Akiripalli (Vijayawada)

Akiripalli

Akiripalli near Vijayawada is home to a hill temple bearing a cave shrine to Vyagra Narasimha and a temple to Malleswara Shiva. The hill is also known as Sobhanachalam.

The hill temple also has shrines to Rajyalakshmi, and to all of the Alwar saints of Tamilnadu. The Nammalwar Adhyayanotsavam is celebrated in this temple once a year.

Legend has it that a king by name Subhavrata meditated upon Vishnu and Shiva and was blessed with a vision of Narasimha and Shiva on this hill. The hill is known as Sobhanadri after the king Subhavrata.

The Varaha theertham or tank is located to the west of the hill. Legend has it that Vishnu in his Varaha avatara dug out this tank, and hence the name Varaha pushkarini. The word kiri refers to Varaha, and hence the name of the place - Akiripalli.

This Akiritemple celebrates festivals such as the adhyayanotsavam, Ratha Saptami with a chariot procession, the full moon night in the month of Kartika and so on.

Sri Kala Hasti

Significance: This ancient temple dedicated to Shiva is one of the Pancha Bhoota Stalams (temples celebrating Shiva as the embodiment of the primary elements), air being the element in case here, the other five temples being Tiruvannamalai (Fire), Chidambaram(Space), Tiruvanaikkaval(Water) and Kanchipuram (Earth) respectively.

Kalahasti is located near the pilgrimage town of Tirupati and is visited by thousands of pilgrims. This temple is also associated with Rahu and Ketu, (of the nine grahams or celestial bodies in the Indian astrological scheme).

Antiquity: This temple has been referred to in pre-Christian Tamil literature. The Tamil Saivite saints of the 1st millennium CE have visited this temple and sung its fame. The adjoining hill Dakshina Kailasam has many a fine Pallava carving.

The Tamil Cholas and the Vijayanagara Rulers have made several endowments to this temple. Adi Sankara is said to have visited this temple and offered worship here. There are Chola inscriptions in this temple which date back to the 10th century CE.

The Telugu poem 'Sri Kalahasti Satakam' explains the traditions associated with this temple.Muthuswamy Deekshitar, one of the foremost composers in the Karnatic Music Tradition has sung the glory of this temple in his kriti 'Sree Kaalahasteesa'.

Other works on this temple include the Sree-Kalattipuranam of the three brothers Karunapprakasar, Sivapprakasar and Velappa Deekshitar, Tirukkalattipuranam by Aanandakoottar of Veerainagar and Tirukkalatti Ula by Seraikkavirayar.

Architecture: The vast west facing Kalahastiswara temple is built adjoining a hill, and on the banks of the river Swarnamukhi. At some points, the hill serves as the wall of the temple. The temple prakarams follow the contour of the adjoining hill and hence the temple plan is rather irregular. North of the temple is the Durgambika hill, south is the Kannappar hill and east is the Kumaraswamy hill.

Krishnadevaraya built a huge gopuram, a few feet away from the entrance to the temple. The entrance to the temple is crowned with a smaller tower. There is an underground Ganapati shrine in the outer prakaram, while in the innermost prakaram are the shrines of Shiva and Parvati.

The present structure of the temple is a foundation of the Cholas of the 10th century, as testified by inscriptions; improvements and additions were made during the subsequent years of the Chola rulers of Tamilnadu and the Vijayanagar emperors.

The Manikanteswarar temple, also in Kalahasti dates back to the period of Raja Raja Chola I (early 11th century), and it was reconstructed in stone in 1196 by Kulottunga III. Shiva here is also referred to as Manikkengauyudaiya Nayanar. There is also a Vishnu shrine in this temple.

Legends associated with this temple: The legend here is similar to that of the Jambukeswara temple at Tiruvanaikka. Shiva is said to have given salvation to a spider, elephant and a serpent who were ardent devotees of the Shiva Lingam located here. The spider is said to have attained salvation in Kritayuga (the first of the four yugas in the Hindu tradition), while the elephant and the snake were devotees in Treta Yugam, the succeeding aeon. The elephant's devotional outpouring was a source of disturbance to the serpent's display of devotion and vice versa, resulting in animosity between the two, until Shiva's intervention gave both the devotees their liberation.

