Seenivasa Perumal Temple, Malaiarasan Koil

Name : Seenivasa Perumal Temple, Malaiarasan Koil Aruppukottai

Location :

The Temple is situated in Puliampatti, Aruppukottai, Tamilnadu

Description :

The 100year old Seenivasa Perumal Temple is situated on a small hillock. There are well paved steps to reach the Temple easily. Idols of Garuda and Hanuman are placed on either side af the beginning of steps.
There are separate sannathis for Lakshmi Narayanar and Suriya Narayanar. There is separate Girivalam road for circumbation of the Hill. People go for walking on this road on morning and evening.

There is a Shiva Temple on the malai adivaramknown as Malaiarasan Temple. This temple has a Swayambu idol. The Pooja done in this temple is a good example of Shaiva and Vaishnava unity in this region. The poojari gives Vibuthi and Kumkumam as per Shaiva ritual and then we will get Theertham, Sadaari and Thulasi. After getting the Theertham, we bow down our head to get the Sadaari as per Vaishnava ritual. In the west side of the temple Poigai river is there and the devotees are insisted to bath here and enter the temple.

Website :

http://www.etownaruppukottai.com/srimalaiarasantemple-aruppukottai

Vedagiri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple (Narasimha Konda)

Name :  Vedagiri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple (Narasimha Konda)

Location :

Vedagiri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple was built on a small hill, popularly known as Narasimha Konda,  by the banks of river Penna about 15 km from Nellore.

Legend :

Legend goes that the sage Kasyapa established the temple on the bank of Pinakini. And the vedic scripture 'Brahmapurana' reveals that the seven sages (Saptarishis) performed 'yagnam' (Sacrifice) on the top of Narasimhakonda.

Description :

Vedagiri Lakshminarasimha Swamy devasthanam came into being nearly 500 years ago, on the summit of Narasimha konda. According to the rock inscriptions, this temple was built by the Pallava king Narsimha Varma in the ninth century.


There are seven tanks (Koneru) around the temple with a great hill top view of the river Penna and the Nellore city. Jonnawada is just a couple of kilometers from here on the other side of the Penna river.

You can also find two wind mills atop this hill where you can get to see them from close. Good for students and clean energy enthusiasts.

Festivals :

Bramhotsavams gets conducted at this temple very grandly in the month of May of every year.

Websites :

http://simhapuri.in/300/vedagiri-lakshmi-narasimha-swamy-temple-narasimha-konda/

Pazhaiya Seevaram Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar

Name : Pazhaiya Seevaram Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar

Location :

Pazhaiya Seevaram is a small village located about 20 kms from Kanchipuram on the road going towards Chengalpattu. While going from Chengalpattu, one can reach Pazhaya Seevaram 5 kms before Walajabad.

Legend :

According to the Sthala Puranam, once in Naimisaaranyam, a Rishi by name Vishnu Siththar enquired with the other Rishis about a best place where he can get the Dharshan of Lord Vishnu as result of the penance. 

Another Rishi called Mareecha Muni explained the him about the existence of such a place on the earth, where one’s penance (Thapas) will get fulfilled with the Dharshan of Lord Narayana and guided him to this place which was called Padmagiri. He also told the story of Athri Rishi, who got the Dharshan of the Lord in this place in the form of Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar, after his severe and dedicated penance. It is said that, Athri Rishi, after having Dharshan of the Lord, prayed the Lord to stay in this place and bless the people worshipping here. The Lord accepted his wish and stayed here in the same form to bless the mankind.

Description :

Pazhaya Seevaram has an ancient temple for Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar, amidst picturesque location. This temple is located on a small hill on the banks of the river Palar. It is said that 3 rivers namely, Palar (Ksheera Nadhi), Cheyyar (Bahu Nadhi) and Vegavathi (Saraswathi) merge here to become one and it is called Triveni Sangamam. It is considered equally sacred as Ganges here.

The hill on which the temple is located is called Padmagiri. There is a motorable road to ascend the hill. The temple is not located on the hill top. While ascending the hill, one can find the temple in a few hundred metres itself on the midway.

The main deity, Lord Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar is having the Goddess Lakshmi seated on his lap and is cool and calm, hence also called as Shaanthamoorthy. Though the temple is facing east, the Lord in the sanctum is facing west towards Kanchipuram.

Festivals :

According to the legend, there is a link between this temple and Kanchipuram Sri Varadaraja temple. Every year, during the Thamizh month of ‘Thai’, on Kaanum Pongal day, the Lord Sri Varadharaja Perumal from Kanchipuram is brought to this hill temple which is popularly called ‘Paarvaettai’ or ‘Malai Urchavam’ (hill festival). On that day, the Urchavar of Sri Varadharajar from Kanchi, is kept in a stone Mandapam on top of the hill, from where he gives dharshan to the people. This event is very popular here. There are steps to reach the top of the hill from the place where the temple is located. It is said that the stone Mandapam too is facing towards Kanchipuram on the west.

From the temple one can see the scenic view of the river Palar and the surroundings.

Websites :

http://www.dharsanam.com/2011/04/pazhaiya-seevaram-sri-lakshmi.html

Anthili Lakshmi Narasimha Temple

Name : Anthili Lakshmi Narasimha Temple

Location :

Anthili is a village about 2 kms south of Arakanda Nallur on the banks of the river South Pennai.

Legend :

Lord Maha Vishnu in the form of Narasimha came out of a granite pillar to kill Hiranyakasibu, the father and the tormentor of Prahalad. In this avtar, the Lord rushed to help Prahalad without calling his vahanam, Garuda. So also in Gajendra Moksha. These caused much anxiety to Garuda who felt extremely depressed on being left out. He left Vaikuntam and was doing penance at Anthili. The severe penance of Garuda pleased the Lord and He gave dharshan as Lord Narasimha with Mahalakshmi seated on his lap. Due to Garuda’s penance.

Garuda immediately cooled down on seeing his Lord once again, especially in the Narasimha form which he had missed earlier as he did not accompany the Lord at the time of killing Hiranya kasibu.

He requested the Lord to remain here in this cool form (shantha roopi) and provide darshan to all devotees. Also, having missed taking him on the trip to kill Hiranya, Garuda sought the opportunity now to carry the two of them around this place.

An overjoyed Garuda is said to have taken them around Thiru Kovilur, Mugaiyur, Arakandanallur and Paranur, among others.

Description :

This Temple is located on the river banks of Then Pennai River. The Temple is 1600 year old and is one of the four Narasimha temples in this region, the others being at Parikkal, Poovarasan Kuppam and Singiri and is part of the Eight Prominent Narasimha temples in Tamil Nadu(others being Namakkal, Sholingur, Singaperumal Koil and Sinthalavadi).

Pooja is performed at this temple as per Madhwa Sampradaya. Some of the sculptures inside the temple seem to indicate that there may be a Karnataka connection to the construction.

