Ksheerarama Ramalingeswara Temple

History

Ksheerarama tradition names Palakollu among the five Pancharama shrines tied to the Tarakasura legend, with Ramalingeswara as the presiding Shiva form.

District religious tourism pages group Ksheerarama and Somarama for pilgrims tracing the Pancharama circuit across West Godavari.

Stories

The Pancharama temples and their dating

Ksheerarama at Palakollu is one of the five Pancharama shrines of Andhra Pradesh. Legend credits Indra with founding them, but no foundation inscriptions give firm dates, and they are generally believed to belong to the 10th-11th centuries. Tradition at Palakollu links the temple to Narendra Mrugaraja, an Eastern Chalukya ruler, who is said in a copper plate grant to have built it after fighting 108 battles. It is a single-storey shrine with a small linga, unlike the two-storey shrines of some others.

The broken lingam of Tarakasura

Tradition says the demon Tarakasura wore a Shiva lingam that made him invincible. On Vishnu's advice, Kartikeya shattered it with a fire weapon, and the lingam broke into five pieces. The pieces are said to have been installed where they fell and became the five Pancharamas. At Palakollu, local legend says Shiva gave milk here, from which Ksheera, milk, takes its name.

Good to know

Ksheerarama among the five Pancharama Kshetras

Listed on westgodavari.ap.gov.in/religioustourism

Often visited with Bhimavaram Somarama the same day

Getting there

Nearest airport: Rajahmundry. Palakollu is on the rail and road network of West Godavari, linked to Bhimavaram and the Godavari delta towns.