Kumara Bhimarama Temple at Samalkota

History

temple

Festivals

Transportation

History

Festivals

Transport

Amareshvaraalaya gopuram

Main entrance to the Bhimeswara Swamy temple (view from inside the temple).

Kumara Bhimarama Temple atSamalkota

• Amararama (located in Amaravati): Amaravati is present in Guntur district, on the bank ofKrishna river. Where as remaining four are present in Godavai districts(two in east godavari and other two in west godavari districts). Bus facility is so good, as all buses will go up to the temple. Amara Lingeswara swami is worshiped by Lord Indra here. The temple is old and in three circles with so many temples with in the compound. Bala Chamundeswari mata is the goddess here. Venu Gopala swami temple is also present with in the campus of main temple.
• Draksharama (located in Draksharamam): This is near Ramachandrapuram. The temple is very big and has three circles as compounds. This is also under control of Archeological department. Lord Shri Rama worshiped Lord Shiva here. Next followed by Lord Surya and Indra. Manikyamaba devi, one of 18 shaktipeethas is present here. Vemulavada Bhima kavi, famous Telugu poet born in Vemulawada in Karapa Mandal, East Godavari, Andhra Pradesh close to Dhraksharamam, got boons from Bhimeswara swami here.
• Somarama (located in Bhimavaram):Someswara swami temple is present in Gunupudi. It is about 3 to 4 km distance from Bus stand. The temple looks as new one, and a holy pond (Chandra-kundam]Chandra Kundam) is present in front of the temple. Lord Chandra get rid of his sins here by worshiping Lord Shiva here. Hence the name Someswara swami. Shiva lingam change its color according to the lunar month (Black at the time of Amavasya, White at the time Pournami). Annapurna mata temple is present in the second floor.
• Ksheerarama (located in Palakol): Ksheera Rama Lingeswara swamy gave Sudarshana chakra to Lord Vishnu here. Upamanya Maharshi also got boons and milk from Lord Shiva here. Hence the name Ksheera (milk) Ramalingeswara swami. The temple is near to Bus stand. The temple Gopuram is very high and we can see it from bus stand. Parvati is the goddess here.
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• Kumararama (located in Samalkota): Kumara Bhimeswara swami temple is present in Samarlkota. It is about 20 km distance from Kakinada and about 1 km distance from Samarlakota Railway station. It is a very old temple under the control of Archeological department. Lord Shiva is in the form of very big Shiva linga, and we can see Shiva linga through second floor. Kumara swami laid down Shiva Linga here, hence the name Kumararamam. Bala Tripura Sundari devi is the goddess here.

The Deity

History

Architecture

Amaravati temple has also a wealth of inscriptions on its walls like those of the Kota chiefs of Arnaravati and of Sri Krishandevaraya, the great Vijayanagara emperor. On a pillar in the Mukhamantapa the wife of Proli Nayudu, who was minister of Kota King Ketaraja, has left an inscription.

Festivals

Hindu temples

These may also be called by other names, including mandir or mandira, ambalam,gudi, kavu, koil or kovil, déul, raul,devasthana and devalaya, depending on the region in the Indian subcontinent and its local language.

Hindu temples are large and magnificent with a rich history. Some date as far back as the Bronze Age and later the Indus Valley Civilization. In the present day magnificent Hindu temples have been built in various countries of the world includingIndia, Nepal, Great Britain, the United States, Australia, South Africa and Canada.

Buddhist temples

They include the structures called stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhismrepresent the pure land or pure environment of a Buddha. Traditional Buddhist temples are designed to inspire inner and outer peace

Jain temples

A Jain temple is the place of worship for Jains, the followers of Jainism. Some famous Jain temples are Shikharji, Palitana Jain Temples, Ranakpur Jain Temple, Shravan Belgola, Dilwara Temples and Lal Mandir. Jain temples are built with various architectural designs. Jain temples in North India are completely different from the Jain temples in South India, which in turn are quite different from Jain temples in West India. Additionally, a Manastambha (meaning column of honor) is a pillar that is often constructed in front of Jain temples.