Being aware of the importance of this place, Sri Vyasaraja Theertharu ( Sri Raghavendra Swamy in his previous birth) visited this place and spent some time here. To mark his visit, he has installed an idol of Sri Anjaneya Swamy. Sri Vyasaraja has installed over 729 hanumans at  places he visited. At all these place, he drew the image of Hanuman on a stone using Angaram and the impression became a sculpture.

Festivals :

Swathi Thirumanjanam
Narasimha Jayanthi
Hanuman Jayanthi
Vaikunta Ekadesi

Websites :
http://prtraveller.blogspot.com/2010/05/anthili-lakshmi-narasimha.html

http://shanthiraju.wordpress.com/thiruvannamalai/

http://aalayamkanden.blogspot.in/2010/09/andhili-lakshmi-narasimhar-temple.html

Singiri Koil at Vellore

Name : Singiri Koil

Location :

It situated at a distance of about 25 km from Vellore and is off the main road from Vellore to Polur.

Description :

It is an exclusive shrine for Lord Lakshmi Narasimha and is believed to be at least 1,000 years old. This 10th century shrine is said to have been built by the local chieftain, Rajavarman, at the behest of Lord Narasimha, who appeared in his dream. The temple is on a small hillock, which is nearly 80 to 90 feet high and can be reached after climbing about 50 steps. As per the inscriptions around the sanctum sanctorum, this is a 1300 years old temple built during Pallava Rayar period by the King Nandhi Varman.



A tiny river flowing in front of the temple and we have to cross the river by foot.
the temple will be closed if the river flows in full stream and this happens for about a week in a year.



The main idol in the sanctum sanctorum is that of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha. The Lord is seen in a sitting posture with four hands — two hands hold the conch and the discus, His third (left) hand is on his lap and fourth (right) hand is around the waist of Goddess Lakshmi. The image of the Lord is nearly six feet in height.
The Lord with Goddess Lakshmi seated on his right lap is a unique spectacle. This inimitable posture of the Lord and the Goddess is the main attraction of the Temple.



There is a separate shrine for Sri Anjaneya, who is known here as Sri Bala Anjaneya. The idol is one foot high. Bala Anjaneya, who appears like a small child is believed to bestow the boon of parenthood to the childless. The temple also has a separate shrine for Sri Garuda.

Festivals :

Narasimha Jayanthi, Vaikunda Ekadesi, Ratha Sapthami, Tamil and English New Year and Purattasi Saturdays are celebrated at this temple at Singri.

Thirumanjanam is performed on every Swathi Nakshatram, which is the birth star of Narasimha.

Websites :

http://shanthiraju.wordpress.com/page/20/

http://www.vellorecity.com/srilakshminarasimhaswamytemple.asp

https://picasaweb.google.com/Rajtha/Singirikoil#

Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Polur

Name : Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple

Location :

This temple is located at Polur. Polur is situated on the state highway between Tiruvannamalai and Vellore district. It is about 33 Kms from the former and 48 Kms from the latter and 55 Kms from Vandavasi.

Legend :

1. Lord Narasimhar invited two brothers namely kolasthiyar Rushi and Pulasthiyar Rushis to this temple. These two rushis were ardent devotees of Lord Narasimhar. These two sages did penance to lord Narasimhar and the lord was impressed by their devotions. Impressed by their bakthi, lord gave them a mango. A fight broke up between the two brothers as who would take the mango. In the spur of the moment, Pulasthiya rushi chopped his younger brother Kolasthiyar’s hands. Even after losing both hands Sage Kolasthiyar continued to worship the lord with great devotion. He took bath at ''seyyar'' (3kms from polur) for 48 days (i.e. 3 mandalams) and circled the SampathGiri. After 48th day, Kolasthiyar's hands reappeared magically! This not only surprised the sage, but also others present. It was Lord's plan that Ustavmurthy should be installed by Kolasthiyar rushi. Lord came in Kolasthiyar rushi's dream and gave direction as where the uthsava murthy was. It was in a place called Karapoondi in seyar. The sage went to look for the utsavamurthy with the direction given by the lord. He found the uthsava Murthy and established a temple i.e. down the hill.

2. A group of workers were breaking down stones on a hill called Sampath Giri  in Polur village in Thiruvanamalai dist. of Tamil Nadu. Workers were busy doing their job. One of the workers sphear hit a rock, and for everyone’s shock it started bleeding. They were frightened and left for the day. One the same night, Lord Narasimhar showed in one of the devotees dream. Lord Narasimhar said that he has come one his own to sampathgiri as shantha Murty. Next day, the devotee informed this to the villagers. All villagers came to see the idol. They were all shocked to see the lord bleed. All the villagers came together and built a Maha Mantapam for the lord Narasimhar. They worshiped the lord with great bakthi and shraddha. A temple was built atop of the hill for lord Narasimhar. Later people installed Lakshmi- the consort of Lord Narasimhar.

Description :

The hill is called Sampathgiri and the main deity is the Swayambu Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy facing south towards Thiruvannamalai along with Kanagavalli Thayar. Sage Pulathia Brahma worshipped here. Achutha Thasar, Sri Gnanananda Swamigal and Siddhar Vittoba had meditated in caves here. 2 water streams (sunais) are present. There is an Anjaneyar shrine at the base of the hill and there are 840 steps to climb.



There is a cave here called ''Annai Guha'' this cave was used by many spiritual leaders like vittobha, Hari das to meditate. There are two tanks here. One in the top of the hill called Bramha theertham and the other at the bottom called Punasthiyar Theertham. There are two vultures that fly around the hill and people believe that they are the two brothers Kulasthiyar and Pourshtriyar. The hill which is opposite to Sampatha Giri is called Sapthagiri and it is believed that the 7 sages still reside in this mountain. This temple is completely built by devotees after lord showed up in their dreams. This place is very powerful and all the prayers are answered in no time. The temple festival is celebrated according to Kamakshi temple of Kanchi.




Temple Timings:

The temple is currently served by a single priest called Sekhar Bhattachariar who also looks after a small Perumal temple below. He goes atop the hill at 4:30 AM and returns back by 8:30 AM. A Chowkidar remains on the hillock opening the temple for visitors who come later. The priest also visits the hill atop temple in the evenings.

Website :

http://shanthiraju.wordpress.com/thiruvannamalai/

https://picasaweb.google.com/Rajtha/Polur?feat=email#

Nrusinghanath Temple

Name : Nrusinghanath Temple

Location :

Sri Nrusinghanath Temple is situated in the slope of Gandhamardhan hills in the district of Baragarh, Orissa. Situated about 300 kilometers from the famous temple of Lord Jagannath in Puri, the Nrusinghnath temple is on top of the famous GandhamadanHill. It is about 110 km west of Baragarh and 64 km from Sambalpur. Khariar Road Railway Station is the nearest railhead.



