Ahobilam-Nava Narasimha Kshetra

Namaskaram!!

This blog is my sincere effort to document my travel to the temples in India and document as much information as I can so that it is helpful to others who would love to visit these sacred places.

The first post is about our travel to Ahobilam. Ahobilam is located in Kurnool District of the eastern ghats. It is situated at a distance of 66kms from Nandhyal, 137 Kms from Kurnool, 114Kms from cuddapah and nearly 400kms from Chennai and 350 from Bangalore.

Ahobilam is the holy abode of Lord Narasimha, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu who killed the Demon king Hiranyakasipu to save Prahaladha.This is one among the 108 Divya Desam and is situated amidst the dense Nallamala Forest. Tirumangal Alwar has composed 10 poems praising lord of Ahobilam.

AHO VEERYAM! AHO SHOURYAM!AHO BAAHU PARAKRAMAM!

NAARASIMHAM PARAM DEIVAM AHO BHILAM ! AHO BALAM!

MEANING: Oh! What a great valour he has!Oh his great Gallantry! Oh those powerful Shoulders of the greatest of the gods Lord Narasimha and what a mighty cave it is!And what a mighty strength he has!

SRI NRISIMHA MAHAMANTRA

UGRAM VEERAM  MAHA – VISHNUM

JWALANTA SARVATO-MUKHAM

NRISIMHAM BHISHANAM BHADRAM

MRITYUR MRITYUR NAMAMY AHAM
Ahobilam is also called as Nava Narasimha Kshetra as Lord Narasimha is worshipped in 9 different forms and each Narasimha sannidhi is associated with a navagraha.

The nine shrines are

1. Sri Ahobila Narasimha

2. Sri Jwala Narasimha

3. Sri Kroda Narasimha

4. Sri Malola Narasimha

5. Sri Kaaranja Narasimha

6. Sri Bhargava Narasimha

7. Sri Chatravata Narasimha

8. Sri Yogananda Narasimha

9. Sri Paavana Narasimha

The first six of the temples are situated in upper ahobilam and the rest in the lower ahobilam and The Prahalada Varada Varadan temple which is also at lower ahobilam .

MOOLAVAR: SRI LAKSHMI NARASIMHA SWAMY

THAAYAR: SRI AMRITHAVALLI THAYAAR

VIMANAM: GUHAI(CAVE)

THEERTHAM: BHAAVANASINI

When there is a divine call. Everthing falls in place and it just happens. That is exactly how we suddenly planned(did we????) to visit Ahobilam.

DAY 1

We –a group of only 3 actually….My husband, his uncle and myself left Chennai to Ahobilam in a taxi at around 6.30A.M. In 2 hours we reached Tiruttani, stopped at Tiruttani GRT  HOTEL for some refreshments and proceeded towards Ahobilam. The road in most places was very good and so driving was a pleasant experience. After another 3 hours we stopped to have lunch, quickly finished it and by 3PM we were at Ahobila Mutt, Ahobilam. The manager Mr. Badri Narayanan immediately made arrangements and gave us the room keys. The hot coffee that he offered was very inviting too. He quickly fixed us a guide and a jeep to visit the three temples at lower Ahobilam.

MALOLA GUEST HOUSE AT LOWER AHOBILAM

1.   SRI CHATRAVATA NARASIMHA:

Chatra means umbrella and Vata means peepal tree. Here the swamy is seated under a peepal tree. It is believed that two gandharva’s HAAHA and HOHO sang here and Chatravata Narasimha being a music lover thoroughly enjoyed the music. When you see the deity here, you can see his palm depict Adi thalam. It is believed that Ketu-one of the nine planets, prayed here to get rid of his curses. People with fine arts interest generally visit this temple for his blessings. An archana for the lord can be performed if are lucky enough to be at the temple when the archakas are present.Chatravata Narasimha is the grahadhipathi of the planet Ketu

2. SRI YOGANANDA NARASIMHA

Here the lord is seated in an yogic posture. It is believed that after Hirankashpu samharam, Lord Narasimha taught many yogic postures to Prahalada and hence the name.

Here Narasimha is believed to dominate on the planet Saturn or Shani.

