Ashta Someswaras
Ashta Someswaras (అష్ట సోమేశ్వరములు) refer to eight Shiva lingas consecrated in the eight directions (cardinal and inter-cardinal) around Draksharamam(ద్రాక్షారామము).
Etymology
Ashta (అష్ట) in sanskrit means eight. Soma (సోముడు) means moon. Eshwara (ఈశ్వర) refers to Lord Shiva. The name refers to eight lingas consecrated by the moon god.
Legend
According to Hindu faith the origin of temples is as follows. The linga in Draksharama has been consecrated by the sun God (Surya). This resulted in rise of atmospheric temperatures in the surrounding regions. To control these high temperatures, moon god (Chandra) consecrated eight lingas in eight directions of Draksharamam.
Locations
With Draksharamam as reference point, the location of lingas is as follows:
- North: Vella (వెల్ల)
- South: Kotipalli(కోటిపల్లి)
- East: Kolanka (కోలంక)
- West: Venturu (వెంటూరు)
- North-East: Penumaalla (పెనుమాళ్ళ)
- North-West: Someswaram (సోమేశ్వరము)
- South-East: Dhangeru (దంగేరు)
- South-West: Korumilli (కోరుమిల్లి)
Religious beliefs
Dhraksharama linga along with these eight lingas together are known as Nava lingas. Visiting these Nava lingas on the same day is believed to be a holy act.