Yogananda Narasimha, Ahobilam

యోగానంద నరసింహ స్వామి

Narasimha · Yogananda Narasimha

Calm form seated in padmasana (yogic posture)

Near Lower Ahobilam, Ahobilam, Nandyal district, Andhra Pradesh · Vaishnava tradition

About 2 km south-east of Lower Ahobilam on a paved road, it is one of the easiest of the nine to reach.

The story begins: “Brahma sends the boy Prahlada.”

Read the story
Directions

At the gate

Walking and access
About 2 km south-east of Lower Ahobilam on a paved road; the Ahobila Math calls the access easy. Reachable by auto or jeep without a trek.
Getting there
Train: Nandyal railway stationAir: Kadapa Airport

Not yet confirmed: darshan hours, dress code, phone rules, entry for visitors of other faiths. 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

Family note: this story includes violence or death.
Told in: Ahobilam sthala tradition as published by the Sri Ahobila Math and reported by the Deccan Chronicle (2018); Bhagavata Purana 7.9–7.10 for the frame

Lessons for Prahlada

In the Bhagavata Purana, the end of Hiranyakashipu leaves a problem: the god who killed him is still enraged, and no one will go near him. Brahma sends the boy Prahlada. Prahlada prostrates himself; Narasimha, moved, lifts him up and places a hand on his head (7.9.1–5). Prahlada praises him at length and, offered any boon, wants none (7.9.52–55). The next chapter sees Prahlada enthroned (7.10).

The Ahobila Math's guide, and the Deccan Chronicle's account of 2018, place one more episode at a shrine about 2 km south-east of Lower Ahobilam. After the demon king's death, Narasimha taught Prahlada yogic postures here. Outlook Traveller (2017) gives the same tradition.

The image fits the story. Outlook Traveller describes Narasimha seated in padmasana, the lotus posture of yoga; the Deccan Chronicle describes the form as calm and records the belief that it bestows bliss on those who worship it — the ananda in the shrine's name.

Yogananda is among the easiest of the nine to visit — on a paved road below the hills — and the matha's route notes treat it with Bhargava and Chatravata as the cluster around Lower Ahobilam. Pilgrims coming down from the fierce shrines above end, in this account, where Narasimha's anger had already given way to teaching.

Where this account comes from

  • Purana: Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 7, Adhyaya 9, vv. 1–5, 52–55 (tr. on wisdomlib.org) wisdomlib.org
  • Purana: Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 7, Adhyaya 10 (tr. on wisdomlib.org) wisdomlib.org
  • Temple administration: Sri Ahobila Math, "Visit Ahobilam" (pilgrim guide: shrines, routes, guest house, festivals) ahobilamutt.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: Deccan Chronicle, "Ahobilam: A journey into spirituality", R. Sandeep Kumar, 9 September 2018 deccanchronicle.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: Outlook Traveller, "Ahobilam: Realm of the Man-Lion", Benny Joshua, 7 June 2017 outlookindia.com · seen 2026-10-09

In one minute

Why Yogananda Narasimha, Ahobilam matters

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

  1. Ahobilam tradition holds that Narasimha taught Prahlada yoga here after the death of Hiranyakashipu.

    3 sources for: Ahobilam tradition holds that Narasimha taught Prahlada yoga here after the deat
    • Temple administration: Sri Ahobila Math, "Visit Ahobilam" (pilgrim guide: shrines, routes, guest house, festivals) ahobilamutt.org · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: Deccan Chronicle, "Ahobilam: A journey into spirituality", R. Sandeep Kumar, 9 September 2018 deccanchronicle.com · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: Outlook Traveller, "Ahobilam: Realm of the Man-Lion", Benny Joshua, 7 June 2017 outlookindia.com · seen 2026-10-09

  2. The image is calm and seated in padmasana, the reverse of the fierce forms on the hills above.

    2 sources for: The image is calm and seated in padmasana, the reverse of the fierce forms on th
    • Press: Outlook Traveller, "Ahobilam: Realm of the Man-Lion", Benny Joshua, 7 June 2017 outlookindia.com · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: Deccan Chronicle, "Ahobilam: A journey into spirituality", R. Sandeep Kumar, 9 September 2018 deccanchronicle.com · seen 2026-10-09

  3. About 2 km south-east of Lower Ahobilam on a paved road, it is one of the easiest of the nine to reach.

    2 sources for: About 2 km south-east of Lower Ahobilam on a paved road, it is one of the easies
    • Temple administration: Sri Ahobila Math, "Visit Ahobilam" (pilgrim guide: shrines, routes, guest house, festivals) ahobilamutt.org · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: Outlook Traveller, "Ahobilam: Realm of the Man-Lion", Benny Joshua, 7 June 2017 outlookindia.com · seen 2026-10-09

Shilpa

When you visit, look for…

Architectural style not yet identified

No published architectural study of the Yogananda shrine has been found yet.

