August 2016 – themehulvora.com

Narasimha-Killing-Hiranyakashipu-Prahlada-Garlanding-the-Lord_HDR

Twelve Narasimha Temples of Tamil Nadu- Part 3

7. Polur Lakshmi Narasimha

Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Temple is located at Polur. Polur is situated on the state highway between Tiruvannamalai and Vellore districts. The hill is called Sampathgiri and the main deity is the Swayambu Sri Lakshmi Narasimha. There are two vultures that fly around the hill and people believe that they are the two brothers Koasthiya and Pularshtriya. The hill which is opposite Sampatha Giri is called Sapthagiri. It is believed that the 7 sages still reside in this mountain

The Legend

One legend that I came across reading is once A group of workers was breaking down stones on a hill called Sampathgiri in Polur village in Thiruvannamalai district of Tamil Nadu. Workers were busy doing their job. One of the worker’s spear hit a rock, and to everyone’s shock, it started bleeding. They were frightened and left for the day. On the same night, Lord Narasimha appeared in one of the devotee’s dreams. Lord Narasimha said that he has come on his own to Sampathgiri as Shanta Murti. The next day, the devotee informed the villagers. All the villagers came to see the idol. They were all shocked to see the Lord bleed. All the villagers came together and built a place of worship for Lord Narasimha. A temple was built atop the hill for Lord Narasimha. Later people installed Lakshmi- the consort of Lord Narasimha.

Lord Narasimha later invited two brothers namely Sage Kolasthiya and Sage Pulasthiya to this temple. These two Sages were ardent devotees of the Lord. These two sages did penance to please Lord Narasimha. Pleased by their Devotion, Lord Narasimha gave them a mango. A fight broke up between the two brothers as to who would take the mango. In the spur of the moment, Sage Pulasthiya chopped his younger brother Kolasthiya’s hands. Even after losing both hands, Sage Kolasthiya continued to worship the Lord with great devotion. He took bath at ”seyyar” for 48 days and circled the Sampathgiri. After the 48th day, Kolasthiyar’s hands reappeared magically! This not only surprised the sage, but also others present. It was Lord’s plan that Ustav Murthi should be installed by Kolasthiya. Lord came in Kolasthiya’s dream and gave direction as to where the Utsava Murti was. It was in a place called Karapoondi in Seyyar. The sage went to look for the Utsava Murti with the direction given by the lord. He found the Utsava Murti and established a temple.

8. Yoga-Narasimha of Chintalavadi

Chintalavadi Yoga-Narasimha temple is situated in a small village called Chintalavadi on the banks of river Kaveri. The place is about 50 KMs from Trichy on the way to Karur. The temple is located in a serene environment with a lot of greenery around with the trajectory of Kaveri flowing just beside the temple.

The Legend

Once Lord Yoga-Narasimha appeared in the dream of a pious Brahmin by the name Aryaachar from Srimushnam. The Lord mentioned to the Brahmin that a washerman was actually washing clothes on his back and told him about the exact location. He also asked him to locate the stone on which the washerman was washing and then carry it in a particular direction until the stone gains weight. At the point where he can no longer carry the stone, he asked him to keep it down.

As per the instructions of the Lord, Aryaachar went looking for the washerman and found him. When the stone on which the washerman was washing the clothes was turned they found Lord Yoga-Narasimha carved on the bottom side of the stone.

Aryaachar then carried the stone in the direction as instructed by Lord and when he came to the banks of Kaveri he had to put it down. This place is Chintalavadi. Another Legend says that this place was experiencing lot of difficulties like drought, forest fire, etc. At this time Vysarayaru was camping at Srirangam and on hearing the news about Chintalavadi, he apparently traveled there and located the Yoga Narasimha Vigraha and started worshiping and the place prospered.

9. Namakkal Narasimha

Located about 55 km from Salem off the Bangalore- Kanyakumari NH 7 is the Narasimha temple at the Salagram Cave Hill in the Namakkal district of Tamil Nadu. Opposite the Narasimha temple is the Anjaneya where he is seen standing 18 feet tall with a Japamala in hand and a sword in the waist facing Lord Narasimha. Lord Narasimha here is depicted with sharp nails used to kill Hiranyakashyapu with palms having stains of blood. There are Janaka, Sanadhanar, Sun, Moon, and Brahma around Him. The Lord is generally known as Sri Lakshmi Narasimha if the goddess Lakshmi is on his lap. In this temple, Sri Mahalakshmi has Her place on the chest of the Lord. The idol is 18 feet tall

The Legend

During the Rama Incarnation, Hanuman had to fly to Himalayas to get Sanjeevni Herb to save Lakshman’s life, Hanuman however could not find the Herb so he brought a hill from there and also flew back to replace it. on his return, after replacing the hill he stopped to bathe in river Gandaki in Nepal, where he found a Salagram Shila and brought the Shila back.

