Sinhachalam
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Sinhachalam (सिंहाचलम्) is a Narasimha temple situated on the Simhachalam Hill Range, which is 300 metres above the sea level in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. It is dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped there as Varaha Narasimha.
Origin
Variants
- Sinhachalam सिंहाचलम्, आंध्र प्रदेश (AS, p.964)
- Simhachalam (सिंहाचलम्)
History
Simhachalam is one of the 32 Narasimha temples in Andhra Pradesh which are important pilgrimage centres. It was regarded as an important centre of Vaishnavism in the medieval period along with Srikurmam and others. The temple has been recognised by historians with the help of a 9th-century AD inscription by the Chalukya Chola king Kulottunga I. In the later half of the 13th century, the temple complex underwent radical physical changes during the reign of the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. It later received patronage from many royal families, of which Tuluva dynasty of Vijayanagara Empire is a notable one. The temple underwent 40 years of religious inactivity from 1564 AD to 1604 AD. In 1949, the temple came under the purview of the state government and is currently administered by the Simhachalam Devasthanam Board.
सिंहाचलम्
सिंहाचलम् (AS, p.964) : सिंहाचलम् मंदिर आंध्र प्रदेश के विशाखापट्टनम में स्थित प्रचीन तीर्थ है। वाल्टेयर स्टेशन से प्राय: 3 मील की दूरी पर पहाड़ के ऊपर नृसिंह स्वामी का प्राचीन मंदिर है. पहाड़ी पर जाने को 988 सीढ़ियाँ बनी हैं. मंदिर से 100 गज की दूरी पर गंगाधारा नामक तीर्थ है. किंवदंती के अनुसार यह स्थान नृसिंहावतार की स्थली है. [1]