  • Sanctum

    The seated yogi

    Narasimha seated in padmasana, calm rather than fierce (Outlook Traveller 2017; Deccan Chronicle 2018).

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

About 2 km south-east of Lower Ahobilam on a paved road; the Ahobila Math calls the access easy. Reachable by auto or jeep without a trek.

Getting there

  • By air: Kadapa Airport · about 120 kmDistance as given by the Ministry of Tourism's Utsav page for the Ahobilam Brahmotsavam. Outlook Traveller (2017) names Hyderabad as the nearest airport; check current services.
  • By train: Nandyal railway station · about 60 kmThe Utsav portal gives Nandyal at about 60 km and also lists Kadapa (about 120 km). The Ahobila Math's guide describes rail access via Kadapa from Chennai and via Kurnool from Hyderabad, then road.
  • By road: AllagaddaThe Utsav portal gives Allagadda at about 23 km; the Ahobila Math's guide gives about 30 km, with local buses to Ahobilam roughly every 45 minutes. Lower and Upper Ahobilam are linked by a ghat road the matha puts at about 12.8 km.

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

PIN 518543 (not yet checked with India Post)

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

  • Swathi Thirumanjanam

    monthly, Swati

    A monthly abhishekam for all nine Narasimhas of Ahobilam on the day of the Swati nakshatra. The Ahobila Math notes that devotees travel in from Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore for it and advises booking rooms in advance.

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 teaches Prahlada

    Ahobilam's tradition sets this after the death of Hiranyakashipu; it is not in the Bhagavata chapters that tell this part of the story. No yuga is given.

    2 sources for: Narasimha teaches Prahlada
    • Temple administration: Sri Ahobila Math, "Visit Ahobilam" (pilgrim guide: shrines, routes, guest house, festivals) ahobilamutt.org · seen 2026-10-09
    • Press: Deccan Chronicle, "Ahobilam: A journey into spirituality", R. Sandeep Kumar, 9 September 2018 deccanchronicle.com · seen 2026-10-09

In the historical record

No dated history of this temple has been sourced yet — no inscription, survey or study we can cite.

Around here

Worth the detour

  • Temple

    Bhargava Narasimha

    About 2 km from Lower Ahobilam by the Bhargava tirtha; jeep or auto.

  • Temple

    Chatravata Narasimha

    A few km from Lower Ahobilam by road, under a peepal tree.

  • Temple

    Karanja Narasimha

    Roadside on the ghat road about 1 km short of Upper Ahobilam.

  • Temple

    Prahlada Varada (Lakshmi Narasimha) temple, Lower Ahobilam

    The main temple of Lower Ahobilam, with three enclosures, carved pillars and the processional images, including a ten-armed Jwala Narasimha (Ahobila Math). It is not one of the nine.

Also in Nandyal district

Sources

Where this page comes from

  • Temple administration: Sri Ahobila Math, "Visit Ahobilam" (pilgrim guide: shrines, routes, guest house, festivals) ahobilamutt.org · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: Deccan Chronicle, "Ahobilam: A journey into spirituality", R. Sandeep Kumar, 9 September 2018 deccanchronicle.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Press: Outlook Traveller, "Ahobilam: Realm of the Man-Lion", Benny Joshua, 7 June 2017 outlookindia.com · seen 2026-10-09
  • Purana: Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 7, Adhyaya 9, vv. 1–5, 52–55 (tr. on wisdomlib.org) wisdomlib.org
  • Purana: Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 7, Adhyaya 10 (tr. on wisdomlib.org) wisdomlib.org

Cite this page

Aalaya Katha Foundation, “Yogananda Narasimha, Ahobilam”, Aalaya Katha, version last reviewed 2026-10-09. https://www.aalayakatha.com/temple/yogananda-narasimha (accessed ).

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