Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Yadadri

యాదాద్రి శ్రీ లక్ష్మీనరసింహ స్వామి ఆలయం

Lakshmi Narasimha · with Lakshmi

Revealed in a hill cavern in five forms — Jwala, Yogananda, Ugra, Gandaberunda and Lakshmi Narasimha

Yadagirigutta, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district, Telangana · Vaishnava tradition

In temple tradition Narasimha appeared here in five forms — Jwala, Yogananda, Ugra, Gandaberunda and Lakshmi Narasimha — to the sage Yada, which is why the shrine is called the Pancha Narasimha Kshetram.

The story begins: “The hill stands between Bhongir and Raigiri.”

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Getting there
Train: Yadadri station (formerly Raigir), Secunderabad–Kazipet lineAir: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad

Not yet confirmed: darshan hours, dress code, phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths, walking distance. Ask at the temple office or enquiry counter — and if you know, tell us. hello@aalayakatha.com

Full visiting details

Sthala purana

The story of this place

2 accounts are recorded. Each is told separately, in the words of its own tradition — they are never merged.

Family note: this story includes violence or death.
Told in: Temple tradition as reported by The Hans India, which attributes the shrine's origin to the Skanda Purana (chapter not identified)

Yada's penance and the five forms in the cave

The hill stands between Bhongir and Raigiri. Yada, the son of the sage Rishyasringa and of Santa Devi, chooses a cave on it for his penance, and Anjaneya blesses the effort.

Narasimha, pleased with Yada's devotion, appears before him — not in one form but in five: Jwala Narasimha, Yogananda Narasimha, Ugra Narasimha, Gandaberunda Narasimha and Lakshmi Narasimha. These five are later given sculpted form, and the shrine becomes known as the Pancha Narasimha Kshetram, the place of the five Narasimhas.

Yada attains liberation. After him, the tribal people of the hill continue to worship, but not in the proper way, and the Lord withdraws into the hill. They search for him for years without finding him. Then he appears in a dream to a tribal woman and tells her where to look: a large cavern in the hill. There he reveals himself again in his five forms.

The story ties the shrine to a cave in the hill and to the five forms the sage first saw. The press account that reports it also places the whole site in the larger frame of the Narasimha avatar, in which Vishnu emerges from a pillar at Prahlada's wish and kills his father Hiranyakashipu.

The Skanda Purana chapter the account refers to has not yet been identified.

Told differently elsewhere. This account does not agree with “Anjaneya leads the sage to the place at the foot of the hill”, given on this page too. We tell each as its own tradition tells it, and do not choose between them.

Where this account comes from

  • Press: The Hans India, "Yadadri Development in Bangaru Telangana", 27 February 2016 thehansindia.com · seen 2026-10-09
Told in: A second temple tradition, as reported by The Hans India

Anjaneya leads the sage to the place at the foot of the hill

In a second account Narayana, pleased with Yada's penance, sends Anjaneya to guide the sage to a sacred spot, where the Lord appears to him as Lakshmi Narasimha alone. A temple at the foot of the Yadagiri hillock, about 500 metres from the hilltop shrine, marks that spot. This places the first appearance below the hill and in a single form, where the cave account places it on the hill in five.

Read this account

This account starts from the same sage and the same penance but sends the story somewhere else.

Narayana is pleased with Yada's devotion. Instead of appearing to him at once, he sends Anjaneya to guide the sage to a particular sacred spot. When Yada reaches it, the Lord appears to him there as Lakshmi Narasimha.

A temple stands at that spot today, at the foot of the Yadagiri hillock, roughly 500 metres from the main temple on the hilltop.

The two accounts differ on where and how the first appearance happened — below the hill and in one form here, in a cave on the hill and in five forms in the other — so they are told separately rather than combined. Both make Anjaneya the sage's helper, and both give the site to Yada.

Told differently elsewhere. This account does not agree with “Yada's penance and the five forms in the cave”, given on this page too. We tell each as its own tradition tells it, and do not choose between them.

