Thiru Singavel Kundram - Sri Nava Narasimhar Temple, Ahobilam
Temple Location :
Ahobilam is situated at a distance of 74 Kms from Nandyal (Kurnool District), around 365 Kms from Hyderabad and around 75 Kms from Tirupathi. Lots of transportation facilities are available. Bus facilities from Cuddapah, Nandyal and Banganapalli are available and frequent.
This Ahobila sthalam is also known as "Singavel Kundram". This sthalam is dedicated to Sri Narasimhar, one of the Avathaars taken by Sri Maha Vishnu to kill Hiyanyakasibhu. This sthalam is also known as "Nava Narasimha Kshetram" since 9 forms of Narasimhar Moorthies is found.
Specials:
Thiru Singavel Kundram is also called as "Ahobilam". This divyadesam is said to be found as two mountains (ie) Upper Ahobilam and Lower Ahobilam. From lower Ahobilam, we have to travel around 6 Kms to reach upper Ahobilam through bus. This Ahobilam sthalam is also named as "Nava Narasimha Kshetram".
This Sthala Perumal gives his seva in 9 different ways and it is believed to be so powerful as NavaGrahaas.
This sthalam is found inside mountain and the perumal, Narasimhar is giving his seva in 9 different stages.
Ahobila Narasimhar
Varagha Narasimhar
Malola Narasimhar
Yoganandha Narasimhar
Bhavana Narasimhar
Kaaranja Narasimhar
Chathra Vada Narasimhar
Bharghava Narasimhar
Jwala Narasimhar If we assume the group (or) series of mountains in Andhra Pradesh State, it will be like Aadhiseshan. Being the head part of the Aadhiseshan can be treated as the Thiruvenkadamudayaan's Tirupathi, the body part is treated as this sthalam, Ahobilam and the tail part is considered to be assumed as "Sri Sailam", Where Lord Shivan is found. The Ahobila perumal, Narasimhar is well sung and praised by Aadhi Shankarar, Udayavar Ramanujar and Sri Madhava Chariyar. These 3 great persons are considered to important and should be given respect, since they worked very hard to attain the perumal and they worked hard for the humanity to live their life in peace. Other than these 3 great personalities, 3 more who were given the Sthanam (position) (position) of Alwars (ie) Garudalwar, Pragaladhalwar and Thirumangai Alwar has also praised on this Ahobila varadhan.
In Upper Ahobilam, lots of wild animals are found and because of this, bhaktas are allowed to go to Upper Ahobilam only in groups along with proper guides. Bhaktas are also advised to return back to lower Ahobilam in the noon, itself.
Mangalasasanam: Thirumangai alwar - 10 Paasurams.
Utsavam: During Maasi month of every year, a grand Utsavam, the Brahmotsavam is celebrated in a grand way and ends on Pournami.
This sthalam is also related to the Kali yugam. The perumal has a close relation with Lord Murughan. How Murugapperumal married Valli, who is considered to be one among the women in mountain, this sthala perumal also married Senji Lakshmi thaayar who belonged to the same category. Lord Murugan is also named as "Vel". And since, Narasimhar married Senjilakshmi thaayar who belong to the Vedar family (Hunter) this perumal is named as "Singavel" and since the perumal is found in Kundru means the "Top of the Hill". And since, this sthalam is said to be the continuous (or) series of Eazhumalayan's Kundram, this sthalam is called as "Singa Eazhkundram".
"FIVE GLORIOUS DAYS AT AHOBILAM. SIXTH CENTENARY OF THE AHOBILA MUTT CELEBRATED IN REVERENTIAL GRATITUDE TO LORD LAKSHMEE NRUSIMHA
Yes! October 21 to 25th, 1998 were golden days in the history of Sree Ahobila Mutt and also a beacon light in the religious history of India. Thousands of people came from North, East, West and South. They attended the daily prayers at the Mutt and at Lord PrahalAdhavaradhan Temple. They visited the Nava Nrisimha Sannidhis in the Ahobilam complex and returned with a sense of fulfillment. There was heavy rain in the Kurnool area in September and October. We were very apprehensive
if the inclement weather would interfere with the scheduled functions. Fortunately the rain stopped on 20th October and resumed only after 26th
October. That truly was an act of God. There was bright sunshine and the weather was pleasant throughout. Devotees were graceful enough to adjust to the circumstances and the environment in which this function was held and displayed an enormous sense of fellowship and goodwill. Observers estimate that the devotees who attended this event could be anything between 25,000 and 40,000. It was a well disciplined assembly of devout pilgrims whose only aim was to pay their obeisance to the Lord
and the leader His Holiness the Azhagiyasingar. The organisers were highly complimented for the enormous care they took to accommodate the pilgrims and for doing everything possible to ensure their creature comforts. More than 15,000 people were fed in the conventional way-ThadheeyArAdhanai and thousands of others were fed round the clock both at the Mutt and the Temple. It is a matter of great satisfaction to the organisers that there were no visible complaints from the pilgrims in general and by and large, everyone who came truly enjoyed participating in the functions and expressed their happiness in their own way in many ways. That is how Lord Lakshmee Nrisimha Himself hosted
his devotees in His kshethra-AhObilam. We could see the hand of God in everything that went on at this function which was so orderly and peaceful and truly divine.
Let me record for your benefit the principle schedule of events that marked the occasion. 1. His Holiness the Azhagiyasingar adorned Lord PrahalAdavaradhan and his Consorts with Kavachams weighing more than 8 kilograms in gold. He also clothed Dhivya Dhampathis at Lord PrahalAdhavaradhan Sannidhi with fresh set of expensive clothes in silk, every day. You could see the Dhivya Moorthis come alive in darsan to the devotees. The jubilant manner in which they were presented to the people was truly a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon to be cherished forever.
2. Homam There were 12 Homakundams devoted to Nava NrishimhAs, Lord PrahalAdhavaradhan, ThAyAr MahAlakshmee and Sudharsana BhagavAn. Homam was conducted morning and evening on all the 5 days. Besides His Holiness, the Azhagiyasingar, the function was attended by His Holiness from the ParakAla Mutt, Sree RangapriyA Swamy and the MatAdhipathi of VyAsarAya Mutt. A homam of this magnitude had never been done before in
SAma vEdha, and Atharvana vEdha. These Vedhic pandits ewre complemented
by nearly 100 AdhyApakaswamis who chanted the full course of Dhivya Prabandham. They were supported by 50 pandits who read Sreemath RAmAyanam, Sreemath Bhagavath Geetha, Sree BAshyam and Sree RahasyathrayasAram. It was a unique sight to watch so many pandits gather at one place and recite our wide variety of knowledge system. It
was also a rare spectacle of Sree Vaishnavites of both sects, SmArthAs and Madhvas hailing from Tamil NAdu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh coming together to celebrate a significant milestone in our religious history.
4. Vidhvath Sadhas Presided over by Sreemath Azaghiyasingar, over 100 vidvans professing Adhvaita, Visishtadvaita adn Dvaitha systems of philosophy and immensly benefited from the resulting discussions. The participants were so absorbed in the topics that they attended in full strength morning and evening on all the 5 days and emerged profoundly refreshed in body and mind.
