Arasavalli

Nearest Sun Temple from Vizag Arasavalli situated at around 100 Km From Vizag. The temple of Sri Arasavalli Surya Narayana Swamy is one of the famous Sun-God temples in India. According to Sthalapuranas, Lord Devendra, the king of Heaven (Swargaloka) constructed this temple while historians credit the Ganga kings for the construction of this temple. The temple is built in such a way that the Sun's rays fall on the feet of the deity twice a year in the months of February and June in the early hours of the day. The rays fall on the feet of the idol for a few minutes though the five entrance gates of the temple remain closed.

The five idols installed in one place in the temple are

Sculpture of Surya: Carved in black granite, Lord Surya is shown holding a lotus in each of his raised hands while standing in the chariot. Over his head is depicted the snake Adisesha with hoods spread.


History : The history of Sri Arasavalli Surya Narayana Swamy temple can be traced back to the 7th century AD. Sri Devendra Varma of Ganga dynasty patronized this temple and donated several lands for the maintenance of the temple. There are some inscriptions in the temple to prove this information. During the 16th century religious fanatics attacked the temple and destroyed the temple premises. But they failed to destroy the main idol, because the elders of the village protected the main idol and in the year A.D.1788, Sri Yalamanchili Pullaji completed the reconstruction of the temple installing few more idols of minor nature.