Ahobilam temple is in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. People worship God Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy here. According to the legends, Lord Narasimha Swamy has incarnated as half lion and half man to kill the demon. This article discusses the temple history, tirthas, ahobilam temple timings, images, and how to reach.
Devotees worship all the nine forms of Lord Narasimha here. The total Nallamala hills extending from Kurnool to Chittoor embody God Adisesha, Tirupati’s head. The middle part is Ahobilam, and the tail is Srisailam.
History of The Ahobilam temple:
Contents
Prahlada Varada Narasimha:
At the foot of the hills, there is Prahladavarada Narasimha temple. It is the blessing Prahalad of Lord Narasimha Swamy. The architecture of this temple is in Vijayanagar format.
Chatravata Narasimha:
The deity is under the peepal tree, with thorny bushes around it. To reach upper Ahobilam, one has to ascend a 10.5 km path. Several shrines are present along the way from the foot of the hill to upper Ahobilam.
Karanda Narasimha, Yogananda Narasimha:
There are temples of Karanda Narasimha and Yogananda Narasimha. According to the legends, after assassinating the demon HiranyaKasyapa to death.
God Narasimha taught Prahlada about yogic postures after killing the beast, so in this aspect, the Lord called Yogananda Narasimha.
Vedadri and Garudadri are two crests of hills divided by Tirtham. From there, Tirtham joins Penna and Kumadavati. This Tirtham is a river that flows inside during its course.
Ugra Narasimha:
Ugra Narasimha is the fierce form of Lord Narasimha. Its located on the southern slope of the hill. The colossal pillar Ugra Sthamba is at the shrine’s entrance, Guha Narasimha.
According to the legend, the demon Hiranyakasyapa hit his son with the mace, asking him if Lord Vishnu was innate in that same pillar. Finally, Lord Vishnu emerges in this Urga Narasimha avatar to kill the demon.
Kroda Narasimha:
As we move forward, there appears a temple called Kroda Narasimha. Here, Lord Narasimha is in the boar avatar.
Pilgrims will be blessed with immense spirituality if they perform Narayana Satakshari Japa and Parayana of Varahakanda at this place.
Malola Narasimha
Moving forward from Kroda Narasimha leads to Malola Narasimha. Santaroopa is the name of the deity present here, along with the Goddess Lakshmi. Prataparudra, the Kakatiya king, donated the deity made of gold. The Jeeyars are now worshipping that.
Jwala Narasimha
Jwala Narasimha comes after the Malola Narasimha. The deity in this shrine is the fierce complete avatar of the Lord Narasimha. Lord Narasimha’s anger will be extreme here. He tore Hiranyakasyapa apart.
Pavana Narasimha
People worship Lord Narasimha’s Shakta avatar in this shrine. Finally, the upper Ahobilam temple is Swayambhu, the self-manifested. The devas witnessing the ferocious form of Lord Narasimha while he was killing the demon, sang the following phrases in his praise.
‘Narasimha Pranamam Devam Aho Balam Aho Balam‘
And legend behind it is that Garuda worshipped the Lord in that great cave and realised the Lord. Since then, the place has been called Ahobila.
Rahu Ketu Pooja at Srikalahasti
Holy Tirthas in the ahobilam temple:
Rakthakundam:
After assassinating the demon, Lord Narasimha washed his hands in this Tirtham. Since then, the water has been red.
Lanjakoneru:
Its located 4km away to the northeast of the temple. The myth behind this is that once a courtesan happens to have the mere darshan of the Lord here.
After the darshan, she regretted her ways and built this tirtham to wash her sins away.
Rama Tirtham:
Rama Tirtham is 8 km away from Lower Ahobilam.
Brahmotsavam:
Brahmotsavam is the annual festival. People celebrate it in the Phalguna month’s first fortnight. The Padmasalis over here maintain maiden of their class for divine consort. So they claim that it is their right to perform Kalyanotsavam for the Lord.
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Ahobilam Temple Timings:
Lower Ahobilam Temple Timings:
- In the morning, it opens at 6:30 am and closes at 1:00m.
- In the evening it opens a 3:00 pm and closes at 8:00 pm.
Upper Ahobilam Temple Timings:
- It opens at 7:00 am and closes at 1:00 pm.
- In the evening it opens a 2:00 pm and closes at 7:00 pm.
Ahobilam Temple Images
Below are some of the Ahobilam temple images of Lord Narasimha Swamy.
How to reach:
By Road:
- From Kurnool and Kadapa districts, direct buses are available to Ahobilam.
Nearest railway station to Ahobilam Temple:
- Prodattur railway station is the nearest railway station to Ahobilam. It is 60 km away.
- Jammalamadugu railway station is the nearest railway station to ahobilam, 55 km away.
By Air:
- The nearest airport to Ahobilam is Tirupati. It is 229km away.
- Hyderabad International Airport is 333 km away from Ahobilam.
lord Lakshmi narasimha Karavalambam