Antervadi - Lakshminarasimha Swamy Aalayam

"Run to Iakshmi Naiasimhaswamy temple... offer prayers on Maghasuddha Eakadasi... lie down with wet clothes in the temple chanting the Lord's name ... sleep there for the night, sure you will see a tiny toddler, crawling in your house in a year's time." Thus advises an experienced old man to the barren couple, when they bemoan their misfortune of not begetting children, although they had by then undergone several ordeals of known vratas, like worshipping of pipal tree, making pilgrimages to holy places, gifting of valuables to Brahmins etc. The couple yearning for santanaprapti await that subhadina and do so as advised. The Lord, if the couple deserve baby, appears in their dream and gives fruits, flowers and toys as a sign of their begetting a child. And for whom the sea of purakruta dushkruta - sins of past life is unfordable, gives broom sticks signifying that their inexorable curse can never be shaken off by any means whatsoever.

This phenomenon is going on for over centuries now and people in thousands are rushing on that auspicious day to Sri Lakshmi Narasimhaswami temple situated on the bank of Vasishta Godavari, 18 km off Narasapur in the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. And it is connected by waterways, railways, roadways and airways too. It is an island temple and one among the thirty two of the most reputed Narasimha kshetras of Andhra Pradesh; and there are many temples here like Nilakanteswara, Sri Rama, Anjaneya etc. This place is also called Dhakshinakasi and has a glorious past, connected with several august luminaries such as Brahma among celestials, Sri Rama among the incarnated and Vasishta among maharshis. Surrounded by the evergreen lovely colourful spectacles of Nature, its tourist appeal is equally great and hence a visitation by a steady influx of paryatakas and yatris throughout the year. As it has certain unique features, such as falling of the Sun's rays on the chest of the Archamurti every evening, blessing the barren couple with children; and most importantly, the very place of killing of a dreadful demon by name Raktavilochana; its legends are many and fame too high:

Legend

According to scriptures, once a wicked demon by name Raktavilochan tortured the innocent sadhus mercilessly ruling from this place. Lord Mahavishnu killed him at the earnest appeal of Vasishta. And later Vasishta built his asram here and brought the water of Godavari through a rivulet which is called after him - Vasishtapaya. It is also the place, where Hiianyakasipu's corpse fell, when Lord Narasimha threw him into the air- antarveedhi, which word, in course of time became Antarvedi, Lord Narasimha meditated here, drawn by its sequestered sublimity sitting in an ant-hill, till the beginning of Kaliyuga, when a cow-herd by name Kesavadas dug out that ant-hill, on account of the fact of one of his cows was standing on it and milking to the Lord everyday. Finding an icon, he built a befitting temple and installed it for regular worship.

The archamurti is facing west and he is one of the nine august forms of Narasimha. Another rarity found here is the installation of the icons of Mother Rajalakshmi, Bhudevi, Santana Venugopalaswamy, Venkateswaraswamy, Kesavaswamy, in the garbhagriha itself and they are receiving equal reverent attention. The Kshetrapalaka of this temple is Neelakanteswaraswamy, who was installed by Brahma after performing a grandiose yagna lasting for 10) years in the Kritayuga. Maharshi Vasishta on settlement here built temples for Lakshminarasimhaswamy and Anjaneyaswamy, but the latter was submerged in the sea water. To the right of the main shrine, there is Ramaalayam. Adjacent to this lies the temple of Neelakanteswaraswamy. With many such spiritual citadels, this place is luring people throughout the year. It lies 16 Km off Narasapur of East Godavari district of AP, accessible by launch from it or by bus from Rajole, a nearby town.

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