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Mandavya Narayana Swamy Temple
Photo: Adityamadhav83, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Famous temples · Andhra Pradesh

Mandavya Narayana Swamy Temple

Vishnu temple in Samarlakota, Kakinada district, Andhra Pradesh

Checked 19 Oct 2026 with 3 sources2 min read

DirectionsShare

Getting there

  • By air

    Rajahmundry Airport is 40 km from Samarlakota town.

  • By train

    Samarlakota railway station is an important junction on the Visakhapatnam-Vijayawada section of the Howrah-Chennai main line. The railway line to Kakinada branches off there.

  • By road

    Regular buses and other transport make the temple accessible from nearby regions.

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Why devotees come here

Mandavya Narayana Swamy Temple stands in the Chalukya Bhimavaram suburb of Samarlakota, Kakinada district, Andhra Pradesh. It is dedicated to Vishnu, worshipped as Narayana, and devotees regard it as a spiritual equivalent to Badrinath in northern India. Kakinada district lies on the northeast-east coast of Andhra Pradesh.

Legend says the sage Mandavya founded this temple in the Treta Yuga, while he did penance in the Dandakaranya region. The deity takes his name from him. The temple is renowned for its sanctity.

An inscription dated 1115 CE credits a merchant named Mandavya with building the temple. It says he donated 20 buffaloes to keep a perpetual lamp burning. Some scholars date the temple to the 11th century. A later inscription, dated 1177 CE, notes that Mallapa Deva gave land so the temple could be looked after.

The original structure has been replaced by a modern temple. Fragments of early medieval Chalukyan art survive in the outer walls and garden. The central sanctum houses Narayana, and an adjoining shrine is dedicated to Mahalakshmi, known locally as Veeralakshmi. Sculptures show Hayagriva, Sesha Sai, Ananta Padmanabha and Yoga Narasimha.

Festivals

  • Five daysChaitra Sudha Ekadasi

    A five-day grand festival that ends with the celestial wedding of the deity.

  • Through these monthsDhanurmasa, Sravana and Karthika

    Elaborate rituals and special poojas are held throughout these months.

Tips for your visit

  • The temple is part of the one-day pilgrimage that the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation runs to the five Pancharama Kshetras.
  • Sunlight falls directly on the deity's feet at certain times of the year.

Darshan at home

Not in the app yet

Mandavya Narayana Swamy Temple is not in the Divya Darshan 360 app yet. These Famous temples temples are, with darshan videos you can watch at home:

In the appChamundeshwari Temple, MysuruChamundi Hill, Mysuru, KarnatakaIn the appDakshineswar Kali Temple, KolkataDakshineswar, North 24 Parganas, near Kolkata, West BengalIn the appShirdi Sai Baba Temple, MaharashtraShirdi, Rahata taluka, Ahilyanagar district, Maharashtra
Get the appAndroid

The app is free, Android only. For darshan as if you are standing there, see the VR box (₹899, or ₹949 cash on delivery).

Questions people ask

Why is the temple called Mandavya Narayana Swamy?

Legend says the sage Mandavya founded it during his penance in Dandakaranya, and the deity takes his name from him.

Is the temple compared with Badrinath?

Devotees regard it as a spiritual equivalent to Badrinath in northern India.

What old art survives here?

The original structure has been replaced, but fragments of early medieval Chalukyan art survive in the outer walls and garden.

Where is the temple?

It stands in the Chalukya Bhimavaram suburb of Samarlakota. Samarlakota is a town in Kakinada district of Andhra Pradesh.

Which other sacred places are close by?

The temple is near the Pancharama Kshetra of Kumararama, and the Kumararama Chalukya Bhimeswara Temple is nearby.

How we checked this page

On 19 Oct 2026 we checked every fact on this page against these sources, official ones first. Anything we could not confirm is left out.

  1. Mandavya Narayana Swamy Temple, Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  2. Samarlakota, Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
  3. District Profile, Kakinada District (Government of Andhra Pradesh) kakinada.ap.gov.in

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