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Simhachalam

Simhachalam is a hill temple that is almost 18 km away from Vizag or Visakhapatnam. The temple of Simhachalam has been constructed in an Orissan and Chalukyan style. This temple is famous for its splendor and elegant carvings. Innumerable pilgrims visit this temple every year in order to pay homage to the deity Varaha Lakshminarasimha. The deity is a Shivalingam that is embraced with sandal paste. Once a year the sandal pastes are removed from the deity's body of the deity and the true image is displayed to the pilgrims. This famous shrine of Vizag has an interesting mythological history. The shrine is west facing, unlike most of the shrines that faces the East. The structure was built during the Chola rule in Andra Pradesh. Later on, Narasimha I, who belonged to the Eastern Ganga Dynasty, renovated it.

This temple is known for its outstanding architecture. The temple has to its credit a stone chariot which is drawn by means of horses. Within the temple there is a different section known as the Kalyana Mandapa, which has 16 pillars. These pillars have intricate carvings of Lord Vishnu. The image of Vishnu's incarnation in the form of a man lion (Narasimha) is seen carved in several places of the temple. The temple architecture is similar to that of Konark. The outer walls of the Simhachalam temple have paintings of the king Narasimha in various positions. The temple is richly decorated during religious festivals and every year it earns revenue of Rs. 520 million.



Last Updated on: 7/05/2013