Amareshwar Amaravati Mandir, Andhra Pradesh, IN

Deities: Amareshwar (Shiva)
Location: Amravati, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh
Best time to visit: All year around
Known as: Five Pancharama Kshetrams, Amararama, Amareshwar, Amaravana,
Festival & Event: Mahashivaratri, Navaratri, Kalyana Utsava

Amararama is one of the Pancharama Kshetras which is located at Amaravati town near Guntur City in Andhra Pradesh in South India. Lord Shiva is known as Amareshwar Swamy or Amaralingeswara Swamy here. The temple is situated on the southern bank of Krishna River. The consort of Lord Amareshwar Swamy is Bala Chamundika. The Shivalinga at this place is installed and established by Lord Indra.

Vasireddy Venkatadri Naidu, King of Chintapalli and later Dharanikota, was a great devotee of Amaralingeswara. He expanded and renovated the temple. The popular legend has it that once during the course of putting down a rebellion in his land the King had to have recourse to a massacre of the Chenchus, whereupon he lost his mental peace, which he regained only when he came to Amaravati. He shifted his place from Chintapalli to Amaravati in 1796, and devoted his entire life, time and revenues to building temples to Lord Siva. He renovated the Amareswaraswamy temple here, got nine learned archakas to be brought for the daily archana of the Lord, and provided them with all the needs of livelihood, including 12 acres of land to each. The temple as it stands owes much to him.

Amaravati temple has also a wealth of inscriptions on its walls like those of the Kota chiefs of Arnaravati and of Sri Krishnadevaraya, the great Vijayanagara emperor. On a pillar in the Mukhamandapam the wife of Proli Nayudu, a Kota king, has left an inscription.

Legend:
The white Linga is quite unique and the priests have to ascend the steps for offering abhishekams. As the name Amaravati implies, legend has it that Amaravati was once the abode of the Gods - the Devas, the Yakshas and the kinnaras, who performed penances to Shiva to request him to rid the earth of the mighty demon Tarakasura. Legend has it that Shiva's son Subramanya vanquished the demon.

It is believed that the Shivalingam that shattered Into five pieces was a huge one, and the biggest of the five pieces is a fifteen foot long column of white marble which is worshipped as Amareshwar at the Amaravati temple (this is very similar to the Shivalingam at the Draksharama temple). Legend has it that it was installed by Indra the king of the Devas, Brihaspati the guru of the Devas and Sukra the preceptor of the Asuras.

The temple of Lord Amareshwar located on the banks of river Krishna, is rich in Dravidian and Buddhist architectures. The Lingam is 15 feet high, carved out of marble. The city was named Amaravati after Indra's capital here. Tradition says that Indra and Devas had worshipped the Lord here. Goddess Shakti is worshipped as Bala Chamundika Devi. This city is famous for its art and culture.

The Satavahanas and the Vijayanagar kings have made great contributions to this temple.

This temple constitutes one of the five Pancharama Kshetrams in Andhra Pradesh.

1) Amareshwar / Amaravana
2) Draksharama
3) Kumararama at Kotipalli (Bhimaramam at Samalkot)
4) Ksheeraramam at Palakollu
5) Somaramam at Bhimavaram (Bhimeswara temples at Bhimeswara)

Festival & Event:
The main festivals in the temple are the Mahashivaratri, which comes in the Magha Bahula Dashmi and the Navaratri and the Kalyana Utsava. Amaravati is thus an important Kshetra situated at a particularly sacred spot of the holy river Krishna and is a consecrated place of worship, of importance to both Buddhism and Hinduism.

Attractions:
Amaravati is known for its archaeological remains of the ancient Buddhist era.

How to reach:
by Road: Lord Amareshwar temple at Amaravati is 30 km from Vijayawada and 35 km from Guntur.
by Rail: This holy place is connected with major railway track of India
by Air: Hyderabad

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