Sri Kurmam Temple

The only temple in the country where Lord Vishnu is in the form of Tortoise is temple of Srikurmam, which is one of his famous incarnations. The Vishnu temple located here is architecturally unique And the lord is famous as Sri kurmanatha This is a famous temple in south India. The temple is very ancient and small temple. According to popular legend is that to bless king Swetamahipathi is the first appeared of the Lord. unclean persons are forbidden to touch the water from the tank, as it is said that the bones of the deceased if thrown into the Swetapushkarani tank get converted into tortoises or kurmas. This magnificent temple of Lord Vishnu is famed for architectural beauty. It is famed for architectural beauty and the peace of mind it provides. It contains over 200 pillars and many inscriptions in Devenagri script dating from the 11th to the 19th century A.D. It contains many inscriptions ranging from the 11th century AD to the 19th century AD and the Shrine is noted for its architectural beauty. There is one important inscription in Srikurmam, which has led to a controversy over the authenticity or the authorship of the Telugu Bharata, which is attributed to the great Telugu poet Nannaya, the court poet of the great Eastern Chalukyan king Rajarajanarendra. The temple has beautiful pillared Mandapas and some of the pieces of sculpture done in granite are masterpieces of workmanship. The Vimana of the temple is built in the characteristic Chola type of architecture, though the outer gates beyond the prakara are much later. There are several sacred Teerthas within the temple. Those who comes to visit Arasavalli sun temple, will definitely visit this temple too.. It is very dark inside the temple. Village Srikurmam derives its name from the temple, which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu in the Avathara of Srikurmam, the Avathara of a tortoise, and hence the deity is called 'Srikurmanatha. Temple Timings : Morning : 4.30 to 11.00 Evening : 3.00  to 7.00 The Dolotsavam is the most important festival celebrated at Srikurmam during March every year. On this occasion to witness the celebration thousands of  pilgrims will gather here. To get there, it is well connected by Road, Srikakulam is located 104 kms from Visakhapatnam. There is a good metalled road from Srikakulam. By Rail it is 104 kms from Visakhapatnam Railway station.