The mythological story behind the historical Simhachalam Temple?

The Shri Varaha Lakshmi Narsimha Swamy Temple or simply, the “Simhachalam Temple,” is one of the highly visited temples in Visakhapatnam. While much writing has been done tracing the origins of the Simhachalam temple, its key deity – Lord Narsimha – has a deeper tale.

The tale of Jaya-Vijaya

The story dates back to an incident that is part of the oldest Hindu mythology books the Dashavataras. The story revolves around Vishnu and his Demi-god gatekeepers, Jaya and Vijaya, and it goes like this:

Lord Brahma had four sons known as the ‘Kumara’s who were believed to be the children he had produced from his mind. One day, they decided to visit Lord Vishnu in his abode, Vaikuntha. When they tried to gain entry, they were stopped by Jaya and Vijaya who had failed to recognise their divinity.

In their rage, the Kumaras cursed the gatekeepers to mortality on Earth. Terrified at their plight, they approached Vishnu for help. Although unable to revoke the curse, Lord Vishnu offered the duo two options: they could either be his devotees for seven human lifetimes or be his mortal enemies for three demonic lifetimes. Unable to bear being separated  from their master, they opted for the latter.

As a result of this choice, they were born to the Sage Kashyapa and Diti. Because of the couple’s inauspicious union at dusk, the pair were reincarnated as two Asuras that are famously penned down in Indian mythology as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu. The went on to become enemies of Lord Vishnu.

Hiranyaksha’s death

In his time in the world, Hiranyaksha decided to lower Earth and sink it to the ‘Rasatala’- the lowest level in the cosmic universe. To combat this situation, Vishnu assumed the form of the Boar, his Varaha Avatar, and restored Earth to its original position. Following this, a thousand-year-long war was waged between the two, during which Hiranyaksha was killed.

Hurt by the death of his brother, Hiranyakashipu vowed to avenge his brother’s death and prayed to Brahma. After a long penance he was granted a boon by Brahma that made him invulnerable to death. He could be killed neither by day or night, nor by human or beast. Confident in his immortality, Hiranyakashipu unleashed chaos on Earth. After achieving this undisputed power, the demon King, Hiranyakashipu wanted everyone to chant his name. Considering himself invincible, he began killing people who were not treating him as God. Scared of his dominating and egoistic nature, everyone in his kingdom started worshipping him.

Hiranyakashipu’s death

Hiranyakashipu’s own son, Prahlad however, was a devout follower of Lord Vishnu and refused to worship his father. Angered by his disobedience, Hiranyakashipu attempted to murder his own son numerous times. From being thrown into a pit of vipers to surviving a stampede of elephants, Prahlad was subjected to a number of near-death experiences. Every time, he was saved by Lord Vishnu, whose name Prahlad chanted over and over.

During one of these attempts, Lord Vishnu descends as his half lion form, ‘Narsimha Avatar’, to end Hiranyakashipu’s reign of terror. As a tribute to the end of evil by the Narsimha Avataram of Vishnu, Prahalada built the temple on the Simhachalam Hills with the presiding deity of Lord Narsimha.

Now, the temple is visited by thousands of devotees from around the country. It is comfortably located about 16 kilometres from the city and can be accessed by cabs, autos, buses and more. Stay tuned for an upcoming account of the temple following its initial construction up until today.

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