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The famous Shrine of Sri Lakshmi Narasimha
Swami stands on the Yadagirigutta hill, in Nalgonda district, about 64-km
from Hyderabad. The temple is situated at the top of the hill, which is
about 300ft in height. At the foot of the hill, there is a gateway with
Gopuram, which is called popularly as "Vaikunta Dwaram".
The Legend
There
are no inscriptions or recorded material available to give the history of
the temple. There are, however, Puranic and traditional accounts, which
are widely popular among the devotees. Tradition records that
Yadagirigutta is connected with the Yadava chiefs who constructed the
temple of Lord Narasimha. According to a legend, it is said that on this
hill the Lord manifested himself in three different forms to the Yadavas.
Architectural Grandeur Of The Temple
After entering the Simhadwaram of the temple, there is a Hanuman Temple
on the right side. Exactly beneath the Hanuman image, there is a
horizontal rock gap of about 10 inches width and about 60-sq-ft in area.
This horizontal narrow cave is said to be the spot where the Lord
manifested himself in his Swarupa of Lord Narasimha as "Gandhabherunda",
one of the three Narasimhas who appeared before the Yadavas. To the left,
is a big hall where the devotees generally sit.
The front pillar of the temple is a constructed sculpture whereas the
rear pillars where the actual shrine of the God is situated, viz., the
'Garbha Gudi', is a natural cave of about 30ft length and 12ft width cut
into a hill. The cave is formed under a huge rock, which forms a sloping
roof into a height of just 5ft in the middle for the passage inside.
While going through this constricted passage one has necessarily to lower
his head slightly. Thus the very natural formation of the cave itself
makes one bow involuntarily to the Lord. On the left of the passage, there
is a Peetha where special Pujas are performed. At the end of the cave,
there are the actual images of the Lord.
One can see their two rocks fastened to each other and forming a vertical
cup of about one foot between them. On the other side of the rock, we can
see the image in the shape of a serpent head and ending like its tail.
This is said to be the aspect of God known as "Jwala Narasimha",
the second of the manifestations of Lord Vishnu to Yadavas.
Popular tradition has it that a divine serpent still moves about the
image. On the opposite rock, there is another image of a figure seated in
meditation and this is said to be the image of Yogananda Narasimha, the
third of the manifestations of Lord Vishnu to Yadavas.
These rocks form an integral part of the cave, and so there is no
possibility of having any modern structure in between them, without
dismantling the natural structure. As these two images of the Lord are not
clearly visible to the worshippers, the icons of Goddess Lakshmi and
Narasimha are made in silver and kept near the original 'Vigraha' for
darshan and worship. The superstructure of the temple is based on the huge
rock, which forms the cave. There is a temple to the left of the front
pillar, dedicated to the Goddess, known as Andalamma temple.
An Ideal Picnic Spot
Yadagiri has become a place for picnics, for the devotees residing in
Hyderabad. Many people come here to spend a day or two on the top of the
hill to enjoy the scenarios and drink and dip in the fountain of sanctity,
which the hill offers.
'Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swami Brahmotsavam' is celebrated for eleven days from 'Phalguna Suddha Vidiya' to 'Dvadasi' (February-March) with much grandeur and it is attended by thousands of devotees from all over the state.
Air: The nearest airport is
Hyderabad .
Rail: The nearest railhead is situated at Hyderabad.
Road: There are regular buses from Hyderabad and
Nalgonda to Yadagirigutta. There
are wide stone steps to ascend the hill and also a good motorable road to
the top from down below.
There is a well laid out township on the top of the hill consisting mostly of Dharmasalas constructed by the devotees. There are also cottages and guesthouses on the top of the hill. Otherwise, there is always an option to stay in the hotels at Hyderabad.
