A visit to Ahobilam, Andhra Pradesh

From Dasavatara Stotra by Srila Jayadeva Goswami

tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-śṛṅgaṁ

dalita-hiraṇyakaśipu-tanu-bhṛṅgam

keśava dhṛta-narahari-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare

💥Significance of Ahobilam: 

It is said that the Eastern Ghat mountain range Nallamalla range exhibits AdhiSesha lying down. The head represents Tirupathi where Lord Balaji is worshipped, the body is Ahobilam where Lord Narasimha dev is worshipped and the tail represents SriSailam. 

Ahobilam is a main place of worship for Lord Narasimha dev as the deities are svayambu (appeared on their own). They are known as Nava-Narasimha dev temples. 

It is not easy to take the darshan of the deities alone since 2 temples are located inside the forest and 4 on the mountains. It is best to travel with a group of devotees.

We took 2 days to take darshan of all 9 temples along with 2 more temples. The extra two temples I will add info at the end of the blog.

1. 📣SHRI YOGANANDA NARASIMHA DEV

Day 1 (After Breakfast): This is the first temple we visited, it is a big temple but we took darshan of only Yogananda Narasimhadev and Bala Yogananda Narasimhadev. It is easily accessible by road.

It is said that Lord Narasimhadev taught Prahlada the yoga sashtras in this form.

1. a. Balayogananda Narasimha dev:

The deity is within the Yogananda Narasimhadev temple. 

2. 📣SHRI CHATRAVATA NARASIMHADEV

Here the Lord gives darshan under an umbrella-shaped tree, He has a taala mudra and is famously known as Sangeetha Priya (who loves music). It is said that he gave darshan to 2 Gandharvas named Haha and Hoohoo came and sang for the Lord and Lord Narasimha dev was so pleased with their services and he has a unique beautiful wide smile on his face. It is easily accessible by road.

3. 📣SHRI PAVANA NARASIMHA DEV

After Lunch: The temple is situated on the banks of river Pavana in the middle of the Nallamalla forest. After killing Hiranyakasipu, the Lord gives darshan to devotees with Chencu Lakshmi of the Ahobilam Hills. The pathway to the temple is only through Jeep. The roads are rugged and only skillful drivers can take us there. Be prepared for an endless roller coaster ride.

4. 📣SHRI BARGAVA NARASIMHA DEV

The Lord gave darshan to Parasurama here. It can be reached on the same day with the Jeep ride and there is a 10 mins walk/stairs (132 steps) to reach the temple. It gets dark in the forest around 6:15 pm but you can still take darshan of the Lord. There is Akshaya theertam pond nearby dug by Lord Parasuram himself. 

5. 📣SHRI JWALA NARASIMHA DEV

Day 2 (start at 6:00 am): Dry fruits were distributed for the hike as the temple is situated on the mountain. The main temple where the Lord kills the demon Hiranyakasipu. The main deity is Ugra Narasimha on the left. From the left, after Ugra Narasimha there is a deity of Lord Narasimha fighting with Hiranyakasipu, Sukracarya, and Mahavishnu deities are also there for darshan. This place is the threshold of the palace where the demon was killed. It is an adventurous hike with rocky and dense forests. The last few meters are narrow with a deep gorge but chains are available to go safely. 

5. a. Ugra Stamba

This is the pillar where Lord Narasimha dev appeared. One needs to have a guide to reaching there. 

5. b. Garuda hill

It is also said that the shape of the mountain in the below picture depicts Garuda dev taking darshan of Narasimhadev. 

5. c. Rakta Gundam

This is the place where Lord Narasimha dev washed his hands after killing Hiranyakasipu. We had this tirtha splashed on our face for purification. 

5. d. Bhavanaashini Teertham

Place before entering Jwala temple, it is believed that if we purify ourselves with this water one is freed from the cycle of birth and death. It is a narrow path but secured well.

6. 📣SHRI MALOLA NARASIMHA DEV

Lord Narasimha dev was very angry after killing Hiranyakasipu, Shri Lakshmi Devi took birth in the Chencu tribe and married Lord Narasimha dev and brought down his anger. Hence Ma-Lola name and he is in the peaceful form here. From here Prahlada school is 30 min hike.

6. a. Prahlada School

Children were very excited to visit Prahalada school. Here is where Bhakta Prahlad when he was young went to study and he was preaching that Krishna is the supreme and not Hiranyakasipu to his fellow classmates.

7. 📣SHRI KRODA/VARAHA NARASIMHA DEV

Varaha Narasimha is different from Varaha Avatar. Lord Brahma dropped all the Vedas down fearing from Lord Vishnu for giving such a dangerous boon to Hiranyakasipu. Bhudevi took the falling Vedas into her hand and went to patala loka to protect them. So Narasimhadev took the form of Lord Varahadev and entered the ocean to bring the Vedas and Bhudevi. Here Bhudevi is on his shoulders. 

8. 📣SHRI AHOBILA NARASIMHA DEV

The Lord is seated under a cave which is in the form of a crocodile mouth. He is a small deity but in Ugra form. After killing the demon he gave darshan to demigods and Garuda dev in this place. On the other side of the cave, we can take the darshan of Lord Shiva here. 

9. 📣SHRI KARANJA NARASIMHA DEV

Day 2 After lunch: This is the last temple we visited on our trip. This temple is accessible by road. Here Bhakta Hanuman performed penances to take darshan of Lord Rama under Karanja tree. Pleased by Hanuman's devotion, Lord Narasimha dev appeared with bow and arrow in one hand and chakra in the other hand. Hanuman was convinced that Lord Narasimha dev is the same as Lord Rama. 

KSHETHRA TEMPLE: SHRI LAKSHMI NARASIMHA DEV

Day 1: This temple is one of the biggest temples apart from Nava Narasimha dev temples. This temple has many intricate carvings on the stone pillars.

KADRI NARASIMHA TEMPLE

Day 2 on the way back to Bangalore: Lord Narasimha is in the svayambu form here as well. He emerges from the roots of the Kadri tree. It was dark in the night and we had a special quiet darshan arranged while the Lord was about to rest. 

We returned to Bangalore at 12:30 am.