Bhimarama Kumara Bhimeshwara Shiva Temple

The shivalinga is made entirely out of limestone and is thus white in color. The entire shivalingam measures 16 feet in height. It starts from the pedestal, pierces the roof of the first floor and comes out in the second floor. The architecture is typical of the Chalukyan age and is an example of the beauty of ancient Indian architectural specimen. There are carvings of apsaras on the 100 pillars of the temple. A bull called Nandi carved out of single stone guards the statue of Shiva. The temple was reconstructed to some extent from 1340 onwards during the Kakatiya dynasty. For this reason the sculpture and design is a blend of Chalukyan and Kakatiyan and one can see both. The temple premises also has a statue of Bala Tripurasundari in the ground floor who is the consort of Kumara Bhimeshwara swamy. She is an incarnation of Goddess Parvati.

According to legend, the Sivalinga at Samalkota was established by Lord Kumaraswamy and hence the temple is also called Kumarama. The story goes like this. In the Tarakasura vadha episode of the Hindu mythology, a demon called Tarakasura had become invincible by the powers of a huge shivalinga in his throat. It was later broken to pieces by the powers of Lord Vishnu and Tarakasura was defeated. The broken pieces of the shivalingam fell at five different places, namely, Amararama, Ksheerarama, Draksharama, Somarama and Kumararama.

The major festivals celebrated in this temple with grandeur are Maha Shivaratri, Karthika Masam and Sarannavarathri . During the Kartika Masam, that is, during November- December special rituals are performed. On Magha Bahula Ekadashi day, a festival called Kalyan Mahotasav is observed. It is during February-March. The Maha Shivaratri festival is the major festival in India dedicated to Lord Shiva and thus it is celebrated with a lot of pomp.