Kannappa Nayanaar, a hunter is said to have been a great devotee of Kalahasteeswarar. Legend has it that he offered his own eyes to the Shivalingam, and for this reason earned the name Kannappan (his original name being Thinnan), and the distinction of having his statue adorn the sanctum. Nakkiradevar, Indra, Rama, Muchukunda and others are believed to have worshipped Shiva at this temple.

Festivals: Maha Shivaratri which occurs in the Tamil month of Maasi (Feb 15 through March 15) is one of the greatest festival seasons here, and the celebrations are marked by processions of the deities. The fifth day of the festival in the month of Maasi coincides with the Maha Shivaratri.

Tirupathi

Tirupati/Tirumala is a pilgrimage center of great significance and is visited by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims throughout the year.Venkateswara, or Srinivasa or Balaji as the presiding deity Vishnu is known, is enshrined in this temple, located on a range of the Eastern Ghats, called the Seven Hills.It is an ancient temple and its glory has been sung by the saints of the yesteryears.

Said to be the richest temple in India, this temple is a vibrant cultural and philanthropic institution with a grand history spanning several centuries. It attracts pilgrims from all over the country and it is not unusual for pilgrims to stand in line for hours together to obtain a glimpse of the presiding deity for a few fleeting seconds.

TTD, or Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam manages the affairs of the temple, the well being of the pilgrims, the upkeep of the environs in and around the Tirumala hills and sponsors several undertakings that are religious, charitable, social and educational in nature.

References to Tiruvenkatam abound in early Tamil literature(Tolkappiam and Silappadikaram) . Explicit reference to the Lord of Tiruvenkatam is found in the works of the early Tamil Saint Poets Poigai Alwar, Bhuthathu Alwar and Pay Alwar as well as in the poems of the later Alwars. The great religious leader Ramanuja Acharya is said to have visited here in the 11th - 12th century AD.

References to Venkatachalam are also found in several of the Puranas. Tirumalai constitutes one of the 108 Sri Vaishnava Divya Desams - sacred shrines in the Sri Vaishnavite tradition. Krishna Deva Raya of the Vijayanagar Empire is said to have visited this temple 7 times. An image of his is also found in the temple. The Venkatesa Itihasa Mala and the Varaha Purana contain several legends connected with Tirumalai.

Location: Tirupati is a town in the Chittoor district of the Southern portion of Andhra Pradesh and is at a convenient train journey away from Chennai (formerly Madras) in Tamilnadu. Tirumalai, on the last of the seven Hills, is home to this temple and is connected by a well maintained and picturesque mountain road constructed by the Tirumala Tirupati Devastanam.


The Temple

The temple covers an area of about 2 acres. The Sampangi pradakshinam is the outer circumambulatory path, while the inner paths are called Vimana Pradakshinam and the Mukkoti Pradakshinam respectively.



The Kalyana Mandapam is located in the Vimana Pradakshinam and it dates back to the 16th century. This mandapam has several features reflecting the brilliance of the Vijayanagar architecture style. There are several carved figures on the granite pillars. Musical pillars are also found in this mandapam. Shrines to Yoga Narasimha and Ramanuja are found in this pradakshinam.

In front of the sanctum is the Tirumani Mandapam, a hall with a door of gold. The Mukkoti Pradakshinam or the innermost circumambulatory path is opened only on the Vaikunta Ekadasi day each year.

The sanctum or the Garba Griham which is just behind the Sayana Mandapam (Mukha Mandapam) is a 12 ft square chamber housing the image of worship. The Sanctum is crowned with a golden Vimanam or tower, the Ananda Nilaya Vimanam - or the abode of bliss. This three tiered vimanam is about 38 feet high.


The Deity

The deity worshipped at Tirupati is Venkatachalapati. The image is that of a 10 ft high Sthanaka or standing figure of Vishnu on a lotus pedestal. The image is said to be a personification of perfection itself. Lakshmi forms an integral part of this image, which is decorated with flowers and ornamented with several precious jewels.