While he was flying back the sun had risen and Hanuman had to bath and perform his morning rituals, but he could not hold the Salagram as it

cannot be placed on earth. That place where Hanuman stopped is the place where Goddess Mahalakshmi was doing Penance. Hanuman determined to do his morning Rituals asked Goddess Mahalakshmi if she can hold the Salagram. Goddess Mahalakshmi agreed on the condition that She would place it down if he did not return with a stipulated time. Lakshmi could not bear the weight and Hanuman could not come in time so Goddess Mahalakshmi placed the Salagram at this place, which grew into a mount before Hanuman could return. when Hanuman returned he tried to lift the Salagram. But he could not lift it. Narasimha appeared before both of them and set his abode at this place telling Hanuman to proceed to Lanka to help Lord Rama. also, Narasimha said If you want to worship me, you will come here after Lord Rama returns to Vaikuntha and pray ever in front of me in Kaliyuga.

Thus Sri Hanuman is even now at Namakkal Sthalam in the western side of the rock standing in the open air, worshipping Lord Narasimha.

Twelve Narasimha Temples of Tamil Nadu- Part 2

Indian Mythology

4. Patalathri Narasimha of Kanchipuram

Singaperumal Kovil near Chengalpet is Situated in the Kanchipuram District of Tamil Nadu is Singaperumal Kovil which is home to a frequently visited ancient Patalathri Narasimha. Patalam means red. Athri means hill. As Lord Narasimha appeared here furiously with red eyes and the huge size of a hill so the place came to be known as Patalathri.

Lord here graces with four arms, two of them holding Sudarsana and Panchajanya and the third in “Abaya Hastha” Mudra with the fourth pointing towards the earth. in a sitting posture, He graces along with Sridevi and Bhudevi. Lord Patalatri Narasimha has three eyes and wears the Salagrama and Sahasranama garlands. It is believed that if one gets the darshan of the Third Eye, all misery in life would be removed. You can get a darshan of the third eye during arati when the priest would lift tilaka.

The Legend

This temple has been referred to in Brahmaanda Purana. This place was surrounded by dense forests during the period of the Narasimha avatar. Maharshi Jabali performed intense penance in this place seeking the desire to see Lord Narasimha. Lord granted the sage’s Desire and appeared in front of him during the twilight time. Based on the event, Abhisheka is performed to the Lord at this time on Pradosha days.

Another legend says that Appachiaranna a great devotee of Lord Narasimha had a son named Annavillappan who learned Ubhaya Vedantham from Daasarathi Appai and Kandadai Appan. Annavillappan was extremely devoted to his Kuladevta Narasimha. Patalathri Narasimha appeared in his dream and told him to spruce the jungle and bring out his temple drowned in a sand dune at Patalathri. This place is now known as ‘Singa Perumal Kovil ‘. Annavillappan rehabilitated the Patalathri Narasimha deity which had drowned under a sand dune, as per Lord Narasimha‘s directive, and created the village and also brought and settled people to serve the Lord in Temple. He constructed the tower, etc., and worshiped him.

5. Lakshmi Narasimha of Poovarasankuppam

One of the foremost shrines of Lakshmi Narasimha is Poovarasan Kuppam, near Villupuram district Tamil Nadu; The presiding deity is Lakshmi Narasimha. This temple is approximately 1200 years old. It is said that for the first time, after killing Hiranyakashipu at Ahobilam, Lord Narasimha appeared at Poovarasankuppam in the same form and gave Darshan to the Sapta Rishis as Lakshmi Narasimha. therefore it is believed that one who cannot have the darshan of Narasimha at Ahobilam, Andhra Pradesh Can Have Blessings By Visiting This temple In Poovarasankuppam. A unique feature here is the posture of Mahalakshmi, who is seated on the lap of Lord Narasimha and has one eye towards the Lord and the other eye gracing devotees.

