Arasavalli - The Abode of Happiness!

 

Arasavalli - The Abode of Happiness!

Another temple… Another god…. Another form of worship! Today we will visit the Arasavalli temple and discover its specialities. Located near Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, it is an ancient temple dedicated to the Sun god. The temple was originally called Harshavalli indicating that it is an abode of happiness. The temple was built in the 7th century by the Kalinga kings and it has a unique story of its origin. Religious texts will tell you, that the temple originated because of a peculiar reason. Once king Indra, wished to meet Lord Shiva. However, when he reached Kailasa, Indra met with resistance from Nandi, preventing him from going in. Not minding this, Indra forced his way in. Soon Indra repented his act of arrogance, and as penance he built a temple dedicated to Suryanarayana Swami or the Sun god at Arasavalli which now stands among the most important religious destinations in India.

The temple beautifully depicts puranic stories through Vishvakarma sculptures. As you walk in to take darshan of the presiding deity of the Arasavalli temple, you will see a granite idol of Lord Suryanarayana along with his consorts Padma, Usha and Chhaya. It is mesmerizing to see the Lord and his consorts seated royally on the seven horse driven chariot. Apart from this, you will also see the deity bearing Lotus buds, which gives him the name Padma Paani. Towards the end of the picture you will also see the gate keepers Pingala and Danda and the saints Sanaka and Sananda along with Surya's charioteer Aruna.

The Arasavalli temple of the Suryanarayana Swami is a Panchayatana temple with the Sun god in the centre, surrounded by the deities of Ganesh, Shiva, Parvati and Vishnu. These gods are known by different names at the Asravalli Suryanarayana Swami temple. They are known by the names of Aditya, Ambica, Vishnu, Ganesha and Maheswara (shiva). In this temple, the Ratha Saptami,[an observation of the seventh day after the Sun’s northerly movement] is celebrated at a grand scale. One must be blessed to witness this divine affair.

-Kruti Beesam