Temples Of Andhra Pradesh: Temples of Guntur District

Amaravati
Kotappakonda
ponnur-bhavanarayana swamy
Govada-koteswara swamy temple
Ananthavaram-sri venkateswara swamy temple
Gurazala-10 temples .
Pedakakani-Temple
Jillellamudi

Located 16 miles(N-E) from Guntur City, Amaravathi is named after its famous temple of Amareswara Swamy with the swayambhu linga. Also the Mahachaitya stupa, built in the 2nd century B.C. in Amaravathi, is richly adorned with carvings depicting the life and teachings of the Buddha. The stupa houses a small museum with a collection of old monuments, and a pictorial depiction of the Buddha's life and teachings and terracotta antiquities. The temple walls have a number of inscriptions that throw light on the different dynasties that reigned over this place. A Recent Finding. The Museum at Guntur, has collection of various relics and antiques such as Stupa-slabs, railings, sculpture, coins of gold, silver and lead, potsherds and crystals caskets.
http://www.andhratemples.org/amaravathi/

Bhattiprolu is located 20 miles(S-W) of the city, formerly the Kingdom of Prati Palaputra, appears to be the earliest known kingdom in Guntur District. archaelogical information gathered in the area of Bhattiprolu.

Kondaveedu

Kondaveedu is located 17 Miles from Guntur City . This historical fort was built during the reign of the Reddy kings in 14th century A.D. there are 21 structures in the fort . The ruins of the fort located on the hilltop offer unraveled mysteries to the tourist. A place of natural scenic beauty with natural wonders it is an ideal place for trekking. The Gopinatha temple and Kathulabave at the foot of the hillock, numerous temples, residential structures, pillared halls on the hill and the entrance gate ways on east and west sides are the attractions at kondavidu.

Kotappakonda Trikutaparvatam, Guthikonda Caves

Kotappakonda, the temporal abode of Trikoteswara Swamy, is a village, 25 miles (40 km) south- west Guntur City near Narsaraopet. Its original name is Kondakavuru, but is more popularly known as Kotappakonda or Trikutaparvatam, a three-peaked hill nearby. Though surrounded by other hills, the three hills, also known by the names of Trikutachalam or Trikutadri, can be distinctly seen from a distance from any direction. The three peaks are named after the Hindu Triumvirate, Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara. Guthikonda popularly known as Dakshina Kasi is located near Narasaraopeta. The Guthikonda Caves is open for tourist exploration as well.

Sitanagaram

Sitanagaram is located 16 miles (26 km) North-East of Guntur City on the banks of river Krishna with a vast sandy beach for recreation and leisure. The famous Someswara Swamy temple is situated here According to the legend Lord Rama wept here for Sita when she was abducted by Ravana, hence the name Sitanagaram.

Undavalli-caves, Mangalagiri

Located 13 miles (21 km) northeast of Guntur city, these two places are easily accessible on the Guntur-Kolkata Express Way.Managalagiri is famous for its temple of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha swamy. The hill used to be an active volcano. It is at an altitude of 30 meters above the sea level. Latitude is 16.44 degrees north, and longitude is 80.56 degrees east. Here at the temple, jaggery water is offered to the lord by the devotees. According to the ancient scriptures, the lord is being worshiped since Satya Yuga (The first of the four yugas). In the down hill there is another temple dedicated to Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy. It is said that, Yudhishtira (Dharmaraju, the eldest of the Pandavas) installed the main deity in this temple. The temple has a very tall tower with beautiful sculpture which has 11 stairs.
http://www.andhratemples.org/mangalagiri/

Chebrole

Located 10 Miles South of Guntur city, Chebrole is famous for chaturmukha Brahma and Lord Nageswara Swamy. Has a beautiful red stone Nandi. It is a major panchayat comprising three villages Chebrole, patha reddy palem and kotha reddy palem. It is a mandal head-quarters. Buckingham canal passes by which is used for inland transport and irrigation. It was a regional fort for pallavas, chalukyas and kakatiyas. Its ancient name was sambhole (from which 'chebrole' is derived). There are famous Chalukya inscriptions. Chebrole is mentioned in yuddamalluni Vijayawada inscriptions. It became famous in the rule of Kakatiyas as a great general Jayapa ruled the Chebrole fort. Jayapa also wrote a famous book on Indian dance, 'Nrutyaratnavali'.

Chejarla

Located 35 km from Narasaraopet. Chejarla is famous for temple. This is also called as dakshina kasi.