Included in the jewelry are a Lakshmi-garland, a necklace with 108 images of Lakshmi, a Salagrama garland, with salagrams encased in gold, an exquisitely carved Dasavatara belt around the waist, the Suryakatari, a golden sword that hangs from this belt, two gold sculptured plaques of Lakshmi and Padmavathi on the chest.

Venkatachalapati is the only moolavar in the sanctum and this is said to be the only Eka Murthy Temple for Vishnu in India. There are other processional deities in the temple. Bhoga Srinivasa, a silver replica of the mula vigraham is said to have been made and consecrated in the year 966 AD. The donor is said to have been a Pallava Queen and inscriptions related to this endowment are found in the temple.

Malayappan Swamy is the processional idol or the Utsava Murthy. This image in a standing posture again is a replica of the mula vigraham. This image is flanked by Sri Devi and Bhu Devi. Inscriptions describing this image date back to the 14th century AD.

Ugra Srinivasa and Koluvu Srinivasa (Durbar Srinivasa) are two other images in the sanctum. There is also an image of Krishna, along with images of Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana. Chakkaratalwar or the Sudharshana Chakram is also featured in the sanctum sanctorum.

Bhadrachalam

Bhadrachalam is located at a distance of 200 km from Vijayawada. Dornakkal, on the Vijayawada - Warangal railroad is the nearest railway junction, and Bhadrachalam road is the nearest railhead.

Legends: This temple is intimately connected with the life of the saint composer Bhadrachala Ramadasa who was known as Gopanna. Gopanna the Tasildar of Bhadrachalam (second half of the 17th century) is said to have utilized money from the government treasury to build this temple, and was imprisoned in a dungeon at Golconda.

Rama is said to have miraculously given the Sultan the money spent by Gopanna, after which he was released. Gopanna then became Bhadrachala Ramadasa, and went on to compose several songs in Telugu in praise of Rama.

Bhadrachalam and Vijayanagara are sites said to have been closely associated with the Ramayana. Rama, Sita and Lakshmana are said to have stayed at Parnasala, 35 km away from Bhadrachalam. Rama is said to have crossed the river Godavari on his way to Sri Lanka to rescue Sita, at the spot where the Bhadrachalam temple stands, on the northern bank of the river.

Legend has it that the son of Meru - Bhadra performed penances towards Rama here. Kabirdas, a muslim by birth is also closely associated with this temple. It is believed that the images of the deities miraculously disappeared when Kabir was refused entry into the temple and that they reappeared miraculously upon his being permitted to enter.

Festivals: Ramanavami is celebrated in the month of Pisces. Kartika Poornima is also considered to be sacred here.

Ahobhilam

Location: Ahobilam near Nandyal(Andhra Pradesh)
(Vada Naadu)
Vishnu: Narasimha (Prahladavaradan),
Taayaar: Amritavalli
Theertham:Indra Theertham, Narasimha Theertham
Paasuram :Tirumangaialwar
Vimaanam:Guhai Vimanam
Travel Base:Cuddappah




Description Ahobilam is one of the most venerated Vaishnava temples enshrining Narasimha. It is located near Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh. It is accessed from Cuddappah on the Chennai Mumbai railroad.

Forty miles from Cuddapah is Allagedda, and there are bus routes to Ahobalam from Allagedda. Other possible routes, are Nandyal-Allagadda-Ahobalam and Dhone-Banganapalli-Koilakuntla-Ahobalam. It is referred to as the Nava Narasimha Kshetram, and is the seat of the Ahobila Mutt.

Singavelkunram, praised in Tirumangai Alwar's decad of 10 verses in Tamil, is the Ahobila Divya Desam, enshrining as many as nine images of Narasimha - and is one of the two Divya Desams in Andhra Pradesh.

The Puranas state thet the Nallamalai hills from Kurnool to Chittoor district are a personification of Adiseshan whose tail is Sree Sailam, middle is Ahobalam and head is Tirumala.

