Yogananda Narasimha Temple, Vedadri

Vedadri is part of the Pancha Narasimha kshetras in the Dravida Desam (Andhra Pradesh & Telangana) region of India. It is located in the Chillakallu village of Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh (India) by the sacred Krishna river. The scenic view of the sacred Krishna river flowing nearby the temple is a heavenly sight to behold.

Apart from being part of the Pancha Narasimha kshetras, Lord Narasimha resides here in the Pancha Narasimha forms. The presiding Deity of Vedadri is Sri Yogananda Narasimha Swamy along with His consorts Sri Rajyalakshmi Devi and Sri Godadevi. The other forms of Lord Narasimha here are Sri Jwala Narasimha, Sri Shalagrama Narasimha, Sri Veera Narasimha and Sri Lakshmi Narasimha.

The Vedadri hill was formed by the combination of the four Vedas personified, as the name implies. The belief is that devotees having darshan of Lord Narasimha here get relief from ailments and other issues such as ghost hauntings, black-magic, etc.

History of Vedadri Yogananda Narasimha Temple

Once, the demon Somasura stole the Vedas from Lord Brahma and hid in the ocean. Lord Brahma approached Lord Vishnu for help in retrieving the Vedas. Responding to Lord Brahma’s request, Lord Vishnu took the Matsya-avatara form and retrieved the Vedas after killing the demon.

The veda-purushas i.e. Vedas personified thanked the Lord for saving them and requested the Lord to reside on their head. Lord Vishnu agreed to reside on the head of the Vedapurushas after killing the demoniac king Hiranyakashipu and saving His devotee Prahlada.

Till then, the Vedapurushas were ordered to stay in the Krishnaveni river as a mountain. At the same time, Krishnaveni river also requested that she be allowed to worship the Lord regularly. Lord Vishnu promised that He would fulfil both these wishes together after killing the demon Hiranyakashipu.

Lord Vishnu fulfills His promises

Lord Vishnu incarnated as Lord Narasimha to kill Hiranyakashipu and save His topmost devotee Prahlada. After killing Hiranyakashipu, Lord Narasimha appeared in the form of Yogananda Narasimha in a cave and started residing on the top of Vedadri hill.

Meanwhile, Lord Brahma requested Lord Narasimha to stay in Brahmaloka to receive his worship, which the Lord agreed. Brahmaloka was consumed by fire as Lord Brahma reached there with the Deity of Narasimha in the form of Shalagrama. He couldn’t offer his prayers too.

He brought the Deity to the Krishnaveni river and consecrated it within the river. Thus, Lord Narasimha fulfilled the promises given to the Vedapurushas as well as the Krishnaveni river.

Sage Rishya Shringi establishes the Deity of Sri Yogananda Narasimha Swamy

While searching for a place to perform penances near the Vedadri hill, Sage Rishya Shringi and the other sages accompanying him heard the beautiful recitation of the Vedas from the Vedadri hill. Attracted by the recitation of the Vedas, the sages decided to explore the Vedadri hill.

While doing so, they came across a swayambhu i.e. self-manifested Deity of Sri Yogananda Narasimha Swamy in a cave. Sage Rishya Shringi consecrated the Deity on the hill and performed penances.

The Lord appeared as Veera Narasimha on Garudachalam on the request of Garudadeva while He appeared as Lakshmi Narasimha on the request of the Vanadevata.

Deities of Vedadri Yogananda Narasimha Temple

Lord Narasimha resides in Vedadri in the pancha-Narasimha murthy form. As Yogananda Narasimha, the presiding Deity, He resides in the middle of the hill facing the Krishna river in the western direction.

He stays on the top of the hill as Jwala Narasimha, in the Krishnaveni river as Shalagrama Narasimha, on the Vedadri mountain as Lakshmi Narasimha and on Garudachalam as Veera Narasimha. Garudachalam is five kilometers away from Vedadri in the eastern direction.

