Ashta Someswaras

A plaque in Someswaram showing the locations of the Ashta Someswaras, the nava lingas, and the story behind their consecration.

The Ashta Someswaras (Sanskrit: अष्टसोमेश्वर, romanized: Aṣṭasomeśvara, అష్ట సోమేశ్వరములు, Telugu: [aʂʈa soːmeːçʋaɾamulu]) refer to eight Shiva lingas consecrated in the eight directions (cardinal and inter-cardinal) around Draksharamam, a village in Andhra Pradesh, India.

Etymology

Ashta in Sanskrit means eight. Soma means the moon. Ishvara means lord, and epithet of the deity Shiva. The name refers to eight lingas consecrated by the moon god.

Legend

According to regional tradition, the origin of temples is as follows: The linga in Draksharama is said to have been consecrated by the sun god Surya. This resulted in rise of atmospheric temperatures in the surrounding regions. To control these high temperatures, the moon god Chandra consecrated eight lingas in the eight directions of Draksharamam. The Dhraksharama linga, along with these eight lingas together, are known as nava (nine) lingas. Visiting these nava lingas on the same day is believed to be a holy act.

Locations

With Draksharamam as reference point, the location of lingas is as follows:

1. North: Vella
2. South: Kotipalli
3. East: Kolanka
4. West: Venturu
5. North-East: Penumaalla
6. North-West: Someswaram
7. South-East: Dangeru
8. South-West: Korumilli

See also

• Pancharama Kshetras