Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy Temple at Ajalapuram village is located amid three hills in Rachakonda forest fringe of Marriguda mandal. A spring, locally known as Bugga, flows down these hills near the local temple. The spring is well-known because it never dries up.
The presiding deity in the temple was named after the spring and is known as ‘Bugga Lakshminarasimha Swamy’.
A 70-year-old villager, Suru Lakshmaiah, who guards the temple, told The Hindu , that the ‘Bugga’ and the temple had an interesting history. “My grandfather told me that the temple was named after the spring by his great grandfathers because the spring had a key role to play in every religious activity,” the septuagenarian said.
He further said that the idols of the presiding deity were taken for a dip in the spring before performing puja every day. The villagers organise a jatara every May. “Even during the summer, the spring contains water,” the villager claimed.
Another villager, A. Rambabu, said that a huge number of villagers and their kin, even those who are settled in urban areas, arrive to take part in the annual ritual.
Locals believe that the water in the spring has healing power. Villagers drink the water whenever they are taken ill. They also mix the water in seeds and pesticides while undertaking any farming activity, as they believe that they might get better yield. During the rainy season, the spring is in full spate and many believe that is the right time to visit the place.