Shalagrama Narasimha Deity can be seen when the waters of the Krishnaveni river recedes. Jwala Narasimha Deity is a small climb from the Yogananda Narasimha temple while Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy resides in the same temple complex as Yogananda Narasimha Swamy.

There are separate shrines for Sri Rajyalakshmi Devi and Sri Godadevi. The utsavar i.e. festival Deities are big and beautiful. The Deity of Lakshmi Narasimha is also present in the same complex.

There are Deities of Lord Varaha, Lord Hanuman and Garudadeva worshipped here in the complex too. Not to forget the Deities of the 12 Azhwars of the Sri sampradaya.

Architecture of Vedadri Yogananda Narasimha Temple

Though a simple architecture in the Dravidian style has been used to construct the temple, the temple complex is well defined.

A four storey raja-gopuram adorns the eastern and western entrances. Further going inside, the dwajastambha i.e. flag-pole stands before the main entrance of the sanctum. While the sanctum houses the presiding Deity of Yogananda Narasimha exclusively, two other small shrines house the consorts of the Lord.

A flight of steps takes you down straight to the Krishna river from the western entrance of the temple. 

Festivals of Vedadri Yogananda Narasimha Temple

Brahmotsavam and Narasimha Jayanthi are the main festivals celebrated here. The Brahmotsavam festival is celebrated over eight days from Suddha Dashami to Bahula Vidiya in the month of Vaishaka (April/May). The Srivari Thirukalyana Mahotsavam happens during this time.

Other festivals celebrated include Dolotsavam, Mukkoti Ekadashi, Tholi Ekadashi, Pavitrotsavam, Dhanurmasa and Dhanu Sankranthi.

Temple Timings of Vedadri Yogananda Narasimha Temple

You can relish the darshan of Sri Yogananda Swamy at the following times:

Morning:

1. 30 AM to 07.30 AM
2. 30 AM to 01.00 PM

Darshan is closed for an hour between 07.30 AM and 08.30 AM

Evening:

1. 00 PM to 05.30 PM
2. 3 PM to 08.30 PM

Darshan is closed again for an hour in the evening between 05.30 PM and 06.30 PM.

How to Reach Vedadri Yogananda Narasimha Temple

If you are traveling on the Bhadrachalam Yatra conducted by Tirtha Yatra, you will get India’s finest experience visiting Vedadri without having worried about any arrangements as these kshetras are difficult to access on own.

If you are visiting the other Pancha Narasimha kshetras, you may get a ferry or boat via the Krishna river directly to the entrance of the Vedadri temple. The below transportation options will help you reach Vedadri generally:

By Road: If you reach Jaggayapet town or Chillakallu village at a distance of 16 kms or 14 kms respectively from Vedadri, you will get rickshaws and private taxis to Vedadri. Vijayawada is the nearest major urban center 77.8 kms away. You can board a bus to Vedadri from Vijayawada.

By Rail: Madhira, 40.5 kms away is the nearest railway station to Vedadri. Trains from many cities of India halt here. You can travel to Madhira and then catch a bus or hire a private taxi to Vedadri.

You can reach Vijayawada railway station and catch a connecting train to Madhira if there are no trains from your place via Madhira.

By Air: Vijayawada airport 91.5 kms away is the nearest airport to Vedadri. You can fly in here and use the road or rail route to reach Vedadri.

Vedadri: The abode of the Pancha Narasimhas

This holy place is home to the five forms of Lord Narasimha i.e. Yogananda Narasimha, Jwala Narasimha, Shalagrama Narasimha, Veera Narasimha and Lakshmi Narasimha. All these five forms of Lord Narasimha are His causeless mercy on His devotees who desired to see and establish His worship here.

The presence of various sages and devotees on the Vedadri hill enhanced the spiritual strength of Vedadri. Moreover, the sacred river Krishna always worships and offers her respects to Vedadri as she flows beneath majestically.

Hence, Vedadri must be a special holy place in all respects. As you begin taking your steps towards the hill, you will undoubtedly feel this spiritual energy raising you. Don’t count your steps. Just walk on!

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