Delhi has several temples built as a replica of or having resemblance to famous places of worship situated in the southern parts of the country, such as the Tirupathi Balaji Temple near Mandir Marg in central Delhi or the Uttara Guruvayurappan Temple in Mayur Vihar. I recently came across another such temple in Karol Bagh -- Sri Ahobila Lakshminrisimha temple.
Ahobilam in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh is known as Nava Narasimha Kshetra as it is home to nine shrines dedicated to nine different forms of Lord Narasimha, spread over an area of about 5 km radius. The nine deities are Sri Jwala Narasimha, Sri Ahobila Narasimha, Sri Malola Narasimha, Sri Kroda Narasimha, Sri Karanja Narasimha, Sri Bhargava Narasimha, Sri Yogananda Narasimha, Sri Kshatravata Narasimha and Sri Pavana Narasimha.
Legend has it that the Ahobila Narasimha temple in AP was built at the spot where the part lion-part man incarnation of Lord Vishnu killed the demon, Hiranyakashipu. In fact, Andhra and Telangana are the abode of the most well-known Narasimha temples of India. Including the ones at Yadagirigutta and Bhadrachalam. During a trip to Vishakhapatnam last year, I had the opportunity to visit Simhachalam Hills, where the Lord is worshipped in the form of Varaha Narasimha, combining the incarnations of the Boar and the Lion-man. This temple has a magnificent golden Vimana (rectangular pyramid-style structure over the sanctum sanctorum) and is decorated with exquisite carvings on its walls.
Bargarh in Odisha, where my elder sister and her family were staying for a few years as my brother-in-law was posted there, is home to Sri Nrusinghanath temple. Before visiting it, I thought that it will be a place of worship dedicated only to the lion-man incarnation. But, interestingly, the temple at the foothills of Gandhamardhan Parvat is said to be the only Vishnu temple where the Lord is seen in a feline form. The presiding deity is made of black stone, with a face like a cat and a body like a lion. It is believed that Lord Vishnu took the form of Vidala Nrusingha, also called Marjara-Keshari (marjar is the Sanskrit word for cat), to destroy Musikadaitya (Mouse Demon). The demon, pursued by the Lord, entered into a hole in the hills and is still hiding there.
Photography of idols is prohibited in most of the temples (in Simhachalam, you need to deposit your cellphone), but I captured the picture of a beautiful Narasimha statue at an exhibition held in the National Museum in Delhi in May this year. The Bronze statue, of AD 1600–1700 and from Tamil Nadu, is originally an exhibit of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai.
(Source: Website of Sri Ahobila Mutt and Odisha Review magazine, Feb-Mar 2015)
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| Ahobila Lakshmi Narasimha temple in Delhi |
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| At Bargarh Nrusinghanath temple |
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| Nrusinghanath temple in Bargarh |
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| Temple at Simhachalam |
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| Bronze, AD 1600–1700, Tamil Nadu |
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