Complete Guide about Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy Vari Temple
Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy Vari Temple, Simhachalam
About Simhachalam Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy Vari temple
A Hindu temple named Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Simhachalam, also called Sinhachala or Simanchala, is located 300 metres above sea level in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on the Simhachalam Hill Range. Lord Vishnu, who is revered there as Varaha Narasimha, is the object of its dedication.
Simhachalam Temple Official Site Link : www.simhachalamdevasthanam.net
The History :
Although the temple’s actual antiquity is unknown, it does include an inscription that dates as far back as 1098–1099 A.D. of the Chola monarch Kulottunga–I, who overcame the Kalinga lands, indicating that it must have been a significant location even at that time. A third inscription claims that the Eastern Ganga ruler Narasimha coated the picture with gold, while a second inscription depicts a queen of the Velanandu lord Gonka III (1137-56) doing so. The Government Epigraphist’s lists for 1899 give at least 125 such inscriptions. I constructed the central shrine, the mukhamandapam, the natyamandapam, and the enclosing verandah in black stone in the latter half of the 13th century. Other grants inscribed on its walls make it a regular repository of the history of the district.
The Simhachalam temple still holds the inscriptions Sri Krishna Devaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire put there, which describe his victories and describe how he and his queen gave the yod a necklace made of 991 pearls, among other pricey gifts.
The temple obviously merits considerable acclaim for its architecture. This temple is made of dark granite that has been intricately and deftly carved with traditional and floral ornament as well as scenes from the Vaishnavite puranas. It also includes a square shrine topped by a tall tower, a portico in front with a smaller tower above it, a square sixteen-pillared mandapam (called the mukhamandapam) facing this, and an enclosing verandah. A few of the carvings have been damaged (by Muhammadan conquerors, it is said). The kappa stambham, or “tribute pillar,” is one of the pillars.It is said to have remarkable powers to heal illnesses and give children. A stone automobile with stone wheels and prancing stone horses is in the verandah.
The temple obviously merits considerable acclaim for its architecture. This temple is made of dark granite that has been intricately and deftly carved with traditional and floral ornament as well as scenes from the Vaishnavite puranas. It also includes a square shrine topped by a tall tower, a portico in front with a smaller tower above it, a square sixteen-pillared mandapam (called the mukhamandapam) facing this, and an enclosing verandah. A few of the carvings have been damaged (by Muhammadan conquerors, it is said). The kappa stambham, or “tribute pillar,” is one of the pillars.It is said to have remarkable powers to heal illnesses and give children. A stone automobile with stone wheels and prancing stone horses is in the verandah.
On the north side of the temple, just outside this inner enclosure, is the superb natyamandapam, where the god’s wedding is celebrated. This is supported by 96 black stone pillars that are arranged in sixteen rows of six each and are more delicately carved than any other pillars in the temple. Despite having different design details, all of these pillars follow a similar general pattern, particularly in the capitals, which are frequently inverted lotus shapes.
The god is kept coated with a rich sandal paste preparation. This sandal paste will be removed once a year, on Akshaya Thitteeya Day (the third day of Vaisakhamasam), in a ritual at the festival known as Chandanayatra (Chandanotsavam), and devotees will be given Nija roopa darsanam of Swamy Vari. This temple’s most significant celebration is it.
The Sthalapuranam and Legend
A mythical account of the Temple’s founding is mentioned in the local Sthala purana and is connected to the well-known tale of the demon King Hiranya-Kasyapa and his son Prahlada. Brothers and powerful demon rulers Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksha are determined to destroy the world’s harmony.
The earth was taken by Hiranyaksha and transported to neither areas. By taking the form of a boar, Lord Vishnu slew him and freed the land from the demon’s control (Varaha Avatara). Hiranyakasipu wished to exact revenge for his brother Hiranyaksha’s passing. In order to appease Lord Brahma, he undertook tapasya (austerities) in his quest to become immortal. Hiranyakasipu asked Lord Brahma to grant him a boon so that he could not be slain by an animal or a man, neither in the morning nor at night, by any weapons, neither in the sky nor on the ground. However, Lord Brahma replied that this was not possible.Hiranyakasipu desired to be worshipped by everyone. He began to chastise the gods and sages, Lord Vishnu’s followers, by combining his force with the power of penance.
