About Neelakanteshwara Temple

Antarvedi is famous for its unique temple known as Neelakanteswara temple. The presiding deity of this temple is Lord Shiva who is also known Neelakanta. Puranas indicate that Lord Brahma has worshipped the idol of Lord Shiva at this temple and is, therefore, one of the famous Shiva temples in India. The temple is one of the ancient temples of India with devotees thronging to this place during Shiva Ratri Festival. Antarvedi is located in East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh.

The temple is called as an island temple because it is located where the ocean and river meet. This temple is known to be very unique as the main Deity i.e. the Lord Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy faces towards West instead of East which is the usual direction of all temples in India. This is one of the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu and was constructed sometime between the 15th and 16th century. This temple has an impressive 5 storeyed Vimana Gopuram.

As soon as one enters this beautiful temple one can find the Garuda idol on one side and Bhakta Anjaneya on the other side of the temple entrance. While approaching the “Garbha Gudi” which is the centre or in other words the Sanctum of the temple, one can see “Vatapatra Sayi” on its roof. This idol of Lord Krishna on a palm leaf is made out of a single stone. In the Garbha Gudi, devotees can view the magnificent Lord Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy with the Goddess Lakshmi Devi on his lap.