Heritage · Faith · Tradition
About the Temple
Introduction
Sri Kesava Swamy Temple at Kotalaparru, a village in Penugonda mandal on the bank of the Vasishta Godavari in Andhra Pradesh, is one of the Pancha Kesava Kshetras – the five sacred temples of Lord Kesava (Vishnu) in the Godavari region. It is a temple with a remarkable story of loss and rediscovery, and its many shrines of the Alwars and Acharyas make it a living centre of Sri Vaishnava tradition.
Sthala Puranam (Legend)
According to tradition, the image of Lord Kesava here was first installed by the divine sage Narada. Over the ages the temple and the image were lost from sight, until Parasara Maharshi, wandering along the bank of the Vasishta river, found the Lord and installed him once again. Leaving some of his disciples to serve the Lord, the sage went away to continue his penance. Later, floods swept over the land and carried the temple away, and the whole area turned into forest.
The Rediscovery
About two and a half centuries ago, Vangapuri Seetharamacharyulu came to the Palakollu area as its tahsildar. His wife, Lakshmi Narasamma, was a devoted worshipper of Lord Kesava. One day the Lord appeared to her in a dream and told her that his image lay buried in the forest nearby, asking her to find it and install it. The ground was dug, but nothing was found. Yet the same dream came to her again and again, and when the digging was taken deeper, the image was found at last. The tahsildar built the temple and had the Lord installed. For the daily worship, Lakshmi Narasamma offered her own property and gold to the Lord, and one of the Acharyulu's sons later dedicated seventy acres of land in the Lord's name.
The Name Kotalaparru
The land around the temple was once forest. Local tradition says that after the temple was built, the forest was cleared with axes – kutharam in Sanskrit – and the settlement that grew up came to be called Kutharaparru, a name that in time became Kotalaparru.
The Temple
- In the sanctum, Lord Kesava gives darshan with two arms, with Sridevi and Bhudevi beside him; the sages Tumburu and Narada are shown on the archway (torana).
- The temple has four gateways on its four sides, with the main gopuram on the south; just outside it is a shrine of Lord Anjaneya.
- Around the temple, along the circumambulation path, are eight small shrines of Sita-Rama, Lakshmi Narasimha, Lakshmi Narayana, Selvapillai, Varadaraja Swamy, Venkateswara, Ranganayaka and Venugopala Swamy.
- Outside the sanctum are the shrines of the twelve Alwars on the left and of Manavala Mamuni on the right. To the left of the sanctum is the shrine of Yatirajavalli and to the right that of Goda Devi (Andal), beside which is the shrine of Bhashyakara – Sri Ramanuja, honoured as Godagraja.
Festivals
- Vaikuntha Ekadasi – darshan of the Lord through the northern gateway (usually December–January).
- Dhanurmasam – a month of early-morning worship with the recitation of Andal's Tiruppavai, especially fitting in a temple with a shrine of Goda Devi (usually mid-December to mid-January).
Visitor Information
- Timings: official timings are not published; the temple is usually open in the morning and evening. Please check locally before a special visit.
- Etiquette: traditional dress is recommended; remove footwear before entering.
How to Reach
- By Road: Kotalaparru is near Penugonda – home of the Sri Vasavi Kanyaka Parameswari Temple – about 4 km from Siddhantam along the Godavari bund, about 17 km from Palakollu and about 22 km from Tanuku. APSRTC and private buses run within about 5 km of the village, and autorickshaws are available.
- By Train: the nearest railway stations are Palakollu (about 17 km) and Tanuku (about 22 km).
- By Air: the nearest airport is Rajahmundry Airport, Madhurapudi (RJA), about 69 km away by road.
The Pancha Kesava Kshetras
The other Pancha Kesava temples are at Tanuku, Mandapaka and Ryali (about 24 km from Kotalaparru), with the fifth given as Duvva in some accounts and Vakatippa in others. Nearby is also the Pancharama shrine of Ksheerarama at Palakollu.
