Nava Narasimha Temple, Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh India

 Lord Narasimha It is a place of great antiquity. As the nine shrines are situated within a radius of five kosa or 10 miles, this Tirtham is also known as Panchakosa Tirtham.

This complex has nine temples enshrining the nine images of Narasimha. At the foothill there is the temple of Prahladavarada Narasimha. This temple lies in the center of three prakarams, and is built in the Vijayanagar style. Some distance away is the temple of Alwar Koneru, that supplies good drinking water. About a mile and a half from the temple is the Chatravata Narasimha. Thorny bushes surround the deity and the image is installed under a peepal tree. From the foot of the hill one has to climb to reach Upper Ahobalam. The lower Ahobalam temple is built in the Vijayanagar style and on the way up you keep encountering more shrines. The uppermost temple is the Pranava Narasimha shrine. The path uphill is about six miles through virgin hills and forests. Here you will also find the Karanda Narasimha and Yogananda Narasimha temple.

After destroying Hiranyakasipu, Narasimha taught Prahlad several yoga postures and this position is called Yogananda Narasimha. At this spot the Gobhila and Bharadwaja rishis did penance to rid themselves of the sins they had committed. The temple has a magnificent mantapa and gopura. Very close to the shrine of Guha Narasimha is a huge pillar.

The upper Ahobalam is a plateau at 2,800 above sea level. The two crests of the hill are called Vedadri and Garudadri through which the sacred river Bhavanasani Tirtham flows. The Tirtham divides the two Kumadavati and Pennar rivers and then joins them. The Tirtham is said to be antarvahini - a river that flows underground for a large part of its course. On the southern slope of the hill the Lord is seen as the fierce Ugra Narasimha. According to the Puranas this is the same pillar that was kicked by Hiranyakasipu asking his son if Lord Vishnu existed in this pillar and it was from here that Ugra Narasimha emerged to kill him. Close to this shrine is the shrine of Kroda Narasimha, where he is worshipped as a boar.

It is stated that if narayana satakshari japa and parayana of Varahakanda (prayers) are recited here for three days, it bestows immense benefit to the devotee. Two miles ahead is the shrine of Malola Narasimha. The deity here is called Santaroopa and is seen with Lakshmi. The Kakatiya king Prataparudra donated the utsava vigraha made of gold to this temple. Further up is the shrine of Jwala Narasimha, where Ugrakala can be seen. This is exact spot where Narasimha is said to have torn Hiranyakasipu apart.

 Sri Lakshmi Narasimha had very mercifully and miraculously given shelter to cows and devotees by rejecting the plan of the government of building an abattoir (mechanized slaughter house) on a vacant land in East Bangalore. For the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada and with the help of local leaders and people, devotees started the worship of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha in a temporary structure with sincere aspirations of soon building one of the finest temples for the Lord and dedicating it to Srila Prabhupada’s mission. The Lord has very patiently waited and now we are most excited to announce the completion of one of the largest temples dedicated to Lord Narasimha in Bangalore. This temple will also be the abode of Nava Narasimha (Ahobilam’s traditionally worshipped nine forms of Lord Narasimha). The temple occupies special place in the heart of Bangalore devotees since almost each of them were directly or indirectly involved with the building of the temple. By directly we mean many devotees, starting with children as young as five, have helped in carrying mud, bricks and stone to build this magnificent temple.

But the good news is not over yet. The completion of the Nava Narasimha temple is only the phase 1 of the entire temple project. We have another phase involving the construction of a temple for Gandharvika Giridhari deities also, which we hope to complete by Sri Krishna Janmashtami 2012.