Simhachalam Hill Range

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Simhachalam Hill Range
Simhachalam Hills on a rainy day.JPG
Simhachalam Hills
Highest point
Elevation 377 m (1,237 ft)
Coordinates 17°45′39″N83°15′59″E / 17.760932°N 83.266455°E / 17.760932; 83.266455
Naming
Native nameSimhachalam Kondalu (Telugu)
Geography
Visakhapatnam City Area Map.png
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Simhachalam Hills
Parent range Eastern Ghats

The Simhachala Hill Range, with the anglicised name Simhachalam Hills, are a towering mountain range (377 m) in the city of Visakhapatnam, in Andhra Pradesh state, southern India. It is one of the hill ranges in Andhra Pradesh and in the Eastern Ghats. [1]

Contents

Geography

The Simhachalam Hills form part of the eastern ranges of the Eastern Ghats system. These hills cover an area of 32 km. [2]

History

The Simhachalm Hill Range has a lot of rich history. The famous Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple is located here. The Chalukya period Radha Madhava Swamy temple and some old Buddhist monuments are also found here. [3]

Devotional

The hills house many temples including the Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple and other smaller ones; every year a festival is held called the Giri Pradakshina, where Hindu devotees walk 35km around the hill. [4]

About

The neighborhoods of Visakhapatnam city situated near the hill range are Adavivaram, Akkayyapalem, Balayya Sastri Layout, Gopalapatnam, Hanumanthavaka, Kailasapuram, Madhavadhara, Narasimha Nagar, Prahaladapuram, and Seethammadhara.

Flora and fauna

Simhachalam Hills protected Visakhapatnam city environmental hazards[ clarification needed ] and Andhra University has found 74 varieties of flora and 200 species. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andhra Pradesh</span> State in South India, India

Andhra Pradesh is a state in the southern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state with an area of 162,970 km2 (62,920 sq mi) and the tenth-most populous state with 49,577,103 inhabitants. It has shared borders with Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and the Bay of Bengal. It has the second-longest coastline in India at about 974 km (605 mi). After existence as Andhra State and unified Andhra Pradesh, the state took its present form on 2 June 2014, when the new state of Telangana was formed through bifurcation. Amaravati serves as the capital of the state, with the largest city being Visakhapatnam. Water sharing disputes and asset division with Telangana are not yet resolved. Telugu, one of the classical languages of India used by the majority of people, is the first official language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narasimha</span> Man-lion avatar of Hindu god Vishnu

Narasimha, sometimes rendered Narasingha, is the fourth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is believed to have incarnated in the form of a part-lion, part-man being to kill Hiranyakashipu, to end religious persecution and calamity on earth, thereby restoring dharma. Narasimha is often depicted with three eyes, and is described in Vaishnavism to be the God of Destruction; he who destroys the entire universe at the time of the great dissolution (Mahapralaya). Hence, he is known as Kala (time) or Mahakala (great-time), or Parakala in his epithets. There exists a matha (monastery) dedicated to him by the name of Parakala Matha at Mysuru in the Sri Vaishnava tradition. Narasimha is also described as the God of Yoga, in the form of Yoga-Narasimha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tirumala</span> Temple town in Andhra Pradesh

Tirumala is a spiritual town in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the suburbs of the Tirupati urban agglomeration. The town is a part of Tirupati Urban Development Authority and located in Tirupati (urban) mandal of Tirupati revenue division. It is a hill town where Tirumala Venkateshvara Temple is located, a popular shrine of Vishnu. The town is strictly vegetarian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visakhapatnam</span> Metropolis in Andhra Pradesh, India

Visakhapatnam, also known as Vizag, Viśākha or Waltair, is the largest and most populous metropolitan city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is between the Eastern Ghats and the coast of the Bay of Bengal. It is the third-largest city on the east coast of India after Chennai and Kolkatha, and the fourth-largest in South India. It is one of the four smart cities of Andhra Pradesh selected under the Smart Cities Mission and is the headquarters of Visakhapatnam district. With an estimated output of $43.5 billion, it is the ninth-largest contributor to India's gross domestic product as of 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Ghats</span> Mountain range along the eastern coast of India

The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats pass through the states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu by, passing parts of Karnataka and Telangana on the way. They are eroded and cut through by four major rivers of peninsular India, viz., the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri. Jindhagada, or Seethamma Konda, is the highest point in both Andhra Pradesh and the Eastern Ghats, at 1,690 metres (5,540 ft). The Biligiriranga Hills in Karnataka are the tallest hill range in the Eastern Ghats, with many peaks above 1500 m in height.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha temple, Simhachalam</span> Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu in Simhachalam, India

