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Simhachalam Simhachalam is about 16km north of Visakhapatnam. Simha means “lion”, and chalam means “hill”. There is the famous Varaha Narasimha Temple here. Near the foot of the hill is the sacred Pushkarini bathing tank. There
is a perpetual spring called Gangadhara by the Varaha Narasimha temple
that is said to have medicinal properties. To get to Gangadhara, if
you are standing facing the temple entrance, you proceed to the left
until the end of the road, then turn right and again go to the end of
the road. The priests daily apply layers of candana (sandalwood paste) to the Lord’s body to cool his great anger. The sandalwood is removed only once a year during the Vaishaka period (April/ May), bringing thousands of pilgrims on that day to see the Lord’s form. The original Deity is situated within the depths of the temple, but another Deity known as the vijaya-murti stands on the altar. When you come close for darshan, what you actually see is the Lord covered by a mound of dried sandalwood paste. Priests, who generally belong to the Ramanuja-sampradaya (Sri-sampradaya), are in charge of the Deity worship. Ramanuja visited here in the 11th century. Sri Chaitanya came here. As you approach the temple, the view of the high gopurams and elaborate
carvings is impressive. The temple was built in the 13th century by
a military commander of Narasimha I, who also built the Konark temple
near Puri. It is a combination of Orissan and Chalukyan styles of architecture.
The temple buildings are black granite, and carved into the rock are
the forms and pastimes of Vishnu, especially in his incarnation of Lord
Narasimha. According to the priests, a visit to this temple will bless barren
persons with offspring. Just outside the Deity room, in the mukha-mandapa
(hall), is a pillar named Kappam Stambham, which is decorated with cloth
and surrounded by silver plates and flower garlands. Women can be seen
embracing this pillar and praying with great devotion, asking the Lord
to fulfill their desire for children. On Prahlada’s request, the Lord then assumed the form of the Varaha-Narasimha Deity so Prahlada could see both of the Lord’s aspects—the one by which he had killed Hiranyaksa and the one by which he would kill Hiranyakasipu. After he was granted this sight, Prahlada is said to have built a temple around the Deity. Over thousands of years the temple deteriorated and was later found by Pururava, who is mentioned in the Ninth Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Upon discovery, Pururava heard a voice from the sky telling him to cover the Deity with sandal paste and to expose him only once a year on Candana-yatra (the Vaishaka-trtiya in April or May). Pururava covered the Deity with sandal paste and rebuilt the temple, which has flourished ever since. Festivals The Kalyanotsava Festival celebrates the marriage of the Lord to his
eternal consort, Lakshmi. It is performed with all the rituals and fire
sacrifices of a traditional Hindu wedding. It begins on the 11th day
(Ekadasi) in the first half of the lunar month of Chaitra (March–April)
and continues for five days till Purnima, the full moon day. If you know of a vegetarian restaurant that is not listed here, or if you would like to help update our listings, please e-mail us at: vrupdate@hotmail.com |
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