Sri Raja Rajeshwara Kshetram is one of the very few temples devoted to Lord Siva, located at Vemulawada, about 36 kms from Karimnagar. The presiding deity is Sri Raja Rajeswara Swamy also called Rajanna. To the right of the presiding deity is the idol of Sri Raja Rajeswari Devi and to the left is the idol of Sri Lakshmi Sahitha Siddhi Vinayaka.
Sthalapuranam: Once upon a time a king named Sri Raja Raja Narendra came to this place to hunt wild animals. But accidentally he killed a Brahmin boy who was drinking water from a pond. Then he got an incurable disease and went on pilgrimage to many holy places and returned back to this place. One day he drank the Holy water from the Dharmagundam and slept the night praying the Lord Sri Raja Rajeshwara Swamy. Lord Shiva appeared in the King’s dreams and asked him to take out Lingam from Dharmagundam and place it in a temple.
According to the Puranas, Lord Siva, after having stayed at Kashi, Chidambaram, Srisailam and Kedareswaram chose to reside at Vemulawada. Bhavishyothara Purana mentions that Surya bhagavan recovered from his disability by praying at the shrine here and so this shrine is also termed as “Bhaskara Kshethram’.
Vemulawada was ruled by the dynasties of Ikshwakus, Satavahanas and later by the Chalukyas who made it their state capital. it is believed that this temple was built during 750 to 973 AD by Raja Narendra grandson of Parikshit.
Architecture: In the temple premises there is a holy tank called the Dharma Gundam. Three mandapas were constructed on it and the statue of Lord Eshwara resides in the middle. The Lord is seen in a meditation posture with five lingas surrounding the holy tank. The lighting of the Gandha Deepam is also considered auspicious by the devotees visiting the shrine. Although devotees make offerings to the presiding deity in different ways, the most important one is Kode Mokku (offering of bull to God).
The devotees who bring the bull take them round the temple and tie it somewhere in the temple complex. The significance of this ritual is that devotees will be cleansed of their sins and they can beget children. This temple attracts followers of both Vaishnavism and Shaivism and is also being frequented by Jains and Buddhists. The sculptures on the temples also depict the cultures of Jainism and Buddhism. A unique feature of the temple at Vemulawada is that it also houses a 400 year old mosque inside its premises. It is believed that the mosque was built as a tribute to a Muslim devotee.
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