. The other participants carried one or two volumes each in their hands, making the procession a collective expression of devotion and participation. In addition to the books, I also carried on my head the sacred garments intended as offerings to Lord Sri Kodanda Rama Swamy and Goddess Sita Devi.

From 9:30 AM until 1:30 PM, the entire occasion unfolded as a memorable devotional experience, culminating in the dedication. This work represents my humble endeavour to make the timeless wisdom, literary splendour and eternal message of Maharshi Valmiki's Adi Kavya accessible to English-speaking readers. The privilege of placing these four volumes at the lotus feet of Lord Sri Vontimitta Kodanda Rama Swamy and Goddess Sita Devi in their ancient and sacred abode was beyond words.

What made the occasion even more meaningful was the affectionate participation of people from different walks of life, professions, intellectual persuasions and spiritual backgrounds. Their presence transformed what could have been an individual literary dedication into a collective expression of goodwill, affection and devotion. It was not merely the dedication of a literary work; it was an offering of devotion, gratitude and reverence to the divine couple whose sacred life and ideals form the very heart of the Ramayana.

The Pradakshina was by no means a casual walk around the temple. It was an intensely devotional procession, reverberating with the enthusiastic and loud chanting of ‘Jai Sri Ram! Jai, Jai Sri Ram!’ by the entire near and ear. The collective chanting added a special spiritual fervour and beauty to the occasion. The march initially culminated at the Dhwaja Sthambha (temple flagstaff), where the gathering paused for a few minutes before proceeding further into the temple, up to a point just outside the sanctum sanctorum, the Garbha Gudi.

The spiritual atmosphere gradually reached its peak when the three sets of the four-volume Ramayana were ceremonially received and placed at the lotus feet of Lord Sri Vontimitta Kodanda Rama Swamy and Goddess Sita Devi by the temple priests, led by Sri Veena Raghava Chary, who serves as the Pradhana Archaka (Chief Priest) at the Temple. He is widely recognized for overseeing daily rituals, leading major annual temple festivities, and publicly advocating for the shrine's cultural heritage and infrastructure

This was followed by the sacred rituals of Archana, Veda Parayana, Sankalpam, Harathi, Teertha and Sattari, along with the recitation of a few selected verses from the Ramayana. Our family was specially blessed by the priests, making the moment particularly divine and unforgettable. Thereafter, before proceeding to the next part of the programme, a special literary and spiritual session was held, reminiscing about Maharshi Valmiki and the Andhra Valmiki, particularly in the context of my faithful English rendering of the great epic.

The six Archaka Swamis who conducted and participated in the sacred rituals were felicitated as a mark of our gratitude and respect. A special word of appreciation is also due to the Temple Executive Officer, Sri Ravi, who made all the necessary arrangements and remained with us throughout the programme, extending his support and cooperation from beginning to end. Equally, and even more, who did everything fro A to Z remarkably almost as our family member is Kadapa District Court Superintendents, Shiva Rama Krishna Reddy with his dedicated team.

What followed was an extraordinary celebration of devotion, scholarship and literary accomplishment. Expressions of admiration, appreciation and felicitations continued for over four hours, making the occasion truly memorable. The most remarkable and historically significant feature of this majestic event was its unique connection with history. According to Sri Chilakapati Vijaya Raghavacharyulu, a similar felicitation had taken place at this very temple, at approximately the same time of the year, 116 years ago, when Vasudasa Swamy was conferred the distinguished title of ‘Andhra Valmiki’ by the Maha Vidwat Parishad.

The recurrence of such a literary and devotional honour at the same sacred venue, after more than a century, lends an extraordinary historical and spiritual dimension to today's celebration. Several eminent personalities and distinguished guests, including Dr Satya Sindhuja with her family, Chilakapati Vijaya Raghavacharyulu, Darshanam and Dattatreya Sarma with their team, Mallapragada Murthy with his wife, Dasa Kuti Peetaadhipathi Sitarama Dasu, Kaladhar with Family members, KD Prasad Wit family members, Chaitanya with his mother and aunt, Rajani and her husband, Dr Bharat, Ananth Krishna, Sashi with his wife etc.

Representatives of the illustrious Golkonda Vyapari dynasty, led by Punnama Raju (a well-known Telugu devotional commentator, anchor, and live event host frequently featured on spiritual broadcasts, temple tours, and cultural events across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), the lineage to which Vasudasa Swamy belongs with his team also participated. I am fortunate that they all showered their appreciation and applause on Jwala and his literary contribution.

In the informal meeting anchored by Darshanam Sharma, beginning with Chilakapati, those who spoke are: M Mallapragada Murthy (a comparative study of Valmiki, Vasudasa Swamy and Vanam Ramayana), Sitarama Dasu, Sitarama Dasu, Punnama Raju, Anantha Krishna, Siddhaanthi, Dattatreya Sharma, and finally the Chief Guest. I responded to their divine blessings.

This program would not have been successful but for the support from: Supreme Court Judge Justic Bhatti, AP High Court Judge Justice Lakshmana Rao, Kadapa District Judge Koteshwara Rao, Praveen Kumar Additional Judge Kadapa, TTD EO Ravichandra, Dy EO Prashanthi, Temple EO Ravi, and, and many many. My heartfelt thanks to all.