If you ever thought Ahobilam is just a temple town for pilgrims and devotees, you are mistaken. It sure is a spiritual visit with a strong dose of adventure and needs loads of stamina. If you are a trekker, thrill seeker, nature lover or simply a peripatetic - You are sure to have an amazing time! Just like we did! And, if you have never heard of it...here is the synopsis.
Ahobilam lies in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, tucked inside Nallamala forest, part of picturesque Eastern Ghats, which are highly unexplored and pristine. It is famous for the Nava (9) Narasimhar (avatar of Vishnu) temples and much revered among vaishnavites, with a prominent place in the list of 108 Divya Desams. As per mythology, Ahobilam was once the palace of Hiranyakasiphu, a demon, who was killed by the half-man, half-lion avatar of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashiphu's son Prahlada was an ardent devotee and the main temple in the town centre is named Prahlada Varada Swamy Temple.
Ahobilam was a part of our week long road trip to Andhra and an excellent one at that. However, you can enjoy this place as a long weekend trip from Bangalore, Hyderabad or Chennai. As we started from Bangalore, we visited three wonderful locations of Lepakshi, Gandikota gorge and Belum Caves before reaching Ahobilam.
The route map https://goo.gl/maps/RjpDAE6kjgd8p77b9 The SH road passes through miles and miles of Sunflower fields on either side resembling a yellow-green floral carpet, tempting us to pull over for a closer look. However, if you want to skip these places, better stick to NH 44 till Gooty and take the deviation towards Ahobilam for a smoother and faster drive....map link https://goo.gl/maps/dqsSZRtEZh2a2KCq6
With lots of mutts, homestay options and AP tourism's Haritha lodge providing accomodation, it is easy to find a suitable room. We had booked through http://ahobilam.net/index.php as per a friend's recommendation and were greeted with friendly hosts, clean rooms and fresh, home cooked food. What more do we need !
Ahobilam, is a town with a laid back atmosphere. The breakup of Nava Narasimhar shrines are as follows :
🔶 Ahobila Narasimha, Krodha Narasimha, Malola Narasimha and Jwala Narasimha lie in Upper Ahobilam and warrants a daring 7 km uphill trek through steep steps, jungles, rocks and boulders with plenty of monkeys to keep you company throughout. Dholis can be availed by those who are unable to climb up.
🔶 Pavana Narasimha and Bhargava Narasimha temples lie deep inside the jungle, with jeeps available on hire to cover nearly 38 kms of bumpy, off roading on a dirt track. Not advisable for pregnant ladies and those suffering from lower back ailments.
🔶 Karanja Narasimha, Yogananda Narasimha and Chatravata Narasimha are easily accessible with well laid roads.
Apart from these nine, do include the main temple of Ahobilam town - Prahlada Varadha Swamy Temple, Ugra Sthambam daredevilry trek and scenically positioned Prahlada Paatashala too. Spend 2 days at Ahobilam to soak in the beauty of raw nature and tranquility of all the temples. It helped to a great extent, that we reached the place, the previous night. With plenty of rest, we were fresh and raring to go, the next morning. Hiring a guide is highly recommended. Raju was our man😊.
Raju explains that each of the nine temples are associated with nine planets, with four of them at Upper Ahobilam requiring good amount of trekking and one is on the way. So five temples to be covered by afternoon. Right then! Get, Set, Vroom.....
Our first stop💥 Karanja Narasimha, is on the way to Upper (yeguva) Ahobilam, with the ruling planet Moon (chandran) and is easily accessible by car. Surprised to see the Lord with Bow and chakra in Lord Rama form with Anjaneya in bowing pose.
Next we reach the 💥 Ahobila Narasimha, a 14th century temple, displaying wonderful stone carvings of Vijayanagara style. The ruling planet is Jupiter (Guru). The trekking trail starts from the side of this temple.
🔅Rent a pole / stick which is highly useful as you ascend higher.
🔅Those availing Dholis have to do so here.
🔅Do not carry heavy backpacks or handbags.
🔅Carry sufficient water, as you will not find any shops after this.
🔅Wearing footwear with good grip is advisable.
Remember, you are entering the jungle with plenty of monkeys awaiting to scan you for food stuff on your arrival 😄😅.
The initial climb was stairs, stairs and more stairs until we reached 💥 Krodha Narasimha where the Lord has a varaha (boar) face and the ruling planet is Rahu (North Lunar Node). We kept climbing and climbing until the stairs gave way to rocky, boulder ridden trail with streams to cross over. Now...The trail is interesting! We manoeuvred over slippery rock beds of Bhavanasini River, listening to the jungle sounds and gurgling waters. The final set of steep, never ending stairs opened up into heaven, literally!
