The Prahalada Varadar Temple, Lower Ahobilam

Prahalada Varadar – This is another name for Lord Narasimha, but it evokes an image, not of the ferocious half-man, half-lion form of the Lord who killed the demon Hiranyakashipu, but the benevolent Lord who blessed his devotee, Prahalada. This temple is the largest in Ahobilam, the seat of the Ahobila Mutt, which has branches all over the country and abroad, and is certainly the most gorgeous temple in Ahobilam.

It is extremely interesting to note that the Prahalada Varadar temple does not count among the Nava Narasimha temples, since it is in lower Ahobilam, and it is not located at the site of any of the events of the story of Narasimha. However, this temple counts among the Divya Desams, the 108 temples of Lord Vishnu where the Alwars sang songs in his praise.

This temple is a beautiful example of Vijayanagara architecture, and one can spend hours here, admiring its various aspects. I am sure the temple’s history is fascinating, but I am more enamoured by its art. So, I am going to focus, not on the story of the temple itself, but of the stories it tells through its art.

Here is the first view of the main temple, as we enter through the gopuram.

The most stunning works of art in this temple are in the pillared hall, where every pillar has a sculpture depicting a form of Lord Narasimha.

Yoga Narasimha

Lakshmi Narasimha

Ugra Narasimha - Narasimha killing Hiranyakshipu

Narasimha fighting with Hiranyakashipu

Narasimha emerging from the pillar to kill Hiranyakashipu

Yoga Narasimha with Lakshmi or Chenchu Lakshmi

Narasimha wooing Chenchu Lakshmi

Varaha Narasimha

Another view of Varaha Narasimha... since this is my favourite sculpture here.

These sculptures depict a variety of scenes from the story of Narasimha. What I find interesting is the depiction of Varaha as a form of Narasimha, and also his connection with Chenchu Lakshmi. For those of you who didn't know, Chenchu Lakshmi is a local female deity, of the hills and forests in this region. At some point, this folk goddess was inducted into the Hindu pantheon, as the consort of Narasimha, who is the form of Vishnu in these hills. Chenchu Lakshmi is seen all over Andhra and Telengana, along with Narasimha. Temples to these two deities abound here, along with the story of their courtship.

While these are some of the most important and prominent sculptures here, everywhere we look, there is something to see… like this small panel depicting the churning of the ocean…

Even the stucco work on the gopurams and vimanams is beautiful, and has a variety of forms… like Lakshmi Hayagriva, and Lakshmi Narayana.

Here are the signature Vijayanagara period pillars…. Multiple thinner pillars carved into a bigger one…

And in one such pillared corridor today are placed rows and rows of stones carrying inscriptions. There are 24 inscriptions in all at Ahobilam, 19 of which are in this temple. All 24 are written in Telugu, and date to the 16^th century, clearly marking this out as a Telugu speaking region even then. Most of these inscriptions relate to donations to the temple, mostly for offerings to the Lord and to his devotees.

Some of the pillars in the main entrance hall have images of patrons – kings and queens, probably part of the Vijayanagara dynasty.

And before I end this post, one last image of this Vijaya sthamba or victory pillar, erected in 1584, commemorating the victory of Rangaraya over the Nawabs of Golconda.

This pillar was erected by the Jeer of the Ahobila Mutt, and that brings us to an important point. There is no recorded victory over Golconda in 1583. However, local lore and the Vijaya sthamba tell us that around this period, this region of Ahobilam was occupied by the Sultanate. At the Jeer’s plea, Rangaraya is said to have sent troops to evict the sultanate and restore Ahobilam to its former glory. It probably marks the beginning of the rise of Ahobilam in this era.

This is a temple I could spend hours in. However, despite staying at Ahobilam for two nights, I only had an evening free to spend here, and being winter, it got dark quickly. Besides, I was totally enraptured by the sculptures in the mandapam, and spent all my time ogling them!

Visiting Ahobilam, and these temples, made me think of the systems set up around temples. Temples rarely work alone. They are part of a system, part of a community. And the community and the system is absolutely essential for the temple to work, and function as it was meant to.

Consider the temples at Ahobilam. They are the centre of the pilgrim circuit here. However, what makes them work and function the way they do, is the Ahobila Mutt. The Jeer or the head of the Mutt is the one who presides over all the important ceremonies here. Back in the 16^th century, he wielded enough power to get the Hindu king to come and rid him of the Sultans of Golconda. Today, the Ahobila Mutt has branches across the country, most of them at pilgrim sites, and abroad as well. The Ahobila Mutt at Chembur, in Mumbai, where I live, is a vibrant place. The temple of Lakshmi Hayagriva, Lakshmi Narasimha and Lakshmi Narayana here is one of the busiest temples in the city, with a packed schedule of events, and constant crowds, of regular devotees. In fact, it is her constant and regular visits to the Mutt that made my mother eager to visit Ahobilam in the first place.

It is one of the previous Jeers of the Mutt who, sometime in the late 90s or early 2000s, realized that the Nava Narasimha temples were in bad shape, and difficult to reach. The steps were damaged, the forest had taken over the narrow paths, and very few people were able to visit. He got the temples renovated, the paths cleared, the steps rebuilt, and people began visiting. Today, pilgrims throng these temples, especially on weekends.

Further, today, to reach the main temple at Upper Ahobilam, one has to drive up the hill and then climb a few steep steps. Many find it difficult. If this is the case today, then one can imagine what it would have been like, 500 years ago. No wonder, the Vijayanagara kings chose to build a grand temple at the base of the hill, where more people could visit easily. This was also where the Mutt decided to have its headquarters, so that it would be accessible to all devotees.

Resting in the grand hall of the Prahalada Varadar temple, surrounded by gorgeous sculptures, I pondered on the beauty around me, not just in the art itself, but in the beauty of the system set up around this sacred site. A system which continues even today, centuries after it was set up, having gone through ups and down, having seen dynasties and rulers come and go. The lord is said to have manifested as Narasimha in the Satya Yuga (also called Krita Yuga). Yet, he reigns supreme here even today, and he spreads his influence across the world, through a system set up aeons after his appearance, which has already lasted centuries. Is it any wonder that such places fascinate me?