In the same temple complex you can also see one more temple, where in all the nine Narasimha idols depicting each planet are placed and worshipped.

You can donate to the annadhanam scheme here, as the devotees are fed all through the day.

3. SRI BHARGAVA NARASIMHA

This temple is nearly 2 Kms from Lower Ahobilam on a small hillock. The deity here can be seen with 4 hands, one having the shankhu or conch, the second having the chakram, the other two tearing the body of Hiranyan or Hiranyan vadham. It is believed that Bharghava ramar or Parasuramam did his penance here to get the blessing of Narasimhar in this form. Hence the lord has the name Bhargava Narasimha.If you see the idol closely, you can see the dasavatharam on the prabhai.

The scared pond is called as Bhargava theertha or akshaya theertha.

The presiding deity rules planet surya/sun.

With this we wound up our trip for the day and headed to Ahobila mutt.

We then proceeded to Prahalada Varadhan Temple

SRI PRAHALADA VARADHAN:

Prahalada Varadhan which means The Lord whose bestows his grace on Prahalada. The presiding deity is Lakshmi Narasimha with Amrithavalli Thaayar.The other shrines in this temple complex are  for Andal, Godhadevi, Sri Rama and Shri Venkateswara  where Lord Venkateswara obtains the blessing of Lord Narasimha prior to his wedding with Padmavathi.

We can also see the utsava murthis of the Prahalada Varadhan, Pavana  Narasimha and Jwala Narasimha and idols of the first Jeeyar of Ahobila Mutt and Sri Adivan Satakopan Swami.The Utsava Murthi of Jwala Narasimha has 10 arms with sree devi and Bhoodevi

The tall Dwajasthambam erected outside the temple is magnificient.

The pillars and , walls of the temple  are intricately carved and carry rich sculputres.

Having seen a maginficient temple  and architecture, we were back to our rooms .We took rest for a while and then went in search of some dinner as the dinner at mutt would be served only around 8.30 , but we wanted to crash and rejuvenate ourselves for the trek the next morning. Finally we found some road side hotels and had dosa for dinner. It was good but I would have been happy if I had taken some ready foods. If you are travelling with children or elders, please do plan and take some eatables.

DAY 2

Day 2 started auspiciously listening to tiruppavai from the Prahalada varahan temple.KK and uncle were up and ready by 5.30 and rushed to see the Vishwaroopam at Prahalada varadhan temple and came back with delicious Pongal and sukku vellam(Jaggery and dried ginger powder) as prasadam.By 6.30AM, the guide arrived and we left to upper ahobilam packing some idli for breakfast. On arriving at upper ahobilam the first temple we visited was Ahobila Narasimhar. You need to climb some steep steps to reach there. I would suggest you wear trekking shoes as it is comfortable to climb the hill. But I did see people walking barefoot comfortably too.

SRI AHOBILA NARASIMHA

This is the main shrine and is the oldest of all the nine temples here. Lord Shiva is said to have prayed to Lord Narasimha here. As you enter the temple, we see a small sannidhi of Lord Narasimha and a Linga facing each other. Passing this we enter the sanctum sanctorum, which is inside a small cave, we see lord Narasimha in a fierce aspect otherwise known as Ugra Narasimha and is seen tearing apart the chest of Hiranyakashipu . His consort is goddess Lakshmi  or Senjulakshmi and is seen in padmasana posture .An idol of Prahalada is also seen in this sanctum sanctorum . Ahobila Narasimha is Guru Grahadhipati.

There are separate sannidhis for sudarshanam and Goddess Senjulakshmi.

With their blessings we start our trek to Sri Jwala Narasimha.

SRI JWALA NARASIMHA

The narrow path which leads to the temple.

The small waterfall which cascades down the hill in rainy season

 Dressed in a salwar kameez and good trekking shoes (I BELIEVED MY SHOES WILL SAFELY TAKE ME THROUGH THE TREK), and a good sturdy stick which every yaatri rents it from a shop  near the temple, we set out on our trek with our guide leading us. The trek was not very tedious but the path is rocky and at some places it is tricky to cross too. But the belief that HE is with you all through the trek , took us through. As you start the trek, we pass through the ruins of the First Ahobila Mutt. It is said that the present Jeeyar, is taking steps to reconstruct this and bring back its glory.