Mesopotamian temples

Ziggurat of Ur, Iraq

The temple of Mesopotamia derived from the cult of gods and deities in Mesopotamian religion. It spanned several civilizations; from Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian. The most common temple architecture of Mesopotamia is the structure of sun-baked bricks called Ziggurat, having the form of a terraced step pyramid with flat upper terrace where shrine or temple stood

Egyptian temples

Luxor temple, Egypt

Ancient Egyptian temples were meant as places for the gods to reside on earth. Indeed, the term the Egyptians most commonly used to describe the temple building, ḥwt-nṯr, means "mansion (or enclosure) of a god". A god's presence in the temple linked the human and divine realms and allowed humans to interact with the god through ritual. These rituals, it was believed, sustained the god and allowed it to continue to play its proper role in nature. They were therefore a key part of the maintenance of maat, the ideal order of nature and of human society in Egyptian belief.Maintaining maat was the entire purpose of Egyptian religion, and thus it was the purpose of a temple as well.Ancient Egyptian temples were also of economic significance to Egyptian society. The temples stored and redistributed grain and came to own large portions of the nation's arable land (some estimate as much as 33% by the New Kingdom period). In addition, many of these Egyptian temples utilized the Tripartite Floor Plan in order to draw visitors to the center room.

Greco-Roman temples

Parthenon on Acropolis, Athens

Though today we call most Greek religious buildings "temples," the ancient pagans would have referred to a temenos, or sacred precinct. Its sacredness, often connected with a holy grove, was more important than the building itself, as it contained the open air altar on which the sacrifices were made. The building which housed the cult statue in its naos was originally a rather simple structure, but by the middle of the 6th century BCE had become increasingly elaborate. Greek temple architecture had a profound influence on ancient architectural traditions.

The rituals that located and sited the temple were performed by an augur through the observation of the flight of birds or other natural phenomenon. Roman temples usually faced east or toward the rising sun, but the specifics of the orientation are often not known today; there are also notable exceptions, such as the Pantheon which faces north. In ancient Rome only the native deities of Roman mythology had a templum; any equivalent structure for a foreign deity was called a fanum.

Pagan temples

The Romans usually referred to a holy place of a pagan religion as fanum; in some cases this referred to a sacred grove, in others to a temple. Medieval Latin writers also used the word templum. In some cases it is hard to determine whether it was a building or an outdoor shrine. For temple buildings of Germanic paganism, the Old Norse term hof is often used.

Zoroastrian temples

The Yazd Atash Behram

Zoroastrian temples may also be called the darb-e meh and Atashkadeh. A fire temple in Zoroastrianism is the place of worship for Zoroastrians. Zoroastrians revere fire in any form. In the Zoroastrian religion, fire (Atar), together with clean water (Aban), are agents of ritual purity. Clean, white "ash for the purification ceremonies is regarded as the basis of ritual life," which, "are essentially the rites proper to the tending of a domestic fire, for the temple fire is that of the hearth fire raised to a new solemnity.

Sikh temples

Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar

A Sikh temple is called a Gurdwara, literally the doorway to the Guru. Its most essential element is the presence of the Guru,Guru Granth Sahib. The Gurdwara has an entrance from all sides, signifying that they are open to all without any distinction whatsoever. The Gurdwara has a Darbar Sahib where the Guru Granth Sahib is seen and a Langar where people can eat free food.^[9] A Gurdwara may also have a library, nursery, and classroom. A Gurdwara can be identified from a distance by tall flagpoles bearing the Nishan Sahib, the Sikh flag.

Jewish synagogues and temples

A model of Herod's Templeadjacent to the Shrine of the Bookexhibit at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.

In Judaism, the ancient Hebrew texts refer not to temples, the word having not existed yet, but to a "sanctuary", "palace" or "hall". Each of the two ancient temples in Jerusalem was called Beit Hamikdash, which translates literally as "the Holy House."

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the site where the First Temple of Solomon and the Second Temple were built. At the center of the structure was the Holy of Holies where only the high priest could enter. The Temple Mount is now the site of theIslamic shrine, the Dome of the Rock (c. 690).

The Greek word synagogue came into use to describe Jewish places of worship during Hellenistic times and it, along with the Yiddish term shul, and the original Hebrew term Bet Knesset ("House of meeting") are the terms in most universal usage.

From the beginning of the nineteenth century, the word "temple" began to be used for Jewish houses of worship, almost exclusively by the followers of Reform Judaism, first in Germany, then in other countries, especially in the United States, as inTemple Beth-El. Orthodox Judaism considers this usage inappropriate, as it does not consider synagogues a replacement for the Temple in Jerusalem (there were local places of worship contemporaneous with the existence of the Temple, e.g. the one that can be seen at Masada).

Christian temples

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia.

Orthodox Christianity

The word temple, however, is used frequently in the tradition of Eastern Christianity; particularly the Eastern Orthodox Church, where the principal words used for houses of worship are temple and church. The use of the word temple comes from the need to distinguish a building of the church vs. the church seen as the Body of Christ. In the Russian language (similar to other Slavic languages), while the general-purpose word for "church" is tserkov, the term khram (Храм), "temple", is used to refer to the church building as a temple of God (Khram Bozhy). The words "church" and "temple", in this case are interchangeable; however, the term "church" (Ancient Greek: ἐκκλησία) is far more common. The term temple (Ancient Greek: ναός) is also commonly applied to larger churches. Some famous churches which are referred to as temples include Hagia Sophia, Saint Basil's Cathedral, Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, or the Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade, Serbia. See also: Orthodox church (building) and catholicon.