5. Thirumanjanam and KalyAna Uthsavam On Friday, the 23rd October an elaborate Thirumanjanam was performed to Lord PrahlAdhavaradhan, Lord Amrithavalli ThAyAr, SreedhEvi and BhoodhEvi. It was followed by KalyAna Uthsavam to Lord PrahlAdhavaradhan and Amrithavalli ThAyAr. These two functions were sponsored by a grouup of ladies under the leadership of Smt. Radha Krishnaswamy and Smt. Indira Rajamani. They presented to the Lord a gold necklace weighing 10.5 sovereigns. This was followed by a very impressive Garuda VAhana Uthsavam on Saturday, the 25th October.
6. Garuda VAhana Uthsavam It was a grand sight to watch Garuda Vahanam procession preceded by a huge AdhyApakaghOshti and followed by hundreds of VehdapArAyana pandits who chanted all the four vedhas. It was reminiscent of the Garuda VAhana procession one has seen in his childhood in Kancheepuram or Thirukkudanthai.
7. Homage to Sree AnnamAchArya The foremost among Sreemath Adhivan SatakOpa Yatheendhra MahA Desika's sishyas was Sree AnnamAcharya. His Dhivya Moorthi had been brought from
Thiruppathi and was honoured by a special procession and prayer on this occasion.
8. Distribution of Manjal Kumkumam It was exhilarating to observe the ladies group take a prominent part in
the celebrationns of this event. Apart from sponsoring the Thirumanjanam and KalyAna Uthsavam described above, a group of ladies led by Dr Smt. Vasundhara Seshadri collected a sum of Rs 5,000/- on the spot and distributed Manjal, Kumkumam and fruitts to all the visiting Sumangalis. The enthusiasm of the lady devotees and the devout nature of their participation in the even were truly a notable highlight of this occasion.
9. Music concerts The cultural programme was embellished by personalities such as Smt. Mani Krishnaswamy, Smt. R. Vedhavalli, Smt. Radha Padmanabhan, Kadiri Sree Gopalnath and party, Thiruchoor Sree V. Ramachandran and party, Sree Balakrishna Prasad and Sree D. Raghavachari, Vanamalika Group and Kumari S. Ramya in the afternoons and evenings. All these concerts were
very well attended.
In conclusion I would like to pay my personal tribute to the following personalities who made this event an outstanding success.
1. Sreemath Azaghiyasingar's staff in the Mutt did an outstanding job maintaining pooja and prayer schedules. Every member of the Mutt staff deserves our high appreciation and admiration in the way they served and
endeared the devotees to make the function highly memorable. As usual, food preparations were of a very high order and quality. Sree Appu, the
Head cook and his assistants deserve high praise for the hard work and unrelenting service.
2. Sree V.R. Rajamani who was in charge of organising and distribution of food was on his feet literally 18 hours a day for 5 days. Without his meticulous attention to this aspect of the function we could have failed miserably.
3. On the organisational side the team was led by Sree D.P. PadmanAbhan who was assisted by Sree. D.P. Devnath, Sree Srinivasan, K. Swamy, Sree T.S. Venkatesan, Sree R. Rajagopalan, Sree K. Venugopalan, Sree S. Sampath, Sree K.G. Krishnan, Sree N. Sreenivasan, Sree K. Devanathan and
a host of others. Everyone of them had a wireless walkie talkie in his hand and directed the entire function from all segments of the complex. A large number of lady volunteers were also at work taking care of the needs and conveniences of the woman devotees who had come in large numbers.
4. Many officials of the Andhra Pradhesh Government were particularly helpful. The Collector of the Kurnool District, HR&CE Commissioner and many others came and supervised the on-going functions. They also paid their obeisance to His Holiness. A large number of policemen had been deployed and the police officials were available to ensure peaceful conduct of the celebrative functions.
5. Doordarsan and AIR from Hyderabad had come to cover the event. Many
newspaper reporters had come and interviewed the organisers. We had 3 STD-cum-telephone lines in operation at the festival complex for the convenience of the visitors. Electricity gensets were at strategic locations to ensure continuous power supply. Water storage tanks with pipelines were kept at different locations. The temple tank was full and a large number of devotees bathed and did their ablutions in it.
All in all, it was a grand occasion well organised and delivered with grace and gaiety. As a community we can be proud of the way we conducted this function. Most important of all: Lord Lakshmee Nrisimha and His Holiness, the Azhagiyasingar, were extremely happy with the way we paid obeisance to them and expressed our gratitude in the most humble
manner we could. We have made complete video coverage of the event. We
should soon be able to make copies of it available for the benefit of those who could not physically participate in this festival.
Finally, I am grateful to everyone who came to Ahobilam and made this occasion a memorable success. I thank everyonefor the enormous understanding they showed for the difficulties experienced by the organisers in serving the pilgrims to the full satisfaction and thank them most sincerely for all the trouble they took to participate, to be a part of those most memorable days in our lives.
Let me hasten to add that we have only covered the first phase of our task in celebrating the Sixth Centenary of the Ahobila Mutt. The programme of projects and events detailed in the Ani issue of Sree Nrusimha Priya will all be taken up and completed by the middle of 1999.
You should therefore continue to watch for more events and news in the continued celebration of the Sixth Centenary for a full year. More important, please continue to help us to complete the task we have set for ourselves.
Ahobila Matam is a Sri Vaishnava religious institution establsihed 600 years ago in a place called Ahobilam by Srimad Athivan Satakopan. He was originally known as Kidambi Srinivasachar. He was a student under Gadikasadam Ammal in Kanchipuram. One day, the Lord of Ahobilam, Sri Lakshminrisimha, appeared in Srinivasachar's dream and instructed him to come to the temple town of Ahobilam. After consulting with his Acharya, he proceeded to Ahobilam.
At Ahobilam, the Lord himself initiated Srinivasachar into Sanyasam (monasticism) and gave him the title, "Satakopa Jeeyar". (Later, Lord Athippiran of Azhvar Thirunagari added the title Van and Nammazhvar added the title Athi. Thus the Jeeyar came be be known as "Athivan Satakopan".)
Then, one of the nine Nrisimhas of Ahobilam called Malolan jumped into the hands of Athivan Satakopan and ordered him to travel the length and breadth of the country. Thus began the institution called Sri Ahobila Matam and the travels of Lord Malolan to village after village so that devotees get a chance to undertake Panca Samskaram and perform Bhara Nyasam at the lotus feet of the Lord.
Chilkur Balaji Temple is located at Chilkur in Moinabad mandal in the Rangareddi district, Andhra Pradesh, India.
This temple is also popularly known as Visa Temple because many devotees come here with the wish of going abroad.
It's customary to go around the temple (known as Pradakshina) eleven times and pray to god for a specific wish. Once this wish comes true, the recipient has to go again and take 108 Pradakshinas.
This is one of the few temples in India which does not accept monetary donations.
Chilkur balaji temple is one of the most famous temples in Hyderabad area. The nice concept that is implemented in darshan of the lord balaji, is that all people must stand in queue with utmost discipline. There are no VIP passes and there is no Hundi for donations. When people ask for wish from the god here, they have to do 11 pradakshinas and ask their wish with the witness of Lord Anjaneya. When the wish gets fulfilled, they need to do 108 pradakshinas. The 11 pradakshinas have a significant meaning according to the temple priests. When people wish anything from god, mind has to think about only god and one's self i.e 11(1-1) signifies that god takes care of everybody and everybody should understand that.
There is a Shiva temple in the complex.
