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Ahobilam
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Ahobilam or Ahobalam (or Singavel Kundram in Tamil) is a major center of pilgrimage in south India and one of the 108 Vaishnava Divyadesams. According to the legend, this is where Lord Narasimha blessed Prahlada and killed the demon Hiranyakashipa. It is an important place of worship for Vaishnavas. It is one of the 108 Divya desam.
Ahobilam is located in the Nandyal Taluka of Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located at a distance of 40 km from Nandyal, and is conveniently accessibly by bus from Nandyal, Kurnool and Hyderabad.
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Ahobilam or Ahobalam (or Singavel Kundram in Tamil) is a major center of pilgrimage in south India and one of the 108 Vaishnava Divyadesams. According to the legend, this is where Lord Narasimha blessed Prahlada and killed the demon Hiranyakashipa. It is an important place of worship for Vaishnavas. It is one of the 108 Divya desam.
Ahobilam is located in the Nandyal Taluka of Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located at a distance of 40 km from Nandyal, and is conveniently accessibly by bus from Nandyal, Kurnool and Hyderabad. Ahobilam is not connected by rail; the closest railway stations are Nandyal (on the Bangalore-Vizag(Vishakapatnam) route) and Cuddapah (on the Mumbai-Chennai route).
The temple
There are nine temples around the Nallamala Forest range. Few temples can be reached through trekking. Some temples are inside the cave. Some temples are very difficult to trek.
The holy shrines of Ahobilam (all the Nava are Nine Narasimhars) are eulogized by Thirumangai Mannan. Hence Ahobilam is one of the 108 Divya Desams. The hereditary powers of the temple rest with the Pontiff HH Azhagiyasingar of Ahobila Mutt. Currently the 45th Jeeyar of this lineage is the reigning Pontiff. The Azhagiyasingars have the unique privilege of being Aradhakars to a Divya Desam (a distinction no other Pontiff enjoys). Occasionally when HH Jeeyar performs Mangalasasanam (pays respects at the temple) at Ahobilam, the Serthi Utsavam is performed (the Moolavar of Malola Nrusimhar and the Utsavar) are united.
This place was visited by Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and it is located in remote place far away from main roads.
The Nallamala hills are personified as Adisesha with his head at Tirumala, middle at Ahobilam and the tail at Srisailam.
Legend
| Karanja |
Karanji NarasimhaSwamy | | Temple Name: | Karanji--Ahobilam |
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| Legend: | Hanuman's prayers were answered in this form of Lord Narasimha who also carries a bow to represent Lord Rama at this place |
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| Ahobilam |
NarasimhaSwamy | | Temple Name: | Ahobilam |
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| Alias Name: | Thiru Singavel Kundram |
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| God Name: | Narasimhar or Prahladha Varadhan |
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| Goddess Name: | Amritavalli Thayaar |
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| Pushkarni: | Indra Pushkarni |
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| Vimanam: | Vimanam Guhai Vimanam |
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| Location: | Nandyal |
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| State and Country: | Andhrapradesh, India |
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According to legends it is believed that when the Devas saw the manifestation of Lord Vishnu as half lion half man they shouted "Ahobala" (great strength) as well as "Ahobila" (great cave in which the current sanctum is). Hence this place could be called "Ahobalam" or "Ahobilam".
Another Legend talks about that Lord Garuda did penance to see Lord Vishnu in Lord Narasimha form. Hence, Lord Narasimha took nine different forms in this hill. Lord Narasimha in nine forms are
- Varaha Narasimhar
- Malola Narasimhar
- Yogananda Narasimhar
- Pavana Narasimhar
- Karaancha Narasimhar
- Chatra Vata Narasimhar
- Bhargava Narasimhar
- Jwala Narasimhar
- Ahobila Narasimhar
Each of these nine forms have a beautiful story woven with strands of myth, fancy legends and epic tales.
According to popular belief, one form of the Lord, the Pavana Narasimha, when offered the prasad returns half of the offering to the devotee.
On these lines, the Jwala Narasimha is supossed to be the ferocious form. This form personifies the cumulative and intense anger of the God. It is believed that the original site of shrine of Jwala Narasimha was the mouth of a volcano and it is only the proxy shrine which is accessible to the devotees.
Legend also states that Goddess Mahalakshmi took birth as a human in a tribe, named ChenchuLakshmi and married Lord Narasimha after the death of Hiranyakashpu.
Sri Ahobilam Mahatmyam
The Lord Narasimha is a vara prasaddhi (One who bestows blessings readily). The exact legend has it that the almighty God took a form of a creature with body of man and head of a lion with super human strength. The God's motive was to kill the demon and save His devotee. The complex form of the Creature is due to the various talismanic powers and blessings the demon had. He (Lord Narasimha) appears in different forms as Ugra Murthi(aggressive form), Shanta Murthy (tranquil form), Yoga Murthy (in penance) and Kalyana Murthy with his consort Sri Mahalakshmi. Ahobilam is the exact location of the demon Hiranyakashupu's palace, which the epic stories of Lord Narasimha speak of. This place still has remnants, relics and ruins of the demon's palace. The pillar from which the God arose is marked by its base stone and can be accessed after an almost vertical climb up the hill. It is believed that the entire mountain split up into two, due to the impact of pillar getting shattered by God and God rising from it subsequently. The pillar's base stone is thus, on the edge of the cliff. In between the 2 hills is a deep gorge like a cleft.
Demographics
Telugu is widely spoken and understood in Ahobilam.
Prasadam
Temples which is present in cave does not have any specific prasadam. Pilgrims offer some fruits for the Lord inside the cave. The temple which is accessible has the Vaishanava traditional prasadams. The local tribes used to offer their traditional offerings to Lord Narasimha.
Darshan, Sevas and Festivals
Narasimha Jayanthi will be celebrated with pomp and glory. The annual festival is during the Tamil month of Maasi. The local tribals celebrate the marriage of Goddess Mahalakshmi as ChenchuLakshmi and Lord Narasimha.
Travel and Stay
Ahobilam is located at . It has an average elevation of 327 meters (1076 feet).
There are three routes reaching Ahobilam. Pilgrims from the north can get down at Nandyal, which is a Railway junction from Kurnool, and travel by bus to Allagadda and Ahobalam, which is only thirty miles from Nandyal.
The second route is from Dhone which is another railway station and from which one can reach Ahobilam via Banganapalli and Koilakuntla.
The other and easy route is to get down at Cuddapah which is a district headquarters and an important railway station in the Madras - Bombay route. From Cuddapah one has to travel to Allagadda, which is forty miles over and from there by bus to Ahobilam
Other Temples to Visit
Shiva Temples
Vishnu Temples
- Bhadrachalam
- ISKCON Temple
- GovindaRajaSwamy Temple
- Alarmelmangai Ammavaru Temple
- KothandaRamaSwamy Temple
- SrinivasaManga Puram
- Mangalagiri
- Simhachalam
- Kadiri Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple (Official website: http://www.srikadirinarasimha.org)
- Tirumala Tirupathi Sri venkateshwara Swamy Temple
External links
- - Kadiri Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple
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- - Ahobilam travelogue
- - Ahobilam
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