Legend :

1) Mushika Daitya Legend :

Nrusinghnath, also known as Bidala Nrusingha, Marjara Kesari, and Marjara Nrusingha. (In Oriya language, bidala and marjara mean “cat”, and kesari means “lion”. Also, Oriyas pronounce “Nrsimha” with a distinct “u” sound, hence the different spelling.)

The local tradition about this deity was compiled in the middle of the 18th century by the poet Yuga Das Kondh in his Nrsimha-charita. It is said that in Treta-yuga there was a rishi named Uttanka who was performing austerities on the bank of the Godavari River. He had an attractive young daughter named Malati. Oneday, Ravan came by that place and saw the beauty of the young girl. Ravan raped her and threw her into the Godavari River. The Godavari took compassion on her and brought her to the shore. When Malati came to her senses, she began searching for her father and crying. Indura, the mouse carrier of Ganesh, heard her cries and offered to help her reach her parents if she would agree to enjoy with him.

From Indura, a demon was born named Mushika Daitya (literally, “mouse demon”). The new-born baby was so ferocious that as soon as he came from the womb he immediately devoured his mother. Then he began to perform austerities to please Lord Shiva. Shiva was pleased with him and gave him the boon that he would have no cause of fear from anyone except for Lord Nrisinghadev from Satya-yuga.

Seeing his power, the devas became frightened and appealed to Lord Ramachandra to rescue the universe. Accordingly, Lord Ramachandra manifested the form of Nrisinghadev to catch the demon. Mushika Daitya became fearful and ran from place to place seeking shelter, until finally he appealed to Gandhamadan Hill. The personified Gandhamadan granted shelter to Mushika Daitya, who then entered within a crack in the hill. When Lord Ramachandra later arrived, Gandhamadan requested him not to enter inside of the hill to seek out the demon. Lord Ramachandra then assumed the form of marjara-kesari, with the head of a cat and the body of a lion, and began guarding the area by the sudanga, or inner door of Gandhamardan. Just as a cat sits quietly by a hole, waiting for a mouse, similarly, Lord Marjara Kesari is said to still be sitting and waiting for the demon Mushika to come out.

2) Some literatures say that Gandhamadan Hill was originally in the Himalayas, but a part of it fell down in this place when Hanuman was carrying it to Lanka with the herbs required to heal Lakshman.

3) Gandhamadan Hill is also said to be one of the places where the Pandavas visited during their exile.

History :

According to Huen Tsang, the Chinese traveler, this place was a centre of Buddhist scriptural learning. According to Oriya and Devnagari inscriptions, the temple was built by Baijal Dev in early 15th century AD. The temple is constructed in Orissan style of architecture.

Description :

This temple is situated at the foot of the Gandhamardana Mountain, which in ancient times was called parimalagiri.

The Vidala-Nrusimha Temple stands amidst the verdant beauty of the picturesque Gandhamardan hills. Nrusinghanath is a popular and attractive pilgrim point.



Coupled with a series of beautiful waterfalls and some sculptures, its location offers an air of serenity and visual delight, making the trip worthwhile. Harishankar Temple, another pilgrimage place is situated on the southern slopes of Gandhamardhan hills just 10-15kms. from Nrushinganath temple. But there is no direct road connecting these two temples. The plateau between the two temples is found with ancient Buddhist ruins. Which are considered to be remnants of the ancient Parimalgiri University.



Festivals :

Lord Nrushinghanath is a much-adored deity of Orissa ahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnd a great fair is held in his honour on Nrusimha-chatrurdasi day during Vaishakha shukla chaturdashi(in May) on the 14th day of bright fortnight in the month of Vaisakha.

The fair held on Nrusimha-chatrurdasi day attracts thousanhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifds of pilgrims from far and near.

Website :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nrusinghanath_Temple

http://orissatravel-tour.blogspot.com/2010/05/nrusinghanath-temple-which-is-famous-in.html

http://satyeshnaik.blogspot.com/2008/08/trip-to-nursinghnathnursinghanath.html

Devarayanadurga BhogaNarasimha temple and Yoga Narasimha temple

Name : Devarayanadurga BhogaNarasimha temple and Yoga Narasimha temple

Location :

It is 65 km from Bangalore, Karnataka India, by road on Tumkur road. The nearest railway station is 25 km away in Dabbaspet.

Description :

Devarayanadurga is a hill station near Tumkur. The rocky hills are surrounded by forest and the hilltops are dotted with several temples including the Yoganarasimha and the Bhoganarasimha temples and an altitude of 3940 feet. It is also famous for Namada Chilume, a natural spring considered sacred and is also considered the origin of the Jayamangali river. Another famous temple in the area is the Mahalakshmi Temple at Goravanahalli.

Legend :

Under the Hoysalas, there seems to have been, on the hill, a town called Anebiddasari or the precipice where the elephant fell. A rogue elephant, which the sthala purana describes as a Gandharva suddenly appeared before the town to the great consternation of the people and after doing considerable mischief, tried to walk up the steep rock on the west, when it slipped, fell back and was killed. The hill is accordingly called as Karigiri in the Puranas.

Under the Vijayanagara Kings, the use of the same name continued, and a large tank, named Bukkasamudra, was formed after throwing an embankment across the gorge from which the river Jayamangali has its source. Remains of the embankment and of the adjacent town can still be traced.

Temples :

BhogaNaraishma temple is at the base of the hill and Yoga Narasimha temple is on top of the hill. The vehicles can go a good 2Kms through the zig zag road towards the top. But to reach the temple one has to climb a good few hundred steps. Here again we can have a quick look at the temple, the temple is good and we had a good time there.



On the third elevation stands, facing east, a temple of Narasimha, known as the Kumbhi. This Narasimha temple consists of a Garbhagriha, a sukanasi, a navagraha and a mukhamantapa and is similar to the plan of the temple below. In addition to the temple there are three sacred ponds or Kalyani here known as Narasimha-teertha, Parasara-teertha and Pada-teertha.

There is also another temple, said to be older than Lakshmi Narasimha swamy, dedicated to Hanuman, also known as Sanjivaraya, who stands with folded hands.

Higher up above is a small shrine of Garuda.

Giri-Pradakshina :

Legend has it that the devotees of Hindu temples used to perform the ritual of circling the hills on which the temples were situated. As an effort to revive the practice, a large number of Devotees perform the Giri-pradakshina

Festivals :

Car Festival: Devarayana Durga Sri Bhoga Narasimhaswamy jathra/Car festival, an annual Car festival is held during Phalguna Masa shuddha poornima day some where in the Month of March/April in Devarayanadurga. On this day the chariot/car/Ratha of Sri Bhoga Narasimhaswamy is drawn in the main Ratha beedhi of the hill town. The festival draws devotees from all over Bangalore-Tumkur and surrounding region.

Narasimha Jayanthi: Devarayanadurga Sri Lakshminarasimhaswamy's Narasimha jayanthi, an annual celebration of Narasimha avathara day takes place during Chaitra Shudha chathurdashi (May month) at which thousands of people gather and many pendals are built to serve then with summer drinks like Panakam, buttermilk, phalamruth and free feeding is done to all devotees coming for the darshan of lord.