[edit] HISTORY Twenty Five kilometers from Hyderabad off the Vikarabad road and on the banks of Osmansagar is the picturesque village of Chikur with its ancient temple dedicated to Sri Balaji Venkateshwara. From the style, structure and appearance, it can be inferred that the temple was built half a millennium ago. Set in sylvan surroundings, the temple attracts thousands of pilgrims every year and is an ideal place for sequestered retreat and meditation. It enjoyed in the past, great days of pomp and glory.
The temple is one of the oldest in Telengana, having been built during the time of Akkanna and Madanna, the uncles of Bhakta Ramdas. According to tradition, a devotee who used to visit Tirupati every year could not do so on one occasion owing to serious ill-health. Lord Venkateshwara appeared in his dream and said, "I am right here in the jungle nearby. You don't have to worry." The devotee at once moved to the place indicated by the Lord in the dream and saw a mole- hill there, which he dug up. Accidentally, the axe struck Lord Balaji's idol covered by the mole-hill below the chin and on the chest, and surprisingly blood started flowing profusely from the "wounds", flooding the ground and turning it scarlet. The devotee could not believe his eyes when he saw this. Suddenly he could not believe his ears also when he heard a voice from the air which said,"Flood the mole-hill with cow's milk. "When the devotee did so, a Swayambhu idol of Lord Balaji accompanied by Sridevi and Bhoodevi(a rare combination) was found, and this idol was installed with the due rites and a temple built for it.
Sri Balaji venkateshwara, the Pratyaksha Daiva in kaliyuga, is thus available at Chilkur to shower blessings on His devotees who for any reason are unable to go to Tirupati. Many devout worshippers flock to the temple, to receive the blessings of the Lord and his consorts throughout the year particularly during the Poolangi, Annakota and Brahmothsavams
With the earnest desire to revive the former glory and importance of the temple, the idol of Ammavaru was installed in 1963 the year following the Chinese aggression, and when the aggression was unilaterally vacated, Ammavaru was given the name of Rajya Lakshmi, signifying this welcome event. The unique feature of this idol is that lotus flowers are held in three hands and the fourth hand is in such a position towards the lotus feet which signifies the doctrine of Saranagathi.
The temple has been visited by great Acharyas from time to time. A visit to the temple is a must for the Jeer of Sri Ahobila Mutt every time he visits the twin cities, and in the temple is installed the idol of the first Jeer. The Tilakayaths of Sri Vallabhacharya Sampradaya have been regularly visiting the shrine. Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya of Sringeri Mutt and his disciple graced the efforts of the trustees in improving the temple.
Recent Governments were trying to take Chilkur Balaji Temple. The endowments deparment is hell bent and is trying to keep hundi in temple to mint money as the foot falls to the temple are very high. The only temple in India where evey man is equal, irrespective of religion, caste and creed. We request you to support us in fighting againt the governments to protect chilkur balaji temple. In India it is the only temple temple which is effectively managed with out taking single paisa
There was a poor pilgrim by name Gunala Madhava Reddy who used to go to Tirupathi every year, by foot. As he grew old, it became very difficult for him to make such a tedious journey, yet he never ceased to visit Tirumala every year. In that particular year while he was going to Tirumala, unable to bear the strain, he fainted. Then he got a wonderful vision in which Lord Balaji appeared and said, ” you need not go to Tirumala to have my Darshan. I am here in an anthill under the tree”. Sri Madhava Reddy woke up, called all the villagers and went to a “Valugu Tree” under which they found the anthill. When they started digging they found blood on the tip of the crowbar and from the anthill they heard a voice saying, “you need not dig further. My body is burning. If you pour milk on the anthill, I will appear”. The villagers stopped digging and poured milk on the anthill. The anthill melted and the idol of Lord Venkateswara in the middle with Sri Sridevi and Sri Bhoodevi on either side emerged. The Lords Shanku, Chakram, Abhayahastham and Sharanayathathvam are very clear establishing the fact that he is Lord Vishnu himself. Some of the special features of the idol are that Sri Sridevi and Bhoodevi are made of same stone, and the idol of Ammavaru has lotus flowers in 3 hands and Sharanayathathvam in the fourth hand. About 300 years back a Gujarati Mahant came and decorated the idol with immense devotion. He then got a dream in which Lord appeared like Srinathji of Nathdwara. Hence, Vallabh Sampradayam is followed even now in the temple. The temple is very popular among Gujaratis too. Initially only Garbha Gruha was there. Akkanna and Madana got built the arches. In 1914, the flooring was got done by C.T Dalal. Smt. Vyjayanthimala Bali and Smt.Bhanumati Ramakrishna very famous cine actresses of yester-years donated required amount for the preparation of Uthsava Vigraham (procession idol) of Ammavaru. 1962 is the year when war broke out between India and China. The amazing fact is that on the day of its consecrati on, cease-fire was declared between the two countries. That is why, the goddess is called Rajyalakshmi Ammavaru. In those days, the temple did not have water. Therefore, the devotees had to get water by pots from a distance of 4 to 5 miles. As such, the devotees decided to dig a well next to the lake. While the digging was in progress, some of the devotees circumambulated the temple praying for water. There was no water to the depth of 40 feet. After they completed eleven circumambulations, sufficient water oozed out from the well. After that, the devotees completed another 108 circumambulations.
Ahobilam is located near Allagadda taluk headquarters, on the Nandyal - Cuddapah road in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.
Presiding deities :
The Sthala Puraana of Ahobilam in Sanskrit, describes nine forms of Narasimhas which are situated at various places along the different hills and vales here.
The nine forms of Narasimha seen here are 1) Jvaalaa Nrusimha, 2) Ahobila Nrusimha, 3) Maalola Nrusimha, 4) Kroda Nrusimha, 5) Kaarancha Nrusimha, 6) Bhaargava Nrusimha, 7) Yogaananda Nrusimha, 8) Chatravata Nrusimha and 9) Paavana Nrusimha.
In addition to the above mentioned shrines, there is a famous shrine dedicated to God Narasimha Swamy in Lower Ahobilam, which is popularly known as Prahlaada Varada Sannidhi. There are another 2 shrines known as Ugra Sthambham and Prahlaada Mettu.
Sthala Puraana ( Temple in Legends ) :
The Khetra Mahaatmyam of the Simhaachalam temple says that there are four important sacred places on the earth. Ahobilam is one of them, the other three being Simhaachalam, Krutasoucham and Harampapam. The Sthala Puraanam of the temple is said to be an extract fom the Bramhaanda Puraanam with 10 chapters enclosing 1046 verses composed by Maharshi Veda Vyasa. Ahobilam is also mentioned in the Mahabhaarata, Raamaayana, Koorma Puraana, Padma Puraana and the Visnu Puraana.
This sacred place was the kingdom of Hiyanyakasipu in the Krita Yuga and Lord Lakshmi Narasimha came out of the pillar and destroyed him. This place is called Vedaachalam, Garudaachalam and Veera Kshetram. It is also known as Singavel Kundram. Tirumangai Azhwar, a famous vaisnavite saint praised this Lord as " He other than whom nobody can enter reside in this Kshetra."
There are two popular legends for the derivation of the name ' Ahobilam. ' It is stated that the devaas while witnessing the terryfying aspect ( Ugra Kaala ) of the Lord sang His praise as ' Aho Bala ' which beans ' Behold the mighty strength. ' Hence this place came to be known as Ahobalam. This is seen in the following verse -
Ahoveeryam Ahosauryam Ahobaahu: Paraakramah |
Naarasimham Param Daivam Ahobilam Ahobalam ||
The other version is that because of the great cave, the Aho-Bhila, where Garuga worshipped and realised the Lord, the place itself has been come to be called as Ahobhila. It is said that Lord Brahma worshipped the Lord with the Ahobila mantram. Besides Brahma, Ahobila Narasimha was also worshipped by Rudra ( Sri Manthra Raaja Pada Sthothram, Ahirbudhnya Samhita, Paancha Raathra Aagama), Raama ( Vaalmiki Raamaayana ) and Tirumala Tirupati Venkateswara Swamy also called Srinivaasa. Ahobila Narasimha is praised as " Periya Periya Perumal " in Tamizh.
