Bhairavakona

Bhairavakona
Bhairavakona
	BhairavaKona cave temples view
Religion
Affiliation	Hinduism
District	Prakasam
Festivals	Mahasivaratri, Karthika Pournami
Location
State	Andhra Pradesh
Country	India
	Shown within Andhra Pradesh
Geographic coordinates	15°05′19″N 79°12′06″E / 15.088595°N 79.201737°E

Bhairavakona is a holy place situated on the heart of Nallamala Hills in the Prakasam district of the Indian State of Andhra Pradesh. This place is notable for eight different forms of cave temples of Shiva dating to 7th or the 8th century CE. The rock cut cave temples here are quite similar to some of the rock cut temples in Mahabalipuram. Each temple presents Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva combination.

Etymology

The name Bhairavakona originated from the fact that Kaala Bhairava Swamy guards the location which has temple of Sri Trimukha Durgamba Mahadevi in the background Bargheswara lingam in the foreground.

Geography

భైరవకోన

Bhairavakona is 15 km (9.3 mi) from Seetharamauram, 23 km (14 mi) from Chandrasekharapuram and 35 km (22 mi) from Pamuru in Kothapalli hill range. It is about 43 km (27 mi) from Udayagiri, a town in Nellore district. APSRTC's runs buses to Seetharamapuram from which share autos ply to Bhairavakona.

Architecture

The Bhairavakona rock cut cave temples are a historically important Shaivism tradition site. They are carved out of a single rock in the Nallamala hills. These hills are a part of the Eastern Ghats that run north-south near Vijayanagara Empire ruins site of Udayagiri, Andhra Pradesh. This area features natural waterfalls and a scenic ambience.

This place is home to 8 temples of Shiva. The notable features of these rock cut caves are the inscriptions and eight different forms of Shiva: Shashinaga, Rudra, Visweswara, Nagarikeswara, Bhargeswara, Rameswara, Mallikarjuna and Pakshamalika Linga. The script and the iconography suggests that this rock cut temple was built in the 7th or the 8th century CE. The rock cut cave temples here are quite similar to some of the rock cut temples in Mahabalipuram. Each temple presents Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva combination. Saraswati-Lakshmi-Parvati are also carved into the single rock. Fusion deities such as Harihara are also part of the reliefs.

Life size dwarapalikas, cut out pillars on lions, gavaksa (Gavākṣha), Ganesha and other Hindu deities are also some of the reliefs presented in these temples.

A small Kaala Bhairava Swamy temple is opposite to the main temple separated by a small lake. There is waterfall which falls from a height of 200 metres.

Festivals

Mahasivaratri,^[1] Kartika Purnima^[2] are two of the major festivals celebrated in which large number of pilgrims visit the temple. Moonlight falls on the idol of goddess Parvati on Kartika Poornima day.^[2]

Gallery

Sonavana waterfalls suitable for bathing near temple complex
Main temple with Bhargeswara lingam in the foreground and Trimuka Durga mahadevi in the lower court
Sasinagalingam cave temple
Srisaila Mallikarjuna Lingam cave temple
Nagarikeswara lingam
Ashtakala Prachanda Bhairava lingam, Pakshaghatha lingam, Srisaila mallikarjuna lingam cave temples
Pilgrims at Bhairavakona