Draksharamam Temple Darsanam Timings:
5:00 AM to 12:00 Noon and 3:00 PM to 7:30 PM
On Masa Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri temple will be open from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm.
About Draksharamam Temple:
Draksharamam is a sacred place located at a distance of 28 Km from Kakinada, 50 Km from Rajahmundry and 25 Km from Amalapuram in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
There are a number of temples and pilgrim centres spread across the length and breadth of the country. Draksharama, situated on the Eastern Bank of the River Godavari, is one amongst them in Southern India. “Draksharama” means the Abode of Daksha Prajapathi, who was the father-in-law of Lord Siva and the beloved father of Sati Devi, the spiritual consort of Shiva. Skanda Purana tells a detailed story about this sacred pilgrimage, which is briefly narrated below.
Daksha Prajapathi decided to perform a Yagna for which he went to Kailasa to invite Gods and Goddesses to sanctify his Yagna. At that time Siva was in his Court immersed in deep meditation. But Daksha Prajapathi, because of his ego mistook Siva’s trance as indifference towards him. So, he invited everyone except Siva and returned to his place.
Though not invited, Sati wanted to attend the Yagna and she asked Siva’s permission. But Siva warned her of the tragic implications she might face at her parent’s house and let her decide herself. When she reached her parental home, nobody greeted her or was willing to talk to her. Unable to tolerate the humiliation at her own home, she decided to give up her life instead of facing her beloved husband with a dropped face. So, she sacrificed her life and fell down dead. Siva knew about this tragic incident and became furious. He sent his son ‘Veerabhadra’ to demolish the yagna. The upset and angry Siva came down to Sati’s dead body and carrying the corpse over his shoulder, he performed the ‘Pralaya Thandava’. At this time, Lord Vishnu, sent his ‘Chakra’ to cut down the body of Sathi and relieve the grief of Lord Siva. The Chakra cut the body of Sati into eighteen pieces which fell in eighteen places of the country which came to be known as ‘Ashta Dasa Sakthi Peethas’. Out of these eighteen Sakthi Peethas, Sri Manikyamba of Draksharama is the Twelfth.
The Holy Pilgrimage is a rare one, where equal importance is given to God and Goddess. The first one is Varanasi in Northern India with Viswanatha and Annapurna. The Second is Srisailam in Southern India with Sri Mallikharjuna and Bramaramba and the Third is Draksharama with Bhimanatha and Manikyamba.
Scriptures tell many mythological stories associated with the ‘Swayambhu’ aspect of the Lord’s existence here.
It is believed that Bhimanatha came down from Kailasa and settled here as requested by Parvathi herself who was the daughter of Dakhsa. The historical aspect of the temple dates back to the thirteenth century onwards.
This ancient and sacred temple is regarded as one of the “Pancharamas” a very popular pilgrim centers in Andhra Pradesh. Thousands of people visit the temple seeking the grace of the Lord.
The temple is a protected Monument and the Archaeological Department has to do the renovation works of this temple to improve the beauty and divine atmosphere. The inscriptions and epigraphical details on the walls of this temple are a great treasure for historians.
Presently the temple is under the administration of the Executive Officer of the Endowments Departments. The important festivals of the temple include Devi Navaratrulu, Karthika Masam, Dhanurmasam, Maha Sivaratri, Birthday Celebration of Sri Bhimeswara Swamy varu, Subrahmanya Shasti, Kalyanam etc.
Important Festivals Celebrated in Draksharamam Temple:
Vinayaka Chavithi
Dasara
Karthika Masam
Varalakshmi Vratham
Subramanya Swamy Shasti
Swami Kalyanam and Birthday
Shiva Ratri
Draksharamam Temple Address:
Sri Manikyamba Sametha Sri Bhimeswara Swamy Temple,
Draksharamam,
Ramachandrapuram Mandal,
East Godavari District,
Andhra Pradesh – 533262
Office: 08857-252488.
