Editing Kurma (section)

==Temples==

[[File:Kurma at Saptashrungi.JPG|thumb|left|Kurma avatar at [[Saptashrungi]] of [[Shaktism]]|alt=|267x267px]]
[[File:11th century Kurmanatha Swamy Temple, Srikurmam Andhra Pradesh 01.jpg|thumb|[[Kurmanathaswamy temple, Srikurmam|Srikurmam temple, Srikakulam]]]]

=== Iconography ===
The Samudra Manthana is popular in iconography and even found in South East Asia. Notable depictions include the relief at [[Angkor Wat]] with Vishnu and Kurma in the centre and the gods and demons on either side churning the ocean. The earth below the temple represents Kurma in Khymer iconography, the earth goddess being Vishnu's consort. The Vishnu on the top of Mandara symbolizes him as the shining midday Sun.{{sfn|Nanditha_Krishna|2009|pp=41-2}}

Kurma is depicted either [[Zoomorphism|zoomorphically]] as a tortoise.{{sfn|Rao|1914|p=128}}

In the anthropomorphic form, the upper half is that of the four-armed man and the lower half is a fish. The upper half resembles Vishnu and wears the traditional ornaments and the ''kirita-mukuta'' (tall conical crown) as worn by Vishnu. He holds in two of his hands the ''[[Sudarshana chakra]]'' (discus) and a ''[[shankha]]'' (conch), the usual weapons of Vishnu. The other two hands make the gestures of ''[[varadamudra]]'', which grants boons to the devotee, and ''[[abhayamudra]]'', which reassures the devotee of protection. The depiction is similar to Matsya, where the lower half is a fish.{{sfn|Rao|1914|pp=127-8}}

=== Locations ===

[[Kurmanathaswamy temple, Srikurmam|Srikurmam]] was initially a Shiva temple, which was converted into a Vaishnava one by the Vaishnava saint [[Ramanuja]].{{sfn|Nanditha_Krishna|2009|p=40}} The sanctum has an icon of Vishnu, as well as of Kurma with the tail and back to the devotee and face to the west. This is in contradiction to scriptural mandate that the central icon should face the east. According to a legend, the Kurma icon turned to the west back wall in honour of a tribal [[Bhil]] king who worshipped him from the back of the temple. Nanditha Krishna suggests that a tribal tortoise god could have been assimilated in the Hindu fold by identifying him with Kurma.{{sfn|Nanditha_Krishna|2009|pp=40-1}}

There are five temples dedicated to this incarnation of Vishnu in India:

* [[Kurmai]] (Chittoor District of [[Andhra Pradesh]])
* [[Sri Kurmam]] ([[Srikakulam District]] of [[Andhra Pradesh]])
* Gavirangapur (Chitradurga District of [[Karnataka]])
* Swarupnarayan (Goghat village in Hooghly district of West Bengal).

The name of the village mentioned above originates from the historical temple of Kurma called ''Varadarajaswamy'' (Kurma avatara of Vishnu), regarding the deity of this village.<ref name="Singh1997">{{cite book|author=Nagendra Kr Singh|title=Encyclopaedia of Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dobtZ61vCp0C&pg=PA774|access-date=5 October 2015|volume=1|year=1997|publisher=Centre for International Religious Studies|isbn=978-81-7488-168-7|page=774}}</ref>

* Amamangalam Maha Vishnu Temple ([[Kakkur]], [[Kozhikode district|Calicut]] District, [[Kerala]]) - The presiding deity is called Kurmavataram. Local legends consider to be one of the major temples dedicated to the Dashavatara consecrated by Parashurama himself. 
* Subsidiary shrine at [[Garuda]] Temple, [[Triprangode]], [[Malappuram district|Malappuram]], Kerala
* Subsidiary shrine at Shree Adukkath Bhagavathy Temple, [[Kasargode]], Kerala