
Chaganti Koteswara Rao, the famous preacher popular on YouTube and a household name for many Telugu-speaking families, has been giving a tremendous impetus and boost to pilgrimage tourism in India.
His influence is not just limited to Andhra Pradesh, its impact can be seen from Uttar Pradesh to Tamil Nadu.
Anyone visiting Arunachalam can find many Telugu pilgrims there, and the credit largely goes to Sri Chaganti Koteswara Rao, whose impactful discourse on the sacred place years ago inspired countless devotees to visit.
Even today, Telugu pilgrims flock there in greater numbers than people from any other community.
Kashi has always had a steady flow of Telugu pilgrims, but Chaganti Koteswara Rao added further momentum through his detailed and insightful lectures explaining the spiritual significance of the holy city. As a result, Telugu devotees continue to visit Kashi in large numbers.
The same trend can be seen in Naimisharanyam and Ayodhya, where Telugu pilgrims are now a strong presence.
Coming to the Andhra Pradesh scenario, there is a place called Vadapalli, home to a temple of Lord Venkateswara. After Chaganti Koteswara Rao spoke about its sanctity, people began flocking there every Saturday in astonishing numbers.
Devotees from Hyderabad travel by the Janmabhoomi Express, while those from Visakhapatnam take the Ratnachal Express to Rajahmundry. From there, special buses operate to Vadapalli, which is around 30 km from Rajahmundry Railway Station.
A taxi driver in East Godavari shared an interesting story: “An NRI completed seven consecutive Saturday vrathams (Saptha Sanivara Vratham) at the Vadapalli temple. The way he travelled back and forth every week was unbelievable. He would reach Rajahmundry early Friday morning, rush to Vadapalli for his prayers, and then return to the airport by 4 pm to catch his connecting flights back to his country. He did this for seven weeks; all because of Sri Chaganti Koteswara Rao’s discourse.”
Similarly, a place called Kundaleswaram was relatively unknown until Chaganti Koteswara Rao spoke about it. Once he described it as being as pious as Kashi, devotees began visiting in large numbers. Once there wasn’t even a tea stall there; now, the area has restaurants and growing commercial activity.
That is the power of Sri Chaganti Koteswara Rao. While governments and ministries spend enormous effort and resources to boost the tourism sector, it is Chaganti’s conviction, devotion and the power of his speech that are truly taking pilgrimage tourism to the next level.