Bhavanarayana temples or kshetras are sacred Vaishnav spots. Worship of Bhava Narayana, a form of Bhagavan Vishnu is popular in the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, and the temples dedicated to this form of Vishnu Bhagavan are found at Sarpavaram, Pattisam, Bhavadevarapalli (named after Him, and simplified as Bhava Devara), Sabbayagudem, Bapatla, Ponnuru, Inumella, Narasaraopet, Amritaluru, Pedda Ganjam and Chinna Ganjam.
Different legends are associated with Bhagavan Bhavanarayana.
According to one legend, God came over to Ponnuru to give evidence in favor of
a learned person in connection with his marriage, and stayed there. That his
legend was popular by the 12th century is confirmed by an inscription found at
Ponnuru.
Bhava Narayana Vilasamu, an 18th century literary work on
Yakshagana in Telugu, describes this legend in detail, showing its continued
popularity.
According to another legend, Bhagavan Vishnu manifested
himself in a ‘pala’ (mimusops hexandra) tree in Baptla, also called in
inscriptions Bhava-pattu and Bhava-puri, (i.e., the abode of Bhagavan Bhava
Narayanba). A third story says that God is also known as
Prasanna-Bhava-Narayana as he bestowed his grace on a Chola king. Yet another
legend explains Bhava as the name of God. According to the fifth legend,
Narayana ‘appeared’ to two pious and knowledgeable persons in their bhava (thuoughts)
and hence the name Bhava Narayana.
The epigraphical evidence coming from Baptla and Ponnuru
shows that the worship of Bhava Narayana had gained popularity as early as the
11th century CE. Evidence of this is an inscription dated 1023 CE. Many of the inscriptions
referring to Bhava Narayana temples record gifts of villagers, gardens, land,
cattle and money, not only for burning of ‘akhanda deepas (perpetual lamps),
but also for the conduct of services and worship, both daily and on special
occasions (anga ranga bhogas). The Bhavanarayana temple at Bapatla became so
popular during the 12th century CE that a number of officials, such as
Sthanapati, Deva Karmi, Bhandari, Sri Vaishnavulu, Karanalu, Melnayakulu,
Pujari (priest) and Sanulu (temple dancers), and Bhogpati were associated with
the administration of the temple. Inscriptions from Sarpavaram attest to the
popularity of the worship of Bhavanaranaya during the 13th and 14th centuries.
It is interesting to note that iconographical details of the
Bhavanarayana image, enshrined in all the temples dedicated to this deity, are
not identical. For example, the order of holding the attributes like padma
(lotus), chakra (disc), shankha (conch) and gada (club) by Him in different
hands vary. At Ponnuru and Numella, Bhagavan has all four attributes while in
other place Bhagavan has only three in three hands, while the fourth is either
in Abhaya mudra (protection) or Varada mudra (granting of a boon).