Simhachalam-Narasimhaswamy Aalayam

Back Ground 

Simhachalam, the august seat of Lord Narasimha, one of the ten incarnations of God Srimannarayana, the highest and the most potent among the Trimurthis, one of the four reputed Narasimha kshetras of eternal significance is attracting millions of Narsimhopasakas, since the Kritayuga onwards. Of the ten avataras of the Lord, assumed for shattering adharma and stabilising the shrinking frame of Dharma, brought about by the atrocious danava krityas of the formidable Rakshasas, the Narasimhavatara is the fourth, and the most dreadful. It is a strange combination of man and beast - a ferociously aggressive and frightfully shocking lion's head over the sublime, yet broad shoulders, adorning his gracefully enchanting human form. This assumption of that odd blend of nara cum kesari was caused by the expediency of killing Hiranyakasipu, who would not be killed either by man or beast, singly or collectively. Indeed, a mere sight of that awfully terrifying form made Hiranyakasipu run away, though his very name sent shivers down the spine bf the highest of celestials - Devendra. On occasion more than once. Despite striking instant terror to the timorous diffident and spineless innocent, it was a grand feast to the eyes of the theists, nay, a mesmerisingly blissful to the god-toxicated evolved souls. It is this pleasant form that metamorphosed a five-summer-young lad into a supreme devotee, not only among danavas but humans too; it is this form that proved to the world that God answers every call of the genuine adorer at anytime, or place; it is this that testified to His Omnipresence, one of His chief attributes; it is this that established the fact of His Supreme concern for his devotees and preference for lokoddharana that won for him the much-coveted honorific titles of Bhaktajanaparijata and asritapakshapata. Though appallingly terrorising externally, it is pliably responsive, and flexibly sensitive internally.

This unique amalgamation of man-lion aspect of Sri Mahavishnu was adored in several ways soulfully by Prahlad standing face to face fast, and to his images in separate temples with fevered flight of feelings next by millions of trillions down the ages. Such temples are many across the length and breadth of our sacred land, and he is worshipped particularly at 32 places with 32 different and distinct names signifying his infinite powers and achievements due to the fact of his being a supreme God with a difference, worthy of utmost reverence. There are many places in our sacred land, where the Narasimha aradhana is extant in its former glory; but Andhra Pradesh enjoys the pride of place and claims the first honour, for, here alone one finds a large number of shrines exclusively dedicated to this Supreme Deity. Ibis publishes to the world that Narasimhopasana is a rare privilege of the Andhras; and one must visit Andhra Pradesh alone; for, Andhra Pradesh alone is blessed with the four most important kshetras, where the Lord demonstrated all his sports and became the family deity of lakes of devotees. Of the four that carved out devout niches in legends, Simhachalam comes first; next is Ahobalam Kritasoucham; the third; and Papaharam is the last. Except the first two; the rest have lost their lusture and glory in the centuries rolled by.

Uniqueness Of The Archamurti

The oddity of the presiding deity that strikes the eyes of the visitors at first sight is - it is overlaid with sandal paste from head to foot. He is called Varahanarasimhamurthi here. And only once a year on Vaisaka sukla thadia -the third day of the bright half of Vaisakha masa it is removed, when lakes of persons, making long journeys visit the shrine to avail the divya Darshan; it is here the sacred rivers of the Ganga, Jamuna and Saraswati are flowing for the use of abhisheka to the Lord; It is to this kshetra Lord Siva accepted to be Kshetrapalaka with a view to adoring Sri Mahavishnu day and night; it is this temple that received munificent endowments by Pururava, one of the six emperors of legendary times; it is this Lord that was worshipped by the Mukkoti devathas en masse once, with Brahma and Siva in the fore font; it is this place where Prahlad spent his Vanaprastasram; and it is this place that, attained the status of capital city during the Prahlad's times. Endowed with such awe-inspiring episodes and miraculous powers; this famous Narasimhakshetra is enjoying unrivalled glory and undiminished popularity from the day of Prahlad's settling down here for personal worship at the behest of Srimannarayana himself.

The Temple: 

Perched atop the hill with tall towers, it is a land mark visible to devotees for scores of miles around. The temple with strong, sturdy walls around, vast courtyards, and several mini-shrines and Kalyanamantap elevates the souls to the highest pinnacle of devotion. There are many little shrines like - Chaturbhuja Tayaru temple, besides the grand shrine for the Archamurti. The image is about four feet in height. It is in standing posture covered with sandal paste from top to toe. A strange feature! And a unique sight!! In the outer prakara there stands a tall pillar called Kappasthambham. As belief goes, it grants santanaprapti to the barren women. Hundreds of women worship this with great ardour and fulfill their desire long-felt. Another pillar of importance bearing the inscriptions of Sri Krishna Devaraya's conquest acquaints the viewers with the glory of Vijayanagara empire. One more object of infinite attraction and compelling attention is the Kalyana Mandapam - a rare sculptural piece of eternal wonder. The stone cutter's dexterity eludes writers' faculty of imagination. The sculpture on the Nagabhandana Silasthambam is a marvel of marvels. The Vimana too is of another architectural marvel beckoning deep attention. The image of Yoganarasimhamurti is worth-seeing. The grand idols of Virabhairava and Anjaneya, on the flight of steps deserve atteption and adoration. The shrines dedicated to Mallikharjuna 'and Venugopalaswamy situated a little further are extremely grand because of their location and sanctity. The Varaha Pushkarini and Gangadhara along with flower garden adjoining the temple are the indispensable places of interest for both feasting the eyes and cleaning the bodies. (For full length picture, read the author's AGS series No : 

3) It Lies 12 km of Visakhapattanam, accessible by airways, railways and waterways too. Town buses take the yathris from morn to even from station or bus stand.