Raja Rajeshwara Temple- Karimnagar is located at Vemulawada, 150 km away from Hyderabad. This pilgrimage center is visisted by lakhs of people and is popularly known as the Dakshana Kashi (Benaras of South India). Sri Raja Rajeswara Swamy also called Rajanna by devotees is th e pesiding deity of the temple. Alongwith Rajanna, the idol of Sri Raja Rajeswari Devi and the idol of Sri Laxmi Sahitha Siddi Vinayaka, placed to the right and left of the presiding deity is also worshipped.

There is a holy tank in the premise of Raja Rajeshwara Temple- Karimnagar known as the Dharma Gundam. On it three mandapas are built and the idol of Lord Eshwara is in the center. The deity has been depicted in a meditation posture and the tank is surrounded by the five lingas. According to the Puranas, Lord Siva lived at various places like Kashi, Chidambaram, Srisailam and Kedareswaram but finally chose to stay at Vemulawada.

The festival of Sivaratri is celebrated on a large scale; nearly three to four lakh pilgrims visit Raja Rajeshwara Temple- Karimnagar. To celebrate the festival special poojas are held. Hundreds of archakas is carry out the Mahalingarchana. While during the midnight, Ekadasa Rudrabhishekham is performed to the deity. On the festive occasion the temple is decorated with flowers and lights. The temple earns huge revenues, in terms of earning revenues it ranks next to Tirupati. Every year the temple donates Rs. 8 lakhs to the gram Panchayat of the region for various developmental activities.

Last Updated on 19 May 2011

Andhra Pradesh Destinations