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Nava Narasimha Kshetram: Ahobilam in Andhra Pradesh

By Akshatha Vinayak

The legend of Hiranyakashipu and Prahalad is nothing but a clash between atheism and theism. The King Hiranyakashipu is a non-believer while his son Prahalad is a believer of God! The clash of their ideals and the entry of Lord Narasimha is the most popular story in Hindu religious texts. Lord Narasimha is depicted as the supreme power who killed the evil king. According to some legends, Ahobilam is the holy place in Andhra Pradesh where Lord Narasimha came out of a massive pillar and killed the Demon King Hiranyakashipu.

Ahobilam Temple

Ahobilam Temple
Photo Courtesy: Gopal Venkatesan

Ahobilam is one of the famous religious places dedicated to Lord Narasimha in Allagadda, Kurnool. This sacred site is also called as Nava Narasimha Kshetram indicating to the nine different shrines of Narasimha.

Who is Lord Narasimha?

Lord Narasimha is a form (avatar) of Lord Vishnu. He is visualised as a man with a lion's face and is known for his anger. Lord Vishnu donned this form to kill the demon king Hiranyakashipu.

The Holy Place of Ahobilam

Ahobilam is very famous because of the nine different temples dedicated to nine forms of Narasimha. The place is divided into two regions: Upper Ahobilam (Eguvu Ahobilam) and Lower Ahobilam (Digu Ahobilam).

Jwala Narasimha Swamy

The Deity of Jwala Narasimha Swamy
Photo Courtesy: Ilya Mauter

Upper Ahobilam

The main shrine is the Ahobila Narasimha temple where Lord is called as (Ugra Narasimha). It is believed that the deity located here is a swayambu (self-manifested). Ahobila Narasimha temple is said the be the earliest shrines built here.

Eight other temples situated within a few distance to the main shrine are: Malola Narasimha, Bharagava Narasimha, Yogananda Narasimha, Chatravata or Kshatravata Narasimha, Varaha (Kroda) Narasimha, Karanja Narasimha, Malola Narasimha and Pawana Narasimha.

Ugrastambham

Ugrastambham
Photo Courtesy: RameshSharma1

Among these eight temples, Malola Narasimha Temple is the important temple in Ahobilam. In this temple, Lord Narasimha is seen as a beloved or consort of Goddess Lakshmi. He is in the (shanta) calm form. Malola Narasimha is also the presiding deity of Ahobilam Mutt.

There are two other places in Upper Ahobilam: Ugra Stambam and Prahalad Mettu.

Ugra Stambham is believed to be the place where Hiranyakashipu's palace was situated. Here there is one large rock which is split into pieces; it is said that Lord Narasimha came out of this pillar. Hence, it is called as Ugra Stambham.

Prahalad Mettu

Prahalad Mettu is a small cave shrine dedicated to Prahalad. A deity of Prahalada Narasimha Swamy and an image of Prahalada can be seen here.

Lower Ahobilam Temple

Lower Ahobilam Temple
Photo Courtesy: RameshSharma

Lower Ahobilam

In Lower Ahobilam, there is one temple dedicated to Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy. Here the goddess is named as Senjulakshmi.

How to Reach

Ahobilam is located in the Nallamala Hills about 140km from Kurnool and 350km from Hyderabad. It is accessible by road from all these places.

Ahobilam with so many legends and stories is going to be an interesting visit.

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