Every Karthika, before dawn on a Monday, cars and buses set out from Vijayawada, Rajahmundry and Hyderabad on one of the best-loved pilgrimages of the Telugu lands: the Pancharama yatra, a journey to the five "aramas" of Lord Shiva. Four of the temples lie in the green Godavari delta; the fifth stands on the Krishna at Amaravathi. Some devotees complete all five in a single long day; others spread the journey over two. This guide is for anyone planning it – the route, the distances, the best time in the Telugu calendar, and what to look for at each temple.
For the legend of the Pancharamas – the Lingam of Tarakasura that broke into five pieces – please see our page on the Pancharama Kshetras.
Three of the five – Draksharamam, Samarlakota and the present temple at Bhimavaram – are associated with the Eastern Chalukya king Chalukya Bhima, and the temples at Draksharamam and Samarlakota are so alike in design that they are often called twin temples. Ksheerarama's great Rajagopuram was added in the 14th century, and Amaravathi's inscriptions go back to the early 12th century. Each temple page on this site gives the details. The legend that binds the five together, however, belongs to tradition, and each temple keeps its own story of who first worshipped its Lingam: Indra at Amaravathi, Chandra at Bhimavaram, Kumaraswamy at Samarlakota.
Karthika is the holiest month of the year for Shiva devotees in the Telugu lands, and its Mondays, the Karthika Somavarams, are especially dear to the Lord. Visiting all five Pancharamas in this month is considered highly meritorious, and many devotees choose a Somavaram for the journey. You can read about the month's customs – the dawn baths, the evening lamps and the Somavaram fast – on our Karthika Masam page.
When is Karthika? In the Telugu calendar, Karthika Masam begins on Karthika Shukla Padyami – the day after Deepavali Amavasya – and runs until Karthika Amavasya. With Ashwayuja before it, it forms Sharad ritu, the autumn season. Every Monday of the month is a Karthika Somavaram (usually four, sometimes five), and the full-moon day midway through the month is Karthika Pournami. Expect the heaviest crowds on the Somavarams and on Pournami, and please follow your local Telugu panchangam for the exact days each year.
The key fact for planning is geography: the four Godavari temples are close to one another, while Amaravathi is about 160 km away by road from Bhimavaram, its nearest Pancharama. Approximate road distances along the most practical sequence are:
That is close to 300 km of driving in all, before adding the journey to the first temple and home from the last. Road conditions, festival traffic and the time spent in queues can change the day considerably.
This is the traditional ambition, and it is possible by car with a very early start. Begin at Amaravathi (about 35 km from Guntur and about 50 km from Vijayawada) as close to the temple's opening time as you can. Then drive east to Bhimavaram and Palakollu, cross the Godavari region to Draksharamam, and finish at Samarlakota in the evening. Alternatively, start at Samarlakota and end at Amaravathi. It is a long, tiring day, and on Somavarams the queues at each temple may make it impossible. Do not drive through the night to make it work.
Many families find this more peaceful. On the first day, visit Amaravathi from Vijayawada or Guntur and travel on to stay at Bhimavaram or Palakollu. On the second day, complete Somarama, Ksheerarama, Draksharama and Kumararama, ending near Rajahmundry or Kakinada.
If Amaravathi is visited on another occasion, the four Godavari temples make a comfortable single-day circuit of about 185 km from Rajahmundry: Samarlakota, Draksharamam, Palakollu and Bhimavaram, in either order.
Some devotees hold that the five should be visited on the same day; others see no difficulty in spreading them out. This is a matter of personal vow and family custom, not a rule.
The Pancharama yatra is as much about the road as about the temples. It runs past paddy fields and canals, across the Krishna and the Godavari, and from one tall Lingam to the next, until the five aramas become, for the pilgrim, one long darshan of the same Lord. Whether you finish it in a day or a week, the tradition asks only that you go with devotion, and that you take care of the elders who travel with you.