Narasimha
నరసింహస్వామిनरसिंहநரசிம்மர்ನರಸಿಂಹ
The man-lion avatar of Vishnu, who appeared to protect Prahlada from Hiranyakashipu.
11 temples
Hiranyakashipu, whose brother Hiranyaksha was killed by Vishnu as the boar, wins from Brahma a boon that seems to rule out any death. His son Prahlada still worships Vishnu. When the king demands whether this Lord is…
- 2 · Nava Narasimha
Parashurama — Bhargava Rama, himself counted an incarnation of Vishnu — comes to a pond near Lower Ahobilam and does penance, asking to see Narasimha in the form in which he killed Hiranyakashipu. The shrine above…
- 6 · Nava Narasimha
The Bhagavata tells how Narasimha burst from a pillar and tore Hiranyakashipu open at the threshold of his hall. Ahobilam's tradition gives the killing a site: a cave on Achalachaya Meru hill about 4 km above the…
- 1 · Nava Narasimha
Karanja Narasimha sits under a karanja tree beside the ghat road below Upper Ahobilam, beneath a cobra's hood, holding a discus and a bow. The bow gives the shrine its second name, Saranga Narasimha. The local story…
- 5 · Nava Narasimha
Hiranyakashipu's war on Vishnu begins with a death: his brother Hiranyaksha, killed by Hari in the form of a boar. The Bhagavata's Narasimha episode opens with that grief and the vow of revenge that follows. At…
- 4 · Nava Narasimha
Two Gandharvas, the celestial musicians Haha and Huhu, come to Narasimha under a peepal tree near Lower Ahobilam and sing for him. He is pleased and blesses them. The image in the shrine smiles and keeps the beat…
- 8 · Nava Narasimha
In the Bhagavata, after Hiranyakashipu's death even Shri is afraid of Narasimha's fierce form and will not approach him. A short climb from the cave at Upper Ahobilam, the Malola shrine shows the opposite: a calm,…
- 3 · Nava Narasimha
Pavana Narasimha stands deep in the Nallamala forest, on the bank of the Pavana river some 6–7 km from Upper Ahobilam. Its image is Narasimha with Lakshmi, sheltered by the serpent Adisesha. The Chenchus, among whom…
- 9 · Nava Narasimha
Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Simhachalam
సింహాచలం శ్రీ వరాహ లక్ష్మీనరసింహ స్వామి ఆలయం
Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha · Simhachalam, Andhra Pradesh
The temple's tradition ties the hill to Prahlada, the boy devotee whose father Hiranyakashipu tried to kill him, and to Vishnu's appearance as Narasimha to protect him. The site's own form of the god joins Varaha and…
Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Yadadri
యాదాద్రి శ్రీ లక్ష్మీనరసింహ స్వామి ఆలయం
Lakshmi Narasimha · Yadagirigutta, Telangana
Yada, son of the sage Rishyasringa and Santa Devi, does penance in a cave on the hill between Bhongir and Raigiri, with Anjaneya's blessing. Narasimha appears to him in five forms, later carved as the Pancha…
When no god dares approach the enraged Narasimha, the boy Prahlada does, and Narasimha lays a hand on his head. The Bhagavata goes on to Prahlada's hymn and his enthronement. Ahobilam's tradition adds a sequel set…
- 7 · Nava Narasimha