Ahobilam 1st Nava Narasimha Temple | |
---|---|
Town | |
Coordinates: 15°08′00″N78°43′00″E / 15.1333°N 78.7167°E | |
Country | India |
State | Andhra Pradesh |
District | Nandyal |
Elevation | 327 m (1,073 ft) |
Population | |
• Total | 3,732 |
Languages | |
• Official | Telugu |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Vehicle registration | AP |
Website | http://ahobilamtemple.com |
Ahobilam is a town and holy site in the Allagadda mandal of Nandyal district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. [1] It is surrounded by the Eastern Ghats with several mountain hills and gorges. It is the centre of worship of Narasimha, the lion-headed avatar of Vishnu, along with his consort Pratyangira, an avatar of Lakshmi. It is one of the nine Hindu temples and shrines dedicated to this deity. The main village and a temple complex are at Lower Ahobilam. Upper Ahobilam, about 8 kilometres to the east, has more temples in a steep gorge. [2] The site has evidence of historical patronage from a number of regional dynasties, with the most significant being that of the Vijayanagara Kingdom.
The history of Ahobilam before the 16th century is obscure. One of the earliest literary references to Ahobilam is in the 9th-century Tamil-language religious work Periyatirumoḻi written by Thirumangai Alvar, where it is eulogized; this led to it being codified as one of the 108 canonical Divya Desams. Ahobilam finds subsequent mention in several Sanskrit and Telugu-language texts between the 12th and 16th centuries. [3] [4]
Inscriptions and other material evidence indicate that the shrines of the town received patronage from the Kakatiya and Reddi dynasties during the 13th and 14th centuries. The historical record is more prominent during the Vijayanagara period. The site received significant patronage from rulers of the Vijayanagara kingdom, starting with the Saluva dynasty in the 15th century, and sustained by the Tuluva dynasty in the 16th century. Most inscriptions at the shrines date to the Tuluva period. The ruler Krishnadevaraya visited and patronised the town's shrines in the 16th century. The town is also the birthplace of the Ahobila Matha, a monastic institution founded during the medieval period; scholars have proposed the late 15th or early 16th century as the possible periods of origin. [4]
Ahobilam lost imperial patronage with the decline of the Vijayanagara kingdom. [5] The site faced a raid in 1579 by Murahari Rao, a commander of the Golconda Sultanate. Ahobilam's temple was sacked and its bejewelled idol presented to Golconda's sultan. [6]
Ahobilam is located at 15°08′00″N78°43′00″E / 15.1333°N 78.7167°E . [7] It is located in Nallamala Forest, along the Eastern Ghats. [8]
The town of Ahobilam is home to ten shrines of Narasimha, the man-lion incarnation of the god Vishnu in Hinduism. The town can be divided into Lower and Upper Ahobilam, which are separated from each other by 8 km. Upper Ahobilam refers to a forested area that sprawls up a ravine. The area is marked by nine different shrines of Narasimha representing nine aspects of the deity, as follows: [4] [9]
The shrine of Ahobilanarasimha is the earliest shrine of Ahobilam, and is dedicated to the ugra (ferocious) aspect of Narasimha. [4]
Lower Ahobilam is contiguous with the populated area of the town, and hosts the town's main pilgrimage attraction, termed the Prahlādavarada temple. This shrine dates primarily to the 16th century; its construction may have begun during the reign of Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya, first member of the Saluva dynasty, around the 15th/16th century. It is the last of the shrines built at Ahobilam. It is dedicated to the saumya (mild) aspect of Narasimha. Most inscriptions at Ahobilam are found at this temple. [4] [9]
Hampi or Hampe, also referred to as the Group of Monuments at Hampi, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Hampi (City), Ballari district now Vijayanagara district, east-central Karnataka, India. Hampi predates the Vijayanagara Empire; it is mentioned in the Ramayana and the Puranas of Hinduism as Pampa Devi Tirtha Kshetra. Hampi continues as a religious centre, with the Virupaksha Temple, an active Adi Shankara-linked monastery and various monuments belonging to the old city.
The Vijayanagara Empire or the Karnata Kingdom was a late medieval Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, belonged to the Yadava clan of Chandravamsa lineage.
The Chennakesava Temple, also referred to as Chennakeshava Temple and Keshava Temple, is a Vaishnava Hindu temple on the banks of River Kaveri at Somanathapura, Mysuru, Karnataka, India.The temple was consecrated in 1258 CE by Somanatha Dandanayaka, a general of the Hoysala King Narasimha III. It is located 38 kilometres (24 mi) east of Mysuru city.