The view of the hill and jungle surrounding this place

After we crossed this mutt, we entered the dense jungles where in there was just a stoic silence to accompany us. At one point, I was careless and slipped, luckily I got hold of a boulder nearby and steadied myself. Then Viji Mama  switched on the Vishnu Sahasranamam in his mobile, and surprisingly  the trek became a little easier as we chanted. As we crossed the half way, we could see The Ugra Sthambam, one look at the towering rock above you send shivers down your spine. We continued and after a while we saw at the edge of the hill, a temple and the path leading to it was very narrow just around 2 feet in width. Slowly we started to move being careful of our steps. As we neared the temple, we saw that we had to go through a very tiny water fall which cascades down the hill forming a curtain and going through this was a wonderful experience. Be careful of your mobile phones though :).As you walk through, you will see a water hole with muddy reddish coloured water and this is the Rakhta Kundam. It is believed that Narasimha washed his hands here after killing Hirankashipu and hence the name.

Rakhta Kunda
Few steps from there and we are at Sri Jwala Narasimha cave temple.It is believed that Hiranyakashipu was killed by Lord Narasimha here and hence we can see the UGRA NARASIMHA here. This place is called as Achalachaya Meru .The Narasimha idol is unique with 8 arms. Two arms hold the head and legs of Hirankashipu on the lap, another two arms tearing open the demon, two arms taking out the intestine of the demon and wearing it as a garland and the other two arms holding the Sankhu and chakram.

The other idols which you can see in this temple is where Narasimha is fighting with the demon king , and the idol where Lord Narasimha is seen coming out of the pillar and Hirankashipu and Prahaladha standing on either sides of the pillar and an idol of Maha Vishnu giving his darshan. We can also see the also the idol of the Asura kula GuruSukracharya seated on the left side of the main idol. Here this Narasimha is the gruhadhipathi of Angaraka/Mars/Kuja

We were lucky to be here at the right time when the archaka was performing the morning puja. We could even offer the Panakam prepared by us as an offering to the lord.

Having seen the lord and heard the sthala purana from the archaka we decided, to trek back to our next destination SRI MALOLA NARASIMHA. We came out of the sanctum sanctorum and we saw a lady distributing panagam here. If you are not carrying any water or any other fluid to drink, please drink this as you might not get anything else till you reach the foothills. I felt very good, happy and proud about myself at this juncture, since I did not see myself as fit till date, to climb a hill. I guess the pride had to take a beating. Just as I was putting on my branded new branded shoes on, 90% of the sole of my right shoe came out without any reason. For a moment, I was Panic stricken. But then calmed myself, prayed to HIM with all earnest and just believed that he will help me through. And believe me, the belief works. What would have been impossible otherwise, just seemed effortless. I trekked back all the way without any problem. Definitely there was divine help all the way through!!!!!

UGRA STHAMBHA

This is a huge rock jutting out of a rock cliff.

The trek to this starts after the water falls near Jwala Narasimha. It is exactly at this place that Lord Narasimha is believed to come out of the pillar to save Prahalada. It is a steep 80 degree climb along a dangerously treacherous path. Please do go with your guide and once on the top , you will feel and understand how small you are. The feeling of we are nothing in comparison with the universe is so over whelming. Trek down slowly and carefully for another half hour and then start you trek to MALOLA NARASIMHA

SRI MALOLA  NARASIMHA

The climb down from Sri Jwala Narsimha to Sri Malola Narasimha was a little tricky. There are places where the steps are eroded. We have to climb down carefully and we slowly started our decent. Half way through the trek, our body was giving signs of fatigue. We had not eaten anything from morning and ours legs were asking for some mercy. So we decided to sit down for some time, ate some lion dates, which gave the necessary sugar that our body badly needed and with some water to hydrate ourselves, we were ready to walk again. As we reached the temple , we saw many devotees sitting out the temple under a tree. This temple is bigger than the Jwala narasimha temple. Here the lord appears in a soumya or graceful and shantam form. Malola means beloved of Lakshmi.

