Amaravati Temple Tour
Location : Sattenapalli Taluk of Guntur District
Attractions : The Amreshwara Temple, the Buddhist Stupa.
Ideal Time To Visit : Throughout the year
¤ The Pious Land of Amaravati
Located in the Sattenapalli Taluk of Guntur district, is a small town
of Amravati. This place is famous for a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva
worshiped here as Lord 'Amareswara'. Amravati is also famous for the
Buddhist sculptures all over the world.
Apart from these attractions, Amravati or Amareswaram is regarded
holy because of the presence of the Krishna river, Sthalamahatyam, a
vital Kshetra and the Sri Mahalinga Murthy. All these are pious and
represent the principal of the temple.
¤ Religious Amaravati
Amaravati is also known as 'Punyakshetra'. Here, one can find five
different forms of Lord Shiva. These lingams are called
'Pranaveswara', 'Agasteswara', 'Kosaleswara', 'Someswara' and
'Parthiveswara'. Both 'Lord Amareswara' and his spouse 'Bala
Chamundika' are worshiped here, along with other deities of the
temple. The temple's origin is a subject of curiosity among many
people. There are various beliefs related to it, some Puranic and some
historical. Thus, the temple tour attracts innumerable tourists with
its purity and might.
¤ The History of The Temple
The elevated Amreshwara Temple is situated on the holy Krishna river.
According to one of the legend, even a flood in the river Krishna
won't affect the temple, instead it will turn its flow to some other
side. Therefore, one can see the river Krishna diverted from north to
south at this place. Temples are usually built on these short turns of
the river, as they are regarded sacred.
Another legend tells us that the temple was earlier a Buddhist shrine
but later a Hindu temple was built here. This contradiction is the
root of a controversy, as the foundations of the temple are laid with
the typical Buddhist slabs only.
¤ The Architecture of The Temple
The presiding deity of the this temple is Lord Shiva, present in the
form of a 15 ft. high white marble Shiva lingam. There are four high
gopuras surrounding the temple, built in typical Dravidian style. The
'Vimana' of the temple is also built in the same style of
architecture.
There is a white marble lotus Medallion decorated intricately with
early Buddhist 'Silpas'. It is placed just above the 'Mula Virat' in
the Garbhagriha of the temple. The cylindrical Mula Virat is a part of
typical Buddhist monument.
There is also a beautiful Buddha Stupa, famous throughout the world.
Thus, this place hold significane for both Hinduism and Buddhism.
¤ Festivals
Some of the major festivals celebrated in the Amareswara temple are
the Maha Shivaratri, falling on the 'Magha Bahula Dasami'. Other
festivals celebrated are the Navaratri and the 'Kalyana Utsavas'.
¤ Reach Amaravati
By Air : The nearest airport
is Vijayawada (82 km).
By Rail : The nearest railheads are Guntur and Vijayawada. A
good network of connect Guntur to Amaravati.
By Road : Amaravati is situated 20 miles northwest of Guntur
and is connected by a good motorable road.
Local Transportation : Taxis and buses are available from
Guntur.
Major Tour Packages To Maharashtra
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