Kurmanathaswamy temple, Srikurmam

The temple is situated in the Gara mandal of the Srikakulam district, which is located at a distance of from Visakhapatnam. It is one of the Indian temples where the Hindu deity Vishnu is worshipped in the form of a tortoise (the others being Sri Gaviranganatha Swami temple at Gavirangapura, Chitradurga, Karnataka and Sri Kurma Varadaraja Swami temple at Kurmai, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh). Srikurmam is away from Srikakulam town and away from the Suryanarayana temple, Arasavalli. Inscriptional history of the temple begins in the 11th-12th centuries. The temple is popular among the Tamil diaspora as well because it is a Vaishnavite temple. Ramanuja's disciples established Vaishnavism in the temple with the support of Kalinga king Anantavarman Chodaganga, the eastern Ganga king. After this incident, a group of devadasis were employed to sing and dance daily before the deity in the morning and evening. Srikurmam was regarded as an important centre of Vaishnavism in the medieval period along with Simhachalam and others. It was also regarded as the Gurupitha (sacred place of the master) of the Ganga kings of Utkala. Naraharitirtha, the disciple of Madhvacharya, was instrumental in making Srikurmam the seat of Vishnavite religious activities. He also defended the place from an attack of the Sabaras, a group of savage inhabitants of the Ganjam forests. Srikurmam influenced the kings, officials, and Vaishnavite devotees to change their names in accordance with the religious faith they followed. Due to his close association with the eastern Ganga kings, Naraharitirtha created the office of Bhoga Pariksha (religious head) with the aim of having the successive Madhwa saints supervise religious matters and pray for the welfare of the royal family and kingdom. Naraharitirtha later built a temple dedicated to Yogananda Narasimha in front of Srikurmam. The temple inscriptions mention Narasimha Dasa Pandita and Purushottama Deva as the Bhoga Parikshas. Currently, Srikurmam is under the trusteeship of the Gajapathi Rajus of Vizianagaram. == Legends ==

Narayana, one of the avatars of the Hindu deity Vishnu During the reign of king Swetha Chakravarthi, this area was referred to as Swetha Giri. Swetha Chakravarthi's wife Vishnu Priya was a devotee of Vishnu. When she was observing a fast on an Ekadasi day, Swetha Chakravarthi approached her with the intention of making love. When she refused, saying the time was not ideal, the king became adamant. She prayed to Vishnu, who created a stream of water, separating the couple. Swetha Chakravarthi was carried away in the ensuing flood and Vishnu Priya followed him to the hilly terrains of Swetha Giri. Vishnu is worshipped as Kurmanatha Swamy or Kurma Narayana, Later, a tribal king visited the Swetha Pushkarani and was impressed with it. After learning about the story of its origin from Swetha Chakravarthi, the tribal king constructed a tank around the lake and began worshipping the deity regularly. The tribal king used to stay in Sage Sampangi's monastery, which was situated in the Western side of the temple. Upon the king's request, the deity started facing west. The sage Durvasa visited the temple later with his disciples; the event of his arrival was considered significant. Rama sons Lava and Kusha were said to have worshipped Vishnu as Kurmanatha in Srikurmam. In Dvapara Yuga, Balarama visited the temple and was denied entry by Bhairava, who was serving as the temple's Kshetrapala (guardian deity). Infuriated, Balarama threw Bhairava away from the temple premises. Kurmanatha learned of this and gave Balarama permission to enter the temple. Balarama, in resentment, cursed that Srikurmam would be the only temple where Vishnu would be worshipped in the form of Kurma Narayana. Legends also say that upon Vishnu's request, Anjaneya agreed to guard the temple. == Architecture ==

Srikurmam temple is known for its distinctive architectural style. The design of the gopuram is different from the regular style seen at other Vaishnavite temples. == Festivals and religious practices ==

Srikurmam is one of the rare Indian temples that follow both Shaivite and Vaishnavite traditions. Akhanda Deeparadhana (Lamp worship), Nitya Bhogam (Daily offering) and Kalyanam (Marriage) are regularly performed to the deities. Other festive activities include Kurma Jayanthi on Jyeshta Bahula Dwadasi and Mukkoti Ekadasi. == In the media ==

In May 2011, the Andhra Pradesh State Archaeology Department extended its technical and financial support in modernising the temple and preserving the mural paintings. The Indian postal department issued a stamp featuring the temple on 11April 2013, at a price of five rupees. The North Andhra Priests' Association supported the priests of Srikurmam, and stated that the temple officials had made them "scapegoats". From 7–20 July 2014, 55 tortoise hatchlings were bred in the temple, which Green Mercy claimed to be a world record. In September 2015, The Times of India reported about an incident of mass mortality among those 55 tortoises due to infections and poor maintenance, said to be caused by a number of environmental and man-made factors. The number was reduced to 24, and the park's curator K.V. Ramana Murthy pointed out that the forest department agreed to conserve them, but the offer was put on hold by the high court after a petition filed by devotees and a few religious organisations. Apart from lack of manpower and proper funds, the Hudhud cyclone caused severe damage to the tortoise park. == References ==