Famous Temples in India

Religious Significance

There existed a mountain, Swetachala, which was ruled by the king Sutha. His wife being profoundly attached to the religious chores was to observe a vow (Vratham) on a Suddha Ekadasi day and shunned herself from the sensual pleasures. As the king made amorous advances to her on the very same day set for prayers and worship she reproached his advances and made a fervent appeal to Lord himself for the unhindered continuance of the Vratham which ought not to be violated. In answer to her prayer, Lord Kurmanatha bade the Ganges flow in between the king and queen, thus segregating the couple and as a result, the queen started living on the banks of the river, while the king was pining for his beloved in solitude. Sage Narada advised him to please Lord Vishnu by doing a penance at the confluence of river Vamsadhara and the sea. He taught Kurma-mantra to meditate upon. Pleased with his prayer, the Lord appeared before him with all his divine attributes such as Sanka, Chakra, Gadha and Padma. Kurmantha accompanied by Narada and the king went to the neighbouring hill where Vakranga Maharshi was living. Lord, on seeing an enchanting and beautiful place on his way, created a tank with his disc (Sudarsana Chakra). The tank is known thereafter as the milky ocean (Kshira Samudram). Mahalakshmi, the consort of the Lord, joined him and settled there. Thus the place came to be known as SriKurmam or Kurmagundam.

A tribal Bhil woman and her husband who had the unique experience of washing off their sins and warding of their physical ailments were blessed by the sacred darsana of the Lord. Having realized the sanctity of this place, King Sutha built a temple and got it consecrated by Brahma, the creator, with the Sudarsana mantra in the august presence of Sage Narada embellishing it with golden walls. The God agreed to appear before them in 10 different avatars and finally took his original form Kurmanatha here after being pacified by the Gopala Mantra.

Another anecdote gives very interesting details of how a prince of Anandapuri on having spotted a golden faced dear chanced to visit Sudhagundam ( a place very near Srikurmam) and also the temple Kurmanatha, where the divine nymph Tilolottama was engrossed in the divine service of dancing before the Lord. Enchanted by the beauty of the divine damsel, the prince failed to notice the holy presence of the Lord and fell in love passionately with her. She repudiated his love and cursed him. The penitent prince stayed on here and did penance for three centuries and finally he was absolved of his sins and blessed by the Lord. As a token of gratitude, the prince settled there permanently and dedicated himself heart and soul to the servitude of Him.