Arasavalli
Encyclopedia
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
temple dedicated to the sun god Surya
Surya
Surya Suraya or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar . The term Surya also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold...
, located near the Srikakulam
Srikakulam
Srikakulam is a town, municipality and headquarters of Srikakulam district in the north-eastern Andhra Pradesh, India. It is part of Srikakulam Assembly constituency and Srikakulam Parliament Constituency. Srikakulam was formerly called as Gulshanabad during Muslim rule and was headquarter of...
town of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The original name Harshavalli means abode of joy.
Deity
It has Surya Narayana Swamy
Surya
Surya Suraya or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar . The term Surya also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold...
(Sun God) as the presiding deity.
History
The temple is believed to have been built in the 7th Century AD by the KalingaKalinga
Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. Its capital is Tabuk and borders Mountain Province to the south, Abra to the west, Isabela to the east, Cagayan to the northeast, and Apayao to the north...
rulers Devendra Varma of Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
.
Festivals
Ratha Saptami is the most important festival which is celebrated in this temple. People suffering with eye and skin diseases are believed to be cured by the god at this temple.Architecture
This temple is a testimonial for the architectural skills of Vishwakarma sculptors. It is believed that the Orissa Vishwakarma Brahmin sculptors also called as Maharanas in Orissa have planned the architecture and sculpted this engineering master piece. The temple is built in such a way that the Sun rays fall on the feet of the God twice a year in the months of February and June during the early hours of the day. The rays fall on the feet of idol for a few minutes through the five entrance gates of the temple remin closed. the five idols installed in one place in the temple viz., 1.Aditya 2.Ambica, 3.Vishnu, 4.Ganesha, 5.Maheswara are worshiped by different devotees.The Sun God is depicted as riding on a Chariot drawn by seven horses driven by Aruna. All these figures are exquisitely carved out of a single black granite stone. Sundays during the five months from Magha masam are considered sacred. Every Sunday people from different places from Andhra & OrissaOrissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
come here for worshiping the Sun God. This temple was built in the Orissa style of temple architecture. A pillar was set up by Jakkamsetti Venkanna in the year 1929. The whole base was filled with jewels as an offering.
External links
- http://www.greattemples.com/ Get more information about the Arasavalli Sun Temple
- http://www.arasavallisungod.org/ Arasavall Sun Temple
- http://www.indiantemples.com/Andhra/arasavalli.html/ Article at the Indian temples
- http://www.adideva.com/ Puja registration site