Palli Kondeshwara Swami temple is the temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. The uniqueness of the temple is that Lord Shiva is in human form (unlike his usual Linga form) and is in reclining position. His consort, Goddess Parvati is in the sitting position with the Lord s head on her lap along with Kamadhenu (the celestial cow) and Kalpaha Vruksham (believed to be a Holy tree known for granting boons to devotees) on either sides.
As you enter the temple through the entrance, you ll find the temple of Valmikeshwara (Sage Valmiki) and Goddess Marahathambihai (Goddess Parvati), on the left side and the main temple on the right side of the entrance. It is said that one has to visit these two temples first before visiting the main temple.
The temple of Goddess Marahathambihai has to be visited first, even before the shrine of Valmikeshwara or the main temple. The garbha griha is guarded by Lord Kubera (God of wealth) with His consort Sanganidhi on left side and with His consort Padumanidhi on the right side. The goddess inside is sitting with Kamadhenu on one side and Karapaha Viruksham on the other. There are some other images of Gods like Varasidhi Vinayaka (Lord Ganesha), Sri Venugopala Swami (Lord Krishna), Kasi Vishwanathan with Visalakshi and others present in the inner praharam (inner wall of the temple).
Next to the shrine of the Goddess, there are two other shrines of Ramalingeshwara and Valmikeshwara facing each other. It is said that sage Valmiki performed penance before he started writing Ramayana. The Lingam is in triangular shape and there is a large Nandi outside the temple. Next to this temple is a stone with many footprints on it.
It is said that, in 1976, Kanchi Mahaperiyavar (a sage), camped here for 40 days and asked some people to dig a particular place. On digging, they found a stone with innumerable footprints on it. Mahaperiyavar disclosed that the footprints belong to Lava and Khusha - the twin sons of Lord Rama. There is another idol of Lord Dakshinamoorthy (Lord Shiva) who is present as Thambadya Dakshinamoorthy along with his consort, Taara, in the outer walls of Valmikeshwara shrine. The lord is in a sitting posture with left leg slightly lifted and His left hand on His left knees in a stylish way. It is said that one who worships him on Thursday, are immensely blessed and will have a peaceful life.
The presiding deity is Palli Kondeshwara (Lord Shiva) with His consort and many other Gods. The Lord is in reclining position (about 6 feet long) with his head on the lap of Goddess Parvathi who resides as Sarva Mangalaambihai. The uniqueness of the temple lies in Lord Shiva seen in the human form unlike His usual Linga form.
The Sun God and Moon God are present on the either side of Goddess Parvati. Many others including Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma, Goddess Laxmi, Sage Maarkandeya, Sage Agasthya, Valmiki, Indra, Sage Naradha, Lord Subramaniyam with His consort and Lord Ganapati are also present in the temple. It appears as if the whole Kailasham (Lord Shiva s aboard) assembled here to know the well-being of Lord Shiva after He consumed poison to save the universe.
Unlike the common practice of giving Vibhooti (holy ash) as Prasadam, as in the temples of Lord Shiva, holy water is given here.
Source: http://www.hoparoundindia.com/andhra-pradesh/surutapalli-attractions/palli-kondeshwara-swami-temple.aspx