🙏 Temples of India

Major Temples of Andhra Pradesh & Telangana

From Tirumala to Basara: the temples every Telugu family hopes to visit, across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

1 Tirumala Sri VenkateswaraTirumala, Andhra PradeshOn the seven hills of Seshachalam stands Sri Venkateswara, the Lord of the Kali Yuga: one of the most visited temples on earth and one of the 108 Divya Desams, run by Ti…
2 Tiruchanur Padmavathi AmmavaruTiruchanur (Alamelu Mangapuram), Andhra PradeshAbout 5 km from Tirupati, Padmavathi is the consort of Lord Venkateswara; by custom pilgrims visit her before or after Tirumala.
3 Srisailam Mallikarjuna – BhramarambaSrisailam, Andhra PradeshHigh on a hill in the Nallamala forest above the Krishna river (Patala Ganga), Srisailam is the rare shrine that is both a Jyotirlinga and a Shakti Peetha. Telugu devote…
4 SrikalahastiSrikalahasti, Andhra PradeshOn the Swarnamukhi river, Srikalahasti is the Vayu (air) linga among the Pancha Bhuta lingas; a lamp in the windless sanctum is said to flicker constantly. It is famous …
5 Kanipakam Varasiddhi VinayakaKanipakam, Andhra PradeshA self-manifested Vinayaka in a well; devotees believe the image is still slowly growing. An oath sworn before him here is regarded as binding.
6 Vijayawada Kanaka DurgaIndrakeeladri, Vijayawada, Andhra PradeshOn Indrakeeladri hill above the Krishna, Kanaka Durga is self-manifested. In Dasara she appears in a different alankaram each day, and the Bhavani Deeksha draws devotees…
7 Mangalagiri Panakala NarasimhaMangalagiri, Andhra PradeshOn the hill, jaggery water (panakam) poured into the mouth of Panakala Narasimha is half accepted and half returned, however much is offered. The Lakshmi Narasimha templ…
8 Simhachalam Varaha Lakshmi NarasimhaSimhachalam, Andhra PradeshThe Lord combines the Varaha and Narasimha forms; devotees call him Simhadri Appanna. The image stays covered in sandal paste all year, and his true form is seen only at…
9 Annavaram Sri Satyanarayana SwamyAnnavaram (Ratnagiri hill), Andhra PradeshOn Ratnagiri hill by the Pampa river. Newly-wed couples and families moving into a new home come here to perform the Satyanarayana Vratam; hundreds are performed every day.
10 Arasavalli Suryanarayana SwamyArasavalli, Andhra PradeshOne of the few Sun temples in India with daily worship. On a few mornings each March and October the sun's rays fall straight on the feet of the image in the sanctum.
11 SrikurmamSrikurmam, Andhra PradeshA rare shrine where Vishnu is worshipped in his Kurma (tortoise) incarnation. No two pillars in its halls are alike, and its old murals are notable.
12 Dwaraka Tirumala (Chinna Tirupati)Dwaraka Tirumala, Andhra PradeshCalled Chinna Tirupati because devotees who cannot reach Tirumala fulfil their vows here. The self-manifested image, found in an anthill, shows only down to the chest; a…
13 Ahobilam Nava Narasimha KshetramAhobilam (near Allagadda), Andhra PradeshNine Narasimha shrines in the Nallamala hills, in Lower and Upper Ahobilam and deep in the forest. Revered as the place where Hiranyakashipu was slain, it is a Divya Des…
14 Mantralayam Sri Raghavendra SwamyMantralayam, Andhra PradeshOn the Tungabhadra, where the Madhva saint Sri Raghavendra Swamy entered his Brindavana alive in 1671; devotees believe he remains there still, blessing all who come.
15 Lepakshi VeerabhadraLepakshi, Andhra PradeshA 16th-century Vijayanagara masterpiece built by the brothers Virupanna and Viranna, famous for its 'hanging pillar' that does not touch the floor, its painted ceilings …
16 MahanandiMahanandi, Andhra PradeshAt the edge of the Nallamala hills, with crystal-clear spring-fed tanks that stay at the same temperature all year. Nine Nandi shrines around the area make up the Nava Nandis.
17 Kotappakonda Trikoteswara SwamyKotappakonda, Andhra PradeshNear Narasaraopet, Shiva is worshipped as Dakshinamurthy on a hill of three peaks (Trikuta). On Maha Shivaratri, villages bring huge illuminated prabhas here in procession.