Prahalada, the Hiranyakasipu son, was a devotee of Vishnu from the moment of his birth, incurring the anger of his father as a result. Hiranyakasipu made an effort to change his son’s behaviour, but when he discovered that he was stubborn, he subjected him to painful suffering. He caused venomous snakes to attack him and made elephants walk all over him. In a last-ditch effort, Prahalada, who had been granted protection by heavenly grace, stood his ground and ordered his attendants to cast his son into the sea and raise a massive mountain on top of him. With the intention of placing the mountain over Prahalada, his servant decided to cast him into the water close to Mount Simhadri.
However, Lord Narayana intervened to save him by leaping over the hill and rescuing Prahalada from the water before they could finish their act. Prahalada was thus saved by the Lord in Simhadri.
On the request of his follower Prahalada, who desired to observe both of the Lord’s incarnations—the one in which he had already killed Hiranyakasha and the other in which he would slay Hiranyakasipu—he took on the form of Varahanarasimha (Dwayavathara).Stalapurana claims that Prahalada was the first to build a temple around the Deity. After Narasimha killed his father, he succeeded in doing this. However, the temple was abandoned at the conclusion of that life cycle (Krita yuga) and started to deteriorate. Even the Deity was neglected, and earth’s crests gradually grew about the figure.
But Emperor Pururava of the Lunar Dynasty once more found the Lord at the start of another lifecycle. A strange force drew Pururava and his wife Urvasi to Simhachalam as they flew over the southern highlands in an aerial chariot. He found the Lord on the hill, hidden by earthen crests.Around the Lord’s picture, he cleared the surrounding land. The akaasavani then instructed him to conceal the image with sandal paste rather than expose it. It also stated that the Lord must be worshipped in this form and that his nijaswarupa can only be seen once a year on the third day of the month of Vaisakha. As directed by Akasavani, King Pururava worshipped the deity and rebuilt the temple around the image by applying sandalwood paste over it in an amount equal to the amount of mud he had removed. Since then, the temple has maintained its prosperity.
The Architecture:
One of the oldest temples is located in Andhra Pradesh and is called the Simhachalam temple. The area experiences a lovely climate all year round. The temple has a distinctive and lengthy legendary history. Despite numerous economic, political, or religious disputes or conflicts in the area, the temple is never disturbed nor diverted from the age-old conventions, traditions, and ritualistic performances. It is the only temple of its kind in the entire Telugu-speaking world, not only in the North Circars or Uttarandhra. Although every Telugu Nadu village boasts at least a tiny Rama Mandiram, Narasimha Temples take the top spot. The majority of them just so happen to be old temples.
The existence of several Narasimha Temples in Seemandhra, Telangana, Rayala Seema, and even in the further Southern regions validates this assertion. As in Korukonda (E.G. Dist), Agiripally and Vedadri (Krishna Dist), Mangalagjri (Guntur Dist), Ahobilam (Kurnool Dist), and Yadagiri gutta, there may be Narasimha Temples (Telangana). Varaha Temples similar to those in Tirumala may exist there. However, the temple known as SRI VARAHA LAKSHMI NARASIMHA SWAMY is the only one with the moola virat being a dual incarnation (Ugalavatara), a mixture of the third and fourth incarnations (avataras). As a result, it has been praised for centuries by both academics and the general people.
Numerous ceremonial activities, such as those performed annually, biannually, quarterly, fortnightly, weekly, and daily, have been carried out verbatim in this temple since days unknown. The local political unrest or the daily increase in the number of pilgrims have no effect on the traditions and customs that are kept here quite strictly. This historic temple holds a unique and incomparable place in the history of Sri Vaishnavaite culture thanks to the unbroken traditions and practises that have been kept for millennia. There is therefore a necessity to research the temple’s history from various angles.
Given that there are several internal connections among these temples in numerous ways, it goes without saying that this sheds a great deal of light on the study of the religious evolution throughout the entirety of Uttarandhra. The lengthy introductions provided in the Telugu works of the mediaeval poets shed a lot of information on the splendour and magnificence of the temple. The writings of Gokulapati Kurmanadha Kavi (Simhadri Narasimha Satakam), Adidam Sura Kavi (Chatu padyalu), and KuchimanchiTimma Kavi (Simhachala Kshetra Mahatyam) have much to say about the majesty, history, and customs of the temple.