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 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 AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala</span> Hindu temple in Andhra Pradesh, India

The Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared on the earth to save mankind from trials and troubles of Kali Yuga. Hence the place has also got the name Kaliyuga Vaikuntha and the deity here is referred to as Kaliyuga Prathyaksha Daivam. The temple is also known by other names like Tirumala Temple, Tirupati Temple and Tirupati Balaji Temple. Venkateswara is known by many other names: Balaji, Govinda, and Srinivasa. The temple is run by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which is under control of Andhra Pradesh Government. The head of TTD is appointed by Andhra Pradesh Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elamanchili</span> Town in Andhra Pradesh, India

Elamanchili is a town in Anakapalli district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and also the mandal headquarters of Elamanchili mandal. The town is spread over an area of 39 km2 (15 sq mi), which is under the jurisdiction of Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority. This town has historical importance dating back to 7th Century AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Andhra</span> Geographic region of Andhra Pradesh in India

North Andhra or Uttarandhra, also known as Kalinga Andhra is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is between the Eastern Ghats and the coast of the Bay of Bengal. It comprises six northern districts of the state, Srikakulam, Parvathipuram Manyam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Alluri Sitharama Raju and Anakapalli. As of 2011 census of India, the region with six districts has a population of 9,338,177.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Andhra Pradesh</span>

Andhra Pradesh is a state in India. Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) is a state government agency which promotes tourism in Andhra Pradesh, describing the state as the Koh-i-Noor of India. Andhra Pradesh has a variety of tourist attractions including beaches, hills, caves, wildlife, forests and temples.

Simhadri may refer to:

Malakonda is a village in Valetivari Palem, Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh, India. A temple for Hindu Narasimha Sri Malyadri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Vari Devasthanam is located here.

Simhadri Narasimha Satakam is a compilation of Telugu poems by Gogulapati Kurmanatha Kavi in the 18th century. He wrote the Satakam extempore in praise of Lord Varaha Narasimha of Simhachalam.

Sri Kantha Krishnamacharyulu or Krishnamayya was the official songmaster, poet and bard of the Simhachalam Temple, in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, and a Telugu composer who composed around 400,000 keertana songs, in praise of Sri Varahalakshmi Narasimha Swamy, the presiding deity of the temple. He was contemporary to the Kakatiya king, Orugallu. There is a mention about Krishnamaacharyulu, his compositions and his miraculous life in Prataaapa rudra charitraand siddheswara charitra

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natural vegetation and wildlife of Andhra Pradesh</span>

The state of Andhra Pradesh is considered one of the rich 123 bio-diversified states in India. Natural vegetation (flora) and animal life (fauna) depend mainly on climate, relief, and soil. Krishna and Godavari are the two largest rivers flowing through the state. The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department deals with protection, conservation and management of forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, Mangalagiri</span> Vaishnavite temple

Lakshmi Narasimha Temple is a Vaishnavite temple and one of the eight sacred places of Lord Vishnu in India. It is also known for being one of the eight mahakshetras Narasimha in India. It is situated at the foot of the Auspicious Hill in Mangalagiri which is part of the Mangalagiri Tadepalle Municipal Corporation part of Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is one of the temples in the series of three temples located on and at the bottom of the hill, the other two being Panakala Narasimha Temple on the hill and Gandala Narasimha Temple at the top of the hill. It has one of the highest gopurams in South India and only one of its type in this part of India. It is 153 feet (47 m) in height and 49 feet (15 m) wide and has eleven storeys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Visakhapatnam</span>

Visakhapatnam is Metro City in the state of Andhra Pradesh and also largest city in the state. Visakhapatnam history dates from 2500 years ago and the present name is given by Eastern Chalukyas king to their family deity Visakha in 1010 CE.

Transport in Visakhapatnam is the network of roads, railways, rapid transit system in the largest city of Andhra Pradesh. The city of Visakhapatnam also serves as the central hub of transport and logistics on the East coast of India and hence it is called as City Of Destiny.

References

  1. Data, Info (14 April 2019). "Latitude". Distance To. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  2. Writer, Editor (21 June 2020). "Geography". The Hans India. Retrieved 26 June 2020.{{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  3. Susarla, Ramesh (11 July 2020). "Geography". The Hindu. Retrieved 12 July 2010.
  4. News, City (8 July 2017). "Devotional". Times of India. Retrieved 7 July 2020.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  5. Bhattacharya, Sumith (16 May 2014). "Flora". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 May 2014.