Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple – Simhachalam

History Of Simhachalam Temple 

Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksha are brothers and mighty demon lords bent upon disturbing the peace of the world. Hiranyaksha seized the earth and carried it to neither region. Lord Vishnu killed him and delivered the earth from the clutches of the demon by assuming the Boar incarnation (Varaha Avatara). Hiranyakasipu wanted to avenge the death of his brother Hiranyaksha. He wanted to become immortal and hence performed austerities (Tapasya) to propitiate Lord Brahma. However, Lord Brahma said that was not possible so Hiranyakasipu asked Lord Brahma to grant him a boon so that he could not be killed by either animal or a man neither in the morning nor in the night, by any weapons, neither in the sky nor on the earth. Hiranyakasipu wanted the entire world to worship him. He added to his might the power of penance and began to punish the gods and sages, the devotees of Lord Vishnu.

Son of Hiranyakasipu, named Prahalada became a devotee of Vishnu even from his birth and thus brought upon himself the wrath of his father. Hiranyakasipu tried to mend the ways of his son, but when he found him to be adamant, made him undergo severe hardships. He made the elephants trample over him and set poisonous snakes against him. Prahalada, protected as he was by divine grace, stood firm Hiranyakasipu as a last resort, asked his servants to throw his son into the sea, and place a huge mountain over him. His servant chooses to drop Prahalada in the sea near mount Simhadri with a view to place the mountain over him. But before they could complete their act Lord Narayana rescued him by jumping over the hill and lifting up Prahalada from the sea. Simhadri is thus the place where the Lord rescued Prahalada.

The form of Varahanarasimha (Dwayavathara) was assumed by him, on the prayer of his devotee, Prahalada, who wanted to see both the incarnations of the Lord, the one by which he had already killed Hiranyakasha and the other by which he would kill Hiranyakasipu.

According to Stalapurana, Prahalada was the first person to construct a temple around the Deity. He accomplished this after his father’s death at the hands of Narasimha. But at the end of that life-cycle (Krita Yuga), the temple was neglected and began to decay. Even the Deity was not taken care of and crests of the earth slowly gathered around the image.

But, at the beginning of another life-cycle, the Lord once again was discovered by Emperor Pururava of the Lunar Dynasty. Pururava, with his spouse Urvasi, riding on an aerial chariot over the hills of the South, was drawn to Simhachalam by a mysterious power. He discovered the Lord on the hill lying embedded in crests of earth. He cleared the earth around the image of the Lord. Then he was addressed by the akaasavani not to expose the image but cover it with sandal paste. It also added that the Lord should be worshipped in this form, and only once in a year, on the third day in the month of Vaisakha his nijaswarupa can be revealed. Acting under the instructions of akaasavani, king pururava applied over the image an amount of sandalwood paste which is equal to the mud he had removed, worshipped the deity, and built the temple once again around the image. The temple has continued to flourish ever since.

The Simhachalam temple still contains inscriptions left here by Sri krishna Devaraya of the Vijayanagara empire recounting his successes and relating how he and his queen presented the yod with a necklace of 991 pearls and other costly gifts.

Architecturally the temple apparently deserves high praise. This temple contains a square shrine surmounted by a high tower, a portico in front with a smaller tower above it, a square sixteen pillared mandapam (called the Mukha mandapam) facing this, and an enclosing verandah, all made of dark granite richly and delicately carved with conventional and floral ornament and scenes from the Vaishnavite Puranas. Some of the carvings are mutilated (by Muhammadan conquerors, it is said). One of the pillars is called the kappa Sthambham. It is credited with great powers of curing diseases and granting children. In the verandah is a stone car with stone wheels and prancing stone horses.

Kappasthambam: Kappasthambam is a pillar in the main temple. It is believed that the wishes of those devotees who embrace the pillar with a pure mind will be fulfilled. It has an in-built Santhanagopala Yantram, which is believed to be empowered to fulfill the wishes of devotees. It is believed that childless couples will get children by embracing this pillar.

Timings to Visit

07:00 AM –  04:00 PM | 06:00 PM – 09:00 PM

Daily Seva Details at Simhachalam Temple

Pujas/Sevas Cost Details

Festivals Celebrate at Simhachalam

• Ugadi
• Nrusimha Jayanti
• Radhotshavam
• Kalyanotsavan – March/April
• Chandanothsavam – April/May
• Vaishaka Purnima
• Jyestha Purnima
• Teppotsavam – Pushya bahula Amavasya
• Kanuma – January
• Vaikunta Ekadasi
• Giri Pradakshina – June/July

Simhachalam Temple Contact Numbers

Uphill Enquiry : 0891-2979666
Downhill Enquiry : 0891-2764949

How to Reach Simhachalam

By Air: Visakhapatnam Airport – 13.5 km

By Train: Visakhapatnam Railway Stations – 19 km, Visakhapatnam Jn – 22 km.

By Bus: Visakhapatnam RTC Complex – 21.5 km, Hanumanthawaka Junction RTC Complex – 20 km

Address

Sri V L N S Devasthanam, Simhachalam – 530028 Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh – India.

Official Website of Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Simhachalam

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