Somarama is one of the five Pancharama Kshetras 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 ...

. 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, for a total of 36 subnational entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into 800 districts and smaller administrative divisions by the respe ...

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 ...

. It is one of the centrally protected monuments of national importance.

Architecture and history

This temple is an old, however has newer paintings on the walls and sculptures. At the front of the temple is a lotus covered pond called Chandrakundam. There is a large gopuram at the temple entrance. In the left side of temple, there is a big hall in which temples of the deities

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

and

Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...

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 the goddess Annapurna. In the sanctum, Shiva as Someswara Swamy is in the form of a

linga A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, wher ...

. The linga is small in comparison to other Pancharamas. The linga is said to change its colour according to Lunar aspect. At the time of Pournami (full moon nights), the linga is white. During

Amavasya Amāvásyā () is the lunar phase of the new moon in Sanskrit. Indian calendars use 30 lunar phases, called tithi in India. The dark moon tithi is when the Moon is within 12 degrees of the angular distance between the Sun and Moon before conj ...

(no moon nights), its colour is black. Somarama temple car

The temple of Annapurna was built on top of the Shiva sanctum. The goddess deviates from her usual iconography, wearing the sacred thread (usually worn by Hindu men) and having a baby near her feet. The consort of Someswara is Rajarajeswari Ammavaru. The linga is said to be installed and by the moon-god Chandra.

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 Sarannavarathri are the main festivals celebrated at this

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

. To the south of the sanctum, the 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 the ''Annapurna mantapam''. To the east side of this temple, there is a Pushkarini pond which is also called Soma Gundam. Inside the temple, Hanuman, Kumara Swamy, Navagraha,

Surya Surya ( ; , ) is the Sun#Dalal, Dalal, p. 399 as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchaya ...

and

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

can be seen. In front of the main entrance, a 15-foot pillar is constructed.

References

External links

Kotipalli

{{Vaippu sthalam Bhimavaram Hindu temples in West Godavari district Pancharama Kshetras State protected monuments in Andhra Pradesh Shiva temples in Andhra Pradesh