Narasimha Jayanti - Prahlada, Ahobilam and Shree Raghavendra

Lord Narasimha. Image: Wikipedia

26, சித்திரை மாதம், சதுர்தசி, சித்திரை நட்சத்திரம் (17:21)

9 May 2017 is celebrated as Sri Narasimha Jayanti (ஸ்ரீ நரசிம்ஹ ஜயந்தி), the day Lord Narasimha took avatar as the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, heeding to the devotion of the very young Prahlada. The story of Lord Narasimha and Bhakta Prahlada (பிரகலாதன்) was yet another evidence of the extent to which the absolute power could go to establish Dharma and to destroy evil.

Prahlada, who endured untold atrocities by virtue of His having born to Hiranyakashipu (ஹிரண்யகசிபு) but was still resolute in his devotion to Lord Vishnu, later reincarnated as Saint Raghavendra, one of the leading saints of South India, who was a proponent of the Dvaita philosophy founded by Shri Madhvacharya.

Narasimha Avatar is said to have taken place in Ahobilam in Karnool District in Andhra Pradesh, about 400 Kms to the Northwest of Chennai, and almost 350 kms to the Northeast of Bengaluru.

It is not just one place but there are a total of nine shrines to Lord Narasimha, around a 5 km radius. The shrine is situated in Upper Ahobilam in the hills of Eastern Ghats. It is suggested that the best way to cover the ranges would be to start with Upper Ahobilam, which is close to 8 kms from the shrine in the foothills, Lower Ahobilam.

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