The Ahobilam Kaifiyat, a digest from the village registers prepared by the Mussaddis working under Col. Mackenzie gives support to this legend. As per this record, " On one of the mountains in the Nallamalai hills range, eight amadas from Srisaila Kshetram, Garuda commenced silent penance to obtain a vision of Lord Narasimha. The Lord in His grace, after long years of penance of Garuda, manifested Himself in the cave of a mountain.
Ten 'Paruvu's to the north-east of the mountain, where Garuda was doing penance, a vision of His manifestaion was then granted to Garuda, who after obtaining a sign of the location of the mountain-cave, gladly travelled thither and saw the embodiment of the Satsvaroopa, MahaaPurusa, Lord Jvaalaa Nrusimha, not easily accessible to common people. Garuda then praised the Lord that " Ahobilam is Mahaa Balam." The Lord's divya mangala vigraha was worshipped by him with several stothraas. Garuda then considered himself blessed. The divine place thereafter ontained the deserving name of Ahobilam.
The mountain on which Garuda performed tapas became famous as Garudaachala. In the days of yore when truth and Dharma prevailed, great heat was observed near the mountain-cave of Ahobila. According to legend, when green grass was put in the cave, it would catch fire and smoke would be emitted. Several great rishis lived there for a time. After sometime with the knowledge that great places would become common Janapadaas in Kali Yuga, they left for northern lands covering up the cave with boulders. Traditionally, the place is being called as Narasimha Kshetra.
Adventures at Ahobilam :
Long long ago, the tamizh mystic bard, Tirumangai Azhwar sang that Singavel Kunram was accessible to none but Gods. This is true even today, since the area and the hills are covered with thick vegetation, thorny bushes and forests where leaves rustle and crickets screech. The whole complex is in two parts - one called Yeguvu / Upper Ahobilam with the Nava Narasimha shrines and the other called Diguvu / Lower Ahobilam with a single shrine for Lakshmi Narasimha connected by a road, stretching a distance of about 12.8km from Lower Ahobilam to Upper Ahobilam. From there, the other shrines are to be reached only by trekking and managing difficult terrain, flowing streams and slippery rocks. The nature is bounteous there affording plenty of water by way of ponds, brooks and resting places under shades of forest growth. One can witness several cave like rocks on the way. Quite an adventurous trip indeed to be enjoyed if one has faith, will power and devotion. Lions dwell in these forests and no wonder that the man-lion manifestation took by Lord Narasimha chose to dwell in similar surroundings. If one can undertake a strenuous traverse of 8 km from Upper Ahobilam, one can see the Ugra Sthambham known as Ukkukambamu, the pillar on the mountain said to be the one from which Lord Narasimha emerged in response to Prahlada's prayers.
Description of the shrines :
Bhaargava Narasimha shrine :
This temple is situated at a distance of two kilometres from Lower Ahobilam, on a hill near a sacred pond known as Bhaargava Theertham where Bhaargava Raama performed His penance. Hence the Lord of the temple is called Bhaargava Narasimha Swaamy.
Yogaananda Narasimha shrine :
This temple is to the south-east of Lower Ahobilam at a distance of two kilometres. The popular legend is that after killing Hiranyakasipu, Lord Narasimha taught Prahlaada several yogic postures. Therefore, the Lord in this aspect is called Yogaananda Narasimha.
Chathravata Narasimha shrine :
About three kilometres from Lower Ahobilam, the image of the deity is installed under a peepal tree, surrounded by thorny bushes. Hence the Lord is called Chathravata Narasimha Swaamy.
Ahobila Narasimha shrine :
The temple, situated on the Upper Ahobilam at a distance of 8 km from Lower Ahobilam, is the main temple and the earliest of all the nine temples here. The Lord here appears in his fierce aspect, called Ugra Narasimha, who is the presiding deity and is known as Ahobila Narasimha. It is firmly believed that the Lord was self-manifest or Svayanbhu here.
Kroda Narasimha shrine :
This temple is 1km away from the main temple of of Ahobila Narasimha on Upper Ahobilam. The deity has the face of a boar called Kroda or Varaha and is seen along with His consort Lakshmi. Hence the Lord is called Krodakara Narasimha.
Kaaraancha Narasimha shrine :
This shrine is situated at a distence of 1km from Upper Ahobilam and one furlong from the road leading to Lower Ahobilam. The image of the deity is installed under a tree, called Kaarancha Vriksham. Hence the Lord is called Kaarancha Narasimha.
Maalola Narasimha shrine :
Nearly 2km from the main temple of Upper Ahobilam, is the famous shrine of Maalola Narasimha. The deity appears here in soumya or graceful form. As the Lord is seen with His consort here, He is called Maalola. Maa means Lakshmi and Lola means beloved. The Utsava murti of this temple appeared to Srimad Aadivan Satakopa Yatheendra Maha Desikan, the founder pontiff of Sri Ahobila Mutt.
Jvaalaa Narasimha shrine :
The temple of Jvaalaa Narasimha Swamy lies higher up the above temple on a hill called Achalachalaya Meru. This is about 4km from the Upper Ahobilam temple. This place is said to be the actual spot, where the fierce anger of the Lord reached its culmination when he tore Hiranyakasipu.
Paavana Narasimha shrine :
Nearby the above temple is the shrine of Paavana Narasimha, on the bank of the river Pavana and is about six kilometres from the Upper Ahobilam temple. Hence the Lord of the shrine is known as Paavana Narasimha Swaamy.
Lower Ahobila shrine :
In addition to the shrines mentioned above, there is a famous shrine dedicated to the Lord Narasimha Swaamy in Lower Ahobilam known as Prahlaada Varada sannidhi, i.e., the Lord whose grace bestows on Prahlada.
Ugra Sthambham :
At a distance of 8 km from the Upper Ahobilam temple, we can see a cleft of the mountain dividing it into two visible parts. It is a long held view that from the cleft, the Lord appeared in the form of Narasimha and this cleft is known as Ugra Sthambham.
Prahlaada Mettu :
The small shrine, situated in a cave on the hill is in between Ugra Sthambham and Upper Ahobilam. It is dedicated to Prahlaada Narasimha Swaamy. The image of Prahlaada is installed in a small cave.
Route to reach Ahobilam :
Situated in the Nallamalai Hills, Ahobilam is about 24km from Allagadda Taluk Headquarters, 112km from Cuddappah and 65km from Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh. It can be reached through bus from Hyderabad and also by rail via Kurnool and then by bus.
6 comments:
Thiru Singavel Kundram - Sri Nava Narasimhar Temple, Ahobilam
Temple Location :
Ahobilam is situated at a distance of 74 Kms from Nandyal (Kurnool District), around 365 Kms from Hyderabad and around 75 Kms from Tirupathi. Lots of transportation facilities are available. Bus facilities from Cuddapah, Nandyal and Banganapalli are available and frequent.
