Suryanarayana Temple, Arasavalli

Arasavalli Sun Temple is a temple for Lord Surya (Sun god) at Arasavalli in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is situated in Arasavalli Village at a distance of 1 km east of Srikakulam Town. It is believed that the temple was originally built by the 7th century CE king Devendra Varma, a ruler of Kalinga.[1] However, the present structure is largely a result of 18th century renovations.[2][3][4] The temple is still being visited today and is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the town. This temple is considered as one of the oldest sun temples in India.

Arasavalli Sun Temple
Arasavilli Sri Suryanarayanamurty Temple
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DistrictSrikakulam
DeitySurya
FestivalsRatha Saptami, Maha Shivaratri
Location
LocationArasavalli
StateAndhra Pradesh
CountryIndia
Location of Arasavalli in Andhra Pradesh
Geographic coordinates18.3706607°N 83.9237704°E / 18.3706607; 83.9237704
Architecture
TypeKalinga architecture
CreatorDevendra Varma
Completed7th Century AD

History

It is one of the ancient and all among two sun God temples in our Country. The other is the Konark Sun Temple. The Temple was dedicated to the Hindu sun god Surya.

According to Padmapuranam, Sage Kasyapa installed the Idol of Surya at Arasavalli for the Welfare of mankind. Therefore, the Surya is of Kasyapasa Gotra. He is also termed as planetary King.[5]

The walls in the temple are inscribed saying the creator of the temple was the ruler Devendra Varma, stating it was built in the time period known to them as the 7th century. The walls also state the temple was fixed and changed a bit to help with some of the sun temple's major flaws during their 18th and 19th century. A lot of these changes were contributed by the Dusi family. The temple fell into despair over the centuries and was reconstructed in 1778 CE by Elamanchili Pullaji Panthulu.[2][4] Over the years the Sun temple has been an important landmark for many of the festivals celebrated in the town. Including the important festival Rathasaptami.

Importance of the temple
Indra Pushkarini (Temple tank) at Arasavilli

The temple is very much recognized as a resemblance of magnificence and beauty. It takes in architectural skills of Vishwakarma Brahmins or Maharanas of Odisha. The temple is built in such a way that the early morning rays of the sun fall on the feet of the deity twice a year (Uttaraynam - March 9-11 and Dakshinayam - October 1-3), even when the 5 entrance gates are closed.[3]

See also

Konark Sun Temple

References
  1. "Historical Importance of the Temple". Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  2. "Suryanarayana Temple at Arasavalli". www.templenet.com. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  3. "Sun rays touch Arasavalli deity". 10 March 2011.
  4. Kasturi, Prema (2007). South India Heritage: An Introduction. East West Books (Madras). ISBN 978-81-88661-64-0.
  5. https://srikakulam.ap.gov.in/tourist-place/arasavilli/


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.