Deity: Lord Shiva

Location & District: Palakollu, West Godavari

State/Province: Andhra Pradesh

Country: India

Importance: Pancharamalu

About the Temple

Ksheerarama Temple is one of the five Pancharama Kshetras revered by the Hindu God Shiva.

The temple is located in the Indian State of Andra Pradesh’s Palakollu in West Godavari.

Lord Shiva, the main deity of the temple is referred to by the locals as Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy.

It is a popular belief that the temple was consecrated by Lord Vishnu( the Preserver of Humanity).

This temple is one of the potent Shiva temples that make up the “Pancharama Kshetram”, in southern India.

Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple Timings

Nithya Abhishekam to Ramalingeswara Swamy takes place between 5.30 am to 6.30 am.

History

Sri Velupathi created the prakara in the tenth century. The temple building is constructed in a fashion to suit the Chalukya style of architecture in the 9th century.

This Chalukya kind of temple architecture was made certain alterations back in the 14th century by King Chalukya Bheema.

One Sri Alladu Reddu oversaw the construction of the gopuram of the temple back in the same era.

The works related to the construction of the Astha Bhuja Lakshmi Narayanaswamy alaya and Kalyana Mantapam began in the 17th century.

The Archaeological Department of India has designated this temple as a protected monument and is preserving its penance with great efforts

Architecture

The tower that the temple beholds is considered one of the tallest temple towers ( gopuram) in Andra Pradesh

Built by Chalukya emperor Chalukya Bheema has a height of feet and 9 stories encrypted and articulately carved on all sides.

The Shiva Lingam in this temple is the tallest and has a distinctive white appearance.

Also, the temple has a centrally placed Mandap where there are 72 pillars constructed with black stone with a main Garbha Griha enclosed within.

Towards the left are the sanctuaries of Lord Ganesha and Lord Gokarneshwara deities.

On the right are the Kartikeya and Vishnu lords and the chariot of lord shiva Nandi is placed in the center

In the center is the statue of the main deity Lord Shiva, this murti of Lord Shiva is fully visible through the windows of all four corners of Garbha Griha.

Mythological Significance

Legend has it that while drilling through the Ocean of Milk, the Amrutha Atma linga appeared, but Demon Tarakasura grabbed it.

He developed magical abilities to become invincible while wearing the Linga around his neck.

As the supreme commander of the Gods, Kumara Swamy, the Son of Shiva and Parvati, engaged Tarakasure in a battle.

The corpse of Tarakasura was continuously split into pieces by Kumara Swamy using his Shakthi Sword.

But each of the pieces came back conjoined.

Lord Maha Vishnu advised Kumara Swamy to smash the linga into pieces in order to slay the demon.

Even so, his physical parts will come together, hence the fractured parts should be repaired in the area where they fell.

This can be done by worshipping them by erecting temples on top of each piece in order to prevent their reunion.

On the guidance of Maha Vishnu, Kumara Swamy used his Agni Yantra to smash the tarakasura’s Shiva Lingam.

Likewise it became into five fragments and it started to reassemble, to prevent it Lords Indra, Chandra, Vishnu, Surya and Kumara Swamy all joined together and erected temples known as Pancharama Kshethra.

This temple is one such piece, installed by Lord Vishnu in Palakollu.

Legends

Lord Srirama first performed pooja in this same place to the deity Lord Shiva, this incident also adds to the ancient mythological prominence of this temple

It is in this temple, that Sri Adi Shankaracharya installed Sri Chakram.

The temple is blessed with the divinity of the Godavari River and Gostanu River where they both meet at a common confluence point close to a place called Narsapur

The Gostani River flows through Palakollu.

Legends also tell that Upamanyu, a poor Brahmin’s son prayed to Lord Shiva to make the ends meet.

One day, he requested his mother to make milk rice, and she due to scarcity begged him to worship Lord Shiva for the same.

He sat in front of the idol and began his devotional prayers, and Lord Shiva thrilled by the little boys penance used his Trishul to construct a milk pool.

The mythological milky ocean ( Ksheera Saragam ) was poured into the Ksheera Pushkarni Tank by Lord Shiva

He used the milk from this pool to offer pooja and other rituals to Lord Shiva.

Hence this place is popularly designated as Ksheerarama, Palakollu,  and Dugdhapovanam.

Pooja and other seva details in the temple

Special pooja services and timings

Pooja Cost

Festivals Celebrated

Mahashivarathri is one of the main festivals celebrated in this temple, it’s a celebration devoted to Lord Shiva during the month of Feb-March to attain mukti.