This Ahobila sthalam is also known as "Singavel Kundram". This sthalam is dedicated to Sri Narasimhar, one of the Avathaars taken by Sri Maha Vishnu to kill Hiyanyakasibhu. This sthalam is also known as "Nava Narasimha Kshetram" since 9 forms of Narasimhar Moorthies is found.
Specials:
Thiru Singavel Kundram is also called as "Ahobilam". This divyadesam is said to be found as two mountains (ie) Upper Ahobilam and Lower Ahobilam. From lower Ahobilam, we have to travel around 6 Kms to reach upper Ahobilam through bus. This Ahobilam sthalam is also named as "Nava Narasimha Kshetram".
This Sthala Perumal gives his seva in 9 different ways and it is believed to be so powerful as NavaGrahaas.
This sthalam is found inside mountain and the perumal, Narasimhar is giving his seva in 9 different stages.
Ahobila Narasimhar
Varagha Narasimhar
Malola Narasimhar
Yoganandha Narasimhar
Bhavana Narasimhar
Kaaranja Narasimhar
Chathra Vada Narasimhar
Bharghava Narasimhar
Jwala Narasimhar
If we assume the group (or) series of mountains in Andhra Pradesh State, it will be like Aadhiseshan. Being the head part of the Aadhiseshan can be treated as the Thiruvenkadamudayaan's Tirupathi, the body part is treated as this sthalam, Ahobilam and the tail part is considered to be assumed as "Sri Sailam", Where Lord Shivan is found. The Ahobila perumal, Narasimhar is well sung and praised by Aadhi Shankarar, Udayavar Ramanujar and Sri Madhava Chariyar. These 3 great persons are considered to important and should be given respect, since they worked very hard to attain the perumal and they worked hard for the humanity to live their life in peace. Other than these 3 great personalities, 3 more who were given the Sthanam (position) (position) of Alwars (ie) Garudalwar, Pragaladhalwar and Thirumangai Alwar has also praised on this Ahobila varadhan.
In Upper Ahobilam, lots of wild animals are found and because of this, bhaktas are allowed to go to Upper Ahobilam only in groups along with proper guides. Bhaktas are also advised to return back to lower Ahobilam in the noon, itself.
Mangalasasanam:
Thirumangai alwar - 10 Paasurams.
Utsavam:
During Maasi month of every year, a grand Utsavam, the Brahmotsavam is celebrated in a grand way and ends on Pournami.
This sthalam is also related to the Kali yugam. The perumal has a close relation with Lord Murughan. How Murugapperumal married Valli, who is considered to be one among the women in mountain, this sthala perumal also married Senji Lakshmi thaayar who belonged to the same category. Lord Murugan is also named as "Vel". And since, Narasimhar married Senjilakshmi thaayar who belong to the Vedar family (Hunter) this perumal is named as "Singavel" and since the perumal is found in Kundru means the "Top of the Hill". And since, this sthalam is said to be the continuous (or) series of Eazhumalayan's Kundram, this sthalam is called as "Singa Eazhkundram".
"FIVE GLORIOUS DAYS AT AHOBILAM.
SIXTH CENTENARY OF THE AHOBILA MUTT CELEBRATED IN
REVERENTIAL GRATITUDE TO LORD LAKSHMEE NRUSIMHA
Yes! October 21 to 25th, 1998 were golden days in the history of Sree
Ahobila Mutt and also a beacon light in the religious history of India.
Thousands of people came from North, East, West and South. They
attended the daily prayers at the Mutt and at Lord PrahalAdhavaradhan
Temple. They visited the Nava Nrisimha Sannidhis in the Ahobilam
complex and returned with a sense of fulfillment. There was heavy rain
in the Kurnool area in September and October. We were very apprehensive
if the inclement weather would interfere with the scheduled functions.
Fortunately the rain stopped on 20th October and resumed only after 26th
October. That truly was an act of God. There was bright sunshine and
the weather was pleasant throughout. Devotees were graceful enough to
adjust to the circumstances and the environment in which this function
was held and displayed an enormous sense of fellowship and goodwill.
Observers estimate that the devotees who attended this event could be
anything between 25,000 and 40,000. It was a well disciplined assembly
of devout pilgrims whose only aim was to pay their obeisance to the Lord
and the leader His Holiness the Azhagiyasingar. The organisers were
highly complimented for the enormous care they took to accommodate the
pilgrims and for doing everything possible to ensure their creature
comforts. More than 15,000 people were fed in the conventional
way-ThadheeyArAdhanai and thousands of others were fed round the clock
both at the Mutt and the Temple. It is a matter of great satisfaction
to the organisers that there were no visible complaints from the
pilgrims in general and by and large, everyone who came truly enjoyed
participating in the functions and expressed their happiness in their
own way in many ways. That is how Lord Lakshmee Nrisimha Himself hosted
his devotees in His kshethra-AhObilam. We could see the hand of God in
everything that went on at this function which was so orderly and
peaceful and truly divine.
Let me record for your benefit the principle schedule of events that
marked the occasion.
1. His Holiness the Azhagiyasingar adorned Lord PrahalAdavaradhan and
his Consorts with Kavachams weighing more than 8 kilograms in gold. He
also clothed Dhivya Dhampathis at Lord PrahalAdhavaradhan Sannidhi with
fresh set of expensive clothes in silk, every day. You could see the
Dhivya Moorthis come alive in darsan to the devotees. The jubilant
manner in which they were presented to the people was truly a
once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon to be cherished forever.
2. Homam
There were 12 Homakundams devoted to Nava NrishimhAs, Lord
PrahalAdhavaradhan, ThAyAr MahAlakshmee and Sudharsana BhagavAn. Homam
was conducted morning and evening on all the 5 days. Besides His
Holiness, the Azhagiyasingar, the function was attended by His Holiness
from the ParakAla Mutt, Sree RangapriyA Swamy and the MatAdhipathi of
VyAsarAya Mutt. A homam of this magnitude had never been done before in
known memory, at AhObilam.
3. VedhapArAyanam
Over 350 pandits recited RigvEdha, Krishna YajurvEdha, Sukla YajurvEdha,
SAma vEdha, and Atharvana vEdha. These Vedhic pandits ewre complemented
by nearly 100 AdhyApakaswamis who chanted the full course of Dhivya
Prabandham. They were supported by 50 pandits who read Sreemath
RAmAyanam, Sreemath Bhagavath Geetha, Sree BAshyam and Sree
RahasyathrayasAram. It was a unique sight to watch so many pandits
gather at one place and recite our wide variety of knowledge system. It
was also a rare spectacle of Sree Vaishnavites of both sects, SmArthAs
and Madhvas hailing from Tamil NAdu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh
coming together to celebrate a significant milestone in our religious
history.
4. Vidhvath Sadhas
Presided over by Sreemath Azaghiyasingar, over 100 vidvans professing
Adhvaita, Visishtadvaita adn Dvaitha systems of philosophy and immensly
benefited from the resulting discussions. The participants were so
absorbed in the topics that they attended in full strength morning and
evening on all the 5 days and emerged profoundly refreshed in body and
mind.
5. Thirumanjanam and KalyAna Uthsavam
On Friday, the 23rd October an elaborate Thirumanjanam was performed to
Lord PrahlAdhavaradhan, Lord Amrithavalli ThAyAr, SreedhEvi and
BhoodhEvi. It was followed by KalyAna Uthsavam to Lord
PrahlAdhavaradhan and Amrithavalli ThAyAr. These two functions were
sponsored by a grouup of ladies under the leadership of Smt. Radha
Krishnaswamy and Smt. Indira Rajamani. They presented to the Lord a
gold necklace weighing 10.5 sovereigns. This was followed by a very
impressive Garuda VAhana Uthsavam on Saturday, the 25th October.
