Welcome to Sri Ahobila Muth Portal (2024)

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Ahobilam is located in Karnool district of Andhra Pradesh in the hillsof the eastern ghats, about 400 KM northwest of Chennai.

The temple consists of nine shrines to Lord Nrisimha located around a 5 KM circle. In addition to the nine shrines, there is a temple for Prahaladavarada Varadhanin the foothills of the mountain. Due to security reasons and the difficulty in performing daily worship, many of the utsava vigrahas of the nine shrines are kept in this temple.

Lower Ahobilam Temple

Garuda wished for a vision of Lord Nrisimha in the form of theAvathara. To fulfill his wish, the Lord settled in the hills aroundAhobilam in the midst of dense forests in nine different forms.For this reason this hill came to be known as Garudadri, Garudachalam,and Garudasailam.

Ahobilam is the place where the Lord killed Hiranyakasipu and saved Prahalada. Mahalakshmi took avathar as Senjulakshmi among the Senju, tribal hunters of the hills, and married the Lord.

Sri Ahobila Muth, one of the most important Sri Vaishnavareligious institutions in India, was established by Sri Athivan Satakopan at the instructions of Lord Lakshmi Nrisimha of Ahobilam.In fact, the utsava moorthy of the Malola Nrisimha temple, one of the nine shrines of Ahobilam, is the presiding deity of Sri Ahobila Mutham. Sri Malolan accompanies Srimad Azhagiya Singar, the spiritual and titular head of Sri Ahobila Mutham, on his travels.

Thirumangai Azhvaar has sung ten verses about this temple in Periya Thirumozhi.

Sthala Puranam

The Himalayas rise high to the Everest in the northwhile the far south of India shows the deep sea - rathercommunion of the three oceans. The western regionand the eastern region of the Peninsular India, on theother hand, while tapering towards Kanyakumari,exhibit a wide range of mountains knownas Western Ghats present wholesome sceneries andadventurous travel both by rail and road, the EasternGhats display not only picturesque view butdemonstrate divinity as well. The Eastern Ghats arelikened to the great serpent Adhisesha basking in thesun with its head (or hood) at Thirumala, its middle atAhobilam and its tail- end portion at Srisailam - all thethree with famous temples on them.

The subject we have before us is Ahobilam. Of course,Thirupathi and Srisailam are also frequented pilgrimagecentres. Ahobilam because of this special issue. Notonly Mahabharatha; but also ancient puranas likeKoorma Purana, Padma Purana and Vishnu Puranamention about Ahobilam and its presiding deityNarasimha. In fact, Brahmanda Purana says that thisplace was once the palace of Hiranyakasipu who wasslain by Sriman Narayana manifesting as Narasimhafrom a pillar there for the sake of his staunch devoteePrahlada. Vagaries of time brought about thedestruction of the then existing structures yielding placeto nature's creation of the mountain range thatpreserved the site of incarnation as "Svayam VyaktaKshetram" of Lord Narasimha.

According to Stala Purana, there are two popularlegends for the derivation of the word 'Ahobilam'. Itis stated that the Devas (Gods), while witnessing theterrific aspect (Ugra Kala), the lord took on in order totear to pieces Hiranyakasipu sung in His praise as'Ahobala' (Lo: the strength). Hence this place hascome to be known as Ahobilam. In support of this,there is a prapatthi sloka about-Ahobilam that reads:-

"Aho Veeryam Aho Souryarn Aho Bahuparakramah
Naarasimham Param Daivam Ahobilam Aho Balam.

The other version is that because of the great cave, theAhobila, where Garuda worshipped, did penance andrealised the lord, the place itself has come to be calledAhobilam. The Ahobilam 'Kaifiyat' gives support tothis legend. (The Ahobilam Kaifiyat forming part ofMackenzie collections gives very valuable informationregarding the Ahobilam temples. Kaifiyats - the digestsfrom 'Kaviles' or village registers containinginformation on the political, social, religious and otherconditions of the villages in Deccan were prepared byPandits and Mussadis working under Col. Mackenzie.)The Ahobilam Kaifiyat is in Telugu and available inthe State Archives at Hyderabad (vide "AhobilaNarasimhaswamy temple" - Monograph by P. Sitapati,Commissioner of Archives).

As per this record, "On one of the mountains in theNallamalai hills range, eight amadas from SrisailaKshetra, Garuda commenced silent penance to obtain avision of Lord Narasimha who destroyedHiranyakasipu. The Lord in his grace, after long yearsof the tapas of Garuda, manifested Himself in the caveof a mountain".

"Ten 'Paruvus' to the north-east of the mountain, whereGaruda was doing penance, a vision of Hismanifestation was then granted to Garuda, who afterobtaining a sign of the location of the mountain-cave,gladly traveled thither and saw the embodiment of theSathsvaroopa,' Mahapurusha, Lord Jwalanarasimha -not easily accessible to common people. Garuda thenworshipped the Lord and praised him that 'Ahobilam isMahabalam' (Ahobilam is a great sustainer withstrength). The Lord's Divya Mangala Vigraha wasworshipped by him with several sthotras- Garuda thenconsidered himself as blessed after a vision of the Lord. This divine place thereafter obtained the deservingname of Ahobilam".