It is believed that  Mahalakshmi was doing her penance in these forests and The lord came here looking for her. Hence you can see the idol seated in a Santham posture . The archaka ecplains that that on the pedestal is Garuda, on the garuda is Adi sesha, on him is his Paada Rakshai and then Narasimha is seated with his consort Goddess Lakshmi seated on his left thigh, blessing all the devotes who visit him. One can actually feel the calm serenity here.

The other story is that Mahalakshmi took birth in the Senju tribe as Senjulakshmi, to calm down Lord Narasimha after the Hiranyavadham. She married the lord and brought down his anger and hence he is known as Malolan- a shanthaswaroopi.

 Sri Malola Narasimha is the gruhadhipathi of the planet Venus / Sukra.

The utsavar of this temple is always taken by the present Jeer of the mutt to the places he visits

There is a separate shrine for Senjulakshmi one kilometre from here.

SRI VARAHA NARASIMHA

Trekking another 1 km downwards we come to This Narasimha temple. Here the lord is seen with a face of the boar and hence the name Sri Varaha Narasimha or Krodakara Narasimha. The lord is seen with his goddess Lakshmi. He is the gruhadhipathi of the planet Rahu.

Trekking back we reach the Ahobila Narasimha temple . Ofcourse there is a sigh of relief. And only then did I realise that I have trekked back all the way with an almost torn shoe without any problem. Ofcourse HE was with all all the while!!

After returning the stick which we had rented, we started our journey to lower ahobilam in our taxi.

The last of the narasimha temples in this route is Karanja Narasimha and our next halt was at this temple.

SRI KARANJA NARASIMHA

This temple is situated at around 1 km from upper Ahobilam. Here the deity is placed under the KARANJA VRUSHKAM. Hence this Narasimha derives his name. He is the gruhadhipathi of the planet Chandra or Moon

SRI PAVANA NARASIMHA

Having seen all the temples in this route, we decided to go and freshen up at the Ahobila mutt again. Had a hot cup of coffee and Mr Badri arranged for a jeep to take us to Pavana Narasimha along with two other devotees.

The jeep is something to be mentioned about. Do not expect a nice plush looking jeep. What I saw was an old body of a jeep, seats being held with a rope (literally), with the gear box, anf brakes. Our jeep did not even have a starter. But having said this, I must appreciate the driver, a young boy who did not speak even a word but drove with utmost care.

The road (actually there is no road). You just have a rugged path going through small and big boulders, into a forest, on the banks of a lake, up the hill , down the hill, in the forest and believe me , if you sitting in the front beside the driver, you need a brave heart. The jeep just goes through everything with all the thorny trees coming in from all the sides (no doors or windows), and after travelling for 1 ½ hours you reach the temple.

The braveheart who drove us safely to Pavana Narasimha and back.

Here the temple is situated on the banks of river Pavana and hence the name to this deity. Narasimha in this temple is seen with goddess Lakshmi. We can see a dwajasthambam  in front of this temple. Archana can be perfomed here as the priest resides beside the temple. Pavana Narasimha is the gruhadhipathi of the planet Mercury / Budha.

With HIS blessings we returned to the mutt, had a sumptuous meal at the mutt and with his divine blessings left to Chennai.

THEY SAY BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HAVE THE DARSHAN OF THE NINE NARASIMHA’S AT AHOBILAM AND INDEED WE ARE BLESSED.

MANAGER OF THE ABOBILA MUTT CAN BE CONTACTED AT: MR BADRI NARAYANAN

                                08519-252045, 09490515284

Upper Ahobilam Temple Timings: 7.00A.M-1.00 P.M ,

                                                         2.00 P.M -6.00 P.M

Lower Ahobilam Temple Timings:6.30 A.M-1.00P.M

                                                          3.00 P.M-8.00P.M

They say that after 3.00 p.m, the forests authorities do not allow the jeep/ vehicle to pass through the forests to reach Pavana Narasimha. Hence plan your day accordingly.   
For the devotees who are physically incapable of climbing, Doli facility is available at the entrance of Ahobila Narasimha Temple     

Picture courtesy: Mr Vijayaraghavan

                            Mr. Narayanan

                            Mr.Krishnakumar