Where this account comes from

  • Press: The Hans India, "Yadadri Development in Bangaru Telangana", 27 February 2016 thehansindia.com · seen 2026-10-09

In one minute

Why Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Yadadri matters

Each line says who it comes from and how settled it is. What the labels mean

  1. In temple tradition Narasimha appeared here in five forms — Jwala, Yogananda, Ugra, Gandaberunda and Lakshmi Narasimha — to the sage Yada, which is why the shrine is called the Pancha Narasimha Kshetram.

    Source for: In temple tradition Narasimha appeared here in five forms — Jwala, Yogananda, Ug
    • Press: The Hans India, "Yadadri Development in Bangaru Telangana", 27 February 2016 thehansindia.com · seen 2026-10-09

  2. Yadagirigutta was renamed Yadadri in March 2015 by Chinna Jeeyar Swamy at the request of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, as the start of a plan to develop the hill and eight neighbouring hills as one pilgrimage centre.

    Source for: Yadagirigutta was renamed Yadadri in March 2015 by Chinna Jeeyar Swamy at the re
    • Press: Deccan Chronicle, "Yadagirigutta is now renamed as Yadadri", 6 March 2015 deccanchronicle.com · seen 2026-10-09

  3. The Telangana government rebuilt the hilltop temple in the late 2010s at a reported cost of Rs 1,800 crore.

    Source for: The Telangana government rebuilt the hilltop temple in the late 2010s at a repor
    • Press: Deccan Herald, "Telangana rebuilds ancient temple", 23 September 2017 deccanherald.com · seen 2026-10-09

  4. The devasthanam reports an average of 5,000 to 8,000 pilgrims a day, rising on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

    Source for: The devasthanam reports an average of 5,000 to 8,000 pilgrims a day, rising on S

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Architectural style not yet identified

The hilltop complex was rebuilt by the Telangana government from the mid-2010s around the original cave sanctum. No official or academic description of the rebuilt temple's architecture has been found yet, so its style is not given.

  • Sanctum

    The cave sanctum

    The sanctum is the hill cavern in which, in temple tradition, Narasimha revealed himself in five forms to Yada and later to a tribal woman led there in a dream.

  • Detail

    The temple at the foot of the hill

    A separate shrine at the foot of the Yadagiri hillock, about 500 metres from the main temple, marking the spot where a second tradition says Anjaneya led Yada and the Lord appeared as Lakshmi Narasimha.

Yatra

Plan your visit

Darshan times

We could not confirm the opening times from the temple’s own notice, so we are not printing any. Please check with the temple office or the devasthanam before you travel.

Before you go

  • No dress code or entry rules have been confirmed for this temple yet. Traditional, modest clothing is always the safe choice; ask at the entrance.

Walking, steps and access

We have not yet confirmed how much walking or climbing is involved, or whether there is wheelchair access. If you are travelling with elders, ask at the temple office or the devasthanam enquiry counter before you set out.

Crowds: The devasthanam reports an average of 5,000 to 8,000 pilgrims a day, with heavier crowds on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.

Getting there

  • By train: Yadadri station (formerly Raigir), Secunderabad–Kazipet line · about 6 kmThe devasthanam's site gives the temple as about 6 km from Raigir station. South Central Railway renamed Raigir as Yadadri with effect from 18 September 2020.
  • By road: Bhongir (Bhuvanagiri) · about 13 kmThe devasthanam's site gives Bhongir town as about 13 km away and Hyderabad as about 60 km.
  • By air: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, HyderabadNearest airport; not yet confirmed from an official source.

Routes are general guidance and not yet checked against an official source.

PIN 508115 (not yet checked with India Post)

Sevas

  • Saswata PujaListed on the devasthanam's home page; details and prices not given there.
  • Saswata KalyanamListed on the devasthanam's home page.
  • Laksha Tulasi PujaListed on the devasthanam's home page.
  • AbhishekamListed on the devasthanam's home page.

Prices as published by the temple when we checked. They change; the temple’s booking site is final.