"The mountain on which Garuda performed tapasbecame famous as Garudachala. In the days of yorewhen truth and dharma prevailed, great heat wasobservable near the mountain- cave of Ahobila;according to legend when green grass was put in thecave, it would catch fire and smoke would be emitted. Several great Rishis lived there for a time; aftersometime with the knowledge that great places wouldbecome common Janapadas in the Kali age, they leftfor northern lands, covering up the Narasimha cavewith boulders. Traditionally therefore this place isbeing called the Narasimha Kshetra. There are thusnine Narasimha places, Nava-Narasimhas; Rishi-installed and worshipping areas:

Jwala Ahobila Malola Kroda Karanja Bhargava
Yogananda Kshatravata Pavana Nava Moorthayaha.

The Nine Narasimhasthalas are :- 1. Jwala Narasimha2. Ahobila Narasimha 3. Malola Narasimha 4. KrodaNarasimha 5. Karanja Narasimha 6. BhargavaNarasimha 7. Yogananda Narasimha 8. KshatravataNarasimha and 9. Pavana or holy Narasimha.

Before visiting these nine shrines, let us see how weapproach the place. Situated in the Nallamalai Hills,Ahobilam is about 24 Kms. from Allagadda TalukHeadquarters, 112 Kms. from Cudappah and 65 Kms.from Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh and can be reachedby bus from Hyderabad and also by rail via Kurnooland then by bus from there. Long long ago, the Tamilmystic bard, Thirumangai Azhwar sang that SingavelKunram (Ahobilam) was accessible to none but Gods.

Due to the efforts of the current 45th Srimad Azhagiyasingar, the access routes to several of theshrines have been greatly simplified such that people of different age groups are now able to visit the places easily. The whole complex is in two parts - one called EguvuAhobilam (Upper Ahobilam) with Nava Narasimhashrines and the other called Diguvu Ahobilam (LowerAhobilam) with a single shrine for LakshmeeNarasimha connected by a road, stretching a distance ofabout 12.8 Kms. from Lower Ahobilam to UpperAhobilam.

The Sthalapurana of Ahobilam in Sanskrit gives anaccount of nine forms of Narasimha, worshipped here. They are: -

1. BHARGAVA NARASIMHA SWAMY
The Bhargava Narasimha Swamy is situated at adistance of two kilometres from the Lower Ahobilam,on a hill, near the sacred pond, known as 'BhargavaTheertham', where Bhargava Rama performed hispenance. Hence the Lord of the temple is known asBhargava Narasimha Swamy.

2. YOGANANDA NARASIMHA SWAMY
This temple is to the south-east of Lower Ahobilam ata distance of 2 kilometres. The popular legend is thatafter killing Hiranyakasipu, Lord Narasimha taughtPrahlada several yogic postures. Therefore, the Lord inthis aspect is called Yogananda Narasimha.

3. CHATRAVATA NARASIMHA SWAMY
About three kilometres from lower Ahobilam, theimage of the deity is installed under a peepal tree,surrounded by thorny bushes. Hence, the Lord is calledas Chatravata Narasimha Swamy.

4. AHOBILA NARASIMHA SWAMY
The temple, situated on the Upper Ahobilam, at adistance of eight kilometres from the Lower Ahobilam,is the main temple and the earliest of all the ninetemples there. The Lord here appears in his fierceaspect, called Ugra Narasimha, who is the presidingdeity of the temple and is known as Ahobila NrisimhaSwamy. It is firmly believed the Lord Narasimha was'Svayambhu' (self-manifest) here.

5. KRODAKARA (VARAHA) NARASIMHA SWAMY
The temple of this Lord is one kilometre away from themain temple of Ahobila Nrisimha Swamy on the UpperAhobilam. The image of the deity has the face of aboar (varaha or kroda) and the Lord is seen along withhis Consort, Lakshmi. Hence the Lord of the temple isknown as Krodakara (Varaha) Narasimha Swamy here.

6. KARANJA NARASIMHA SWAMY
This shrine is situated at a distance of one kilometrefrom the Upper Ahobilam and one furlong from theroad leading to Lower Ahobilam. The image of thedeity is installed under a tree, called 'KaranjaVruksham'. Hence this Lord is called KaranjaNarasimha Swamy.

7. MALOLA NARASIMHA SWAMY
Nearly two kilometres from the main temple of UpperAhobilam, is the famous shrine of Malola NarasimhaSwamy. The deity here appears in 'soumya' (graceful)form. As Lord Narasimha is seen with his consort,Lakshmi, He is known as Malola Narasimha Swamy. The word 'Malola' means beloved to Lakshmi(Ma=Lakshmi, Lola= beloved). It is said that the'utsavamoorthi' of the Lord appeared to SrimathAdivan Satakopa Jeeyar, the first Jeeyar of AhobilaMutt. Right from the founder, i.e., the first Jeeyar ofAhobila Mutt down to the 44th pontiff, Srivan SatakopaSri Vedanta Desika Yatheendra Mahadesika, the presentjeeyar, the utsavamoorthi of Malola Narasirnha Swamyis worshipped and it is taken by them whenever theyare on religious tours, visiting the villages every year. Recently, the 45th Jeeyar Srivan Satakopa Sri NarayanaYatheendra Mahadesikan has taken over the worship.

