About Simhachalam Temple:
- Simhachalam Temple, originally known as Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Temple, is a Hindu temple located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
- It is dedicated to the incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu known as Narasimha
(the man-lion).
- History:
- It was constructed in the 11th century by the Gajapati rulers of Odisha.
- Kulottunga Chola I of Tamilnadu, made endowments to this temple, as evidenced from inscriptions dating back to the year 1087.
- The Vengi Chalukyas of Andhra Pradesh renovated the original shrine in the 11th century.
- Much of the structure as it stands today is the result of renovation by Narasimha I, of the Eastern Ganga dynasty in the second quarter of the 13th century CE.
- Krishna Deva Raya, the Vijayanagar monarch, visited this temple in the year 1516, as seen from inscriptions here.
- Architecture:
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- The temple’s architecture is a blend of Kalinga and Dravidian styles, with its main sanctum adorned with intricate carvings and sculptures.
- The presiding deity, Lord Narasimha, is depicted with a human torso and a lion’s face, exuding a sense of divine power and grace.
- It boasts of a beautiful stone chariot drawn by horses.
- The Kalyana Mandapa within the temple has 16 pillars with bas reliefs depicting the incarnations of Vishnu.
- The outer walls of the sanctum depict images of a royal personality (said to be King Narasimha) in various postures.
