Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple
The royal history of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple in Simhachalam.
Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple is situated on the Simhachalam Hill, at a height of 800 meters above sea level in Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu avatar who is worshipped here as Varaha Narasimha Swamy.
The form of Varaha Narasimha Swamy was taken by Lord Vishnu, on the prayer of his true devotee Bhakta Prahalada, who wanted to see both the combination of Lord Vishnu and Varaha.
A temple with the moolavirat being a dual epitome, a combination of the third and the fourth (Narasimha) avatars of Lord Sri Maha Vishnu named as Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy is found only at Simhachalam in India.
Let us discuss the history and architecture of Varaha Narasimha Swamy Temple.
The earliest texts at the temple belong to 1087 CE which says about a gift by an individual in the era of Chola King “Kulottunga I”. In the middle of the 13th century, the temple complex has undergone a lot of changes during the reign of the Eastern Ganga King “Narasimhadeva I” ruling this city.
A script dated back to 1293 CE refers to the addition of sub-temples by the Ganga Kings in the temple, which was dedicated to Lord Vishnu’s avatars: Vaikunthanatham, Yagnavaraham, and Madhavadevaram. NarahariTirtha, a Dvaita philosopher and Eastern Ganga minister renovated the Simhachalam Narasimha Swamy temple into a renowned educational establishment and a religious place for Vaishnavism.
The temple received fundings from the Reddy dynasty, Gajapathi Kings, and many other royal families, of which the Tuluva dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire is a famous one. During the Kalinga rule, King Krishnadevaraya erected a Jayastambha or a pillar during his military campaigns at Simhachalam Temple.
The Tuluva kings funded the Simhachalam temple up to the 16th century CE and this temple underwent 40 years of religious inactivity from 1564 to 1604 CE during the Muslim invasion in the region.
Simhachalam Narasimha Swamy temple architecture represents a fortress from the outside with three outer courtyards and five huge gateways. The architectural style is a mixture of the architectural styles of the Kalinga, Chalukyas, Kakatiyas, and the Cholas in the South.
The temple faces west instead of facing the east which is considered unusual to the normal temple traditions followed. As per the Hindu scripts, PurushottamaSamhita and the Vishnu Samhita, a temple facing west signifies more victory than the east-facing temples denotes only prosperity.
The two significant festivals celebrated in the temple of Simhachalam Narasimha Swamy are Kalyanotsava and Chandanotsava, followed by Narasimha Jayanti. These festivals celebrated in Simhachalam Temple have an impact on the Dravida Sampradayam and the cultures followed in Tamil Nadu State.
Isn’t it worth knowing about the majestic history of this spiritual temple? Do visit the temple and get showered with the blessings of Lord Narasimha Swamy.