Simhachalam Temple

Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple of Sinhachalam is very popular among the devotees of Lord Vishnu as the temple is dedicated to Lord Narasimha, the ninth incarnation of Vishnu, built on the top of the hill called Sinhachalam or Lion's Hill. The temple is said to be the second richest temple in India after the Tirupati temple, and displaying an amalgamation of Odisha and Dravidian style of architecture. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu took the form of Narsingh to save his devotee Prahlada from the hands of his cruel father. Prahlada's father was given a boon that no human or animal could kill him, and he would neither die on earth nor in the sky. Lord Vishnu took the form of a half-human and half-lion and killed Prahlada's father by sitting on his lap. The temple is also considered to be the temple of Lord Narsingh. It is believed that, when some Muslim invaders wanted to destroy this temple, a religious poet named Kumarnath requested Lord Narasimha, then a bunch of bees attacked the invaders, and then they went to the hills of Sinhachalam and disappeared somewhere. People of Sinhachalam believe that due to the mercy of Lord Narsingh, this temple was saved from being looted and destroyed. The road leading to Sinhachalam presents beautiful lush green surroundings.