6. Garuda VAhana Uthsavam
It was a grand sight to watch Garuda Vahanam procession preceded by a
huge AdhyApakaghOshti and followed by hundreds of VehdapArAyana pandits
who chanted all the four vedhas. It was reminiscent of the Garuda
VAhana procession one has seen in his childhood in Kancheepuram or
Thirukkudanthai.
7. Homage to Sree AnnamAchArya
The foremost among Sreemath Adhivan SatakOpa Yatheendhra MahA Desika's
sishyas was Sree AnnamAcharya. His Dhivya Moorthi had been brought from
Thiruppathi and was honoured by a special procession and prayer on this
occasion.
8. Distribution of Manjal Kumkumam
It was exhilarating to observe the ladies group take a prominent part in
the celebrationns of this event. Apart from sponsoring the
Thirumanjanam and KalyAna Uthsavam described above, a group of ladies
led by Dr Smt. Vasundhara Seshadri collected a sum of Rs 5,000/- on the
spot and distributed Manjal, Kumkumam and fruitts to all the visiting
Sumangalis. The enthusiasm of the lady devotees and the devout nature
of their participation in the even were truly a notable highlight of
this occasion.
9. Music concerts
The cultural programme was embellished by personalities such as Smt.
Mani Krishnaswamy, Smt. R. Vedhavalli, Smt. Radha Padmanabhan, Kadiri
Sree Gopalnath and party, Thiruchoor Sree V. Ramachandran and party,
Sree Balakrishna Prasad and Sree D. Raghavachari, Vanamalika Group and
Kumari S. Ramya in the afternoons and evenings. All these concerts were
very well attended.
In conclusion I would like to pay my personal tribute to the following
personalities who made this event an outstanding success.
1. Sreemath Azaghiyasingar's staff in the Mutt did an outstanding job
maintaining pooja and prayer schedules. Every member of the Mutt staff
deserves our high appreciation and admiration in the way they served and
endeared the devotees to make the function highly memorable. As usual,
food preparations were of a very high order and quality. Sree Appu, the
Head cook and his assistants deserve high praise for the hard work and
unrelenting service.
2. Sree V.R. Rajamani who was in charge of organising and distribution
of food was on his feet literally 18 hours a day for 5 days. Without
his meticulous attention to this aspect of the function we could have
failed miserably.
3. On the organisational side the team was led by Sree D.P. PadmanAbhan
who was assisted by Sree. D.P. Devnath, Sree Srinivasan, K. Swamy, Sree
T.S. Venkatesan, Sree R. Rajagopalan, Sree K. Venugopalan, Sree S.
Sampath, Sree K.G. Krishnan, Sree N. Sreenivasan, Sree K. Devanathan and
a host of others. Everyone of them had a wireless walkie talkie in his
hand and directed the entire function from all segments of the complex.
A large number of lady volunteers were also at work taking care of the
needs and conveniences of the woman devotees who had come in large
numbers.
4. Many officials of the Andhra Pradhesh Government were particularly
helpful. The Collector of the Kurnool District, HR&CE Commissioner and
many others came and supervised the on-going functions. They also paid
their obeisance to His Holiness. A large number of policemen had been
deployed and the police officials were available to ensure peaceful
conduct of the celebrative functions.
5. Doordarsan and AIR from Hyderabad had come to cover the event. Many
newspaper reporters had come and interviewed the organisers. We had 3
STD-cum-telephone lines in operation at the festival complex for the
convenience of the visitors. Electricity gensets were at strategic
locations to ensure continuous power supply. Water storage tanks with
pipelines were kept at different locations. The temple tank was full
and a large number of devotees bathed and did their ablutions in it.
All in all, it was a grand occasion well organised and delivered with
grace and gaiety. As a community we can be proud of the way we
conducted this function. Most important of all: Lord Lakshmee Nrisimha
and His Holiness, the Azhagiyasingar, were extremely happy with the way
we paid obeisance to them and expressed our gratitude in the most humble
manner we could. We have made complete video coverage of the event. We
should soon be able to make copies of it available for the benefit of
those who could not physically participate in this festival.
Finally, I am grateful to everyone who came to Ahobilam and made this
occasion a memorable success. I thank everyonefor the enormous
understanding they showed for the difficulties experienced by the
organisers in serving the pilgrims to the full satisfaction and thank
them most sincerely for all the trouble they took to participate, to be
a part of those most memorable days in our lives.
Let me hasten to add that we have only covered the first phase of our
task in celebrating the Sixth Centenary of the Ahobila Mutt. The
programme of projects and events detailed in the Ani issue of Sree
Nrusimha Priya will all be taken up and completed by the middle of 1999.
You should therefore continue to watch for more events and news in the
continued celebration of the Sixth Centenary for a full year. More
important, please continue to help us to complete the task we have set
for ourselves.
Ahobila Matam is a Sri Vaishnava religious institution establsihed 600 years ago in a place called Ahobilam by Srimad Athivan Satakopan. He was originally known as Kidambi Srinivasachar. He was a student under Gadikasadam Ammal in Kanchipuram. One day, the Lord of Ahobilam, Sri Lakshminrisimha, appeared in Srinivasachar's dream and instructed him to come to the temple town of Ahobilam. After consulting with his Acharya, he proceeded to Ahobilam.
At Ahobilam, the Lord himself initiated Srinivasachar into Sanyasam (monasticism) and gave him the title, "Satakopa Jeeyar". (Later, Lord Athippiran of Azhvar Thirunagari added the title Van and Nammazhvar added the title Athi. Thus the Jeeyar came be be known as "Athivan Satakopan".)
Then, one of the nine Nrisimhas of Ahobilam called Malolan jumped into the hands of Athivan Satakopan and ordered him to travel the length and breadth of the country. Thus began the institution called Sri Ahobila Matam and the travels of Lord Malolan to village after village so that devotees get a chance to undertake Panca Samskaram and perform Bhara Nyasam at the lotus feet of the Lord.
Chilkur Balaji Temple is located at Chilkur in Moinabad mandal in the Rangareddi district, Andhra Pradesh, India.
This temple is also popularly known as Visa Temple because many devotees come here with the wish of going abroad.
It's customary to go around the temple (known as Pradakshina) eleven times and pray to god for a specific wish. Once this wish comes true, the recipient has to go again and take 108 Pradakshinas.
This is one of the few temples in India which does not accept monetary donations.
Chilkur balaji temple is one of the most famous temples in Hyderabad area. The nice concept that is implemented in darshan of the lord balaji, is that all people must stand in queue with utmost discipline. There are no VIP passes and there is no Hundi for donations. When people ask for wish from the god here, they have to do 11 pradakshinas and ask their wish with the witness of Lord Anjaneya. When the wish gets fulfilled, they need to do 108 pradakshinas. The 11 pradakshinas have a significant meaning according to the temple priests. When people wish anything from god, mind has to think about only god and one's self i.e 11(1-1) signifies that god takes care of everybody and everybody should understand that.
There is a Shiva temple in the complex.