Deities: This Nava Narasimha Kshetram enshrines Ahobila Narasimhan, Varaha Narasimhan, Malola Narasimhan, Yogananda Narasimhan, Bhavana Narasimhan, Kaarancha Narasimhan, Chakra Vada Narasimhan, Bhargava Narasimhan and Jwala Narasimhan. In the temple at the foothills, the Moolavar Prahladavaradan in a seated posture facing east; there are festival images of 8 of the Narasimhas, other than malola Narasimha. The festival image of Malola Narasimha is located in the Ahobila Mutt. The Moolavar in the Ahobila Mutt is Lakshmi Narasimha, while the utsavar is Rama.

Upper Ahobalam is 2800 feet above sea level.It is an arduous trek to upper Ahobilam from the foothills. The Lakshmi Narasimhar temple at the lower level, has mandapams, with remnants of fine sculpture from the Vijayanagar period. Upper Ahobilam enshrines Ahobila Narasimhan and Ugra Narasimhan. The moolavar images were the only shrines of worship during the period of the Chalukyan king Vikramaketu, while it was during the period of Prataparudra that festival images were made. Krishna Devarayar is known to have made endowments here.

The two crests of the hill are caled Vedadri and Garudadri, through which the Bhavanasini Thirtham flows. There is a pillar near the Ugra Narasimhar and the Guha Narasimhar shrine; said to be the pillar, facing which the demon Hiranyakasipu asked Prahlada to demonstrate the omnipresence of Vishnu.

Legend has it that Rama, separated from Sita worshipped Lakshmi Narasimhar here. Legend has it that Garuda, desirous of seeing the Narasimha form of Vishnu worshipped him here, and that Vishnu manifested himself as nine forms of Narasimha. Mahalakshmi is believed to have reincarnated into a family of hunters as Senjulakshmi, and married Narasimhar here. This event is commemorated in the annual festival in the tamil month of Maasi, when the local tribe actively participates in the festivities.

Simhachalam

The hill temple of Simhachalam can be seen as one approaches Vishakapatnam from Vizianagaram by train. Simhachalam - the hill of the lion is located at a distance of 18 km from Vishakapatnam. The hill temple is accessed via a motorable road, up the hill. This temple combines the Orissan and Chalukyan features of temple construction, and it attracts scores of pilgrims from both Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.

The presiding deity here is 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 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.

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.

The artwork here has elements of similarity with that of Konark. Elephants, flowers and plants are portrayed in plenty. The outer walls of the sanctum depict images of a royal personality (said to be King Narasimha) in various postures.



Narasimha Avataara - The Man-Lion Incarnation of Vishnu

This legend narrates the story of Narasimha - the man lion incarnation of Vishnu where he demonstrated his omnipresence and destroyed the demon Hiranyakashipu.




Hiranyakashipu the demon king, was blessed with immense powers by virtue of his penance to Bhrama. Endowed with a boon that neither man, nor beast nor weapon could kill him; nor would he die indoors or outdoors, he assumed total invincibility and conquered the earth and the nether worlds. Intoxicated by his victory, he declared himself as the lord of the universe, and directed his subjects to worship none other than himself.

The only one of his subjects to defy his orders was his own son Prahlada, a staunch devotee of Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu tried several means to convince his son, and then to kill him indirectly, and none worked. Finally he challenged him to show him Narayana, whom he worshipped so fervently. Prahlada insisted that Vishnu was omnipresent and that there was no need to show him. An enraged Hiranyakashipu broke open a pillar in front of him, to disprove his son's assertion, and out of this pillar sprang out Narasimha, the man-lion form of Vishnu, who killed him on his doorstep, placing him on his lap.

Narasimha is hailed as one of the 10 avataras of Vishnu. The Nava Narasimha shrine at Ahobilam in Andhra Pradesh, enshrines nine forms of Narasimha. Other major temples enshrining Narasimha include Tiruvaali near Chidambaram, Tiruvelukkai in Kanchipuram, Tiruneermalai near Chennai, and Sholingur near Chennai all in Tamilnadu. The hill temple of Simhachalam near Vishakapatnam also enshrines Narasimha.