Temple of Chaturmukha Brahma Lingeswaralayam located 8 miles (13 km) to the center city of Guntur. It is one of rare temples of India built for Lord Brahma. - Sri Anjaneya Swamy Temple at Ponnuru (which has large idols) and Kothapet. - Sri Bhavanarayanaswamy temples at Bapatla and Ponnuru. - Temple at Ramalingeswara Agraharam. It has old inscriptions dating to 1000 years ago. - Kakani Malleswara Swamy temple at Pedda Kakani built during the era of Krishnadevaraya. - Hinkar Tirtha (Jain Temple, Mangalagiri), VaikuntaPuram(Tenali). - Sri Kali Gardens at Namburu.

Culturally rich Chebrolu has more than 100 temples of great historical importance. The Andhra Pradesh government has recognized the importance of Chebrolu and placed it on the tourism map. Chebrolu has an unique temple dedicated to Lord Brahma.

The original Sanskrit name (ancient Vedic culture/tradition) for Guntur was Garthapuri. The 'Agasthyeswara Sivalayam' in the old city of Guntur is an ancient temple for Siva

. It has inscriptions on two stones in 'Naga Lipi' (ancient script)

dating back to about 1100 CE. The backyard of the temple hosts a very old tree

. It is said that Agastya built the temple in the last Treta-Yuga around the Swayambhu Linga and hence the name. The 'Nagas' were said to have ruled the region. The place of Sitanagaram and the Guthikonda Caves can be traced (through Vedic Puranas) back to the last Treta-Yuga and Dwapara-Yuga (Traditional Time scale: 1.7 to 0.5 million years ago, Ref).However these are not scientifically verifiable facts like most of the vedic folklores

Tourism & places of interest

Bird Sanctuary

Main article: Guntur Tourism

Uppalapadu Nature Conservation (Guntur city Rural, 4 miles S) Endangered bird species.

Amaravathi, Bhattiprolu, Chebrolu (Guntur Rural/District, 15 miles) Ancient Relics.
The Amareswara (Shiva) temple walls have lot of inscriptions that give information about the kings who ruled over the area. The present holy shrine of Amaralingeswara (Lord Shiva) temple is associated with the reign of Vasireddy Venkatadri Nayudu who ruled the region before the advent of the British rule (See Amararama). People around Amaravati widely believe that he temple was constructed to install peace after a massacre of 1000 violent tribesman plotting against the king in a sinister carnival organized to capture them. Later Venkatadri Nayudu built a temple in the same spot upon guidance from scholars of his court. He was well-known for his benevolence , munificence and construction of a large number of temples and education centers in the Krishna river delta.^[11]

Chebrolu is a small ancient village with many historical remains. It is situated 10-km from Guntur. This place got its prominence from the existence of four temples, 'Bhimeshwara', 'Adikeshwara', 'Nageshwara' and 'Brahmalingeshwara'.

The Temple Shrines
A huge Lingam shrine can be found at Bhimeswara temple. The Adikeshwara temple has two shrines. Outside the Nageshwara temple compound one can find a huge 'Nandi' pavilion, which a main attraction.

The Brahmalingeshwara temple has a small shrine situated in the middle of the temple tank. The main deity is a Shiva Lingam, which has four images of 'Brahma' carved on its sides. Devotees can access this shrine through a bridge across the waters of the tank.

Downtown, City: (Guntur city, District): Parks, centers, Theme Parks.

Kondaveedu Fort: (Guntur city/Rural, 8 miles W) Ancient fort and temple structures.

Kondaveedu

Kotappakonda: (Guntur District. 25 miles S-W) Ancient temple and mountainous region.

This temple is having one interesting story is that in the temple surroundings you won't find crows flying around. There is a story for this aspect. Once a lady used to worship lord shiva with fruits, flowers etc. One fine day when she is on the way to temple one crow disturbed the lady's offerings. She got angry and cursed that Crows cannot enter this temple premises. You cannot find a crow today and it is true.
kotappakonda.

Mangalagiri: (Guntur District, 12 miles N-E) Ancient temple.

Mangalagiri is a pilgrim centre. There is a temple on the hill dedicated to Lord Panakala Narasimha Swamy. Here, jaggery water is offered to the lord by the devotees. It is said in the scriptures that, the lord is being worshiped since Satya Yuga (The first of the four yugas). In the down hill there is another temple dedicated to Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy. It is said that, Yudhishtira (Dharmaraju, the eldest of the Pandavas) installed the main deity in this temple. The temple has a very tall tower with beautiful sculpture which has 11 stairs. It was constructed by Raja Vasireddi Venkatadri Naidu, during the years 1807-09.

Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, Ethipothala Falls: (Guntur District) Largest dam and water falls.