Namada Chilume :

At the base of the hill on the road leading to Tumkur, is a place called Namada Chilume (chilume means spring). Myth has it that Sri Rama on his way to Lanka halted here. As he did not find water anywhere around to wet the "Nama" (a kind of paste Hindus apply on their forehead), he shot an arrow into the ground, and a spring sprang and thus the name (Rama)-Namada chilume. The spring can be still seen, and there is a foot impression of Lord Sri Rama near that.

Websites :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devarayanadurga

http://nithinkamath.info/archives/2008/01/devarayana-durga-trip/

Bhimakali Temple - Sarahan

Name : Bhimakali Temple

Location :

Shri Bhima Kali Temple is a temple at Sarahan in Himachal Pradesh in India. The temple is situated about 180 km from Shimla. The town Sarahan is known as the gate way of Kinnaur. From Jeori the link road goes up gaining altitude to 2185 M to Sarahan (17 KM) via Gharat. Sarahan is situated on the mountain slope of southern side of river Sutlej and facing the Srikhand Mahadev peak on the north. The distance from Shimla is 160 KM. Sarahan is identified with the then Sonitpur mentioned in Puranas.

Legend :

According to a legend, the manifestation of the goddess is reported to the Daksha-Yajna incident when the ear of the Sati fell at this place and became a place of worship as a Pitha - Sthan. Presently in the form of a virgin the icon of this eternal goddess is consecrated at the top storey of the new building. Below that storey the goddess as Parvati, the daughter of Himalaya is enshrined as a divine consort of Lord Siva.

Description :

Bhimakali Temple, reputed to be at least 800 years old, dedicated to the mother goddess Bhimakali(an incarnation of Goddess Durga), presiding deity of the rulers of former Bushayr state and this is one of 51 Shakti Peethas.

The temple complex has another three temples dedicated to Lord Raghunathji, Narsinghji and Patal Bhairva Ji (Lankra Veer) - the guardian deity.

Architechture :

The temple is Tibetan in its architectural style. The beautiful wooden structure with spectacular carvings attracts a special attention of the tourists from all over the world. It has slanted slate roofs, golden towers, pagodas and a carved silver door. The golden image of the Goddess is 210 years old.

The original temple structure was damaged by earthquake and a replica has been constructed. Out of two temples one is opened to the devotees. The old dilapidated temple has been demolished recently and work is going on to erect the same again.

Festivals :

Navaratri and Dusserah are celebrated in the temple every year. A large festival is held during Dusserah at village Sarahan with animal sacrifice playing a big role in the festivities.

Other Tourist Attractions :

The museum at the temple complex has good collections of ancient utensils, arms, dresses, etc. The tourists can also visit the regal residence named as Padam Palace.

The Aviary of Himalayan birds: The aviary cum breeding centre of birds has been set up on the mountain at 1 KM away. The Himalayan birds like Monal, Khalij, etc can be seen from a close distance. The aviary remain closed during the breeding season.

The enthusiasts can visit another temple at Dharanghati beyond Sarahan. The road from Gharat goes to Dharanghati at higher altitude. The snow-capped mountain ranges on the north looks beautiful. From Sarahan there is a view of the Srikhand Peak , revered as the parental abode of goddess Lakshmi. The trekkers may visit the peak in summer.

Websites :

http://www.goldenapple.in/Sarahan.html

http://shimla.com/Temples/bhimakali.htm

Avaniapuram Nava Narasimhar Temple

Name : Avaniapuram Nava Narasimhar Temple

Location :
Located near Cheyyar in the Vandavasi-Arani route.

Legend:

AVANI means LION in Sanskrit and hence the name AVANIYA PURAM to this place, originally this sacred place called as ‘AVANI NARAYANA PURAM” and during the days it became Avaniyapuram.

During the time of Thretha Yuga Lord Brahma was doing the yaga and at that time from the yaga’s fire Lord Narasimha has appeared in front of him. Due to the heat lord doesn’t had the face when he come up. Seeing this Mahalakshmi Thayar told to Narasimhar that how you will give darshan to bhaktas without face hence please grant me your face to me. Pleased by the Thayar lord gives his face and hence in this Kshetra Thayar with lion face giving darshan to all and this day is celebrated once in 60 Years of Sarvadhari Samvathsarm.

Description :

The temple enshrines Nava (nine) Narasimhars apart from Shri Venkateshwara, Shri Ranganathar and Shri Varadarajar. It is a small hill with temples at 2 tiers and about 200 steps to climb.

The steps are painted with colorful painting and the either side of the walls are enmarked with Narayana tiru Namam in blue background color adds more beauty. Steps can be easily climbed by even older persons also.

This is a two tire temple on the first entrance where moolavar is housed along with Thayar. Lord Narashima is in a sitting posture, Mahalakshmi Thayar seated on his left thigh. His left arm is around his consort and his right hand is in abhaya hastha position. His upper hands are holding the chakra and conch. Here Lord has no face and Thayar having the Lion Face.

The Uthsava moorthy of lord Narashimhar had a face of lion. He has four hands and is in standing position flanked on either side by Sri Devi and Bhoodevi. On the Right side of the prakaram Pancha Narashimar separately in a row. Garudan in a Separate Sannidi.

After climbing approx 100+ steps there is an another beautiful temple. It’s Lord Venkateswara a Swayambhu moorthy standing armed with chakra and conch.

Behind the Srinivasa Perumal temple, there is a separate sannidhies in a cave- Lord Ranganatha with his Consort Ranganayaki on his Serpentine bed, Sri Perundevi Sametha Sri Varadaraja Perumal, Sri Yoga Narashimhar. Lord is said to have obliged Brigu Maharishi by appearing before him in the form of five Divya desa deities.

Festivals :
During the Sarvadhari Samvathsaram AANI month 9th day is the day THAYAR got the LION face and it is celebrated once in 60 Years of Sarvadhari Samvathsaram Aani Month 9th day. Only on this day 4 types of nevedhya prasadam will be offered to lords of this hill temple.

* For Mahalakshmi Thayar -> Sakkarai Pongal
* For Narashimhar -> Puliyogarai
* For Srinivasa Perumal -> Tair sadam
* For Yoga Narashimhar -> Ven Pongal

By visiting this kshetram itself one can get the benefit of

* Kalyana Prapthi
* Putra Sowbhagyam
* Runa Vimochanam
* Vyaparam

Website : i got all information about this temple from
http://rameshjs.wordpress.com/2008/06/16/avaniyapuram-nava-narashimha-skeshtra/

Padmagiri and Sudharsana Malai

Name & Deities :
1) Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar in Padmagiri
2) Sri Venkatesa Perumal in Sudharsa malai

Location: Pazhaya Seevaram is one of the famous temple of Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar. This sthalam is found in between Chengalput and Kanchipuram, on the shore of River Palar. There are lots of buses available from Kanchipuram to this Temple.

