Somarama is one of the five

Pancharama Kshetras The Pancharama Kshetras (or the Pancharamas) are five ancient Hindu temples of Shiva in Andhra Pradesh. The Sivalingas at these temples are made from a single Sivalinga. Legend As per the legend, a Shiva Lingam was owned by the Rakshasa ki ...

that are sacred to the Hindu god

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

. The temple is located in Bhimavaram of West Godavari district in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. It is one of the centrally protected

monuments of national importance This article contains lists of Monuments of National Importance in India. An Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 defines an "Ancient Monument" as follows: A "Monument of National Importance" is designated by the Archaeological Survey o ...

Architecture and history

This temple is an old but looks like a new one because of paintings on the walls and sculptures. At the front of the temple is a lotus covered pond called Chandrakundam, and there is a large Gopuram at the temple entrance. In the left side of temple there is a big hall in which temples of Lord Srirama and Hanuma are present. On the right side of temple there is an open hall above the temple office. When a crowd is present, pujaris/pandits conduct puja here for individuals. The temple has many sculptures. In the hall of temple there is a big statue of Nandi. After crossing hall there is a room in front of sanctum. In that room there is a temple of Annapurna mata. In the sanctum Lord Shiva is in the form of a beautiful Shivaling. Shivaling in this temple is small unlike in other Pancharamas. There is a specialty in this temple: Shivaling will change its color according to Lunar aspect. At the time of Pournami (full moon nights) shivaling will be in white color and during Amavasya days (dark nights) its color shades black. Somarama temple car

Another unique feature is that the temple of Goddess Annapurna was built on top of the Shiva temple, something that cannot be seen anywhere in the country. Surprisingly, the Goddess has the sacred thread around her neck and a baby near her feet. Here Lord

is known as Someswara Swamy. The consort of Lord Someswara is Sri Rajarajeswari Ammavaru. The Sivalinga at this place is installed and established by Lord

Chandra Chandra ( sa, चन्द्र, Candra, shining' or 'moon), also known as Soma ( sa, सोम), is the Hindu god of the Moon, and is associated with the night, plants and vegetation. He is one of the Navagraha (nine planets of Hinduism) a ...

Maha Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri ( IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu ...

and Sarannavarathri are the main festivals celebrated at this

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

. To the south of the Garbha Gruham, Goddess Adilakshmi can be seen and wedding hall at ground and first floor are constructed. Marriages are conducted both in the new hall and also in Goddess Annapurna mantapam. To the east side of this temple, there is a Pushkarini pond which is also called Soma Gundam. Inside the temple, Lord Anjaneya Swamy, God Kumara Swamy, Navagraha, Sun God, Lord Ganesha can be seen. In front of the main entrance, a 15-foot pillar is constructed. The pond in front of the entrance is always covered by lotus flowers.

References

{{Vaippu sthalam Bhimavaram Hindu temples in West Godavari district Hindu holy cities Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Pancharama Kshetras State protected monuments in Andhra Pradesh Shiva temples in Andhra Pradesh