Ahobila Divyadesa vaibhavam

article by: Sri: Rangana:tha Ra:ma:nuja Da:san

The Sanskrit scriptures say “aja:yama:nah bahuda: vija:yate:”, “bahu:nime: vya:ti:ta:ni janma:ni”. The Dravida scripture says ,”sanmam pala cheydu”. 

The unborn is born many times. That Lord who has no birth manifests again and again to establish Himself . These manifestations can be seen as two forms

1. Vibhava:vata:ra – those that are restricted to time and space . eg. Ra:ma:vata:ra and Krishna:vata:ra.
2. Archa:vata:ra – those that are not restricted by space and time , frozen for the good of all mankind. Eg. Forms of the Lord in Sri:rangam , Tirumala , etc

A:zhwa:rs like Swa:mi Periyazhwa:r were greatly captivated by the Vibhava:vata:ra exploits of Lord Krishna. Others like Swa:mi Tirumangai A:zhwa:r were very attached to Archa:vata:ra divyadesams. 

Ahobilam is the summit point where Vibhavam meets Archa. Lord Narasimha , the vibhava:vata:ra form is the Archa: deity of worship . This Lord is described as a Lord of opposites and very truly , He blends the separate traits into an inseparable harmony delighting His devotees. We will just see how. 

The Vibhava:vata:ra forms of the Lord are variegated. Some are in the form of a human being like Ra:ma or Krishna . Some are in the form of animals like Matsya or Vara:ha. But Narasimha is a unique form. The otherwise distinct man and lion are blended in harmony in the same form . An inch above His neck is a lion’s face and an inch below it is a human form. Lord Narasimha satisfies the aspirations of devotees , those who enjoy human form and those who enjoy animal form , in one go!  

History of Ahobilam:  

Aho:bilam is regarded as the place where Lord Narasimha destroyed the demon king Hiranya and rescued His devotee Sri: Prahla:da. Again here is a Lord who mixed opposites of anger and grace in one go. He displayed His anger towards Hiranya at the same time showering grace on Prahla:da. Aho:bilam is  different from other Narasimha temples , for the Lord is not one but many as if showing His omni presence. In Aho:bilam we are greeted by not one , but nine Narasimha:s!! Have no fear, all the nine Lords are extremely beautiful. Azhwa:r sings ,’azhagiya:n tha:ne: , arivuruvam tha:ne:’ (He is the beautiful ! He is the lion !’) , the Lord at it again mixing the opposites of animal nature and beauty in one stroke !  

This shrine is also called Garuda:dri . It is said that Sri: Garuda meditated on Narasimha in this place and became His vehicle or Va:hana and hence came to be called Vishnuratha. This hill is also called Ve:da:dri as the Ve:da purusha:s prayed to the Lord surrendering the responsibility of saving them unto Him.

The Lord of this shrine is also accompanied by the divine consort Chenchulakshmi tha:ya:r. 

Location Of Aho:bilam:

Ahobilam is located in the Nandyal Taluka of Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located at a distance of 40 km from Nandyal, and is conveniently accessibly by bus from Nandyal, Kurnool and Hyderabad. Ahobilam is not connected by rail; the closest railway stations are Nandyal (on the Bangalore-Vizag(Vishakapatnam) route) and Cuddapah (on the Mumbai-Chennai route).

There are three routes reaching Ahobilam. Pilgrims from the north can get down at Nandyal, which is a Railway junction from Kurnool, and travel by bus to Allagadda and Ahobalam, which is only thirty miles from Nandyal.

The second route is from Dhone which is another railway station and from which one can reach Ahobilam via Banganapalli and Koilakuntla.

The other and easy route is to get down at Cuddapah which is a district headquarters and an important railway station in the Madras - Bombay route. From Cuddapah one has to travel to Allagadda, which is forty miles over and from there by bus to Ahobilam.

The Nine Narasimha:s!! 

1	Aho:bila Narasimha – the prime Lord of Aho:bilam, the rescuer of Sri: Prahla:da
2	Ma:lo:la Narasimha – the sweet Lord of Sri: , whose utsava (procession) mu:rthy happens to be the worshipped deity of Aho:bila mutt
3	Vara:ha Narasimha – a rare mix of two ava:ta:rams in one form (You know what to expect next from this Lord of paradoxes!)
4	Yo:ga:nanda Narasimha – the Lord who taught Yo:ga to Sri: Prahla:da
5	Pa:vana Narasimha – the serene Lord who resides by Pa:vana theertham
6	Bha:rgava Narasimha – the Lord who is said to have been worshipped by Lord Ra:ma and Sri: Lakshmana during Ra:ma:vata:ra.
7	Chatravata Narasimha – the Lord who resides under a banyan tree
8	Ka:ranja Narasimha – a strange form of Narasimha with a bow in His hand!
9	Jwa:la Narasimha – the hottest of the nine lions , in His most angered form tearing the stomach of Hiranya.

Holy waters of Aho:bilam:

(Bha:rgava theerthham and raktha theerthham)

Aho:bilam has many holy waters or theerthams. The principal among these is regarded to be the Bhavana:shini, a dip in which is said to quell the thirst due to materialism or samsa:ra and take us close to the grace of Lord Narasimha. The other theerthams include Gajakuntam , Bha:rgava theertham , Vara:ha theertham , Ra:ma-krishna theertham , Rakthakundam and Pa:vana theertham. 

 

ugra sthambam - The actual birth pillar of Lord Narasimha (aho:bilam)

On the top of these nine Narasimha:s is a dangerous portion of the hill reaching which demands some adventure and is called the Ugra sthambam . There is also an exclusive shrine for Sri: Prahla:da on this hill. 

This temple is attached to a Sri:vaishnava saint by name Adi van Shatako:pa Jeeyar who comes in the tradition of Swa:mi Periyava:cha:n pillai as Periya:va:cha:n Pillai – > SriRanga:cha:ryar-> Kesava:cha:ryar -> Sriniva:sa:cha:ryar -> A:divan Shatako:pa Jeeyar. Swa:mi A:di van Shatako:pa Jeeyar is the founder of the famous monastery Sri: Aho:bila Mutt. 

Aho:bilam is a very serene place still married to its natural beauty . This place is traditionally known as Singave:lkundram or ‘the hill of the beautiful lion’. It is about 40 kms from Cuddappa in Andhra Pradesh and Telugu is understood in this region. There are also facilities for staying. What are you waiting for ? Rush yourself to the rarest abode of the nine lions!