List of  Pancharama Kshetras - Somaramam

Kumararama  or Bhimarama is one of the five Pancharama Kshetras that are sacred to the Hindu god Shiva. The temple is located in Samarlakota in the East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh in South India.

Kumararama is one of the five important and popular Pancharama Kshetras that are sacred to the Hindu God Siva. This temple is located in Samarlakota near Kakinada around 10 km, and 1 km from Samarlakota town in the East Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh in South India. The other four temples are Amararama at Amaravati(Dist. Guntur), Draksharama at Draksharama (Dist. EastGodavari), Ksheerarama at Palakollu and Somarama at Bhimavaram(both in Dist. West Godavari).

Lord Shiva is known as Kumara Bhimeswara Swamy here. The consort of Lord Kumara Bhimeswara Swamy is Bala Tripurasundari. According to legend, the Sivalinga at the temple place was installed and established by LordKumaraswamy. Maha Shivaratri, Karthika Masam and Sarannavarathri are the main festivals celebrated at the temple.

There is an interesting legend regarding the name of this place and existence of Lord Shiva in this place. During Tarakasura vadha, the Shiva Linga which was in the throat of Tarakasura broke into five pieces and one of the pieces fell here. Thereafter, it came to be known as Kumararama. Lord Bhimeswara Swamy was installed by Kumara Swamy (son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati) and hence the temple is called KumaraRama. This temple was built in Dravidian style, by the King Chalukya Bhima. Hence the name is Bhimeswara.

Recent excavations in the compound of the temple has yielded many figures dated back 1000 years are now present inside the temple. In Puranas it has been written that it is a Yogakshetram, which means, the person who has the "yogam" ("fated to have" or "opportunity given by god" or "boon") to visit, will visit the temple

The temple of Kumaram Chalukya Bhimesvara was constructed by the famous Eastern Chalukya king Chalukya Bhima-I towards the end of the 9th century AD and the presiding god Siva, in the form of tall Sivalinga, was named after the monarch as Chalukya Bhimesvara. The inscription states that Chalukya Bhima, the son of Vikramaditya having been victorious in three hundred and sixty battles ruled the earth for thirty years.The Bhimesvara temple at Samalkot is similar in architecture to that of the Bhimesvara temple at Daksharama.

The temple is 1 kilometer distance from samarlakota city.The lime stone Linga, installed in the shrine, is 16 feet tall that it rises from the pedestal on the ground floor and enters the second floor by piercing the roof, where the Rudrabhaga is worshipped . The temple has a mandapam that is supported by 100 pillars and is of great architectural importance. The temple has an Ekasila Nandi (A Bull carved out single stone) guarding the Shiva Lingam at the entrance of the temple.The temple premesis is almost resemblance the other Pancharama temple at Draksharama which is also called Bhimeswara Alayam. The temple is surrounded by two prakara walls built of dressed sand stones. The outer prakara wall is pierced by gopura - entrance on all the four sides. The main entrance to the temple is called Surya Dwaram.There are carvings of Apsaras on pillars in the temple. A mantapam supported with one hundred pillars can be seen.The four gopura - dvaras have ardha - mandapas on either side. The inner enclosure wall is divided horizontally into two sections separated by a cornice. It has a two storeyed pillared mandapa running all the inner side. To the East side, there is a mantap called Koneti. Pushkarni (Koneru) lake can be seen here.

The construction of the temple was started in AD 892 and was completed during 922.here the Linga is made of limestone and appears white.From 1340-1466 duringkakatiya dynasty the temple was reconstructed.so one can see the sculpture design of both Turpu chalukyas' and kakatiyas.Here the Goddess knownas Bala Trupura sundari.

During November–December (Karthika and Margashira masam) months daily Abhisheka is carried out. There will be Utsavam (Kalyana Mahotsam) during February–March (Magha Bahula Ekadashi day) time. Till Maha Shivarathri grand celebrations in the temple can be seen.Temple timings are from morning 6.00am to 12.00 noon and after noon 4.00pm to 8.00pm.^[5] Additional places of interest around Samalkot include Draksharama, Annavaram, Thalupulamma Thalli and Rajahmundry. Budget hotels are available in Samalkot to stay. Travellers can also make Rajahmundry as the center place for their trip.

Samalkot is 40 km from Annavaram, 15 km from Kakinada, 49 km from Rajahmundry, and 125 km from Visakhapatnam. As Samalkot is on the Vijaywada-Howrah broad gauge railway line of South – Central Railway, a lot of trains stop here. One can access this place by buses as this connected with National Highways. The nearest airport is at Rajahmundry, but not many flights stop by here unlike Visakhapatnam where one has a lot of options. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC), Kakinada Depot offers a travel package which covers all the 5 Pancharamas (Amaravathi, Bhimavaram, Palakollu, Draksharama & Samalkota) in a span of 24 hours. The journey starts at 8.00PM every Sunday and ends at 8.00P.M next day covering 700 km approximately.

