Kurmanathaswamy temple, Srikurmam
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History
The temple is situated in Gara mandal of Srikakulam district which is located at a distance of 130 kilometers from Visakhapatnam.[1] Considered as the only Indian temple where Vishnu is worshipped in the form of tortoise, Srikurmam is 15 kilometers away from Srikakulam town and 3.5 kilometers away from the Suryanarayana temple, Arasavalli.[2] It is believed to have been built before the 2nd century AD,[3] and is popular among the Tamil diaspora as well because of being a Vaishnavite temple.[1] The disciples of Ramanuja established Vaishnavism in the temple with the support of Anantavarman Chodaganga, the eastern Ganga king.[4] After this incident, a group of devadasis were employed to sing and dance daily before the deity in the morning and evening.[4]
Srikurmam was regarded as an important centre of Vaishnavism in the medieval period along with Simhachalam and others.[5] Naraharitirtha, the disciple of Madhvacharya, was instrumental in making Srikurmam the seat of Vishnavite religion activities.[5] It influenced the kings, officials, and Vaishnavite devotees to change their names in accordance to the religious faith they followed. Due to his close association with the eastern Ganga kings, Naraharithirtha created the office of Bhoga Pariksha (religious head) with a view that the successive Madhwa saints could supervise the religious matters and pray for the welfare of the royal family and kingdom.[5] The temple inscriptions mention Narasimha Dasa Pandita and Purushottama Deva as the Bhoga Parikshas.[5]
Legends
During the reign of king Swetha Chakravarthi, this area was referred to as Swetha Giri. Swetha Chakravarthi's wife Vishnu Priya was a devotee of Vishnu.[6] When she was observing a fast on an Ekadashi day, Swetha Chakravarthi approached her with the intention of making love. When she refused citing that the time is not the ideal one, the king sounded adamant. She prayed to Vishnu, who created a stream of water, separating the couple. Swetha Chakravarthi was carried away in the ensuing flood and Vishnu Priya followed him to the hilly terrains of Swetha Giri.[6] Sage Narada initiated an upadesam of the Kurma Narayana mantra and asked the king to pray to Vishnu using it. By the time Vishnu appeared in the form of Kurma (tortoise) avatar, the king's health deteriorated. Vishnu then made his Sudarshana Chakra dent the nearby land which led to the formation of a lake.[6] Swetha Chakravarthi bathed in the lake and regained his health, after which it was referred to as Swetha Pushkarini. Upon the king's request, Vishnu turned into a stone idol resembling the Kurma avatar. He is worshipped as Kurmanatha Swamy or Kurma Narayana,[6] along with his consort Lakshmi, who is referred to as Kurmanayaki.[7]
Later, a tribal king visited the Swetha Pushkarini and was impressed with it. After learning about the story of its origin from Swetha Chakravarthi, the tribal king constructed a tank around the lake and began worshipping the deity regularly. The tribal king used to stay in Sage Sampangi's monastery which was situated in the Western side of the temple. Upon the king's request, the idol of the deity started facing west.[6] In Dwapara Yuga, Balarama visited the temple and was denied entry by Bhairava, who was serving as the temple's Kshetrapala (guardian deity). Infuriated, Balarama threw Bhairava away from the temple premises. Kurmanatha came to know this and gave Balarama permission to enter the temple. Balarama, in resentment, cursed that Srikurmam would be the only temple where Vishnu would be worshipped in the form of Kurma Narayana.[6]
Architecture
Kurmanathaswamy Temple contains 108 ekasila (single-stone) pillars. The idol of Kurmanathaswamy is made of black stone; due to regular application of sandalwood paste, it looks yellow in colour.[1]
References
- ^ a b c http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/flora-fauna/All-is-not-well-with-the-star-tortoises-of-Sri-Kurmam-Temple/articleshow/49156287.cms
- ^ http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/Tourism-in-Srikakulam-dist.-needs-fillip/article15303203.ece
- ^ http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130412/ldh1.htm
- ^ a b Krishna Kumari 1990, p. 48.
- ^ a b c d Krishna Kumari 1990, p. 97.
- ^ a b c d e f http://www.suryaa.com/features/article.asp?subcategory=6&contentId=127674
- ^ http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2003/07/04/stories/2003070401190600.htm
Bibliography
- Krishna Kumari, M. (1990). Social and Cultural Life in Medieval Andhra. New Delhi: Discovery Publishing House. ISBN 81-7141-102-9.
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