Sri Kurmam
Encyclopedia
Sri Kurmam is a Village near Srikakulam
, Andhra Pradesh
, India
.
It is located approximately 13 kilometers east of Srikakulam town near the sea. It is in the Gara
Mandal of Srikakulam district
.
This location puts the temple about half a mile offshore in the Bay of Bengal.
. Later the temple came under the jurisdiction of the King of Vijayanagara. The deity was worshiped by the Vaishnavas of the Madhvacharya
Sampradäya. Some Oriya
inscriptions are said to be written by Sri Narahari Teertha, who was in the disciplic succession of Madhvacharya
(not to be confused with Madhavacharya). He later became the ruler of Kalinga Province(ancient Orissa
) and fought with the Sabaras, and saved the temple of Kürma. Narahari Teertha was a very religious and powerful king who died in the Saka Era 1203. The temple was constructed and dedicated in the holy name of Yogananda Narasimhadeva. This temple was built in the Orissan temple architecture style.
dedicated to Sri Kurmanatha, which is the second avatar of Lord Vishnu
, Kurma
Avatar
(Tortoise
). This is the only temple of Kurmanatha in India. There is also a Yoganandha Narasimhan temple in front of Sri Kurmam temple. Simhachalam
Devasthanam took the responsibility for the temple improvement.
The moolasthanam (central piece) is considered to be large saligrama. The Kurma
(Turtle) is known as Sri Kurmam in the 'Sampradayam'. The image is not a sculpture crafted by man, but the fossil of an actual (large-size) turtle, which must have paddled on to the 'kshetram' where the shrine has been built. The head of the deity is in the form of a Kurma (tortoise) and is represented by a Vishnu namam, the tail being represented by a Saligrama presented by Adi Sankaracharya. The artistic beauty of the temple lies in the carvings of Vishnu and other deity statues in a glorious way of architecture. There is a mandapam in front of the temple on Lion pillars. One unique feature of this temple is that it has Dhwajastambams in the front and back of the temple. That is because the deity faces the back of the temple on the west.
Srikakulam
Srikakulam is a town, municipality and headquarters of Srikakulam district in the north-eastern Andhra Pradesh, India. It is part of Srikakulam Assembly constituency and Srikakulam Parliament Constituency. Srikakulam was formerly called as Gulshanabad during Muslim rule and was headquarter of...
, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
It is located approximately 13 kilometers east of Srikakulam town near the sea. It is in the Gara
Gara, Srikakulam
Gara is a village and mandal Mandal in Srikakulam district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.-Geography:Gara is located at . It has an average elevation of 21 meters .-Demographics:...
Mandal of Srikakulam district
Srikakulam district
Srikakulam District , formerly known as Chicacole, is the extreme northeastern District of Andhra Pradesh, situated within the geographic co-ordinates of 18°-20’ and 19°-10’ N and 83°-50’ and 84°-50’ E...
.
Geography
Sri Kurmam is located at latitude of 18° 16' N, longitude of 84° 1' E and an altitude of 17 meters (59 feet).This location puts the temple about half a mile offshore in the Bay of Bengal.
History
According to inscriptions in the temple dated 1281 A.D, the holy place of Kürmakshetra, was actually reestablished by Sri Ramanujacharya under the influence of Jagannatha Deva at Jagannatha Puri, OrissaOrissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
. Later the temple came under the jurisdiction of the King of Vijayanagara. The deity was worshiped by the Vaishnavas of the Madhvacharya
Madhvacharya
Madhvācārya was the chief proponent of Tattvavāda "Philosophy of Reality", popularly known as the Dvaita school of Hindu philosophy. It is one of the three most influential Vedānta philosophies. Madhvācārya was one of the important philosophers during the Bhakti movement. He was a pioneer in...
Sampradäya. Some Oriya
Oriya literature
Oriya is an official language of the state of Orissa, India. The region has been known at different stages of history as Kalinga, Udra, Utkala, or Koshala. The language is also spoken by minority populations of the neighboring states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. The...
inscriptions are said to be written by Sri Narahari Teertha, who was in the disciplic succession of Madhvacharya
Madhvacharya
Madhvācārya was the chief proponent of Tattvavāda "Philosophy of Reality", popularly known as the Dvaita school of Hindu philosophy. It is one of the three most influential Vedānta philosophies. Madhvācārya was one of the important philosophers during the Bhakti movement. He was a pioneer in...
(not to be confused with Madhavacharya). He later became the ruler of Kalinga Province(ancient Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
) and fought with the Sabaras, and saved the temple of Kürma. Narahari Teertha was a very religious and powerful king who died in the Saka Era 1203. The temple was constructed and dedicated in the holy name of Yogananda Narasimhadeva. This temple was built in the Orissan temple architecture style.
SriKurmam Temple
There is a templeTemple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
dedicated to Sri Kurmanatha, which is the second avatar of Lord Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
, Kurma
Kurma
In Hinduism, Kurma was the second Avatar of Vishnu. Like the Matsya Avatar also belongs to the Satya yuga.-Samudra manthan :...
Avatar
Avatar
In Hinduism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation"....
(Tortoise
Tortoise
Tortoises are a family of land-dwelling reptiles of the order of turtles . Like their marine cousins, the sea turtles, tortoises are shielded from predators by a shell. The top part of the shell is the carapace, the underside is the plastron, and the two are connected by the bridge. The tortoise...
). This is the only temple of Kurmanatha in India. There is also a Yoganandha Narasimhan temple in front of Sri Kurmam temple. Simhachalam
Simhachalam
Simhadri or Simhachalam temple is a Hindu temple located near Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, South India. It is dedicated to the incarnation of Vishnu known as Narasimha...
Devasthanam took the responsibility for the temple improvement.
The moolasthanam (central piece) is considered to be large saligrama. The Kurma
Kurma
In Hinduism, Kurma was the second Avatar of Vishnu. Like the Matsya Avatar also belongs to the Satya yuga.-Samudra manthan :...
(Turtle) is known as Sri Kurmam in the 'Sampradayam'. The image is not a sculpture crafted by man, but the fossil of an actual (large-size) turtle, which must have paddled on to the 'kshetram' where the shrine has been built. The head of the deity is in the form of a Kurma (tortoise) and is represented by a Vishnu namam, the tail being represented by a Saligrama presented by Adi Sankaracharya. The artistic beauty of the temple lies in the carvings of Vishnu and other deity statues in a glorious way of architecture. There is a mandapam in front of the temple on Lion pillars. One unique feature of this temple is that it has Dhwajastambams in the front and back of the temple. That is because the deity faces the back of the temple on the west.