8. JWALA NARASIMHA SWAMY
The temple of Jwala Nrisimha Swamy, lies higher upthe above temple, on a hill called, 'Achalachaya Meru'. This is about four kilometres from the Upper Ahobilamtemple. This place is said to be the actual spot, wherethe fierce anger of the Lord reached its culminationwhen he tore Hiranyakasipu.

9. PAVANA NARASIMHA SWAMY
Nearby the above temple, is the shrine of PavanaNarasimha, on the banks of the river, Pavana and it isabout six kilometres from the Upper Ahobilam temple. Hence the Lord of the shrine is known as PavanaNarasimha Swamy.

In addition to the shrines mentioned above, there is afamous shrine dedicated to God Narasimha Swamy inthe Lower Ahobilam, which is popularly known asPrahlada Varada Sannidhi. The other objects of thisplace are 'Ugra Sthambham' and 'Prahlada Mettu'.

(a) UGRA STHAMBHAM
At a distance of eight kilometres from the UpperAhobilam temple, we can see a cleft of the mountaindividing it into two visible parts. It is a long-held viewthat from the cleft, the Lord appeared in the form ofNarasimha and this cleft is known as 'UgraSthambham'.

(b) PRAHALADA METTU
The small shrine, situated in a cave on the hill, is inbetween Ugra Sthambham and the Upper Ahobilam. Itis dedicated to Prahlada Narashimha Swamy. Theimage of the Prahlada is installed in a small cave.

There are a number of holy 'theerthas' (water ponds)round this place. Of these, Rakthakundam is the mostimportant. It is stated that Lord Narasirnha after killingthe demon Hiranyakasipu, washed his hands in this'theertham' and hence the water is still reddish inappearance. (History of the cult of Narasimha inAndhra Pradesh by Dr. M. Narasimhacharya).

LOWER AHOBILAM
The temple surrounded by three prakaras in the LowerAhobilam is dedicated to Prahlada Varada i.e., the Lordwhose grace bestows on Prahlada. With Vijayanagarstyle noticeable in the structure, there are a number ofmandapas outside the temple. A shrine dedicated to SriVenkateswara exists to the south west of thisNarasimha temple and lends view to the episode thatLord Venkateswara obtained the blessings of Narasimhajust before his marriage with Padmavathi. The MukhaMandapa there, is now used as the Kalyana Mandapa ofNarasimha Swamy. With Lakshmeenarasimha as thepresiding Deity, the main temple consists of a sanctum,Mukhamandapam and Rangamandapam with numerouspillars intricately carved and carrying rich sculptures. There are also three smaller shrines for Lakshmi, Andaland Azhwars. In the sanctum are also kept the Utsavaidols of Prahlada Varada, Pavana Narasimha and theprocessional idols of Jwala Narasimha endowed withten hands and with Sreedevi and Bhoodevi on Hiseither side. A small idol of the first Jeeyar, Sri AdivanSatakopa Swami is also kept before them.

What is apparent and observable is Lord Narasimha'sposture in three places including the one in a polar of adivine ascetic presenting ascetic order to the first Jeeyarof Ahobila Mutt. Both in the Upper and LowerAhobilam, it is a common sight on the pillars of LordNarasimha wooing His consort Chenchulakshmi. TheLord chasing Hiranyakasipu in one pillar and burstingforth from another pillar to tear him are very realistic. Thanks to the 44th Jeeyar's efforts as also that of theEndowments Department of A.P. Government, thecomplex has been renovated, though a lot is desired tobe done. It would not be out of place to mention thatgood resting places, free or paid boarding arrangements(as is done in Thirupathi), provision of enough drinkingwater and Devasthanam canteens would go a long wayto attract more number of pilgrims. The annualuthsavam (Brahmothsava) performed in February everyyear is a great attraction that lure both the common folkand the religious Pandits to participate in them. Though under the care of the Ahobila Mutt whoseJeeyars are hereditary trustees, co-operation from thepublic and the government would help improveAhobilam further.

There is a tall Jayasthambham erected in the spaciousground outside the temple walls to mark the victory ofKrishnadeva Raya. The Kakatheeya Kings especiallyPrathapa Rudra had also contributed towards additionalstructures and maintenance of this Ahobilam complex.

Sri Thirumangai Azhwar describes the place as very hard to visit (sendru kandarkku ariya kovil, kavvu naayum kazhugum, deivamallal sella vonna), but due to the efforts of the 45th Azhagiyasingar, this place has transformed into "sendru kaandarku eliya (easy) kovil. Many devotees visitahobilam frequently and the place is well connected with a guest house and access to trains from Chennai, Bangalore and Bombay. In addition, severaltourist operators also frequently arrange religious trips to Ahobilam from major cities.