The Legend

Lord Narasimha took an instant incarnation as answering the prayers of his devotee Prahalada to slay the demon Hiranyakashipu. After slaying the demon, his anger did not subside and he roamed all over India. At Poovarasankuppam on the Northern shore of the river South Pennai in South India, the Saptha Rishis prayed to the Lord to have his darshan. Lord appeared here in front of the Sapta Rishis. However, Rishis could not bear the intensity of heat emitting from the Lord and requested his consort to calm him down. Goddess Lakshmi, obliged and sat on the Lord’s lap and looked at him with one eye and the Rishis with the other. This act of the Goddess Lakshmi brought a soothing and tranquil effect on the Lord. To this day, it is only at this temple in the whole world that Lord Lakshmi Narasimha is in such a pose.

6. Yoga Narasimha of Sholingur

Located about 90 km west of Chennai and about 25 km from Arakkonam, atop a hill on a single stone is the Yoga Narasimha temple in Sholingur, also called Thiru Kadigai. There are three separate shrines of Vishnu in the form of Narasimha, Bhaktavatsala Perumal, and Hanuman. They are situated on the larger hill, at the base of the larger hill and on the smaller hill respectively. Vishnu Purana and Padma Purana refer to this place as Kadigai and since Vishwamitra got his Brahmarishi title here, it became Simhapuram

The Legend

Here at Solingur Sage Vishwamitra undertook penance here and was blessed by Lord Narasimha who appeared within a fraction of time (one Kadigai) and also he gained a Brahmarishi title with his prayers to Lord Narasimha. Ages Passed by towards the end of Rama Avatar, Following the footsteps of the Vishwamitra, Some Sages too undertook penance here at Sholingur wanting a darshan of the Narasimha Avatar and hoping to get the darshan within a fraction of time. It is said that even if we sleep for 1 Kadigai in this Dham, we will get liberation. That kind of nature and specialty, this Kshetram has got. The sages doing penance here were troubled by demons named Kalan and Keyan in the region and they prayed to Lord Rama, for protection.

At the end of the Rama Avatar, Hanuman wanted to join Rama in his abode at Vaikuntam. However, Rama had other thoughts and asked Hanuman to go to Sholingur to protect the Sages from demons Kalan and Keyan. Hanuman could not initially kill the demons and he prayed to Lord Narasimha. Lord Narasimha appeared before Hanuman and gave him Shanka and Chakra with which Hanuman Killed the Demons also Lord Narasimha asked Hanuman to remain here, as Yoga Anjaneya, with the assurance that he would take Hanuman into Vaikunta Dham during Kali Yuga.

Abiding by the Lord’s wishes, Hanuman is said to have remained here atop the small hill and is seen here with four hands in a Yoga posture with Conch, Chakra, Japa Mala, and the fourth hand with counting the Japa.

This is the only Divya Desam with such special prominence for Lord Hanuman.

Twelve Narasimha Temples of Tamil Nadu- Part 1

Indian Mythology

In Sat Yuga the two gatekeepers of Vaikunta due to the curse of the four kumara were born as demons Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha, Hiranyaksha was killed by Mahavishnu in his Varaha or boar incarnation rescuing Bhoomi Devi. The elder Hiranyakashipu to take revenge on Lord Vishnu did severe penance and got a boon from Lord Brahma, that he will never meet death by human beings, animals, earth and sky, by any instruments in and out of the houses, etc. Then Hiranyakashipu, on the Power of the boons, troubles everyone and forced everyone to worship him. Hiranyakashipu had a son Prahalad who was a great devotee of Vishnu, Hiranyakashipu then even tortured and tried to kill his own son and then Lord Vishnu took the Narasimha incarnation and killed Hiranyakashipu according to the conditions of the boons received by Lord Brahma. Lord Narasimha is said to appear in Ahobilam, Andhra Pradesh, and is widely worshipped in South India. Here I am enlisting the twelve important Places of worship in Tamil Nadu.

1. Lakshmi Narasimha – Anthili

Anthili Lakshmi Narasimha

A very famous 1600 years old Narasimha temple was built on a rock in a Garuda shape. is Located 195 km South West of Chennai off the Villupuram-Thiru Kovilur SH7 on the banks of Pennai River. It is also noteworthy that the rays of the Sun fall on the presiding deity on all 365 days of the year

The Legend

Lord Narayana comes to the rescue of His devotees without any delay. In the avatar of Narasimha, Lord rushed to help his devotee Prahlad. In his swift action, he did not wait for his mount Garuda but appeared instantly from a pillar and protected Prahlad. This caused much anxiety to Garuda who felt being left out. Garuda wanted to know whether he had committed anything offense. So He left Vaikunta and started intense penance without food and water at Anthili.

