Kurmanatha Swamy Temple, Srikurmam – The Temple

Kurmanatha Swamy Temple, Srikurmam – The Temple

This temple is facing towards west and has a fusion of Kalingan and dravidian architectural style. The temple has two dhvajasthambas, one on the west and the other on the east, which is a rare feature in a Vaishnavite temple. The temple consists of sanctum, antrala and mukha mandapa. The sanctum enshrines an image of Kurmanatha Swamy. The image is Swayambhu Moorthy (self-manifested). The image is made of black stone, but due to the regular applications of sandalwood paste, it appears yellow.

It sits on a platform made of stone with a length of 5 feet, a height of 1 foot, and a width of 4 feet. The idol is 2.5 feet (0.76 m) long and consists of three stone structures. The stone representing the head faces the west; the middle stone represents the body of the tortoise the small stone at the rear end, covered with swirling circles, represents either the tail of the tortoise or the Sudarshana Chakra. Devotees visit the Pathala Siddheswara temple before entering the sanctum of Kurmanatha Swamy.

The utsava idols of Govindaraja Swamy and his consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi were found in the Swetha Pushkarini in the 12^th century CE. The utsava idols of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana were presented by Naraharitirtha. All these idols are located in a small room near the sanctum sanctorum and are worshipped daily. The superstructure over the sanctum is built in the form of an ashtadala padma (eight-petaled lotus). 

Images of Vishnu, Gajalakshmi, Ganesha, Durga, Trivikrama, Narasimha and ashtadikpalas (guardian deities) can be found in the niches around the sanctum walls. It is one of the few Vishnu temples in the world where abhishekam (Thirumanjanam) is performed on daily basis like in Shiva temples. The devotees can directly enter the sanctum sanctorum to offer prayers, unlike the method specified by the traditional rules of Vaishnavism.

There is a shrine dedicated to Kurma Nayagi, the consort of Kurmanatha Swamy in this temple premises. An image of Andal is found in this shrine. Shrines for the guardian deities namely Hatakeswara, Karpureswara, Koteswara, Sundareswara, and Pathala Siddheswara can be found in the temple premises. The temple contains 108 Ekasila (single-stone) pillars, with none resembling each other. These pillars bear few inscriptions of the ruling dynasty of this region.

It is said that the Kasi Dwaram (underground tunnel), situated on the north east to the pradakshina mandapa connects the temple with Varanasi. This gate is closed now. The inner walls of the south-east and southern corridors of the temple has mural paintings and frescoes, made up of natural colours. The frescoes found in this temple resemble the frescoes found in the caves of Ajanta and Ellora. These frescos and paintings depicts the scenes from Krishna Leela.

Theertham associated with this temple is Swetha Pushkarini / Sudha Kundam. It is situated in front of the temple. Narasimha mandapam can be seen in the middle of the tank. The sand below the waters of the temple tank is white in colour and is known as Gopi Chandanam. Legends say that Krishna played with Gopikas in these waters, after which the sand turned white when a sage saw them. 

There is a tortoise park in the temple premises. It has been built to conserve the adult and young star tortoises, which are found in the foothills and fields of Srikakulam. It is the only conservation centre for this species. They also feed gongura leaves to these tortoises as a token of respect for the deity. The Endowment Board of the Government of Andhra Pradesh and NGO Green Mercy took on the responsibility for the conservation of these star tortoises.