Facts to File
How far :
363 km from Hyderabad, 262 km. from Tirupati and 74 km from
Nandyal (Kurnool dist)
How to go
: Air: Hyderabad & Tirupati are
the nearest airports.
Rail: Nandyal town
(74 km. on Guntur-Hubli line) and Cuddapah ( 118 km.
on
Madras-Bombay line) are the
convenient railheads.
Bus: 34 km. from
Allagadda, which is connected by state buses
from
Hyderabad,
Tirupati, Chittoor, Cuddapah, Kurnool, Nellore and
Madras.
Where to stay :
Lakshmi Nilaya Tourist rest house, TTD Choultry and Arya
Vysya Choultry at lower Ahobilam.
What to see :
Prahladavarada Narasimha temple, Alwar Koneru and Nine
forms of Lord Narasimha.
Ahobilam, which is known as Singavel
Kundram, is dedicated to Lord Narasimha, the lion form of Lord
Vishnu, which he took to kill the demon Hiranyakashyapa. Of the many
places of Narasimha worship, this place is unique, being the only
place where all the nine forms of Lord Narasimha are worshipped.
Hence it is also called Nava Narasimha Kshetra.
The
temple is divided into two parts- the lower Ahobilam and the the
upper Ahobilam. The lower Ahobilam is the abode of the
Prahladavarada Narasimha, the form of Lord Narasimha blessing
Prahlada. This temple lies in the center of three Praakaras built in
Vijayanagara style. About a furlong from this temple is the Alwar
Koneru, a drinking water lake.
An
ascent up the hill leads to upper Ahobilam, the lord here is
Ahobaleswar. A 9 km. hillpath cutting across virgin hills and
forests with several waterfalls and exquisite scenic beauty takes
one to Ahobaleswar temple, located at the western side of a sacred
stream known as Vavinasi (one who checks ego), which joins the river
Krishna.
LEGEND
It is believed that Narasimha manifested Himself
in a natural rock cave. This place is considered as one of the 10
divya kshetras of the country. The main temple at the lower Ahobilam
consists of a Sanctum, a Mukhamantapam and a Rangamantapam all of
which are decorated with excellent sculptures on the pillars. The
massive composite pillars in the Rangamantapam are profusely carved
with figures Yakshas riding on Yalis and horses with their rear legs
mounted on the Makaras.In fact the lower Ahobilam temple may be
considered a veritable museum exhibiting some masterpieces from the
Vijayanagara Art. Large figures of musicians, sensuous women, divine
figures of Rama and Laxmana are pictursque. Apart from this, the
Narasa Nayaka figure of Srikrishna Devaraya is very attractive. The
exterior of upper Ahobilam is also decorated with excellent
sculptures similar to those found on the outer walls of the
Hazaramma temple at Hampi.
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