The five major temples dedicated to Lord Shiva in Andhra Pradesh, known as Pancharama kshetras attract thousands of devotees on the occasion of Mahashivratri each year.
The first of these is Amarama in Amaravati of Guntur district. This celebrated temple on the banks of river Krishna, draws millions of devotees on Mahashivratri.It is believed that Lord Shiva, in the form of Amara Lingeswara Swami is worshipped by Lord Indra here in this sacred site.
Amarama is an ancient temple and Lord Shiva’s consort here is, Bala Chamundeswari Mata.
The second major Shiva shrine is Draksharama or Draksharamam, in East Godavari district near Ramachandra Puram. Lord Rama is worshipped in the form of Bheemeswara Swamy in this ancient temple. Manikyamba Devi, Lord Shiva‘s consort here is among the Ashtadasa or 18 Shaktipeethams. Draksharama attracts lakhs of devotees each year and Mahashivratri being the most important of all days in the Hindu calendar for worshippers of Lord Shiva, draws thousands of worshippers to this temple town.
The third important temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in Andhra Pradesh is
Somarama in Bhimavaram of West Godavari. This famous Someswara Swamy shrine of Lord Shiva draws thousands of pilgrims on sacred days of the Hindu calendar.
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Hindus believe that the moon God, Lord Chandra was purified of his sins when he worshipped Lord Shiva at this shrine. The Shiva Linga in this shrine is known to change its colour according to the lunar month. It turns black at the time of the moonless night or Amavasya and white at the time of the full moon night or Pournami. The consort of Lord Shiva here is Raja Rajeshwari.
Ksheerarama is a famous Shiva shrine located in Palakolu of West Godavari district. Hindus believe that Ksheera Ramalingeswara Swamy gave Sudarshana chakra to Lord Vishnu in this sacred site. Goddess Parvathi is the consort of Lord Shiva in this celebrated temple, which draws thousands of devotees on the occasion of Mahashivratri.
Kumarama in Samalkota of East Godavari district is another famous Lord Shiva shrine, thronged by worshippers on Mahashivratri. Kumara Bhimeswara Swamy is the presiding deity here, while Lord Shiva’s consort is Bala Tripura Sundari. The temple is a major place of attraction on Maha Shivaratr