This sthalam is one among the sthalam that is found in the hilltop where Sri Narasimhar along with the Thaayar gives his special seva to His Bhaktas. The mountain, which is found, is called with the name “Padmagiri”. This kshetram is also called with name as “Sathya Varadha Kshetram”.

Sthalapuranam:
Padmagiri:
Once, Vishnu Chitthar, a great muni in Naimisaranyam asked to the other Rishis to say which is the best and great sthalam where he can get the seva of Sriman Narayanan in Archai (one among the 5 Nilayas (or) forms of Sriman Narayanan) roopam, where he can get the complete credit of his tapas.

On hearing this, Mareecha muni, one among the muni in that group answered that there exists an sthalam, where the Perumal has already given full palan (credit) for the tapas and is gifted with nature’s beauty. He also added that the muni, who got the seva of the Perumal, is Atthiri Muni and he the wish of seeing the Perumal in Archai roopam and performed severe tapas in the place “Padmagiri”. And as a result of the tapas, the Perumal came in front of him in the form of Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar. Atthiri muni wished that the Perumal should stay in that place and the entire Bhaktas of Human community.

Triveni Sangamam :
Triveni Sangamam means 3 rivers joining in one place. In this Pazhaya Seevaram sthalam, we can find 3 rivers getting merged. The three rivers are Palaaru (Kshera Nadhi)- Cheyyaru (Bahoo nadhi) and Vegavadhi (Saraswathi). This Triveni Sangamam is termed as the Triveni Sangamam of south.

In Krutha yugam, there lived a great Sri Vishnu Bhaktan, who wanted to take bath daily in the river Ganga, which emerges from the foot of Sriman Narayanan. He took bath in this Sangamam and treated this water as the Ganga River and worshipped the Perumal in Sudharsana Malai (mountain). Another saint lived here and treated this river as the river Yamuna. Because of this, both the rivers Yamuna and Ganga emerged here and the other river Vegabagha (Saraswathi river) also emerged and these 3 rivers merge in the great Pazhaya seevaram sthalam. This river flows in between Padmagiri and Sudharsana malai.

It is 100% evident that if you take bath in this river and get the seva of Sri Lakshmi Narasimhar in Padmagiri and Sri Venkatesa Perumal in Sudharsana malai is equivalent to 100 times to that of taking bath in Prayagai.

It is also 100% evident that if we take bath in this river for a month without any interruption and be rested under the shadow of Pippali tree in Padmagiri, is said to cure all sorts of sins and diseases.

Sudharsana Malai (mountain):
On the opposite side of Padmagiri (also called as Seevara malai) another mountain is found which is called as “Sudharsana malai” where Sri Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal is giving his seva. This Perumal gave his Prathyaksham to Brighu Muni and King Chakravarthy.

Festivals - Paarvettai and Seevaram : During the 3 day of Pongal festival in Thai month (Jan 14 – Feb 15), the utsavar Sri Varadhar of Sri Varadharajar temple, Kanchi is taken towards this Seevaram sthalam and this is one among the great utsavam of Sri Varadhar (Malai utsavam).

Lots of Bhaktas from Various parts come to Seevaram to visit Sri Varadharajar and Seevaram Paarvettai Utsavam is one of the worlds known utsavam among Sri Vaishnavites.

Not only in religious way, this sthalam is said to be an sthalam, which is surrounded by herbal trees, silent atmosphere and can cure lots of diseases as it is.

The temple is maintained in a great manner by the authorities. In the districts, this is one among the great sthalam and well-maintained sthalam and has been very appreciated by the government for maintaining the temple in a good way.

Lots of Utsavams are performed in this sthalam. Bramhotsavam in Aani month, Theerthavari in Swathi and Paarvettai during Thai month are said to be some of the Utsavams that are performed in a great manner.

Website : http://hindulistings.com/blog/category/hindu-temples/

Yadagirigutta - Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple

Name : Yadagirigutta

Location : Yadagirigutta lies near Bhuvanagiri ( Bhongir). It is one of the important holy places of Nalgonda District, Andhra Pradesh. Yadagirigutta is famous for the Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple.

Legend : In Tretayugam, there lived a sage by the name of Yadarishi, son of the great sage Rishyasrunga and Santa Devi who did penance inside a cave with the blessings of Anjaneya on this hill between Bhongir(Bhuvanagiri) and Raigiri (Now in Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh,India). Pleased with his deep devotion, Lord Narasimha, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu appeared before him in five different forms as Jwala, Yogananda, Gandabherunda, Ugra and Lakshminarasimha. They later manifested themselves into finely sculpted forms that later came to be worshipped as Pancha Narasimha Kshetram.

There are Puranic and traditional accounts of this Shrine, which are widely popular among the devotees. There is mention about the origin of this temple in the Skanda Purana, one of the famous 18 puranas.

Within the cave shrine, carved out of the living rock as are all the images, is the Jwala Narasimha, the Flame or Fire form which is difficult to see.

Description : Glowing bright atop the sikharam of garbha griha(Sanctum sanctorum) of this cave temple is the golden Sudarshana chakra (about 3 ft x 3ft) of Lord Vishnu (whose reincarnation is Lord Narasimha) the adornment as well as the weapon is a symbol this temple is identified by from as far away as 6 km. It is said that many years ago the chakra moved in the direction from which the devotees came as if like a compass guiding them towards itself.

Lord Narasimha is believed to have been worshipped by sages (rushis). The region of Yadagirigutta is reputed to be a "Rushi Aradhana Kshetram" or the place of worship for sages .

As the belief goes, Lord Narasimha has taken on the role of a "doctor" and is known as "Vaidya Narasimha" by his devotees at this shrine to cure many chronic diseases and the role of a 'do gooder' to those who are under the influence of bad planets, witch craft and black magic. Many instances are cited of the Lord appearing in the dreams of the devotees, and administering medicines and operated the patients and blessed them with good health. Many devotees tell of vivid dreams in which the Lord comes to heal them from chronic or terminal illnesses, and even mental or emotional problems. A mandala (40 day) pradakshina is very popular made by many a devotee cured of a long standing ailment or chronic disease. Often times, the Lord Himself has imparted mantrOpadEsham to select devotees in their dreams.

The Aradhanam and Puja in this temple are performed according to Pancharatra Agamam. The puja vidhanam (Puja procedure) was set by Late Sri Vangeepuram Narasimhacharyulu who composed Yadagiri Suprabhatam, Prapatti, Stotram, Mangalashasanam and served as Sthanacharya of this temple

There are a number of busses from Hyderabad and Secunderabad. You can also take a train from secunderabad. You have to get down at Raigiri railway station. From there you can take AutoRickshaw or Tonga.
To get up to the hill you can walk the stairs (not very hard) or can take a bus.