18 Antarvedi Lakshmi NarasimhaAntarvedi, Andhra PradeshWhere the Vasishta branch of the Godavari meets the Bay of Bengal. The Lord faces west; his Kalyanotsavam and chariot festival in Magha are famous.
19 Ainavilli Siddhi VinayakaAinavilli, Andhra PradeshKnown as the oldest Vinayaka shrine of Konaseema; local families visit before beginning any new venture or a child's education.
20 Bhadrachalam Sri Sita Ramachandra SwamyBhadrachalam, TelanganaOn Bhadragiri hill above the Godavari, Telugu devotees' Ayodhya of the South. Bhakta Ramadasu (Kancharla Gopanna) built the temple in the 17th century; at the Sri Rama N…
21 Yadagirigutta (Yadadri) Lakshmi NarasimhaYadagirigutta, TelanganaAbout 60 km from Hyderabad, Narasimha dwells in a hill cave; the temple was entirely rebuilt in black granite and reopened in 2022.
22 Vemulawada Raja RajeshwaraVemulawada, TelanganaVemulawada Rajanna is Telangana's Kashi of the South. The kode mokku, offering a young bull calf to the Lord, is a tradition unique to this shrine; pilgrims bathe in the…
23 Basara Gnana SaraswatiBasar, TelanganaOn the Godavari, the best-known Saraswati shrine in South India; Telugu families hope to begin their children's education with Aksharabhyasam here.
24 Kaleshwaram MukteshwaraKaleshwaram, TelanganaAt the confluence of the Godavari and Pranahita, two lingas share one pedestal: Kaleshwara (Yama) and Mukteshwara (Shiva). One of Telangana's oldest Shaiva shrines.
25 Ramappa (Rudreswara) TemplePalampet, TelanganaA Kakatiya masterpiece, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021. Built in 1213 by Recherla Rudra, general of Kakatiya Ganapati Deva, it is known by the name of…
26 Thousand Pillar Temple (Hanamkonda)Hanamkonda, TelanganaA triple shrine for Shiva, Vishnu and Surya, built in 1163 by the Kakatiya king Rudra Deva, famous for its carved pillared hall and monolithic Nandi.
27 Warangal BhadrakaliBetween Hanamkonda and Warangal, TelanganaOn a hill by Bhadrakali lake, the goddess is seated with eight arms; she was revered by the Kakatiya kings.
28 Chilkur BalajiChilkur, TelanganaBy Osman Sagar near Hyderabad, the 'Visa Balaji'. There is no hundi and no special or VIP darshan: everyone has the same darshan.
29 Keesaragutta RamalingeswaraKeesara, TelanganaOn a hill on Hyderabad's outskirts, a linga installed by Sri Rama; hundreds of small lingas lie scattered around the hill.
30 Alampur JogulambaAlampur, TelanganaNear the meeting of the Tungabhadra and Krishna, Alampur is Telangana's only Ashtadasha Shakti Peetha, and its seventh-century Nava Brahma temples of the Badami Chalukya…
31 Pithapuram Puruhutika DeviPithapuram, Andhra PradeshPuruhutika Devi, tenth of the eighteen peethas, sits in the Kukkuteswara Swamy temple complex. Pithapuram is also revered as the birthplace of Sripada Srivallabha by Dat…
32 Amararamam (Amaravati Amareswara)Amaravati, Andhra PradeshThe first Pancharama, on the Krishna at Amaravati. Installed by Indra, lord of the immortals, the linga is called Amareswara; the tall white linga is seen from two level…
33 Draksharamam Bhimeswara – ManikyambaDraksharamam, Andhra PradeshBoth a Pancharama and one of the 18 Shakti Peethas in one temple, held to be Daksharama, the site of Daksha's sacrifice. The linga, about 14 feet tall, rises through a t…
34 Somaramam (Bhimavaram)Gunupudi, Bhimavaram, Andhra PradeshInstalled by the Moon (Soma). Devotees say the linga turns white by the full moon and brownish-black by the new moon. Unusually, Annapurna's shrine is on the upper floor…
35 Ksheeraramam (Palakollu)Palakollu, Andhra PradeshPalakollu's Ksheeraramam is seen from afar by its nine-storeyed gopuram. Shiva drew a stream of milk (ksheera) from the earth with his trident here, the story goes, whic…
36 Kumararamam (Samarlakota)Samarlakota, Andhra PradeshNamed because Kumaraswamy himself installed the linga here. Like Draksharamam it is a two-storeyed temple of the Eastern Chalukya king Bhima, with a limestone linga abou…
37 Kondagattu Anjaneya SwamyKondagattu, TelanganaTelangana's most famous Hanuman shrine, among the hills; on Hanuman Jayanti devotees who have kept the saffron deeksha complete it here.

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