SIMHACHALAM

Under the stewardship of Lord Maheswar and the presence the holy rivers, the fame of this thirtha kshetra started spinning fast and covered the entire Bharat. And finally became the most-coveted pilgrim centre and the sure refuge for the distressed. At its heyday, it acquired such reputation that it would liberate those who tread on this holy land, or reside here, or have kinship with its residents, or bow to this facing even from a distance; for, here come all the devatas in their ethereal forms to worship the Archamurthi regularly. Hence a belief gained currency that those who offer pindas to the manes on taking bath the Gangadhara will gain as much merit as they get when prayers are offered to Lord Viswanath after bath in Manikarnika. In course of time this kshetra's mahatmya adorned several pages of many scriptures, eulogising its sanctity thus

"Gangadhara samam thirtham kshetram Simhadrivina
Narasimhasamo devo trailokyanasti nischayam".

There exists no place in the three world that equals to Simhadri, a holy pond to gangadhara and god to Narasimha.

Earning such sanctified glory, this kshetra prospered beyond description and earned an eternal reputation for lifting sarangathas; releasing the distressed from the clutches of Nemisis and rejuvenating the depressed from all cares gnawing at their vitals. All but for some centuries only. Its glory faded, and forests grew so fast and thick that they swallowed everything except the Archamurthi that lay concealed in an insignificant bush.

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