[edit] HISTORY
Twenty Five kilometers from Hyderabad off the Vikarabad road and on the banks of Osmansagar is the picturesque village of Chikur with its ancient temple dedicated to Sri Balaji Venkateshwara. From the style, structure and appearance, it can be inferred that the temple was built half a millennium ago. Set in sylvan surroundings, the temple attracts thousands of pilgrims every year and is an ideal place for sequestered retreat and meditation. It enjoyed in the past, great days of pomp and glory.
The temple is one of the oldest in Telengana, having been built during the time of Akkanna and Madanna, the uncles of Bhakta Ramdas. According to tradition, a devotee who used to visit Tirupati every year could not do so on one occasion owing to serious ill-health. Lord Venkateshwara appeared in his dream and said, "I am right here in the jungle nearby. You don't have to worry." The devotee at once moved to the place indicated by the Lord in the dream and saw a mole- hill there, which he dug up. Accidentally, the axe struck Lord Balaji's idol covered by the mole-hill below the chin and on the chest, and surprisingly blood started flowing profusely from the "wounds", flooding the ground and turning it scarlet. The devotee could not believe his eyes when he saw this. Suddenly he could not believe his ears also when he heard a voice from the air which said,"Flood the mole-hill with cow's milk. "When the devotee did so, a Swayambhu idol of Lord Balaji accompanied by Sridevi and Bhoodevi(a rare combination) was found, and this idol was installed with the due rites and a temple built for it.
Sri Balaji venkateshwara, the Pratyaksha Daiva in kaliyuga, is thus available at Chilkur to shower blessings on His devotees who for any reason are unable to go to Tirupati. Many devout worshippers flock to the temple, to receive the blessings of the Lord and his consorts throughout the year particularly during the Poolangi, Annakota and Brahmothsavams
With the earnest desire to revive the former glory and importance of the temple, the idol of Ammavaru was installed in 1963 the year following the Chinese aggression, and when the aggression was unilaterally vacated, Ammavaru was given the name of Rajya Lakshmi, signifying this welcome event. The unique feature of this idol is that lotus flowers are held in three hands and the fourth hand is in such a position towards the lotus feet which signifies the doctrine of Saranagathi.
The temple has been visited by great Acharyas from time to time. A visit to the temple is a must for the Jeer of Sri Ahobila Mutt every time he visits the twin cities, and in the temple is installed the idol of the first Jeer. The Tilakayaths of Sri Vallabhacharya Sampradaya have been regularly visiting the shrine. Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya of Sringeri Mutt and his disciple graced the efforts of the trustees in improving the temple.
Recent Governments were trying to take Chilkur Balaji Temple. The endowments deparment is hell bent and is trying to keep hundi in temple to mint money as the foot falls to the temple are very high. The only temple in India where evey man is equal, irrespective of religion, caste and creed. We request you to support us in fighting againt the governments to protect chilkur balaji temple. In India it is the only temple temple which is effectively managed with out taking single paisa
History of the Chilkur Temple
There was a poor pilgrim by name Gunala Madhava Reddy who used to go to Tirupathi every year, by foot. As he grew old, it became very difficult for him to make such a tedious journey, yet he never ceased to visit Tirumala every year. In that particular year while he was going to Tirumala, unable to bear the strain, he fainted. Then he got a wonderful vision in which Lord Balaji appeared and said, ” you need not go to Tirumala to have my Darshan. I am here in an anthill under the tree”. Sri Madhava Reddy woke up, called all the villagers and went to a “Valugu Tree” under which they found the anthill. When they started digging they found blood on the tip of the crowbar and from the anthill they heard a voice saying, “you need not dig further. My body is burning. If you pour milk on the anthill, I will appear”. The villagers stopped digging and poured milk on the anthill. The anthill melted and the idol of Lord Venkateswara in the middle with Sri Sridevi and Sri Bhoodevi on either side emerged. The Lords Shanku, Chakram, Abhayahastham and Sharanayathathvam are very clear establishing the fact that he is Lord Vishnu himself.
Some of the special features of the idol are that Sri Sridevi and Bhoodevi are made of same stone, and the idol of Ammavaru has lotus flowers in 3 hands and Sharanayathathvam in the fourth hand. About 300 years back a Gujarati Mahant came and decorated the idol with immense devotion. He then got a dream in which Lord appeared like Srinathji of Nathdwara. Hence, Vallabh Sampradayam is followed even now in the temple. The temple is very popular among Gujaratis too. Initially only Garbha Gruha was there. Akkanna and Madana got built the arches. In 1914, the flooring was got done by C.T Dalal. Smt. Vyjayanthimala Bali and Smt.Bhanumati Ramakrishna very famous cine actresses of yester-years donated required amount for the preparation of Uthsava Vigraham (procession idol) of Ammavaru. 1962 is the year when war broke out between India and China.
The amazing fact is that on the day of its consecrati on, cease-fire was declared between the two countries. That is why, the goddess is called Rajyalakshmi Ammavaru. In those days, the temple did not have water. Therefore, the devotees had to get water by pots from a distance of 4 to 5 miles. As such, the devotees decided to dig a well next to the lake. While the digging was in progress, some of the devotees circumambulated the temple praying for water. There was no water to the depth of 40 feet. After they completed eleven circumambulations, sufficient water oozed out from the well. After that, the devotees completed another 108 circumambulations.
Sri Ahobila Maha Kshetram
(The Abode of the Nine Narasimhas )
Srimad Ahobila Mahaa Kshetra Nivaasaaya Mahaatmane |
Ahankaara Vinaasaaya Aadidevaaya Mangalam ||
Location:
Ahobilam is located near Allagadda taluk headquarters, on the Nandyal - Cuddapah road in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.
Presiding deities :
The Sthala Puraana of Ahobilam in Sanskrit, describes nine forms of Narasimhas which are situated at various places along the different hills and vales here.
Jvaala Ahobila Maalola Kroda Kaarancha Bhaargavah |
Yogaananda Chatravata Paavanah Nava Moortayah ||
The nine forms of Narasimha seen here are 1) Jvaalaa Nrusimha, 2) Ahobila Nrusimha, 3) Maalola Nrusimha, 4) Kroda Nrusimha, 5) Kaarancha Nrusimha, 6) Bhaargava Nrusimha, 7) Yogaananda Nrusimha, 8) Chatravata Nrusimha and 9) Paavana Nrusimha.
In addition to the above mentioned shrines, there is a famous shrine dedicated to God Narasimha Swamy in Lower Ahobilam, which is popularly known as Prahlaada Varada Sannidhi. There are another 2 shrines known as Ugra Sthambham and Prahlaada Mettu.
Sthala Puraana ( Temple in Legends ) :
The Khetra Mahaatmyam of the Simhaachalam temple says that there are four important sacred places on the earth. Ahobilam is one of them, the other three being Simhaachalam, Krutasoucham and Harampapam. The Sthala Puraanam of the temple is said to be an extract fom the Bramhaanda Puraanam with 10 chapters enclosing 1046 verses composed by Maharshi Veda Vyasa. Ahobilam is also mentioned in the Mahabhaarata, Raamaayana, Koorma Puraana, Padma Puraana and the Visnu Puraana.
This sacred place was the kingdom of Hiyanyakasipu in the Krita Yuga and Lord Lakshmi Narasimha came out of the pillar and destroyed him. This place is called Vedaachalam, Garudaachalam and Veera Kshetram. It is also known as Singavel Kundram. Tirumangai Azhwar, a famous vaisnavite saint praised this Lord as " He other than whom nobody can enter reside in this Kshetra."