The 💥 Jwala Narasimha temple was visible surrounded by rocks, woods and waterfalls. What a beauty! Amazing creation of nature! We forgot the arduous trek....This is the most beautiful temple of all...As we neared, we noticed rainbow reflecting colourful hues, when the Sun plays with the droplets of the waterfall. The mild spray of chill water was refreshing and we refilled the bottles to taste the sweet, natural flow from up above!
Jwala Narasimha temple is said to be the actual spot where the Lord killed Hiranyakasiphu. Here, HE is in high-rage mode and fierce form, tearing the demon apart. The ruling planet is Kujan (Mars). We spent some time admiring the wilderness around. The way to Ugra Sthambam, the place where HE landed first, starts from here. It is a highly rough and challenging trail, thus not suitable for all. But mon amie, a daring one, decided to go. As she started up, we began our descend.
Our next spot was 💥 Malola Narasimha and the trail was excellent. It was on the side of a valley, with verdant rolling hills on one side. A 30 minute trek through wild bushes, trees, rocks and caves proffered astounding photogenic landscapes, that we spent a long time clicking away!
Malola Narasimha is happy and graceful, since he has cooled off his anger and married Goddess Lakshmi. Located among greenery and peaceful ambience, this shrine rules Sukran (Venus). The return journey was fast and we reached the parking lot quickly. As we reached our homestay, hot, home cooked meal was waiting for us! yummy! What a welcoming sight!
Raju gave us a short break and announced that the next two temples are located deep inside the forest, closes by 5 pm and requires a 4x4 jeep ride. Awww....Great ! We were excited, gobbled up the food, freshened up quickly just as our jeep arrived 🚙.....All of us hopped in joyfully, without a clue of what awaited us! 😀😂
All was well until we stayed on asphalted roads, when a sudden swerve towards a muddy path jolted us. Forest Office issue permits, without which vehicles cannot enter inside. And then began our bone-rattling, bumpy ride - a true off roading, as we were continously thrown from our seats inspite of our best efforts to stay put 😧😨😲....15 kms one-way, rutted drive on muddy, dirt track with streams, slush and rocky roads to drive through!
The 💥 Pavana Narasimha temple is surrounded by forest in a wonderful, quiet location and rules Budhan (Mercury). This shrine can also be reached by a 7.5 km jungle trek from Ahobila Narasimha temple side. Goddess is named Chenchu Lakshmi, as she was born in Chenchu tribe, before marrying the Lord. The Chenchu Lakshmi temple here is visited by chenchu tribe, who offer meat to the Goddess, as per their tradition.
We moved on to the final visit of the day, 💥 Bhargava Narasimha , another short 4 km (one way) off road, rough drive with a short walk and stairs to reach the temple. The Pavana Narasimha and Bhargava Narasimha shrines remain unreachable during monsoons due to heavy flow of water. A beautiful lily pond called ''bhargava theertham'' is considered sacred.
We decided to call it a day, as we have had enough adventures from morning and decided to stretch our sore muscles. As we sat down for dinner, our hostess mentioned that the ''temple opens early tomorrow with special poojas planned, for it is Vaikunta Ekadasi "(an auspicious day dedicated to Lord Vishnu). A divine surprise descended on our faces, as we felt truly blessed, to be at the right place, at the right time! What a luck!
With warm breakfast filling our bellies, the Prahlada Varada Swamy Temple in the town centre is where we landed first. The Utsava Murthy was beautifully decorated in muthangi (pearls) and colourful blooms, resting on a 9-hooded Adisesha (serpent) along with his consorts. We entered the main temple through Vaikunta vaasal ( doorway to heaven - open only on Vaikunta Ekadasi day) for a blissful darshan.
The 💥 Yogananda Narasimha shrine, ruler of Saturn (Shani) and 💥 Chatravata Narasimha temple ruling Kethu (south lunar node) were the final ones, with well laid roads leading right upto the temple. It was time for us to leave Ahobilam and move towards Kurnool, with interesting places on the way. But what an incredible trip it turned out to be! Raju and our hosts made our trip a highly memorable one.
Swathi nakshatram (star) days are considered auspicious, with more devotees visiting the temples along with weekends witnessing more footfalls here. The temple priests in all the nava narasimha temples were pilgrim friendly, narrated the legend, gave details on the shrine and were happy to answer our queries. It was heart warming to see such non-commercialised religious places, where human touch and interaction still prevails.
Our journey continued towards Kurnool and Srisailam...Click here for my interesting blogs with map links and pictures to help you plan yours too!
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