Culturally, the state of Andhra Pradesh has a lot to offer. Andhra Pradesh has the 4th highest number of Temples in India after Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh. Truly, these temples carry with them the hopes of people as well as the dense cultural history of India. Along with the world-famous temple of Tirumala, there are 100s of temples in Andhra Pradesh that host the majority of people from Vaishnavism and Shaivism in Hinduism. Below we have for your a list of the 8 best temples in Andhra Pradesh. So, carry this list with you the next time you plan your tour of Andhra Pradesh.
8 Divine temples In Andhra Pradesh, Locations and Timings
1. Laxmi Narasimha Swamy Temple
The Laxmi Narasimha Temple stands right below the Mangala Giri hill in the Guntur district. It has one of the tallest entrance gates or the ‘Gopurams’ in South India. In fact, the gopuram is so tall that it has 11 stories inside of it. Lord Narasimha, the great protector is worshipped in this temple.
Location: Main Bazar Rd, Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh 522503
Timings: 5am–1pm, 3:30–8:30pm
History
Yudhishthira, the oldest Pandava brother from Mahabharata found this temple. Historical scriptures say that this temple is made up of 108 Shaligramam, a type of black stone representing Lord Vishnu.
2. Kanaka Durga temple in Andhra Pradesh
The Kanaka Durga Temple lies on the banks of the Krishna river on the Indrakeelardi hill in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. People worship Goddess Kanaka Durga in this temple who is the reincarnation of Goddess Durga.
Location: Arjuna Street Mallikarjunapeta Indrakeeladri, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh 520001
Timings: 6am–8:30pm
History
The story of this temple says that Goddess Durga took the form of kanaka to kill Mahishasur, a demon tormenting the people of the village. Later the Goddess resided in the temple.
3. Mahanandiswara Swamy temple
Mahanandiswara Swamy temple is one of the 9 Mahanandi temples in India. It was made by Chalukyas kings 1500 years ago. The diety idols in this temple are of lord shiva, Parvati, and Nandi.
Location: Kota St, Jagajanani Nagar, Sri Potti Sriramulu Colony, Srinivasa Nagar, Nandyala, Andhra Pradesh 518501,
Timings: 6:30 am to 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm,
History
Interestingly, the idea behind worshipping a bull is actually a symbolism of agriculture. Bull is Lord shiva’s vehicle, but it is also used to be an important part of agriculture.
4. Sri Venkateshwara templein Andhra Pradesh
Venkateshwara templeor, the Tirupati Balaji temple, is a temple for Lord Venkatesh. Lord Venkatesh came to earth during kali yuga to save people from evil. Because of this, he is also called kali yuga Vaikuntha. It is the richest temple in the world in terms of donations.
Location: S Mada St, Tirumala, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh 517504
Timings: 6.30 am and 7.30 pm
History
The temple is popular for hair donation. As a matter of fact, many people come over to the temple to donate their hair to Lord Venkateswara. The story in the scriptures says that Lord Venkateswara lost a chunk of his hair in an incident. Neela Devi, a beautiful princess witness this and cut some of her hair to give it to Lord Venkateswara. Lord then promised her that all his devotees will donate their hair to the temple to compensate for the favour.
5. Yaganti Temple
Yaganti Temple or Sri Yaganti Uma Maheswara Temple is a shrine to Lord Shiva. The temple is spiritually very divine. the architecture and the design are unique even for the Dravidian style. The temple also has a ‘Pushkarni’, or a pool of holy water in which people rid their sins.
Location: Temple Gopuram, Yaganti Rd, Yaganti, Andhra Pradesh 518124,
Timings: 6am–1pm, 3–7:30pm
History
Years and years ago, Saint Agastya built this temple for Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala, but the idol of Venkateswara couldn’t be installed since it was a bit damaged. To fix this, Agastya did penance to Lord Shiva. Finally, when lord shiva appeared, he realized that Lord Shiva would be more suitable for the temple.
6. Ahobilam temple
The Ahobilam templeor Divyadesam Yeguva Sri Ahobila Narasimha Swamy Temple, also a shrine to Lord Narasimha just like the Laxmi Narasimha Swamy Temple. However, Ahobilam is the actual birthplace of Narasimha. Therefore, the temple holds special importance.
Location: Allagadda Mandal, Ahobilam, Andhra Pradesh 518543
Timings: 6:30am–7:30pm
History
This temple is the exact place where the story of Lord Narasimha and the Bhakta Prahlada started. Lord appeared from the Ugra Stambha or the tomb which people can still see in the temple.
7. Sri Nettikanti Anjaneya Swamy Temple in Andhra PradeshÂ
Sri Nettikanti Anjaneya Swamy Temple or Kasapuram Anjaneya Swamy temple is a famous Hanuman temple in Andhra Pradesh. The gopuram or the dome of the temple has 3 gold-plated Kalashas ( holy utensils).
Location: Pattikonda – Guntakal Rd, Mandal, Kasapuram, Andhra Pradesh 515803
Timings: 6am–12:30pm, 2–8:30pm
History
There is a pool of holy water or Koneru in this temple. People say that holy water has the power to prevent and cure diseases that might be bestow upon humans in the future.
8. Kanipakam Vinayaka temple
The waterfalls of Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh surround this unique temple. People also know it as the Sri Swayambhu Varasidhi Vinayaka Swamy Devastanam in Kanipakam. Devotees worship Lord Ganesha in this temple. Additionally, it also has a Dravidian architectural style which comes from 11 century CE.
Location: Main Road, Kanipakam, Andhra Pradesh 517131
Timings: 7am-7pm
History
A long time ago, 3 brothers were living in the village of Kanipakam. One was blind, one was mute and the 3rd one was deaf. One day, they discovered the idol while digging through a well for water. Surprisingly, while digging the bottom-most part of the well, blood gushed out of the surface. That blood cured their disabilities. Later, the idol was left as it is, and people constructed a temple around it.
FAQs
Which is the richest temple in Andhra Pradesh?
Sri Venkateshwara Swamy temple in Andhra Pradesh is the richest in the state. Since the temple gets hefty amounts of donations on an everyday basis and also gains from the hair donation, Sri Venkateshwara temple gets a considerable amount of money for the trust.
How far is the Tirumala temple from Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh?
Tirumala is approximately 22 km away from, Tirupati. You can go there by taking a cab or a rickshaw. There are excellent rickshaw facilities available in Tirupati that you can use. This way, you will be supporting
