Daksharamam is a town in East Godavari district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The Bhimeswara Swamy temple in this town is one of the five powerful temples of Lord Siva, known as Pancharama Kshetras.
Draksharama constitues one of the five Arama kshetras of Andhra Pradesh, sacred to Shiva, the other four being Kumararama, Ksheerarama and Bheemarama and Amararama.
Draksharama, Sree Sailam and Kalahasti together constitute the three sacred Shivalingams of Andhra Pradesh, giving it its ancient name Trilinga Desa.
It is also one of the 18 Shakti Peethas as it is believed that her left cheek fell here which is now known in the form of Goddess Manikyamba.
Draksharama is one of the important centers of Shiva worship in Andhra Pradesh. Several legends tie together the five Pancharama temples dedicated to Shiva. The history of this Sacred Pilgrimage is exhaustively dealt with in the ‘Skanda Purana’ of Sri Vyasa.
Legend also has it that Vyasa installed the Shivalingam at Draksharama. Legend also has it that Draksharama was the site of Daksha yagna. Since it is believed that Sati immolated herself at the site of her father’s sacrificial hall, no sacrificial yagna rituals are performed here.
Legend also says that the lord here is very powerful. One must have done some good things in the past life due to which that person was lucky enough to get the Darshan of Lord Shiva at Draksharamam in this life. It is said that a visit to this temple is also enough to wash away all the sins of this life.
The Bhimeswara temple at Draksharama has two prakarams. The outer prakaram is pierced with four entrances each with a gopuram. The gopuram on the west is a five tiered one. The entrance to the inner prakaram is on the south. A pillared two-storeyed verandah lines the inner prakaram. The sculptural work in the mukha mandapam depicts clear Chalukyan features.
The main deity of the temple is Lord Bheemeswar Swamy, in the form of a 2.6 mts tall Shiva Lingam (the tallest Shiva Lingam in the world) which is made of crystal and has black stripes on the upper portion. Legend has it that these stripes were the markings of the tiger skin that Lord Shiva was wearing when he fought with Arjuna (Pandavas) under the disguise of a hunter. The early morning sunlight falls directly on the Shiva lingam. Visitors can take a flight of steps towards the upper level of the Sanctum to see the upper structure of Lord Bheemeswar Swamy.
Towards the back side of the temple is the shrine of Manikyamba Devi in the left corner. Lord Vishnu, present at the temple with his consort Lakshmi Devi, is the Kshetrapalaka of Draksharamam. His shrine is at the entrance of main Temple. There are shrines to Lakshmi Narayana, Sankaranarayana, Ganapati and the Navagrahas.
The water from the Sapta Godavari Kundam (pond) is very sacred and is used for performing pooja. According to mythology, “Saptamaharishis” or the Seven Sages divided the Godavari River into seven streams in an attempt to end their penance. Of these seven streams, Draksharamam, Bharadhwaja, Viswamitra and Jamadagni streams known as the “Antarvahinis” and are believed to have gone underground. Later, these streams merged into a pond which is now known as Sapta Godavari Kundam.
The Archaeological Department of India as taken the responsibility of restoring and renovating the beauty of the structure. Because of the inscriptions and epigraphs on the temple walls, this place is a paradise of historians and epigraphists.
Source:
https://www.myoksha.com/draksharamam/#
http://templenet.com/Andhra/draksha.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draksharama
http://www.inkakinada.com/topstories/draksharamam
https://highwayonlyway.com/2010/10/25/pancharama-kshetras-i-lord-shivas-famous-five-draksharamam/