Draksharamam or Daksharamam is one of the five

Pancharama Kshetras The Pancharama Kshetras () or the Pancharamas, are a group of five ancient Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Siva, located in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. These temples are situated at Draksharamam, Samalkota, Amaravathi, Palakollu, and ...

that are sacred to the Hindu god

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

and also 12th of Ashtadasha Shakthi Peetams. The temple is located in

Draksharamam Draksharamam is a village in Konaseema district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The Bhimeswara Swamy Temple in this town is one of the five temples of Shiva known as Pancharama Kshetras. Ashta Someswaras Eight lingas are consecrated i ...

town of

Konaseema district Konaseema district (officially Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Konaseema district) is a List of districts of Andhra Pradesh, district in Konaseema region of Andhra Pradesh in India. It is situated between the tributaries of the Godavari River in the Coas ...

in the Indian state of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

. The poet

Mallikarjuna Panditaradhyudu Mallikarjuna Panditaradhyudu (, ) was an Indian philosopher of Veerasaiva school and a Telugu poet from Andhra region. He was a poet in the court of Velanati Choda king Rajendra Choda II. His was the first independent Telugu work. Being a uni ...

who wrote first independent work in

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

and who spread

Lingayatism The Lingayats are a Monotheism, monotheistic religious denomination of Hindu denominations, Hinduism. Lingayats are also known as , , , . Lingayats are known for their unique practice of Ishtalingam, Ishtalinga worship, where adherents carry a ...

in Andhra region during medieval ages was born in this town.

Etymology

The town was formerly known as and . This is the place where

Daksha Daksha ( ,) is a Hindu god whose role underwent a significant transformation from Vedic mythology, ''Vedic'' to Itihasa-Purana, ''Itihasa-Puranic'' mythology. In the ''Rigveda'', Daksha is an ''Adityas, aditya'' and is associated with priestly ...

head of all prajapatis did a

yagna In Hinduism, ''Yajna'' or ''Yagna'' (, ɐd͡ʒɲə ) also known as Hawan, is a ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras. Yajna has been a Vedic tradition, described in a layer of Vedic literature called Brahmanas, as well a ...

called or . This place's present name is a compound of and which means "Abode of

". This place was also referred to as by Jagadguru

Adi Shankara Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and h ...

in maha shakti peetha sloka at which points to "Maanikyamba devi of Draksharama". The place where Daksha performed is still visited by pilgrims here.

History

Inscriptions in the temple reveal that it was built between the 9th and 10th centuries CE by the Eastern Chalukyan king, Bhima. The big Mandapam of the temple was built by Ganga Mahadevi, daughter-in-law of

Eastern Ganga Dynasty The Eastern Ganga dynasty (also known as Purba Gangas, Rudhi Gangas or Prachya Gangas) were a large medieval era Indian royal Hindu dynasty that reigned from Kalinga from as early as the 5th century to the mid 20th century. Eastern Gangas rul ...

king

Narasingha Deva I Gajapati Langula Narasingha Deva I was an Eastern Ganga monarch and a warrior of the Kalinga region who reigned from 1238 CE to 1264 CE. He defeated the Muslim forces of Bengal who constantly threatened the Eastern Ganga dynasty's rule over ...

Odisha Odisha (), formerly Orissa (List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2011), is a States and union territories of India, state located in East India, Eastern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by ar ...

. Architecturally and sculpturally, the temple reflects a blend of Chalukyan and Chola styles. The temple is historically prominent. It was built by

Eastern Chalukyas Eastern Chalukyas, also known as the Chalukyas of Vengi, were a dynasty that ruled parts of South India between the 7th and 12th centuries. They started out as governors of the Chalukyas of Badami in the Deccan region. Subsequently, they bec ...

who reigned over this area. It's believed to have been constructed earlier to the Bhimeswaraswamy temple in Samarlakota that was built between 892 C.E. and 922 C.E.

Festivals

Maha Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually to worship the deity Shiva, between February and March. According to the Hindu calendar, the festival is observed on the fourteenth day of the first half (night start with darkness - ...

and Dasara are the main festivals associated with Draksharamam

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{Navboxes , list = {{Trilinga Kshetras {{Pancharama Kshetras {{Hindu Temples in Andhra Pradesh {{East Godavari district {{Shiva temples {{Shaktism {{Hindu holy cities * Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Pancharama Kshetras Archaeological sites in Andhra Pradesh

Etymology

History

Festivals

See also

References

Bibliography