Simhachalam - The Abode of Lord Narasimha!

 

Simhachalam - The Abode of Lord Narasimha!

 

The story of the Simhachalam temple located in the southern region of India is very interesting. The temple is dedicated to the Narasimha avatar of Lord Vishnu and is built according to the Kalinga style of architecture. The name of the temple has a significant meaning to it. Simha means lion and Adri or Achala means hill. The temple is known to be one of the eighteen Narasimha Kshetras spread all over the country.  Unlike other temples, the presiding deity here is covered with sandal paste throughout the year and only once it is removed when the Lord is believed to be giving his nijaroopa darshan. This lasts for 12 hours and the deity is covered again with sandal wood paste on Akshaya Tritiya day. An interesting fact about this temple is that it faces west.

 

 

It is a common belief among the Hindus that, structures facing west bring victory and those facing east bring prosperity The popular legend associated with the Simhachalam temple is the story of demon king Hiranyakashyapu. He was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva and wanted his son Prahalad also to follow him in worshiping the Lord. But little Prahalad would worship no one else except Lord Vishnu. Unable to tolerate the disobedience by his son, he subjected the little boy to many forms of physical torture. Not being perturbed by all this, Prahalad continued to worship Lord Vishnu. God protects those who take refuge in his holy feet. So, a day came when the Lord decided to put an end to Prahalad’s sufferings. He appeared as Lord Narasimha [lion man] and killed Hiranyakahyapu but tearing him apart. As a mark of this incident, the Simhachalam temple is built where the Lord resides to protect those who believe in him.

---- Kruti Beesam