Sri Kurmam Srikakulam
About Sri Kurmam
This is a temple dedicated to Sri Kurmanatha, which is the second avatar of Lord Vishnu, Kurma Avatar (Tortoise) in Andhra Pradesh,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. 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.
Srikurmam village at a distance of about 20 Kms from the town of Srikakulam, towards east. You can reach here by road, rail or airways.
By Airways:The nearest airport is at Visakhapatnam, which is 106 km away from where you have to drive or take a cab which takes about 2 1/2 hour to reach.
By Rail: The Railway source close to the town is from Amadalavalasa which is at a distance of 20 kms. Srikakulam is an important railway junction on the Howrah-Chennai broad-gauge line, and is well connected by rail with all the important places in the State. There are plenty of trains from Hyderabad, Vijayawada or Visakhapatnam. From the town you can drive down or hire a taxi to reach the temple.
By Road: There are buses from Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam to Srikakulam. From this town, there are plenty of buses to the temple from the Old Bus Station in the town or from Arsavalli Bus station. If you are travelling by road in your car, then take the following route from Srikakulam town:
Once you are in the town of Srikakulam, come to the Old Bus Station of the town. From there, take the road towards Arasavalli towards Police quarters from the cross roads on the National Highway 5. When you go straight, you will cross Arsavalli Junction Bus stop, then you will reach the temple of Arsavalli. from there go straight on the NH-5, you will come to Vadada Junction, go straight from there till u come to Voppangi Village. Go further straight from there and you come to Deepavali Road Bus Stop, going straight from there you get Ampolu Bus stop and then Srikurmam Bus stop on the NH-5. at that point, take left for the road to Srikurmam. A narrow road leads you to the village of Srikurmam. once you reach the village, you can easily reach the temple.
Devotees can choose from 3 options – At Srikurmam or at Srikakulam Town or at Visakhapatnam City. Staying at Srikakulam Town is most preferred in view of better Food Facilities (Travel Time – About 20 minutes., Buses – Cars – Autos are available)
This is a major city on the eastern coast of Bay of Bengal. General as well as upstream Hotels are available. Taj , WelcomeGroup (ITC), Sheraton, Park etc operate 5 star Hotels and there are decent 3 star Hotel Chains like Green Park (www.hotelgreenpark.com),Daspalla (www.daspallahotels.com), Dolphins, Fortune, Quality Inn etc.
Suryanarayana swamy temple.
Sri kurmanadha temple.
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Darshan is allowed from 6am to 8pm on all days,with short intermittent closures for Poojas of the Deity.
Sewas:
Abhishekham – Rs 100 for one day or Rs 1116 for one day in a year permanently.
Akhanda Deeparadhana – Rs 51 for one day or Rs 1116 for one day in a year permanently.
Nitya Bhogum for Lord (Naivedyam) – Rs 300 for one day or Rs 3116 for one day in a year permanently.
Kalyanam – Rs 516 for one day or Rs 5116 for one day in a year permanently.