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.
