Vishnu as Kurmanatha, the tortoise avatarEastern Ganga—
Sacred since
1000 CE
first attestation / structure
Standing structure
restored 1281 CE (Eastern Ganga)
Eastern Ganga
History & significance
One of very few temples in India where Vishnu is worshipped in his Kurma or tortoise form. A temple inscription of 1281 CE records the restoration of Kurmakshetra by Ramanuja under the Eastern Ganga king Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva, and the complex carries inscriptions running from the 11th to the 19th century.