Kumararama Bheemeshwara Swamy Temple

Kumararama Bheemeshwara Swamy Temple stands in Samalkot, near Kakinada, and is one of the five Pancharama temples of Shiva. Legend in the Bhimesvarapurana says these shrines grew from pieces of a single divine linga. Eastern Chalukya king Chalukya Bhima I raised it in the late 9th century, and the deity is named Chalukya Bheemeshwara after him. Samalkot was then called Chalukya Bhimavaram.

The temple follows a South Indian plan with broad courtyards, carved stone pillars and tall entrance towers. Its tall linga starts on the ground floor and rises to the second level. Open mandapas line the complex, and a small model of the whole temple is kept in the courtyard.