Yadagirigutta Temple
Location
Yadagirigutta Temple, also known as Sri Lakshmi narasimha Temple is
the holy abode of Lord Narasimha, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is
located on the hillock at Yadagirigutta village in the Nalgonda district
of Telangana. It is situated at a distance of around 60 km from
Hyderabad, the capital city of Telangana.
History of the Temple
In Treta yugam, there lived a sage named Yadarishi. He was the son of
great sage Rishyasrunga and Santa Devi. It is said that he did penance
inside a cave on this hill between Bhongir and Raigiri with the
blessings of Lord Anjaneya to please Lord Narasimha. Seeing his great
devotion, Lord Narasimha appeared in front of him in five different
forms as Jwala, Ugra, Gandabherunda, Yogananda and Lakshminarasimha.
They later turned themselves into finely sculpted forms and worshipped
now as Pancha Narasimha Kshetram. The Puranas and traditional accounts
related to this shrine are widely popular among the devotees. There is
also a mention about the origin of the temple in Skanda Purana.
According to one more legend, it is said that Lord Vishnu, mesmerized by
Yadarishi’s penance, sent Sri Anjaneya to take Rishi to the holy spot.
It is at this spot; Lord Narasimha appeared in front of him in the form
of Lakshmi narasimha. The spot can be still seen at the foot of Yadagiri
hillock, which is just 500 metres from the temple. Sage Yadarishi
worshipped Lord for many years on this hillock. After the sage attained
moksha, number of tribals came here to worship the Lord. But not being
very learned, these devotees began to indulge in improper worship. As a
result, Sri Lakshmi narasimha moved into the hills. The tribal devotees
searched their Lord for many years but couldn’t find him.
Many years later, Lord appeared in the dream of a devoted lady of the
tribe and directed him to the cave and revealed himself to all showing
his five majestic avatars. The puja vidhanam (Puja procedure) was set
by Late Sri Vangeepuram Narasimha charyulu who served as Sthanacharya of
this temple. Lord Narasimha is also called as “Vaidya Narasimha” among
his devotees as he cures many chronic diseases and makes one immune to
the influence of bad planets, witchcraft and black magic. A mandala (40
day) pradakshina is performed by many devotees to please the Lord to get
cured of chronic diseases.
Construction of the Temple
As soon as you enter the Simhadwaram of the Temple, you will see
Hanuman temple on the right side. There is a horizontal rock gap of
about 10 inches width and 60 square feet in area exactly below the
Hanuman image. This horizontal narrow cave is believed to be the spot
where the Lord manifested himself as “Gandhabherunda”, one of the
Swarupas of Lord Narasimha. A big hall is there towards the left side,
where the devotees generally sit. The front pillar of the temple is a
constructed sculpture whereas the rear pillars exhibits the actual
shrine of the God, the ‘Garbha Gudi’, a natural cave of about 30 feet
length and 12 feet width cut into a hill. At the top of the Sikharam of
Sanctum Sanctorum of this temple, is the golden Sudarshana Chakra (about
3 ft x 3 ft) of Lord Vishnu. The weapon is a symbol by which this
temple is identified from as far as 5 km. The cave is formed under a
huge rock and passage is of just 5 feet in height. Thus, the very
natural formation of the cave itself makes one bow involuntarily to the
Lord. Special Pujas are performed at Peetha, which is on the left side
of the passage. There are also the actual images of the Lord at the end
of the cave. One can see the two rocks forming a vertical cup of about
one foot between them. On one of the rock, we can see the image in the
shape of a serpent head. This is said to be the one more Swarupa of Lord
Narasimha known as “Jwala Narasimha”.
It is also said that the divine serpent still moves about the image.
On the opposite rock, there is another image of a figure seated in
intense meditation and this is believed to be the image of Yogananda
Narasimha, the third Swarupa of Lord Narasimha.
The idols of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Narasimha are made in silver
and kept at the original ‘Vigraha’ for worship. The superstructure of
the temple has its base on the huge rock which forms the cave.
Best Time to Visit
October to March
The annual Brahmothsavam is celebrated in the month of February or
March every year. Thousands of pilgrims flock here during this 11 days
long festival.
Temple Timings
The temple remains open for public from 4 AM to 9:30 PM every day.
Official Website
For more details about the temple, visit
www.yadagiriguttasrilakshminarasimhaswamy.org .
Transportation
By Air
Hyderabad Airport is the nearest one, 83 km away from the temple and is well connected to major cities of India and abroad.
By Rail
The nearest railway station is at Bhongir, which is just 12 km away. It lies on the Kazipet-Secunderabad rail route.
By Road
There are regular buses from Hyderabad and Nalgonda to Yadagirigutta.
There are wide stone steps to climb up and down the hill. There is also
a good motorable road to the top of the hill from down below.