Simhachalam Temple Andhra Pradesh – Temple of Lord Varaha Narasimhaswamy Visakhapatnam
Simhadri or Simhachalam Temple is the famous temple of Lord Varaha Narasimhaswamy located in Visakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh state, India. In this article you will get information of Simhachalam Temple regarding its deity, features, legend, timings, location, contact information and many more! Read this article before you plan the trip.
Simhachalam Temple Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh
Simhachalam temple popularly known as simhadri is a Hindu temple dedicated to the avatar of Vishnu known as Narasimha(the man-lion). This is an 11th century temple of lord Narasimha which is located at a distance of 18km from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state, India. The presiding deity of the Simhachalam temple is Varaha Lakshminarasimha, which is believed to have the combined features of Varaha and Narasimha. Here the image resembles a Shiva lingam, which is covered with sandal paste. Every year millions of devotees from around the world visit this temple. But it should be noted that only once a year, during the Chandana Visarjana that the sandal paste covering this Shiva lingam is removed and then only the image is seen by the pilgrims.
That means the holy appearance in true form is given to the devotees for only 12 hours in a year but on the remaining 364 days and 12 hours, the lord is covered with the sandalwood paste. Another important fact is that this temple is considered to be one among the richest temples of India. The important features of this temple include a beautiful stone chariot drawn by horses, kalyana mandapa with 16 pillars and many more. I know you all are familiar with some other richest temples of India like the Thirupathi temple and the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple respectively. If you get a chance to visit this Simhachalam temple, you will be able to see the fact that this temple faces west unlike many other temples that faces the east. You will be also able to see the Orissan and Dravidian features of this temple construction. There is a legend associated with this Simhachalam temple. Simhachalam Temple Timings
Morning: 7:00 AM- 4:00 PM
Evening: 6:00 PM- 9:00 PMSimhachalam temple and legends
We all know the fact that each temple has a legend associated with it. Likewise this Simhachalam temple also has a legend related to it. From the Puranic scriptures of Hinduism, we know that Hiranyakashipu is an Asura. He wanted to become immortal and hence performed tapasya to propitiate Lord Brahma. But Lord Brahma said that it was impossible. So Hiranyakashipu asked Lord Brahma to grant him a boon so that he would never be killed by any animals or man neither in the morning nor in night by any weapons, neither in sky nor on earth. After that, he wanted the entire world to worship him. But his son named Prahlada, who was a devotee of Lord Narayana, never heard the words of Hiranyakashipu. So Hiranyakashipu got angry and decided to kill Prahlada. Once, Hiranyakashipu in his angry threw Prahlada to the top of a mountain. But Vishnu rescued Prahlada by moving the mountain and made a small path for him. It is believed that the place where Lord Vishnu stood to protect Prahlada is considered as the place where this temple is built. When you visit this temple, you can't see the god's feet. It is believed that god's foot was buried inside the earth. Do you know how it happened? To save Prahlada, Lord Narayana jumped from Garuda and his feet went deep into the earth. 
How to reach Simhachalam temple?
Since this temple is located very close to Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, one can very easily reach this Simhachalam temple from anywhere in Visakhapatnam. If you are starting from Waltair railway station, then you can visit Simhachalam by bus number 6A. From Gajuwaka, you can take bus number 55 and from Maddilipalem you can take bus number 540 so as to reach the Simhachalam temple. Keep in mind that bus numbered (6A and 40) starts from APSRTC complex. If you want to enjoy the journey, then it will be good if you hire a cab. The nearest airport is Visakhapatnam airport which is located at a distance of 16km from Simhachalam temple.
Since the temple is located on a hill top, there are steps provided for the devotees to reach the temple. However Simhachalam Devasthanam runs Simhadri bus services from the foothill to the hill top. The charges are Rs 6 per adult and Rs 3 per child. But if you are trying to reach the hill top in a private vehicle, remember that the charges vary for different vehicles. For your convenience I am providing the fares. They are Mini bus (Rs 75), Scooter(Rs 5), Car(Rs 20), Jeep(Rs 25), Lorry(Rs 75), Loaded van(Rs 40) and Empty van(Rs 30) respectively. Contact Simhachalam Devasthanam
Simhachalam,
Visakha Dist
Andhra Pradesh, India
Tel: 0891-2010462 / 2010452
Fax: 0891-2002149
Email: [email protected]