During the Hindu Month, Karthika Masam lots of devotees visit the temple and month long celebration will be held in the temple.

Also, Navarathri is another festival dedicated to the goddess Durga, performed with several rituals and pooja for 9 consecutive days during the month of September- October

Dress Code & Temple Rules to be followed on temple premises

• Devotees Should be decently dressed in traditional Indian wear, men in dhoti, kurta, pajama, or any formal clothing.
• Avoid using mobile phones and photography.

Other Deities in the Temple

Temple complex have many shrines of deities including:

• Kashi Vishweshwara: Form of Lord Shiva found in Kashi, Varanasi.

• Goddess Parvathi ( consort of Lord Shiva, also known as his Ardhangi) and Goddess Lakshmi ( Female deity of prosperity, abundance, beauty, and richness)

• Nagareshwara Lingam: Snake Deity is often regarded as Nagadeva, half snake and half human form, legends say they are the sons of Sage Kashyappa and Kadru

• Dundi Vigneshwara: A form of Lord Ganesha

• Veera Bhadra: He is a fierce form of Lord Shiva, born by the anger of Shiva.

• Sapta Matrika: A group of 7 ( sapta ) mother goddesses

• Kanaka Durga: A Hindu goddess of war, strength, power, and chivalrousness 

• Brahma: One of the TRINITY GODS, who represents the creator

• Saraswati: A hindu goddess of Knowledge, art, speech, and culture

• Kumara Swamy: Leader of Gods, son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, born to kill the demon “Tarakasura”

• Kartikeya: Also known as Subrahmanya Swamy, the 2nd son of lord Shiva

• Mahishasura Mardini: The female goddess of the supreme power of the trimurtis who destroyed Mahishasura

• Kala Bhairava: A powerful manifestation of Shiva associated with annihilation

•  Naga sarpa: Snake God in the form of a half snake and a half human body.

•  Nataraja: A form of Lord Shiva as a divine cosmic dancer, often famous for the dance form called “Tandava”

•  Dattatreya: A paradigmatic form of a sanyasi or a monk in the form of God

•  Nageshwara: Lord Shiva in the form of Naga sarpa

•  Shaneeshwara: One of the Navagraha deities, often responsible to take account of the past life karma of mankind

•  Radha Krishna: Krishna is one of the 8th avatar of Lord Vishnu, and Radha is his consort regarded as Maa Lakshmi

•  Shankara: Another name for Lord Shiva

How to reach Ksheera RamaLingeswara Swamy Temple?

The Palakollu terminus is fairly close to the temple location, and to proceed towards the temple you can arrange private transportation.

The temple location is 258 km from Visakhapatnam, 85 km from Eluru, 67 km from Rajahmundry, 138 km from Vijayawada, 97 km from Kakinada, and 22 km from Bhimavaram.

By Air: The nearest airport facility to the temple is Rajamundry airport located 81 km away and can be accessible by taxi or car.

By Train: The temple is located 1.7 km away from Palakollu railways station with surplus availability of trains commuting to and fro from various cities

By Road: The National Highway passing through Palakollu connects the town and the temple to all the major cities including Vizag, Hyderabad, Tirupati, and Vijayawada.

The Palakollu bus stop is within walking distance of the temple.

How to book pooja and other seva services

Devotees who are willing to book pooja and other seva services in advance can avail it by online modes of payment i.e. Netbanking/ Bhim UPI / Cheque by contacting the temple authorities.

However, the temple does not have an official website so they can get the contact info from the information mentioned below from Google GMB listing.

Temple Contact

Address: Sri Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy Temple, Palakollu, West Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh 534260

Office Phone: 08814 222822

Accommodation

Lodging and Boarding facilities in and around the temple.

With many devotees flocking in to get the blessing of this famous Pancharama temple, Town of Palakollu provides numerous facilities for the convenience of the devotees at fair prices.

• Hotel Mayur residency

• Hotel S-INN’s

• Hotel Royal Regency

• Hotel SRS residency

• Gulf Horizon residency

FAQ

• What is the height of Palakollu temple?

The temple is one of the tallest Shiva temples in AP, with 120 ft with 9 floors.

• What is the old name of Palakollu?

        Palakollu was originally called as Kshiraramam, Kshirapuram, Palakolanu, or Upamanyapuram

• Is the Palakollu temple of Lord Shiva very old?

        Yes, the temple has been mentioned in the Skanda Purana and Brahmanda Purana