Sri Amaralingeswara Swamy Temple at Amaravati, on the south bank of the Krishna river in Palnadu district of Andhra Pradesh, is one of the five Pancharama Kshetras of Lord Shiva. The temple opens daily from 6:00 AM to 1:00 PM and from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM. General darshan is free; abhishekam and special sevas are ticketed and bookable at the temple counter. The shrine sits within the larger Amaravati heritage zone, about 35 km west of Vijayawada. This article covers the temple’s timings, the Pancharama story, the principal festivals and how to reach Amaravati.
Daily timings
- Morning: 6:00 AM to 1:00 PM
- Evening: 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
- Midday closure: 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM
- General darshan: free
- Special darshan and abhishekam: ticketed at temple counter
On Mondays, on the four Krithikai days a month sacred to Murugan-Shiva pairing, on the new-moon day (Amavasya) and on Maha Shivaratri, the temple stays open continuously through the day. The Tamil and Telugu lunar calendars both apply at this temple; festival dates follow the Telugu reckoning.
The Pancharama Kshetras
The Pancharama Kshetras are five Shiva temples in Andhra Pradesh, each associated with a fragment of a single original linga split by Lord Kumara Swamy (Subrahmanya) in the war with the demon Tarakasura. The five sites are:
- Amaralingeswara at Amaravati (this temple)
- Bhimeswara at Draksharamam, East Godavari district
- Someswara at Bhimavaram, West Godavari district (Somarama)
- Kumararama Bhimeswara at Samalkot, East Godavari district
- Ksheerarama at Palakollu, West Godavari district
In the Pancharama tradition, the Amaravati linga is the head-portion of the original shaft. The linga in the sanctum is about 4.5 metres tall, one of the taller Shiva lingas in any Andhra temple, and grows in height by tradition; a coin embedded in the linga at a specific height is the reference point for measurement.
History and the Satavahana connection
Amaravati is identified with the ancient city of Dhanyakataka, a Satavahana capital and one of the principal sites of early Buddhist activity in South India. The Mahachaitya stupa here, dated to the 2nd century BCE, predates the Shiva temple in its present form. The Amaralingeswara temple complex was extensively built up in the medieval period, with the principal structures dating to the late Vijayanagara and Kakatiya periods. The Vasireddy Venkatadri Naidu, the early-19th-century zamindar of Amaravati, undertook major restoration and is credited with the current outer prakara and gopuram.
Principal festivals
- Maha Shivaratri (February–March): the central festival. All-night abhishekam and continuous darshan. Crowd peaks on the second jaama (around midnight).
- Karthika Masam (October–November): the entire month is sacred to Shiva. Monday observances at the temple draw heavy crowds; lamp lighting on the riverbank ghats is part of the regional practice.
- Navaratri (September–October): the Amaravati region observes the festival with processions and lakshabilva archana.
- Kalyanotsavam (in Phalguna, March): annual ritual marriage of Shiva and Parvati with the temple’s processional idols.
For what it’s worth, a non-festival Monday morning is the best time for a quiet darshan. The Krishna river ghat behind the temple is at its calmest then, the priests have time to perform abhishekam without queue pressure, and the small Amaravati museum on the same road is open. The Maha Shivaratri experience is high-energy but the queue management can stretch the darshan to several hours.
Reaching Amaravati
- By road from Vijayawada: 35 km, about 50 minutes via the Karakatta road along the Krishna. APSRTC buses run from Vijayawada Pandit Nehru Bus Station.
- By road from Guntur: 32 km, about 45 minutes.
- By rail: Vijayawada Junction is the closest major station, with frequent trains from Hyderabad, Chennai and Visakhapatnam.
- By air: Vijayawada International Airport (Gannavaram) is 50 km away; full domestic connectivity, growing international service.
- Local transport: auto-rickshaws and shared cabs from the Amaravati bus stand to the temple, about 1 km away.
Common questions
Can I see all five Pancharama temples in one trip?
A two-night, three-day circuit covers all five. The standard route is Amaravati first, then a long drive east to Draksharamam, then north to Samalkot, then south-west to Palakollu and finally Bhimavaram. Total driving distance is approximately 450 km. APSRTC and private operators offer the Pancharama circuit as a packaged tour; many pilgrims now arrange a private car for the full circuit.
Is the Buddhist Mahachaitya part of the temple visit?
The Mahachaitya (Amaravati Stupa) site is administered by the Archaeological Survey of India and is a separate ticketed visit. It is about 1 km from the Amaralingeswara temple. The two sites coexist within Amaravati but represent different historical layers: the Buddhist stupa is dated to the 2nd century BCE; the Shiva temple in its current form is medieval. Many visitors do both in a single morning.
Where to stay?
Most pilgrims base themselves in Vijayawada or Guntur, both of which have a full range of hotels. Amaravati village itself has limited lodging; the AP Tourism guesthouse and a few private inns are walkable from the temple. For Maha Shivaratri and the Karthika Masam Mondays, book Vijayawada accommodation a fortnight ahead.
One limitation worth noting
The temple’s timings shift on festival days and on the Karthika Mondays. Fees for abhishekam and special darshan are revised periodically. The figures above are the published schedule as in effect; for a booking you are about to make, the temple’s own ticket counter on the day is the authoritative source. Amaravati is also part of the proposed new capital region for Andhra Pradesh, and road access is being reconstructed; route conditions change every few months.
For background, see Amaralingeswara Temple on Wikipedia and the Andhra Pradesh tourism page at aptourism.gov.in.