Western Christianity

Basilique du Sacré-Coeur in Paris

The word temple has traditionally been rarely used in the Western Christian tradition. The principal words typically used to distinguish houses of worship in Western Christian architecture are basilica, cathedral and church. The Catholic Church has used the word temple in reference of a place of worship on rare occasions. An example is the Roman Catholic Sagrada Familia Temple in Barcelona, Spain and the Roman Catholic Basilique du Sacré-Cœur Temple in Paris, France.

Beginning in the late eighteenth century, following the Enlightenment, some Protestant denominations in France and elsewhere began to use the word temple to distinguish these spaces from Catholic churches. Evangelical and other Protestant churches make use of a wide variety of terms to designate their worship spaces, such as church, tabernacle or temple. Additionally some Breakaway Catholic Churches such as the Mariavite Church in Poland have chosen to also designate their central church building as a temple, as in the case of the Temple of Mercy and Charity in Płock.

Latter Day Saint movement

Kirtland Temple in Kirtland, Ohio

According to Latter Day Saints, in 1832, Joseph Smith, Jr. received a revelation to restore the practice of temple worship, in a "house of the Lord". The Kirtland Temple was the first temple of the Latter-day Saint movement and the only one completed in Smith's lifetime, although the Nauvoo Temple was partially complete at the time of his death. The schisms stemming from a succession crisis have led to differing views about the role and use of temples between various groups with competing succession claims.

The Book of Mormon, which Latter Day Saints believe is a companion book of scripture with the Bible, refers to temple building in the ancient Americas by a group of people called the Nephites. Though Book of Mormon authors are not explicit about the practices in these Nephite temples, they were patterned "after the manner of the temple of Solomon"  and served as gathering places for significant religious and political events (e.g. Mosiah 1-6; 3rd Nephi 11-26).

LDS Church

LDS temple in Salt Lake City, Utah

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is a prolific builder of "Latter-day Saint" or "Mormon" temples. There are 146 operating temples (which includes 5 previously dedicated, but closed for renovation), 13 under construction, and 14 announced (not yet under construction). Latter-day Saint temples are reserved for performing and undertaking only the most holy and sacred of covenants and special of ordinances. They are distinct from meeting houses and chapels where weekly worship services are held. The temples are built and kept under strict sacredness and are not to be defiled. Thus, strict rules apply for entrance, including church membership and regular attendance. During the open-house period after its construction and before the temple is dedicated, the temple is open to the public for tours.^[14]

Other Latter Day Saint denominations

Community of Christ Temple

Various other sects of the church founded by Joseph Smith, Jr., initially known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also have temples.

• The Church of Christ (Wightite), a Latter Day Saint denomination formed by Lyman Wight following the death of Joseph Smith, built first Mormon temple west of the Mississippi in Zodiac, Texas. about three miles from Fredericksburg.
• In 1990 or earlier a temple in Ozumba, Mexico was built by the Apostolic United Brethren.
• On April 17, 1994 the Independence Temple in Independence, Missouri was open by the Community of Christ by then-churchProphet-President Wallace B. Smith. The Community of Christ also currently owns the original Kirtland Temple, dedicated in 1836 by the Church of the Latter Day Saints (later renamed the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), in Kirtland, Ohio. The Community of Christ operates as a historic site.
• In 2005 construction on the YFZ Ranch Temple by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Church began. It is located just outside of Eldorado in Schleicher County, Texas. However, as of April 2014, the State of Texas took physical and legal possession of the property. as it was used used to "commit or facilitate certain criminal conduct."
• A pyramid-shaped temple near Modena, Utah was built by the Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Masonic temples

A Typical Masonic Lodge

Freemasonry is a fraternal organization with its origins in the eighteenth century whose membership is held together by a shared set of moral and metaphysical ideals. Freemasons meet as a Lodge. Lodges meet in a Masonic Temple, Masonic Center or a Masonic Hall, such as Freemasons' Hall, London. Some confusion exists as Masons usually refer to a Lodge meeting as being in Lodge.

Temple in Islam

Example of a mosque : the Mosque of Uqba (Great Mosque of Kairouan) is one of the most important mosques in the Muslim West, Tunisia.

An Islamic temple is called a "mosque" or "masjid" in Arabic, which means "the place for kneeling (to God)."