Srikakulam is a city and the district headquarters of Srikakulam district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipal corporation and also the mandal headquarters of Srikakulam mandal in Srikakulam revenue division. As of 2011 census, it was most populous city of Srikaulam district and 24th populous city of the state with a population of 146,988. The city is believed to have been founded by Balarama. The Arasavalli temple is the abode of Sun god and was constructed by Kalinga king. Kalingapatnam also has an old lighthouse. Vamsadhara River empties into the sea. in village Sri Kurmam. The Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation operates bus services from Srikakulam bus station. NH 16 (formerly NH 5) gives a very good connectivity to Srikakulam on either sides of the town. APSRTC bus station has two depots which provide service to almost all villages around the town. It has a very good connectivity to Visakhapatnam by non-stop services at every 10 minutes with a travel time of around 1 hour 50 minutes. The nearest airport at Visakhapatnam is just 2 hours away by cab. Srikakulam Road railway station is just 15 minutes from the town by road. The nearest railway station is Amudalavalasa, which is 10 km away from Srikakulam. The Temple of Sun God is located at Arasavilli (old name Harshavalli) which was a few kilometers away from the town is now merged with the town due to the geographic growth of Srikakulam. Dating back to 7th century, the temple is the only Sun God temple in Southern India and was constructed by a Kalinga dynasty king. The Sun God "Sri Suryanarayana Swami" is most worshiped in Andhra Pradesh, and tourists from all over the world visits the temple every year. The historic temple at Arasavilli, built 3000 years ago, where the Lord Sri Suryanarayana temple is, resembles the rich cultural heritage Srikakulam holds. It is popularly called the God of Health. Mukhalingam: SriMukhalingam is another temple in Srikakulam which is believed to have been built in the 9th century. This holy place is on the left bank of Vamsadhara. This is a group of three temples built by the Eastern Ganga dynasty kings in the 10th century AD. The deities are Mukhalingeswara, Bhimeswara and Someswara. All show evidence of the Odisha style of architecture (Indo - Aryan style). The Mukhalinga temple is a veritable art gallery. The temple entrances are marvels in themselves. There is a plethora of sculptural work and perforated windows. The Bhimeswara temple lacks such grand splendour. Someswara temple is rich in sculptural work. Srikurmam is 15 km from Srikakulam town. It is in the Gara mandalam on northeast. The only one temple of Srikurmanatha temple in the country is here. The sculpture of the temple is wonderful. The Vishnu temple is architecturally unique. Here the rock edicts of 11 AD. are available. Sri Simhachalam Devasthanam adopted this temple for improvement. Salihundam: On the right bank of the river Vamsadhara, about 16 km from Srikakulam town, there are a number of Buddhist stupas and a huge monastic complex on a hillock amidst scenic surroundings. You can see a mahastupa, votive stupas, platforms and viharas. There is distinct evidence of the presence of the Vajrayana cult. The statues of Tara and Marichi were discovered at this site. From here, Buddhism spread to Sumatra and other East Asian countries. Salipataka and Salipetaka appear to be the early forms of the name of modern Salihundam. The shrine of a famous Sufi saint lies in Kalingapatnam. It has an old lighthouse. At present weather research center, Cyclone warning center are working here. The confluence of Vamsadhara is an attractive site. Kalingapatnam is 25 km from Srikakulam. Ravi Valasa is about 5 km from Tekkali. Sri Endala Mallikarjuna Swamy is the deity. On Maha Sivaratri and Kartika Mondays large gathering devotees worship this deity. It is believed that the linga is growing an inch every year. According to scripts it was about a foot when it was first seen and went on growing. Now the height of the linga is around 12 ft (3.7 m). Teli Nilapuram is in Tekkali division, 65 km from Srikakulam. There is a bird sanctuary here. Winter migration birds from Russia, Siberian cranes, flock here. They build nest on the tamarind trees and migrate to Russia in summer. Sangam is 56 km from Srikakulam. Nagavali, Swarnam Mukhi and Vegavati confluence is place here. So it is called Sangam. One of the five lingas Sangameswara is here. On Maha Sivaratri thousands of devotees throng.