Krishnadevaraya was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire reigning from 1509 to 1529. He was the third monarch of the Tuluva dynasty, and is considered to be one of the greatest rulers in Indian history. He ruled the largest empire in India after the fall of the Islamic Delhi Sultanate. Presiding over the empire at its zenith, he is regarded as an icon by many Indians. Krishnadevaraya earned the titles Andhra Bhoja, Karnatakaratna Simhasanadeeshwara, Yavana Rajya Pratistapanacharya, Kannada Rajya Rama Ramana, Gaubrahmana Pratipalaka and Mooru Rayara Ganda. He became the dominant ruler of the peninsula by defeating the sultans of Bijapur, Golconda, the Bahmani Sultanate and the Gajapatis of Odisha, and was one of the most powerful Hindu rulers in India.
Dakṣiṇāmnāya Śrī Śāradā Pīṭham or Śri Śṛṅgagiri Maṭha ; Sanskrit: मठ, maṭha) is one amongst the four cardinal pīthams following the Daśanāmi Sampradaya - the peetham or matha is said to have been established by acharya Śrī Ādi Śaṅkara to preserve and propagate Sanātana Dharma and Advaita Vedānta, the doctrine of non-dualism. Located in Śringerī in Chikmagalur district in Karnataka, India, it is the Southern Āmnāya Pītham amongst the four Chaturāmnāya Pīthams, with the others being the Dvārakā Śāradā Pītham (Gujarat) in the West, Purī Govardhana Pīṭhaṃ (Odisha) in the East, Badri Jyotishpīṭhaṃ (Uttarakhand) in the North. The head of the matha is called Shankarayacharya, the title derives from Adi Shankara.
Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple, Simhachalam, is a Hindu temple situated on the Simhachalam Hill Range,which is 300 metres above the sea level in the city of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, who is worshipped there as Varaha Narasimha. As per the temple's legend, Vishnu manifested in this form after saving his devotee Prahlada from a murder attempt by the latter's father Hiranyakashipu. Except on Akshaya Trutiya, the idol of Varaha Narasimha is covered with sandalwood paste throughout the year, which makes it resemble a linga. The temple was built in Kalingan architecture styles and stands unique in the historical region of Kalinga.The Present temple was built by Eastern Ganga king Narasingha Deva I in the 13th century and consecrated by his son Bhanudeva I in 1268 CE. The temple was built by Akthayi Senapati, on the command of Narasingha Deva I.
The Saluva dynasty was the second dynasty to rule the Vijayanagara Empire and was created by the Saluvas, who by historical tradition were natives of the Kalyani region of northern Karnataka in modern India. The Gorantla inscription traces their origins to this region from the time of the Western Chalukyas and Kalachuris of Karnataka. The term "Saluva" is known to lexicographers as "hawk" used in hunting. They later spread into the east coast of modern Andhra Pradesh, perhaps by migration or during the Vijayanagara conquests during the 14th century.
Tuluva is the name of the third dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. The dynasty traces its patrilineal ancestry to Tuluva Narasa Nayaka, a powerful warlord from the westerly Tulu speaking region. His son Narasimha Nayaka arranged for the assassination of the weak Narasimha Raya II bringing an end to the rule of the Saluva dynasty. Narasimha Nayaka later assumed the Vijayangara throne as Viranarasimha Raya bringing the Tuluva dynasty to prominence. The dynasty was at its zenith during the rule of Krishnadevaraya, the second son of Tuluva Narasa Nayaka.
The Ranganathaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Ranganatha and his consort Ranganayaki. The temple is located in Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India. Constructed in the Dravidian architectural style, the temple is glorified by the Tamil poet-saints called the Alvars in their canon, the Naalayira Divya Prabhandam, and has the unique distinction of being the foremost among the 108 Divya Desams dedicated to the god Vishnu. The Srirangam temple stands as the largest religious complex in the world in active worship with a continuous historical presence as a Hindu temple. Some of these structures have been renovated, expanded and rebuilt over the centuries as a living temple. The latest addition is the outer tower that is approximately 73 metres (240 ft) tall, which was completed in 1987 with support from the Ahobila mutt among others. The temple is an thriving Hindu house of worship and follows the Tenkalai tradition of Sri Vaishnavism, based on the Pancharatra agama. The annual 21-day festival conducted during the Tamil month of Margali (December–January) attracts 1 million visitors. The temple complex has been nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and is in UNESCO's tentative list. In 2017 the temple won the UNESCO Asia Pacific Award of Merit 2017 for cultural heritage conservation, making it the first temple in Tamil Nadu to receive the award from the UNESCO.
Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire from the Saluva Dynasty. A patron of the Madhwa saint Sripadaraya, he authored the Sanskrit work Rama Bhyudayam. He also patronised Kannada poet Kavi Linga.
Varadharaja Perumal Temple, also called Hastagiri, Attiyuran,Attigiri, Kanchi koil, Thirukatchi, or Perumal koil is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu located in the city of Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the Divya Desams, the 108 temples of Vishnu believed to have been visited by the 12 poet saints, or the Alvars. It is located in a suburb of Kanchipuram known as the Vishnu Kanchi that is a home for many famous Vishnu temples. One of the greatest Hindu scholars of Vaishnava Vishishtadvaita philosophy, Ramanuja, is believed to have resided in this temple.
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