Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Simhachalam
Lord Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha
Simhachalam, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh
Hilltop shrine near Visakhapatnam where the deity stays covered in sandalwood paste all year except on Chandanotsavam day.
History
Legend links the temple to Prahlada, who is said to have built the first shrine after Narasimha saved him. The deity combines Varaha and Narasimha forms. Inscriptions from the 11th century record grants by the Chola king Kulottunga I, and the present stone temple was largely built by the Eastern Ganga kings of Kalinga in the 13th century. Krishnadevaraya visited after his Kalinga campaign and left a pillar of victory with gifts. Because the idol is kept under a thick layer of sandalwood paste, it resembles a linga; the true form (nijaroopa darshan) is shown only on Akshaya Tritiya.
Architecture
Kalinga style with Dravidian additions; black granite, a 16-pillar Kalyana Mandapam and a stone chariot-shaped Natya mandapam. The famous Kappa Sthambham (embrace pillar) is believed to grant children.
Festivals
- Chandanotsavam (Akshaya Tritiya)
- Narasimha Jayanti
- Kalyanotsavam
- Giri Pradakshina (Ashada)
Videos
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Plan your visit
Weather at the temple
Directions to Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple
How to reach
- By air
- Visakhapatnam Airport, about 16 km
- By train
- Visakhapatnam Junction, about 16 km; Simhachalam station about 6 km
- By road
- City buses and ghat road to the hilltop; also about 1,000 steps.
Near the temple
Rooms, food, bus stands, railway stations, ATMs, hospitals, parkingPlaces come from OpenStreetMap and may be incomplete. Each list has a Google Maps link for more.