Festivals at Yadagirigutta Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy Temple :

Every year Sri Swamy vari Brahmothsavams are being performed during the months of Palgunam i.e. from Shudha Vidiya to Dwadasi for (11 ) days (normally in Febrauary & March).

During the Brahmothsavams cultural programs like Harikathas, Bajans, Vocal recites, Upanyasams, Bharatha Natyams and Dramas will be arranged with the well known artists and Scholars from the different places.

Sri Panakala Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy

Name : Sri Panakala Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy

Location : Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh

Legend : This shape of the hill looks like an elephant. From all the directions, the hill appears in the elephant shape only. There is an interesting legend to show as to how the mountain came into existence. Pariyatra, an ancient king had a son Hrasva Srungi visited all holy and sacred places to regain normal bodily stature and finally visited this holy place of Mangalagiri and stayed for three years performing penance. All the Devathas (Gods) advised him to stay at Mangalagiri and continue to do penance in praise of Lord Vishnu. The father of Hrasva Srungi came with his retinue to take back his son to his kingdom. But Hrasva Srungi took the shape of an elephant to become the abode of Lord Vishnu who is locally known as Panakala Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy.

Description : Mangalagiri - The Auspicious Hill

Mangalagiri means The Auspicious Hill. This place is one of the 8 important Mahakshetrams (sacred places) in India. The eight places where Lord Vishnu manifested himself are (1) Sri Rangam (2) Srimushnam (3) Naimisam (4) Pushkaram (5) Salagamadri (6) Thothadri (7) Narayanasramam (8) Venkatadri. Thotadri is the present Mangalagiri. Lakshmi Devi has done tapas on this hill. That's why it got this name (The auspicious hill).

There are three Narasimha Swamy temples in Mangalagiri.
1. Panakala Narasimha Swamy on the hill.
2. Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy at the foot of the temple.
3. Gandala Narasimha Swamy at the top of the hill.

The temple of Sri Panakala Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy is situated on the hill. A dhwajasthambham was erected in front of the temple in 1955. Behind the temple there is the temple of Sri Lakshmi, to the west of which there is a tunnel which is believed to lead to Vundavalli caves on the banks of the Krishna. There was a cave next the devi temple on the hill. It is said that, there is a way to Vundavalli from that cave, and the sages used to go by that way to take bath in Krishna River. Now, the cave is very dark, and the way could not be seen.

The Demon Namuchi

The Lord that has established himself on the hill is in the form of Narasimha (man-lion) which Lord Vishnu assumed to kill Hiranyakasipu, a rakshasa father of Prahlada, a great devotee. He is also called as Sudarsana Narasimhaswamy. The legend says that Namuchi, a Rakshasa after great penance obtained a boon from Brahma that he would not be killed by anything that is either wet or dry. He began to harass Indra and the Devathas. Encouraged and supported by Lord Vishnu, Indra commenced destroying the army of Rakshasa Namuchi, who did in a cave in Sukshmakaram (small size) giving up his sthulakaram (Physical manifestation). Indra dipped Sudarsanam, the disc of Lord Vishnu in the foam of the ocean and sent it into the cave. Lord Vishnu manifesting himself at the centre of the disc destroyed the Pranavayuvu (life breath) of the Rakshasa with the fire of his exhalation. He thus got the name of Sudarsana Narasimha. The blood that flowed from the body of the Rakshasa seemed to have formed into a pool at the foot of the hill which is known hill. The Devathas themselves were unable to withstand the fire of the anger of the Lord and they prayed for appeasement. The Lord took amrutam (nectar) and cooled down. It was in Krithayugam. The Lord said that he would be satisfied with ghee in Threthayugam, with milk in Dwaparayugam and with panakam(Jaggery water) in Kaliyugam. Hence the Lord is called in Kaliyugam as Panakala Lakshmi Narasimhaswamy.

Story in Threthayugam

In Threthayugam, the second of the four yugas, people who enjoyed in heaven as a result of their good deeds in the world are most unhappy to return to this world (when once the fruits of good deeds are exhausted, the soul has to come back to the world). They prayed Indra, the Lord of heaven to save them from the impending fate. Indra advised them to spend their time in the world at Mangalagiri to attain heaven again. In Krithayugam, the first of the four yugas when the sinners were few, Yamadharmaraja, the Lord of hell advised them to wash off their sins by doing penance at Mangalagiri. Mangalagiri is in existence from the beginning of the Universe with the names Anjanadri in Krithayugam, Thotadri in Threthayugam, Mangaladri and Mukthyadri in Dwaparayugam and Mangalagiri in Kaliyugam affording salvation to sinners also. In Krithayugam, Vaikhanasa Maharshi worshipped the Lord and his idol is worshipped even today in the temple. It is also believed that Lord Rama while departing for Vaikuntam after completing his mission in that incarnation advised Anjaneya to stay at Mangalagiri and after obtaining his blessings to remain in this world for ever. Anjaneya took his adobe at Mangalagiri as Kshetrapalaka.

Panakala Narasimha Swamy - God Who Drinks Panakam

It is said that here, god is self-existent. In the temple, there will be no statue of the god, but there is only mouth, widely opened to 15 cms. The mouth is covered by metal face of the god. The temple will be opened till afternoon only, with the belief that devatas will perform pujas in the night. The God takes jaggery water as offering by a conch. The Jaggery water is actually poured into the mouth of the Lord, a gargling sound is clearly audible as if the Lord is actually drinking it and the sound becomes shriller and shriller as and when the Lord is drinking. The sound will come to a stop after sometime and the balance of the jaggery water is thrown out. This phenomenon happens not once in a day but is a recurring feature during the course of the day as and when devotees offer panakam (jaggery water). It will be interesting to note that even a single ant is not traceable near the Lord nor around the temple in spite of the offering of so much jaggery water. As the offering of the panakam to the Lord is peculiar, the Lord here is called panakala Narasimhaswamy. There is a legend about the offering of the panakam (jaggery water) to the Lord. It is said that the hill was once a volcano. Sugar or jaggery water, it is said, neutralizes sulphur compounds found in a volcano and prevents a volcanic eruption.

Gandalayam - Gandala Narasimha Swamy

On the top of the hill, there is no deity for the god. There is only facility to put a deepam. If anyone gets miseries, then they go there, lamp the deepam by cow ghee, and they lose the miseries. That lamp is visible from many villages.

Ksheera Vruksham (The milk tree)

Ksheera vruksham (the milk tree) on the Mangalagiri hill is of great attraction particularly to the woman. The legend goes to say that king Sasibandi was advised by Narada to visit pilgrimages. King left the kingdom, and his queen, and started visiting pilgrimages. The queen came to know about this, and grew furious and cursed Narada to become a Ksheera vruksham on the hill within the easy reach of devotees, blessing women at its very sight, with property, children and washing off the sins they committed out of ignorance or oversight, for having ill-advised her husband to desert her and take to penance. Narada took this not as a curse but as a boon as it meant service to humanity, blessed the queen with happy life with her husband and a thousand children. Even today the milk tree is on the Mangalagiri hill and throughout the year thousands of women visit and worship the tree for begetting children.