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List of  Pancharama Kshetras - Ksheeraramam

Ksheerarama is one, of the five, Pancharama Kshetras and is located in Palakollu, state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Lord Shiva is known locally as Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy. The Sivalinga was established by LordVishnu. It is believed that staying one day in Kshirarama is equivalent to staying one year in Varanasi.

It is one of the five powerful Shiva temples in Southern India that form the Pancharama Kshetram. The remaining four are: Somarama Temple in Bhimavaram; Draksharama Temple in Draksharamam; Kumararama Temple in Samalkota; and Amararama Temple in Amaravati, state of Andhra Pradesh.

The temple tower is one of the tallest among the temple towers in Andhra Pradesh. The height of the temple is 120ft and 9 floors and was constructed during the Chalukya period (9th century) during the reign of Chalukya Bheema.

The Shivling is a unique milky white in colour and the tallest. There are 72 pillars made of black stone in the templemandapa. Also inside the garbhalaya, Gokarneshwara and Vigneshwara alayas are situated at the left andKshiralingam located in the center. To the right are Subramanya Swamy and Janardhana Swamy alayas; Nandi is at the centre. The Gostani River flows through Palakollu and there is a sangam (confluence) near Narsapur with the Godavari River. From here the river empties into the sea at Antarvedi. The Moola Virat (lingam), can be seen from the windows of the Garbha Gudiall on all four sides. also The temple complex has many shrines, including: the Sun God (Kashi Vishweshwara), Goddess parvathi, Goddess Lakshmi, Nagareshwara Lingam, Dundi Vigneshwara, Veera Bhadra,Sapta Matruka, Kanaka Durga, Brahma, Saraswathi, Kumara Swamy, Kartikeya, Mahishasura Mardhini, Kala Bhairava,Naga sarpa, Nataraja, Dattatreya, Nageshwara, Shaneeshwara, Radha Krishna, Shankara.

The Prakara was designed by Sri Velupathi during the 10th century. The construction technique resembles those built during the Chalukya period. Gopuram was constructed under the direction of Sri Alladu Reddy during the 14th century. During the 17th century, Kalyana mantapam (choultry) and Ashtha Bhuja Lakshmi Narayanaswamy alaya were constructed.

Mahasivaratri is an important festival when thousands of people offer prayers to seek the blessings of the Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy to attain Mukti.

This temple is located near the main bus station.

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List of  Pancharama Kshetras - Somaramam

List of  Pancharama Kshetras - Draksharamam

List of  Pancharama Kshetras

The Pancharama Kshetras or the Pancharamas) are five ancient Hindu temples of Lord Shiva situated in Andhra Pradesh. The Sivalingas at these temples are made from a single Sivalinga.

As per the legend, this Sivalinga was owned by the Rakshasa King Tarakasura. No one could win over him due to the power of this Sivalinga. In the war between deities and Taraka, Kumara Swamy and Taraka were face to face. Kumara Swamy used his Sakthi aayudha to kíll Taraka. By the power of Sakti aayudha the body of Taraka was torn into pieces. But to the astonishment of Lord Kumara Swamy all the pieces reunited to give rise to Taraka. Kumara Swamy repeatedly broke the body into pieces and it was re-unified again.

Lord Kumara Swamy was confused and was in an embarrassed state then Lord Sriman Narayana appeared before him and said “Kumara! Don’t get depressed, without breaking the Shiva lingham worn by the asura you can’t kíll him” you should first break the Shiva lingam into pieces, then only you can kíll Taraka Lord Vishnu also said that after breaking, the shiva lingham also will try to unite. To prevent the Linga from uniting all the pieces should be fixed in the place where they fall by worshipping them and building temples on them.

By taking the word of Lord Vishnu, Lord Kumara Swamy used his Aagneasthra (weapon of fire) to break the Shiva lingham worn by Taraka. The Shiva lingham broke into five pieces and was trying to unite by making Omkara nada (Chanting Om). Then Surya deva by the order of Lord Vishnu fixed those five pieces of Shiva linga and worshipped them by building temples over them. By the formation of temple the pieces stopped their movement and were famous of panchrama kshetras. All the five Shivalinga in these five places have got scaly marking as them which are believed to be formed by the power of Agneyasthra used by Lord Kumara Swamy.

According to legend, these five pieces were installed as Sivalingas at five different temples by Indra,Surya, Chandra, Vishnu and Kumara Swamy at the respective places. These places (or Aaramas) are as follows:

Amararamam - Amaravathi

The Sivalinga here is very tall that the archakas mount a pedestal platform, and perform the daily rituals as well as Abhisheka. The top of the Linga has a red stain on it. It is said that Sivalinga was growing up in size and to stop its growth, a nail has been hit onto the top of the Sivalinga. When the nail dug into the Linga, blood started to ooze from the Sivalinga itseems. The stain can be see even today.

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 for Lord Siva. He renovated the Amareswaraswamy temple here, engaged nine learned archakas for the daily archana of the Lord, and provided them with all the needs of livelihood, including 12 acres (49,000 m²) 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 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.

The main festivals in the temple are the Mahashivaratri, which comes in the Magha Bahula Dasami and the Navaratri and the Kalyana Utsavas. 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.

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)."