Simhachalam Temple Visakhapatnam

Simhachalam 16 kms. away from Vishakhpatmam, it is Eleventh Century old temple dedicated to Lord Varaha narasimha. Moreover it is also called "Simhagiri" or "Lion's Hill" . It is lies in the northern direction of Visakhapatnam, which is a District Headquarters of Andhra. It has been hailed as the most famous and the best sculptured shrine. It has Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy as the presiding deity. Simhachalam temple is known as the second richest temple (after Tirupati) for earning a revenue. He gives "nijaroopa darshan" (holy appearance in true form) for only 12 hours in a year and on all the remaining 364 days and 12 hours, the Lord is covered with sandalwood paste. The original shape of the deity in the tribhanga posture has two hands with the head of a lion on a human torso. The Simhachalam temple faces the West unlike so many others which face the East. An east-facing entrance, according to religious belief, brings prosperity while the west - facing one brings victory. The real shape of the deity can can be viewed only during Chandanayatra Festival (March-April). One can reach Simhachalam either by train, which goes up to Simhachalam Railway Station, or more easily by bus from Visakhapatnam. Visakhapatnam is an important junction in the Madras to Calcutta line, and is also connected by air from Hyderabad.

Significance

This west facing temple is one of the eighteen 'Naarasimhakshetras' i.e. shrines of Lord Narasimha in India. Moreover, it is known as the second richest temple in India (after Tirupati) earning a revenue of about Rs. 520 million every year.

Mythology

The word 'Simhachalam' literally means 'the hill of the lion'. The temple is dedicated to Lord Narsimha, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. As the legend goes, Hiranyakasipu was a Demon king, who worshipped Lord Brahma to ask him a boon to become immortal. Lord Brahma finally granted him a boon according to which he could not be killed by any animal or a man neither in the morning nor in the night, by any weapons, neither in sky nor on the earth. The son of Hiranyakasipu, Prahlada, was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. Therefore, he tried many times to kill his own son. It is said that in the place where the Lord stood to protect Prahalada is the place where the temple is built.

Architectural Beauty

People believe that the presiding deity of the temple was originally Lord Shiva. He was later replaced by Narsimha, the incarnation of Vishnu, after the Vaishnavite apostle, Shri Ramanuja, visited the place in the 11th century. Initially built in the 9th or the 10th century, the temple was extensively rebuilt in the 13th century.

It boasts of having 525 holy inscriptions that date back to even 1087 A.D. A beautiful stone chariot drawn by horses is one of the prominent attractions of the temple. Besides this, the Kalyana Mandapa within the temple has 16 pillars with bas reliefs depicting the incarnations of Vishnu. Lord Narasimha (the man lion) is depicted at several places in the temple. The temple walls are dotted with countless engraved elephants, flowers and plants. The outer walls also depict images of a royal personality (said to be King Narasimha) in various postures.

Giri Pradakshina
It is a 32 KM long walk around the Simhachalam hill done by the devotes in Giri Purnima day ( full moon day of Ashada Masam ). This full night walk is considered very scared.

There is a rest house available for staying and performing puja, mirages , functions etc. For booking one can telephone to 2715276. Narasimaha Lodge and one Kalyana Mandap are available at the complex. Catering facility is also available. This is one of the famous temple in Andhra Pradesh. After a visit to the temple one can buy many Puja photos, items and devotional songs from the local market.