It is quite amazing how important Sri Kantha Krishnamacharya Vachanams was in building the temple at the highest level. When he lived, there was a thoroughfare from Simhachalam to Orugallu (Warangal), the capital of the Kakateeyas, and Sri Prataparudra was the ruler at the time. He is the first person to write prose lyrics in Telugu (Pradhama Andhra Vachana Kavitacharya, as praised by Tallapaka chinna Tirumalacharya).
Not only the literary sources but traditions, conventions, customs, statutory observations accumulated over centuries and passed from one generation to another in a strict guruparmapara, establish the temple at its heights. The numerous pilgrims that visit the temple are mostly fascinated by (l)the mythological stories, legends, the literary references to the temple, (2) the vast and voluminous endowments made by kings belonging to the Chola, Chalukya, Padmanayaka, Reddi Raja, Rastrakuta, Kakateeya, Ganga and many other royal dynasties and their assistants, (3) the origin and development of the temple, (4)the history of the temple management from the earliest days to the present,(5) the role played by the functionaries and the management, (6)the life around the temple, (7)the style of architecture and sculpture of the temple which is a blend of Kakateeya, Chalukya and Ganga styles, (8)the various endowments made by the agelong royal families including those of famous Sri Krishna Devaraya of Hampi Vizianagaram, their chieftains, general and followers, (9) the Historical back ground of the Vaishnavaite religion round about Simhachalam, (10)the natural topes and the presence of various fruit and nut bearing trees around the valley, (11)the pleasant fragrance that comes from the flowers like ponna, pogada and especially the champaka(Simhachalam sampangi), which is a patent flower of Simhachalam area and (12)the jack and pineapple groves around.
Therefore, in addition to studying the inscriptions from other locations that have an impact on this temple, the study of the temple must also consider a diversity of source material, such as the wealth of epigraphy in the temple. Numerous inscriptions discovered in Srikurmam, in the Srikakulam District, provide evidence for this, establishing the political and cultural history of the various religions in this area.
To avoid travellers failing to comprehend the precise context or the accurate scenic depiction of the temple, the epigraphical wealth and distinctive aspects of the inscriptions must be made clear to them. Consequently, a thorough historical analysis of the temple is required. A study of the history and culture of the Uttarandhra region is also necessary, and it should be based on a variety of sources, including those provided by the temple itself for the study of its architecture and sculpture, which were influenced by modern monuments in the areas to Simhachalam’s north, south, and west.
As a result, it entails research on South India’s major temple complexes. The ability to comprehend writings like Bhuvana Pradeepa, Tantra samuchchaya, and Manasara is crucial for comprehending the temple’s design, which combines elements of the Southern Chalukya and Northern Ganga styles. Dr. K Sundaram of Andhra University chose to research “The study of Simhachalam Temple” for his Ph.D. thesis while keeping the aforementioned in mind. He has since presented the thesis.
The study was started about fifty years ago, and afterwards a revised and expanded edition of that thesis was published with the financial aid of Simhachalam Devasthanam. Unfortunately, every copy has been used up save for those in libraries. Recently, many tourists and pilgrims have insisted on a thorough history of the Simhachalam temple. The management of the Simhachalam temple decides to reprint Dr. K. Sundaram’s book in accordance with the Commissioner for Endowment department’s suggestion and to comply with the wishes of the pilgrims.
The Raja Saheb of Vizianagaram, Dr. Ananda Gajapathi Raju, Hereditary Trustee of Simhachalam Devasthanam, has made some exceptional efforts in this area. The Simhagiri Narahari Vachanams of Sri Kantha Krishnamacharya are also being actively promoted under his direction. Of course, there is public support for such a book in the vernacular, and the Simhachalam Devasthanam is also taking it into consideration. Plans are being made to publish this book in Telugu as well very shortly. We hope that our activity greatly complements the wishes of the pilgrims and gives them a greater understanding of the temple, its history, and its traditions.
Dekho Apna Desh
The DAD of Tourism