Simhachalam - Germany

Name : Simhachalam

Location : Zielberg, Jandelsbrunn, Germany

Deity : Prahlada-Narsimhadeva

Description : Whilst in India there are many temples (especially in the state of Andhra Pradesh) that exclusively worship Laxmi-Narsimhadeva, this ISKCON Hill temple worships Prahlada-Narsimhadeva and hence directs the mind to the relationship between Bhakta and Bhakta-Pala, the devotee and the Protector of the devotee. In attempting to meditate on, and better understand that relationship, there are many lessons for those of us who wish to more fully enter into our own personal relationship with God.

For an onlooker the form of Narsimhadeva does not seem to be the image of grace, beauty and loving kindness one would expect of any manifestation of God. But appearances - even those of a loving God - must be understood through the Veda; not with a mind grasping vainly for comprehension.

That, of course, is one aspect underlying the avatara of Narasimha: that His startling lionesque appearance was entirely new; that neither man nor demigod had set eyes upon such a form before. The hate-filled antagonists at the heart of the lila didn’t know what to make of Him. And when he roared, even the battle-hardened trembled.

Ahobilam

Name : Thiru Singavel Kundram - Sri Nava Narasimhar Temple, Ahobilam

Temple Location : Ahobilam is situated at a distance of 74 Kms from Nandyal (Kurnool District), around 365 Kms from Hyderabad and around 75 Kms from Tirupathi. Lots of transportation facilities are available. Bus facilities from Cuddapah, Nandyal and Banganapalli are available and frequent.

This Ahobila sthalam is also known as "Singavel Kundram". This sthalam is dedicated to Sri Narasimhar, one of the Avathaars taken by Sri Maha Vishnu to kill Hiyanyakasibhu. This sthalam is also known as "Nava Narasimha Kshetram" since 9 forms of Narasimhar Moorthies is found.

Specials : Thiru Singavel Kundram is also called as "Ahobilam". This divyadesam is said to be found as two mountains (ie) Upper Ahobilam and Lower Ahobilam. From lower Ahobilam, we have to travel around 6 Kms to reach upper Ahobilam through bus. This Ahobilam sthalam is also named as "Nava Narasimha Kshetram".

This Sthala Perumal gives his seva in 9 different ways and it is believed to be so powerful as NavaGrahaas.

This sthalam is found inside mountain and the perumal, Narasimhar is giving his seva in 9 different stages.

1. Ahobila Narasimhar

2. Varagha Narasimhar

3. Malola Narasimhar

4. Yoganandha Narasimhar

5. Bhavana Narasimhar

6. Kaaranja Narasimhar

7. Chathra Vada Narasimhar

8. Bharghava Narasimhar

9. Jwala Narasimhar

If we assume the group (or) series of mountains in Andhra Pradesh State, it will be like Aadhiseshan. Being the head part of the Aadhiseshan can be treated as the Thiruvenkadamudayaan's Tirupathi, the body part is treated as this sthalam, Ahobilam and the tail part is considered to be assumed as "Sri Sailam", Where Lord Shivan is found.

The Ahobila perumal, Narasimhar is well sung and praised by Aadhi Shankarar, Udayavar Ramanujar and Sri Madhava Chariyar. These 3 great persons are considered to important and should be given respect, since they worked very hard to attain the perumal and they worked hard for the humanity to live their life in peace. Other than these 3 great personalities, 3 more who were given the Sthanam (position) (position) of Alwars (ie) Garudalwar, Pragaladhalwar and Thirumangai Alwar has also praised on this Ahobila varadhan.

In Upper Ahobilam, lots of wild animals are found and because of this, bhaktas are allowed to go to Upper Ahobilam only in groups along with proper guides. Bhaktas are also advised to return back to lower Ahobilam in the noon, itself.

Mangalasasanam: Thirumangai alwar - 10 Paasurams.

Utsavam : During Maasi month of every year, a grand Utsavam, the Brahmotsavam is celebrated in a grand way and ends on Pournami.

This sthalam is also related to the Kali yugam. The perumal has a close relation with Lord Murughan. How Murugapperumal married Valli, who is considered to be one among the women in mountain, this sthala perumal also married Senji Lakshmi thaayar who belonged to the same category. Lord Murugan is also named as "Vel". And since, Narasimhar married Senjilakshmi thaayar who belong to the Vedar family (Hunter) this perumal is named as "Singavel" and since the perumal is found in Kundru means the "Top of the Hill". And since, this sthalam is said to be the continuous (or) series of Eazhumalayan's Kundram, this sthalam is called as "Singa Eazhkundram".

Sthala Theerthams : In this sthalam, 13 theerthams are found which is said to cure all kinds of diseases, evils and doshams.

1. Kaalava Theertham:
This theertham is also called as "Asalathruvam". It is said only on the shore of this theertham, Kaalava Maharishi did tapas towards Emperumaan and finally got the seva. This theertham is found in the west side where Jwala Narasimhar is seen. If any human, takes bath in Karthigai month, it is believed that we can attain wealth and finally attain Mukthi.

2 & 3. Rama - Lakshmana theertham:
The 2nd and 3rd theertham are collectively called as "Rama - Lakshmana theertham". This theertham is said to be the theertham where Sri Ramar and Lakshman took bath after they lost Seeta Pirattiyaar and worshipped the Narsimhar. So these theerthams are said to be "Maha Punya theerthams".

4. Bheema Theertham:
It is believed that this theertham is found to be constructed by Lord Shivan. Bheeman means Bayangaran (terrific). So, if any person who takes bath in this theertham, his pabham (sin) itself is terrified by the effect of this theertham and ridded off from us. If we do viradham and say the Gayathri Jabham near this theertham, we can find good results and can attain good position in our life.

5. Sanga theertham:
In this theertham, a rishi by named "Sangar" along with his brother "Likithar" did tapas for the good of the world. It is believed that if we take bath in this theertham for around six years, we can remember of pervious Janmha. And if we give food for the Brahmanas is the shore of this theertham, it is said to be equivalent for doing the after funeral and to generations are said to gain the good stage in life.

6. Varaha Theertham:
It is believed that only shore of this theertham, Varahar explained the puranas to Bhoomi piratti. It is also said that this theertham emerged from a drop of water that came from varahar after he got out Bhoomi piratti. It is said that near this theertham, if we give the dhaanam of clothes, in Chitirai Dvadesi and Pournami, it is a special one.

7. Sudharsana Theertham:
As advised by Brahma devan, Ambhareesha king told the Sudharsana mantram near this theertham and got the complete Arul of Chakkarathalwar.

8. Soodha Theertham:
This is the theertham where all 18,000 rishis stayed on the shore and did tapas. The perumal stood near this theertham as a mango tree thereby giving fruits and leaves as food for the animals. Swarna, flower and Kannika Dhaanam are said to be the effective dhaanams near this theertham.

