108 Divya-deshams: Ahobilam, Part 2

BY: SUN STAFF

Jul 31, 2024 — CANADA (SUN) — A tour of the 108 Divya-desams, the divine abodes of Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi.

The Nallamalai range of mountains in Andhra Pradesh, which are home to Ahobilam Divya Desham, are a manifestation of Adisesha Himself. At the tail end is Sri Sailam, the middle part is Ahobilam and the head is Tirupati. The many pastimes connected with Ahobilam can be found in Brahmanda Purana, Kurma Purana, Padma Purana and Vishnu Purana.

Following is a brief summary of the primary abodes of Lord Nrsimhadev in the area of Ahobilam.

Ahobila Narasimha:

The Ahobila Narasimha temple is situated in Upper Ahobilam, at a distance of eight kms from Lower Ahobilam. This is the main temple and the earliest of all the nine shrines. The Lord appears on the main altar here in His fierce ugra aspect. He is the presiding deity of the temple and is known as Ahobilam Narsimha. This Deity is svayambhu (self-manifest).

Krodha (Varaha) Narasimha:

The shrine of Varaha Narasimha is one km away from the main temple of Ahobila Narasimha. Walking alongside the Bhavanashini River eastwards and Kalakshepa Mandapa, we arrive at the cave shrine of Krodha (Varaha). The temple is surrounded by attractive natural scenery all around. The lofty mountains over-grown with tall trees are awe inspiring. In the narrow valley between Vedari and Garudadadri, the silver stream of Bhavanasini glides on beautifully. In this cave shrine, there are two deities, one of Lakshmi-Narasimha and another sthanaka figure of Varaha Narasimha with His consort, Goddess Bhudevi. The Goddess is shown as embracing the 'snout' portion of the Lord, just as she did while being raised by Him up from the ocean waters after piercing Hiranyaksha with His tusks and then slaying him. Varaha stands in tribhanga posture with only two hands, the head of the boar and the tail of the lion on a human torso.

Jwala Narasimha:

The temple of Jwala Narasimha lies higher up the Malola temple, on a hill called Achalachaya Meru. This is about four kms from the upper Ahobilam temple. This place is said to be the actual spot where the ferocity or anger of the Lord reached its acme when He tore Hiranyakashipu. It is somewhat difficult to reach this place as you have to pass through a narrow passage made by cutting and chiseling the rocks of the peak on one side, while to the other side of the passage there is a very deep valley. One has to walk very carefully. It is said that the spot where Jwala Narasimha is sitting with Hiranyakashipu on His lap is the threshold of the main entrance door of the spacious palace of Hiranyakashipu.

After slaying Hiranyakashipu, Narasimha looked very frightful. To pacify Him, Indra and other demigods poured suraganga water (celestial Ganges) on His head, which flowed down as a stream into the nearby valley and later into the river called Bhavanashini. In front of this shrine there is a small pond below a fully open cave. The water is very reddish, because Lord Narasimha washed His hands here after disemboweling Hiranyakashipu.

The are three Deities in this natural cave shrine: Ashtabhuja Narasimha, Chaturbhuja Narasimha and Narasimha chasing Hiranyakashipu.

Ugra Stambha:

At a distance of eight kms from Upper Ahobilam we can see a cleft of the mountain dividing itself into two visible parts. The Lord is said to have appeared from this cleft in the form of Narsimha. The cleft is thus known as Ugra Stambham. The path way to this place is a very arduous one.

Malola Narasimha:

Malola shrine is situated nearly two kms from the main temple at Upper Ahobilam. The Deity here appears in soumya (peaceful) form. As Narasimha is seen with His consort, Sri Lakshmi, He is known as Malola Narasimha. The word malola means beloved of Lakshmi (ma= Lakshmi, lola=beloved). The shrine is on a level surface of a peak of the Vedadri Mountain. This place is also called Markonda Lakshmi Kshetra.

Prahlada Mettu:

This small shrine situated on the hill is in between Ugra Stambham and Upper Ahobilam. It is dedicated to Prahlada Maharaj. The deities of Narsimha and Prahlada are installed in a small cave. This is the place where Prahalda had his school with teachers Shanda and Amarka.

Karanja (Saranga) Narasimha:

This shrine is situated at a distance of one km from Upper Ahobilam and one furlong away from the road leading to Lower Ahobilam. The Bhavanashini River glides by on the left side of the road. The shrine is under a Karanja tree, which accounts for the name, Karanja Narasimha. The deity of the Lord appears to be seated in meditation, with a hooded cobra over His head. The Lord's upper right hand holds a chakra and upper left hand has saranga, or bow. His lower hands are in Dhyana mudra.

Prahlada Varada Narasimha:

Though this temple is not one of the Nava Narasimha temples, it is very closely connected with this kshetra. In this temple, the Lord is seated facing Prahlada. On the altar is also placed the utsava vigrahas of nine Narasimha forms. The Temple is very wide and a peaceful place of worship.

Chatravata Narasimha:

The shrine of Chatravata is about four kms away from Lower Ahobilam, on the same road leading to Yogananda. The temple is small and is under the shade of an umbrella-like banyan tree, hence, the Deity here is called Chatravata Narsimha. The Deity is seated in the padmasana pose on a low padmapitha. The Lord's two upper hands hold the chakra and shankha. His lower right hand is in the Abhaya posture, while the lower left hand is in katihasta, placed on the waist and the left thigh.

Yogananda Narasimha:

This shrine is at a distance of two kms to the southeast of Lower Ahobilam. The Lord is in yogic posture, His legs being crossed and tied with a yogapatta. The Deity is four-handed and holds a chakra in the upper hand and shankha in the upper left hand. The other two hands rest on His knees.

Pavana Narasimha:

Pavana Narasimha shrine is situated on the bank of the river Pavani and is about six kms from the Upper Ahobilam temple. This shrine is in the middle of a dense forest. The main Deity has four hands. The upper two hands carry shankha and chakra. The lower right hand is in abhaya pose, while the lower left hand is shown as embracing Lakshmi-devi, seated on His left thigh. The Lord is seated in sukhasana posture on Adisesha, with His left leg folded while the right leg is bent at the knee. Dangling down over the head of Narsimha is found a seven-hooded Adisesha, spread like an umbrella. Lakshmi-devi is shown seated on the thigh of the Lord with right hand embracing the Lord.

Bhargava Narsimha Shrine:

The Bhargava Narsimha shrine is situated at a distance of two kms from Lower Ahobilam on a hill, near the sacred pond known as Bhargava Tirtham. This is the site where Bhargava Rama performed His penance, hence the Lord of the temple is known as Bhargava Narsimha. The entire distance must be covered on foot. At some distance down a deep incline, you come to a very calm place with a beautiful pond of cool, fresh and crystal clear water surrounded by ever green thick shrubs and tall trees. The pond is also called Akshaya Tirtha. A few yards away from this pond there is a flight of steps which lead to the Bhargava shrine.

Sources: Ahobilam Yatra by Vidhyanidhi dasa

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