There are two popular legends for the derivation of the name ' Ahobilam. ' It is stated that the devaas while witnessing the terryfying aspect ( Ugra Kaala ) of the Lord sang His praise as ' Aho Bala ' which beans ' Behold the mighty strength. ' Hence this place came to be known as Ahobalam. This is seen in the following verse -
Ahoveeryam Ahosauryam Ahobaahu: Paraakramah |
Naarasimham Param Daivam Ahobilam Ahobalam ||
The other version is that because of the great cave, the Aho-Bhila, where Garuga worshipped and realised the Lord, the place itself has been come to be called as Ahobhila. It is said that Lord Brahma worshipped the Lord with the Ahobila mantram. Besides Brahma, Ahobila Narasimha was also worshipped by Rudra ( Sri Manthra Raaja Pada Sthothram, Ahirbudhnya Samhita, Paancha Raathra Aagama), Raama ( Vaalmiki Raamaayana ) and Tirumala Tirupati Venkateswara Swamy also called Srinivaasa. Ahobila Narasimha is praised as " Periya Periya Perumal " in Tamizh.
The Ahobilam Kaifiyat, a digest from the village registers prepared by the Mussaddis working under Col. Mackenzie gives support to this legend. As per this record, " On one of the mountains in the Nallamalai hills range, eight amadas from Srisaila Kshetram, Garuda commenced silent penance to obtain a vision of Lord Narasimha. The Lord in His grace, after long years of penance of Garuda, manifested Himself in the cave of a mountain.
Ten 'Paruvu's to the north-east of the mountain, where Garuda was doing penance, a vision of His manifestaion was then granted to Garuda, who after obtaining a sign of the location of the mountain-cave, gladly travelled thither and saw the embodiment of the Satsvaroopa, MahaaPurusa, Lord Jvaalaa Nrusimha, not easily accessible to common people. Garuda then praised the Lord that " Ahobilam is Mahaa Balam." The Lord's divya mangala vigraha was worshipped by him with several stothraas. Garuda then considered himself blessed. The divine place thereafter ontained the deserving name of Ahobilam.
The mountain on which Garuda performed tapas became famous as Garudaachala. In the days of yore when truth and Dharma prevailed, great heat was observed near the mountain-cave of Ahobila. According to legend, when green grass was put in the cave, it would catch fire and smoke would be emitted. Several great rishis lived there for a time. After sometime with the knowledge that great places would become common Janapadaas in Kali Yuga, they left for northern lands covering up the cave with boulders. Traditionally, the place is being called as Narasimha Kshetra.
Adventures at Ahobilam :
Long long ago, the tamizh mystic bard, Tirumangai Azhwar sang that Singavel Kunram was accessible to none but Gods. This is true even today, since the area and the hills are covered with thick vegetation, thorny bushes and forests where leaves rustle and crickets screech. The whole complex is in two parts - one called Yeguvu / Upper Ahobilam with the Nava Narasimha shrines and the other called Diguvu / Lower Ahobilam with a single shrine for Lakshmi Narasimha connected by a road, stretching a distance of about 12.8km from Lower Ahobilam to Upper Ahobilam. From there, the other shrines are to be reached only by trekking and managing difficult terrain, flowing streams and slippery rocks. The nature is bounteous there affording plenty of water by way of ponds, brooks and resting places under shades of forest growth. One can witness several cave like rocks on the way. Quite an adventurous trip indeed to be enjoyed if one has faith, will power and devotion. Lions dwell in these forests and no wonder that the man-lion manifestation took by Lord Narasimha chose to dwell in similar surroundings. If one can undertake a strenuous traverse of 8 km from Upper Ahobilam, one can see the Ugra Sthambham known as Ukkukambamu, the pillar on the mountain said to be the one from which Lord Narasimha emerged in response to Prahlada's prayers.
Description of the shrines :
Bhaargava Narasimha shrine :
This temple is situated at a distance of two kilometres from Lower Ahobilam, on a hill near a sacred pond known as Bhaargava Theertham where Bhaargava Raama performed His penance. Hence the Lord of the temple is called Bhaargava Narasimha Swaamy.
Yogaananda Narasimha shrine :
This temple is to the south-east of Lower Ahobilam at a distance of two kilometres. The popular legend is that after killing Hiranyakasipu, Lord Narasimha taught Prahlaada several yogic postures. Therefore, the Lord in this aspect is called Yogaananda Narasimha.
Chathravata Narasimha shrine :
About three kilometres from Lower Ahobilam, the image of the deity is installed under a peepal tree, surrounded by thorny bushes. Hence the Lord is called Chathravata Narasimha Swaamy.
Ahobila Narasimha shrine :
The temple, situated on the Upper Ahobilam at a distance of 8 km from Lower Ahobilam, is the main temple and the earliest of all the nine temples here. The Lord here appears in his fierce aspect, called Ugra Narasimha, who is the presiding deity and is known as Ahobila Narasimha. It is firmly believed that the Lord was self-manifest or Svayanbhu here.
Kroda Narasimha shrine :
This temple is 1km away from the main temple of of Ahobila Narasimha on Upper Ahobilam. The deity has the face of a boar called Kroda or Varaha and is seen along with His consort Lakshmi. Hence the Lord is called Krodakara Narasimha.
Kaaraancha Narasimha shrine :
This shrine is situated at a distence of 1km from Upper Ahobilam and one furlong from the road leading to Lower Ahobilam. The image of the deity is installed under a tree, called Kaarancha Vriksham. Hence the Lord is called Kaarancha Narasimha.
Maalola Narasimha shrine :
Nearly 2km from the main temple of Upper Ahobilam, is the famous shrine of Maalola Narasimha. The deity appears here in soumya or graceful form. As the Lord is seen with His consort here, He is called Maalola. Maa means Lakshmi and Lola means beloved. The Utsava murti of this temple appeared to Srimad Aadivan Satakopa Yatheendra Maha Desikan, the founder pontiff of Sri Ahobila Mutt.
Jvaalaa Narasimha shrine :
The temple of Jvaalaa Narasimha Swamy lies higher up the above temple on a hill called Achalachalaya Meru. This is about 4km from the Upper Ahobilam temple. This place is said to be the actual spot, where the fierce anger of the Lord reached its culmination when he tore Hiranyakasipu.
Paavana Narasimha shrine :
Nearby the above temple is the shrine of Paavana Narasimha, on the bank of the river Pavana and is about six kilometres from the Upper Ahobilam temple. Hence the Lord of the shrine is known as Paavana Narasimha Swaamy.
Lower Ahobila shrine :
In addition to the shrines mentioned above, there is a famous shrine dedicated to the Lord Narasimha Swaamy in Lower Ahobilam known as Prahlaada Varada sannidhi, i.e., the Lord whose grace bestows on Prahlada.
Ugra Sthambham :
At a distance of 8 km from the Upper Ahobilam temple, we can see a cleft of the mountain dividing it into two visible parts. It is a long held view that from the cleft, the Lord appeared in the form of Narasimha and this cleft is known as Ugra Sthambham.
Prahlaada Mettu :
The small shrine, situated in a cave on the hill is in between Ugra Sthambham and Upper Ahobilam. It is dedicated to Prahlaada Narasimha Swaamy. The image of Prahlaada is installed in a small cave.
Route to reach Ahobilam :
Situated in the Nallamalai Hills, Ahobilam is about 24km from Allagadda Taluk Headquarters, 112km from Cuddappah and 65km from Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh. It can be reached through bus from Hyderabad and also by rail via Kurnool and then by bus.
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