Simhadri or Simhachalam is a Hindu temple situated in Visakhapatnam city suburb of Simhachalam, Andhra Pradesh. It is devoted to Lord Narasimha (the man-lion), an incarnation (avatar) of Lord Vishnu. The central enshrine was constructed in Kalinga architectural style. The Kshetrapalaka of Simhachalam is Kalabhairava and worshipers must travel to the Kalabhairava Temple in the area before visiting to the Narasimha Swamy temple.
History
The divinity at Simhachalam, the lion-man incarnation of Lord Mahavishnu is usually covered with sandalwood paste. The original shape of the divinity in the tribhanga posture has two hands with the head of a lion on a human torso. An dedication dated as far back as 1098 AD of the Chola king Kuloththunga provides some clue as to its ancientness. Another inscription shows a Queen of the Eastern Ganga of Kalinga(ancient Orissa) (1137-56 AD) covering the image with gold while a third inscription says the eastern Ganga King of Orissa Narasimha Deva built the main/central shrine in 1267 A.D. With more than 252 inscriptions in Oriya and Telugu describing the antecedents of the temple, it is a historically important monument.
Sri Krishna Deva Raya after defeating the Gajapati ruler of Orissa Gajapati Prataparudra Dev visited the shrine twice in 1516 AD and 1519 AD and offered numerous villages for maintenance of bhogam (worship) along with valuable jewellery of which an emerald necklace is still in the temple. For the last three centuries the Royal family of Vizianagaram, ” The Pusapati Gajapathi’s” have been the temple’s trustees.
Nearest place to visit: Visakhapatnam, Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Govindraja Swamy Temple
Nearest station: Visakhapatnam train station.
How to reach: