Visitors to the Trikoteshwara Temple at Kotappakonda can now enjoy themselves at the well-developed recreation park called Kartika Vanam, just a stone’s throw away from the foothill entrance of the shrine.Karthika vanam named after `Kartika Maasam’, the auspicious month devoted to lord Shiva according to Hindu mythology, is 12 km from Narsaraopet in Guntur district.

During Kartika masam, devotees go to the forests and spend some time there and have `vana bhojanam’ (picnic). The Guntur District Forest Department developed a park on three hectares at Kotappakonda. Raised during 2003-04 with 2,100 seedlings, the park is a great way to escape from the hustle-bustle of city life. The view of the Trikoteshwara temple, nestled among the hills, is a sight worth watching. The park today has 4,600 plants, the District Forest Officer (Social Forestry), T. Jyothi, said.

It has two `pagodas’ built for people to relax, internal roads, benches, drinking water and toilet facilities.