The order of darshan

No published source gives the order in which to visit the shrines here, so we have not invented one. Follow the queue and the temple staff.

Festivals

  • Annual Brahmotsavam

    Feb–Mar · Phalguna

    The temple's annual festival of processions, including the deity's kalyanam.

  • Narasimha Jayanti

    Apr–May · Vaisakha, Shukla paksha, Chaturdashi

    The day of Narasimha's appearance, observed at the shrine.

Customs you will see here

Itihasa

Through time

Two registers, kept apart on purpose: what the Puranas tell, and what the historical record shows. They answer different questions and we do not force them to agree.

In the Puranas and tradition

  1. Narasimha appears to the sage Yada

    Temple tradition, attributed to the Skanda Purana, places the shrine's origin in Yada's penance on the hill and Narasimha's appearance to him in five forms. It does not say in which yuga this happened.

    Source for: Narasimha appears to the sage Yada
    • Press: The Hans India, "Yadadri Development in Bangaru Telangana", 27 February 2016 thehansindia.com · seen 2026-10-09

In the historical record

  1. 2015

    Yadagirigutta renamed Yadadri

    Chinna Srimannarayana Jeeyar Swamy renamed the town at the request of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao after a helicopter survey. The eight neighbouring hills were to be renamed with it as the nine-hill Navagiri, and the main temple developed on six of the 14.5 acres on the hilltop, following Agama Shastra.

    Source for: Yadagirigutta renamed Yadadri
    • Press: Deccan Chronicle, "Yadagirigutta is now renamed as Yadadri", 6 March 2015 deccanchronicle.com · seen 2026-10-09

  2. 2015

    Layout of the new hilltop complex finalised

    At a review meeting the Chief Minister fixed a compound wall and mada streets on five acres of the hilltop, a pradakshina path around the hill, and statues of 52 forms of Lakshmi Narasimha on the premises, with pilgrim facilities at the foot of the hill.

    Source for: Layout of the new hilltop complex finalised
    • Press: Deccan Chronicle, "Yadadri temple layout finalised", 1 September 2015 deccanchronicle.com · seen 2026-10-09

  3. 2017

    Reconstruction under way

    By September 2017 the state's reconstruction of the Yadagirigutta temple was under way, at a reported cost of Rs 1,800 crore.

    Source for: Reconstruction under way
    • Press: Deccan Herald, "Telangana rebuilds ancient temple", 23 September 2017 deccanherald.com · seen 2026-10-09

  4. 2022

    Rebuilt temple reopened for darshan

    The rebuilt temple reopened in March 2022 with a Maha Samprokshanam. We have not yet found a dated report of the reopening to confirm this.

Around here

Worth the detour

  • Fort

    Bhongir Fort

    The hill fort above Bhongir town, which the devasthanam's site gives as about 13 km from the temple.

  • Temple

    Lakshmi Narasimha shrine at the foot of Yadagiri hill

    Marks the spot where, in one tradition, Anjaneya led Yada and the Lord appeared as Lakshmi Narasimha.

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Temple administration: Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Devasthanam, Yadagirigutta, home page yadadritemple.telangana.gov.in · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: The Hans India, "Yadadri Development in Bangaru Telangana", 27 February 2016 thehansindia.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: Deccan Chronicle, "Yadagirigutta is now renamed as Yadadri", 6 March 2015 deccanchronicle.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: Deccan Chronicle, "Yadadri temple layout finalised", 1 September 2015 deccanchronicle.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: Deccan Herald, "Telangana rebuilds ancient temple", 23 September 2017 deccanherald.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: RailPost, "SCR's Raigir Station Gets New Name", 21 September 2020 railpost.in · seen 2026-10-09
Corrections made to this page (1)
  • 2026-10-09: changed “traditional” to “canonical”. A dated modern event reported by a dated documentary source; "traditional" presented it as folklore. No source disputes it.

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Yadadri”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/yadadri-lakshmi-narasimha (accessed ).

Last reviewed 2026-10-09. How we label sources and confidence