Nava Narasimha Temples, Ahobilam

Deity

Nine forms of Narasimha through the Nallamala hills, with Jwala Narasimha at the killing place

Where

Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh · 15.13N 78.72E

Usual hours

6 am – 1 pm, 3 pm – 8 pm — hours change with festivals and the season; check before travelling. Were these right when you went?

Grahas

Sevvai Sani

Visited for

Where Narasimha came out of the pillar; the nine shrines are walked over two days. Narasimha Jayanti is its festival; visited for protection and for relief from fear.

The sthala purana places the killing of Hiranyakasipu here. Narasimha is said to have come out of the pillar in this gorge, and the devas, watching, to have cried out at the strength of it — from which the place takes its name.

The cleft high in the rock above Upper Ahobilam is pointed out as the pillar itself and is called the Ugra Stambham.

Narasimha is also said to have married Chenchu Lakshmi, a girl of the Chenchu people who live in these hills, and the Chenchus have a recognised place in the temple’s observances.

Ahobilam is one of the 108 Divya Desams, sung by the Azhwars as Singavel Kundram. The Ahobila Matha, a Srivaishnava institution with an unbroken line of heads, takes its name and its origin from this temple.

There are nine shrines of Narasimha scattered through the hills, which is why the place is spoken of in the plural. They divide into Lower Ahobilam, on the plain, and Upper Ahobilam, up the gorge.

The Prahlada Varada temple at Lower Ahobilam has the best carving — pillars with riders and yalis of the Vijayanagara kind.

The nine shrines take two days on foot and are reached by forest paths along the stream. Jwala Narasimha, at the place said to be where the killing happened, and Malola Narasimha are the ones most visited.

The gorge itself, the Bhavanasini stream and the Ugra Stambham above are what the walk is for.

Narasimha Jayanti and the Brahmotsavam in Phalguna are the temple’s festivals.

The annual visit of the head of the Ahobila Matha is kept as an event in its own right. The hills are best walked outside the hot months.

Also called

Nava Narasimha Kshetram, Singavel Kundram, Ahobalam

Reaching it

Ahobilam is in Nandyal district, about 70 km from Nandyal and roughly 150 km from Kurnool. Nandyal is the nearest railway station; Upper Ahobilam is a further 8 km of hill road above the lower temple.

• Mahanandiswara Temple, Mahanandi 54 km · Saiva
• Kodandarama Swamy Temple, Vontimitta 88.8 km · Vaishnava
• Jogulamba Temple, Alampur 104.6 km · Sakta (Amman)
• Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple, Srisailam 105.8 km · Saiva
• Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt, Mantralayam 160.5 km · Vaishnava
• Tirumala Sri Venkateswara Temple 174.9 km · Vaishnava

Been to this temple? The things that change — whether the hours on this page were right, whether the sannidhi was open, how long the queue was on a Saturday — are exactly what no printed source keeps current, and what the next person travelling here needs.

• Were the hours right when you went?
• Is anything on this page wrong or out of date?
• A photograph of the gopuram, the tank, or the notice board

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