9. Thaara Theertham:
Using this theertham only, the food (or) Naivedhuam for Narasimhar is done and it is said to be theertham of purity. By giving cow, Salagramam near this theertham is a special one in Aadi month - Dvadesi.

10. Gaja Kundam:
It is said to be the theertham where groups of elephants come to take the water. Eventhough, Lion being the enemy for Elephants, they wish to take the theertham from this Gaja kundam.

11. Vinayaka Theertham:
On the shore of this theertham, it is believed that Vinayaka perumal is said that he is doing tapas for the entire world to live in happiness. Doing Anna dhaanam (food Dhaanam) in Maargazhi is said to be special dhaanam in this theertham.

12. Bairava Theertham:
It is believed that Brairava Moorthy cut his head and dedicated it to the Bavanasisni Nadhi which came so fast. Bairavar cut his head to stop the fast flow of the Bavanasisni river. It is said that Bairavar is doing tapas without head on the shore of this theertham.

13. Rattha Theertham:
It is said that in this theertham only Narasimhar washed his hands after the Vadham (killing) of Hiranyakasibhu.

It is said these 13 theerthams not a separate theerthams, but all are considered to be the Bavanasini Nadhi, but it is categorised into 13. On the shore, there are 3 Gughais (Cave) in which 3 Narasimhars are found to give this seva. In the middle, the Narasimhar is Ugaraha Narasimhar in Veetrirundha thirukkolam facing his thirumugham along the east direction. He is found along with Lakshmi thaayar.

Website : http://www.divyadesamonline.com/hindu/temples/andhra/ahobilam-sthpuranam.shtml

http://www.vaisnava.cz/clanek_en.php3?no=5

Sholingur Hill Temple

Name : Kadikachalam. The other names of the Perumal are "Thakaan" and "Akkarakani". Akkaram means Money and Wealth.

Location : Sholingur town is located in the Vellore district of Tamil Nadu. Vellore is the district headquarters and is about 43 kms away from Sholingur. The nearest metro is Chennai, about 120 km south-east. A famous pilgrimage centre in the vicinity of Sholingur is Thiruttani, 25 kms away. ( Home to Lord Murgua, who is again seated on a hilltop).

Deity : Yoga Narasimhar in Yoga stage on the Periya Malai

Trekking Adventure : It has always been a challenging and an adventurous experience for us when we go to this particular temple at Sholingur. Like Tirupati, this is also on top of a hill. It is located at an altitude of 750 feet. And, one has to climb 1,305 steep steps to reach the temple. After800-odd steps, there are a few rather steep curves. Once we negotiate these, there we come to final 100-odd steep and straight steps, leading into the temple. One has to walk the steps to arrive at this temple. There is no other transportation mode to reach this hill temple. You have to really sweat it out physically to have an audience with this Lord!Many attempts by well meaning people to provide a bus route and other means of transport have come to a naught. Devotees, young and old alike, make a slow step-by-step climb to savor the ultimate pleasure of having the glimpse of Lord Yoga Narasimha, seated ever so comfortably in a yogic posture.

Legend : Narasimha is the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the Dasavathara. Lord Narasimha, after slaying the demon, Hiranyakashipu, in the Narasimha avatar reached this hill to bless the saptha rishis, who were doing penance at the Kadikachalam hill. The sapta (seven) rishis are: Vasistha, Kasyapa, Athiri, Jamadagni, Gautama,Bharathwaja and Viswamitra. They did penance at this hill for a Kadigai (24 minutes), prostrating before Lord Narasimha. Lord Narasimha protected his devotee Prahalada after slaying demon Hiranyakashipu and reached here straight from Ahobilam (in Andhra Pradesh) and granted moksha to these Maharishis. Hence this place came to be called as Kadikachalam. Those who worship this Lord for a Kadigai, they will be blessed by this God. It is also believed that Sage Viswamithra meditated here for a Kadigai and obtained the Brahma Rishi title. Kadikachala Kshetra Mahatmiyam is described in Brahma Kaivartha Purana.

Pushkarani :
There are Four Pushkaranies.

* Amirtha Theertham (Thakkan Kulam).
* Narasimma Theertham.
* Hanumantha Theertham.
* Brahma Theertham.

There is also a temple for Hanuman or Anjaneya in this place. It is also atop a hill. One has to climbaround 400 steps to have a darshan of Hanuman.Steps here are also equally steep. Hanuman has four arms (chatusbuja) with a Sanka and Chakra in two arms. Here Hamuman is known as Yoga Anjaneya.

Bheemunipatnam

Name : Bheemili or Bheemunipatnam

Location : Bheemunipatnam popularly known as 'Bheemli' is located at a distance of 24 Kilometers North east of Visakhapatnam. The place derived its name from 'Bhima', one of the Pandava Brother.

Deity : Lord Narasimha

The beautiful beach at Bheemli is considered to be one of the safest and calmest for swimmers. On the top of a hill, there is a light house and a small shrine dedicated to Lord Narasimha.

Once a Dutch settlement, the 17th century ruins of a fort and cemetery built by the Dutch are seen here. The cemetery named Hollanders Green has some tombs embossed with the skull and cross bones motif of sea pirates.

Lord Varaha Lakshmi Nrusimha Swamy temple

Name : Simhachalam hill

Location : Simhachalam - the hill of the lion is located at a distance of 18 km from Vishakapatnam

Deity : Varaha Lakshminarasimha, combining the iconographic features of Varaha and Narasimha. The image resembles a Shivalingam covered with sandal paste. It is only once a year, during the Chandana Visarjana that the sandal paste is removed, and the image is seen by pilgrims.

Legend has it that the Ugra (angry) form of Narasimha as he killed the demon Hiranyakashipu was so fierce that the image is kept covered by sandal paste throughout the year.

Temple History: Kulottunga Chola I of Tamilnadu, made endowments to this temple, as evidenced from inscriptions dating back to the year 1087. The Vengi Chalukyas of Andhra Pradesh renovated the original shrine in the 11th century. Much of the structure as it stands to day is the result of renovation by Narasimha I, of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, in the second quarter of the 13th century CE. Krishna Deva Raya, the Vijayanagar monarch visited this temple in the year 1516, as seen from inscriptions here. There are as many as 525 inscriptions in this temple.

It is said to be the second richest temple in the State after the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple at Tirupati, the Simhachalam temple in the city draws a large number of devotees not only from Andhra Pradesh but also from neighbouring Odisha and other states.

Noteworthy features of the temple: This temple boasts of a beautiful stone chariot drawn by horses. The Kalyana Mandapa within the temple has 16 pillars with bas reliefs depicting the incarnations of Vishnu. Narasimha, the man lion incarnation of Vishnu is seen in several depictions throughout the temple.

Website : www.templenet.com/Andhra/simha.html