Tirtha Atlas

The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.

1126 sites15 countries4 traditions30 centuries
High medieval · Hindu · India

Bhavanarayana Temple

భావరాయణ ఆలయం, సర్పవరం

Sarpavaram, Andhra Pradesh · 16.9500°, 82.2500°

Bhavanarayana Swamy (Vishnu)Eastern ChalukyaChalukya-Chola
Sacred since
1000 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
before 1073 (Eastern Chalukya)
Eastern Chalukya

History & significance

Thirty-two inscriptions of the eleventh to fourteenth centuries record the patronage of this red-stone temple, the earliest of 1073 endowing a perpetual lamp; donors include the Eastern Chalukyas, the Chola king Kulottunga I and the Reddi ruler Kataya Vema in 1414. The poet Srinatha names it in the fifteenth century.

Sthala katha — the legend

The Brahma Vaivarta Purana tells that the serpent Ananta did penance here for Vishnu's protection, and that Vishnu promised to dwell at the place with Lakshmi, naming it Sarpapura.

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Related sites

Kumararama Bhimeswara Temple
Samalkota · India
892–922 CE (Chalukya Bhima)
Ksheerarama Temple
Palakollu · India
9th c. (Chalukya Bhima); gopuram 14th c.

Sources

coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-27 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: Eastern Chalukya