Kotappa Konda

Kotappa Konda in Guntur district, is one of the more well known Shaivite temples, the Tirunallu (Jatara) on Shivratri here draws massive crowds. Kotappakonda contains one of the older Shaivite temples, dating back to around 1172 AD, located on a hill at a height of 1,587 feet.

Located close to Narasaraopeta in Guntur district, the Kotappakonda temple received regular grants during Krishnadeva Raya’s time. Surrounded by three peaks, Shiva at the Kotappakonda temple is referred to as Trikooteshwara Swamy.

The Trikuta Parvatam or 3 peaks at Kotappa Konda, can be seen from any direction. The 3 peaks are named after Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara, the main temple of Trikuteshwara Swamy is located on the Brahma Sikharam. Rudra Sikharam, has the old temple of Kotayya, however on the pleas of his devotee Gollabhama, it's believed Shiva shifted to Brahma Sikaram. The Vishnu Sikaram has the Paapanase Theertham, it's believed Vishnu did penace for Shiva here.

After the Daksha Yagna, Shiva did penace as a 12 year old boy named Dakshinamurthy. On the request of Brahma, Shiva imparted the Brahma Gyaana to him and other gods at Trikoota Hils as Dakshinamurthy. As Dakshinamurthy was a celibate while imparting knowledge to Brahma and other gods, no marriages are conducted to date at Kotappa Konda temple.

As per the Sthala Purana, there was a cowherd Sundudu and his wife Kundiri living at the foot hills of Kotappa Konda. They had a daughter Gollabhama, after whose birth they became prosperous. Gollabhama become an ardent devotee of Shiva, spending time in prayer and meditation, at the old Kotappa temple. In order to test her devotion, Shiva blessed her to be pregnant even though she was unmarried.

However inspite of her pregnancy, Gollabhama did not stop visiting the temple, and kept praying to Shiva as before. Moved by her devotion, Shiva appeared to her, and said that he himself would appear at her home, so that she need not climb the hill daily. However Shiva put in a condition, that while he would follow her, she should not look back even once. However on reaching the Brahma Sikaram, Gollabhama, hearing some strange sounds, looked back, and Shiva immediately became a Lingam.

The place where Shiva turned into a Lingam is the Trikooteswara Swamy temple on the Brahma Shikaram, the older Kotappa temple is still there on the Rudra Shikaram, at a higher altitude.

Gollabhama herself became one with Shiva, there is a temple dedicated to her there too. Another story goes that a crow once turned over a pot of curd she used to bring daily to Shiva. Hence Shiva cursed the crows not to come on to the hill, to date you can see no crows there.

Mahashivaratri is celebrated on a grand scale at Kotappakonda. The Tirunallu or Jatra, draws large number of devotees from Guntur and other districts, many seeking blessings of Dakshinamurthy. One feature of the Kotappakonda Tirunallu, are the Prabhalu, huge rectangular frames carried in a grand procession. The temple can be reached through a long trek, which rises to a height of 1,587 ft, though a ghat road has been laid too.