The severe penance of Garuda pleased the Lord who appeared before him and asked him the reasons for his penance. Having stated the reasons, Garuda requested the Lord to relieve him of his anxiety. Then and there the Lord gave him darshan as Lord Narasimha with Mahalakshmi seated on his lap. Garuda pleaded that this darshan should be to the people at large.

2- Lakshmi Narasimha of Parikkal

An 1800-year-old Lakshmi Narasimha temple in Parikkal city of Viluppuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu. Narasimha is generally seen in his furious form embracing Goddess Mahalakshmi while she is seated on His lap. This is the only temple in India where Lord Narasimha and Mahalakshmi are seen embracing each other. This is to show that Lord Narasimha has shed His fury and graces devotees with all mercy.

The Legend

A king Named Vasantharaja a great devotee of Lord Narasimha ruled this place with his capital at Vriddachalam and wanted to build a temple for Lord Narasimha. He was constantly troubled by a demon named Parakalasura who was said to be a relative of Hiranyakashipu. King Vasantharaja undertook great penance here as directed by his Guru. Answering his prayers, Lord Narasimha appeared here and killed the Parakalasura. Having only seen the destructive mood of an angry Narasimha, King Vasantharaja invoked the blessings of Goddess Lakshmi to provide Darshan with the Lord displaying his softer form. Goddess Mahalakshmi is said to have sat on his lap, cooled him down, and provided Darshan to king Vasantharaja, and to all the Demigods and sages at this place. Delighted seeing Lord Narasimha in this form, king Vasantharaja requested that this place be named after the Demon who provided the king with the opportunity to have a Darshan of the Lord. Hence, this place was referred to as ‘Parikala’puram, which in course of time became ‘Parikkal’.

3. Ugra Narasimha of Singri

Singri Ugra Narasimha

Singarkudi is a famous temple of Ugra Narasimha situated between Pondicherry and Cuddalore. Here Lord Ugra Narasimha appears very furiously with 16 hands as at the time of destroying Hiranyakashipu.

In each one of the sixteen hands, either an action or a gesture is shown or a weapon is held in the following manner.

To the right: 1. Banner, 2. Sudarsana Disc set to motion, 3. Hand–Dagger, 4. Arrow, 5. Severing the demon’s head, 6. Knife, 7. Holding down Hiranyakasipu’s leg, 8. Tearing out Hiranyakasipu’s intestines.

To the left: 9. Holding up a garland of demon’s intestines, 10. Conch, 11. Shield, 12. Bow, 13. Mace, 14. Severed head, 15. Pressing down Hiranyakasipu’s head, 16. Tearing out Hiranyakasipu’s intestines.

He killed Hiranyakashipu facing west, here too the Lord is facing west. On the left of Narasimha is Hiranyakshyapu’s wife Neelavathi and are three demons seeking His darshan, Prahladha, Sukra, and sage Vasista on the right. Yoga Narasimha and Bala Narasimha in small form face the north. This is a rare portrayal of three Narasimha in a Garbgriha

The Legend

Nimi Chakravarthy belonging to the solar race was endowed with a sharp intellect. A devout person he conducted many Fire sacrifices s and secured many boons from the Devas. He wanted to perform Indra Fire Sacrifice for the welfare of mankind. Thus the king approached his guru Vasishta and informed him about the Fire Sacrifice and also requested Vasishta to conduct the Fire Sacrifice. Since Vasishta was reluctant to perform Fire Sacrifice for Indra he expressed his inability to perform but assured that he would visit him the following day.

The king, however, decided to go ahead with the Fire Sacrifice with help of Sage Koushika, after conducting the Fire Sacrifice successfully he wanted to take a rest and retire to his palace. He ordered his guards not to allow anyone to visit him. At this juncture, Sage Vasishta wanted to have a rendezvous with the king and asked the guards to allow him into the palace. The guards refused permission. Enraged at this act the Sage Vasishta cursed the king to lose his identity and wander in the atmosphere without a body. The king knew about the Incident and for his part cursed the Sage likewise. The king felt that it is not proper for a Sage to curse anyone while he is asleep. Thus the sage and the king were roaming in the atmosphere without a body aimlessly. All sages assembled and wished to perform a Fire Sacrifice to redeem them of the curse. But the king did not want to assume his normal self instead he wanted to worship God through the eyes of mankind.

Sage Vasishta approached his father Brahma and sought his guidance. The four-headed Brahma at once asked him to proceed to Singarkudi and do Penance propitiating Narasimha. As suggested by his father the sage went to Singarkudi and attained salvation through penance. Narasimha pleased with his devotion gave darshan to him.