Ahobilam Temple History, Timings, and Route Information

Ahobilam Temple is the only place where all the nine forms of the Lord Narasimha Swamy are worshipped. It is said that the entire Nalmalla Hills from Kurnool to Chittoor is a personification of Lord Adisesha himself whose tail end is Srisailam, whose middle is Ahobilam and whose head is Tirupati.

Ahobilam Temple History

PrahladaVarada Narasimha

At the foot of hills, there is a temple of Prahladavarada Narasimha i.e, the aspect of Lord Narasimha as blessing Prahlada. This temple was built in Vijayanagar style.

Chatravata Narasimha

The deity is installed under a pipal tree which is surrounded by thorny bushes.

From the foot of the hills, one has to ascend up the hill to reach Upper Ahobilam. This path is of 10.5 km where several shrines of Narasimha are installed here.

Karanda Narasimha, Yogananda Narasimha

There is a Shrine of Karanda Narasimha and another called Yogananda Narasimha. As per the Legends, that after killing the demon HiranyaKasyapa, Lord Narasimha taught  Prahlada several yogic postures and the Lord in this aspect is called Yogananda Narasimha. It is said that the Sages Gobhila and Bharadwaja performed penance to get rid of the sins that they had committed.

The two crests of the hills are called by Vedadri and Garudadri. The Tirtham divides into two and joins Kumadavati and Penna. The Tirtham is said to be an Antarvahini i.e. a river which flows inside during part of its course.

Ugra Narasimha

In the southern slope of the hill, the Lord is worshipped in his fierce form Ugra Narasimha. Near to this shrine is the shrine of Guha Narasimha, at the entrance of which is a huge pillar (Ugra Sthambha). It is believed that it is the Pillar which Hiranyakasyapa hit with mace asking his son whether Lord Vishnu was immanent in that pillar too was this same pillar, and that out of this pillar, Lord Vishnu finally emerged out in his ferocious form Ugra Narasimha and killed the demon.

Kroda Narasimha

Moving further will take us to Kroda Narasimha, where the Lord is worshipped in the form of a boar. It is said that if one does Narayana Satakshari Japa and Parayana of Varahakanda at this place will be blessed with immense spiritual consciousness.

Malola Narasimha

Little further up the hill will lead us to Malola Narasimha. The deity here is Santaroopa, always in the sport with the divine mother Lakshmi. The Kakatiya King Prataparudra has donated the Utsava deity made of gold which is under worship by the Ahobilam Jeeyars.

Jwala Narasimha

Moving up the hill, there located a shrine for Jwala Narasimha, where the Ugrakala of the Lord is seen, and it is said that this is the actual spot where the fierce anger of the Lord reached its climax when he tore asunder Hiranyakasyapa

Pavana Narasimha

Nearby, is the Pavana Narasimha, where worship in the Shakta form of the worship of the Lord is said to be done .

The Lord in the Upper Ahobilam is said to be Swyambhu i.e self-manifested. There are two popular legends for the derivation of the word Ahobilam. It is said that the Devas while witnessing the ferocious form of the Lord and the terrific aspect he took on in order to tear to pieces Hiranyakasyapa sang in his praise

‘Narasimha Paramam Devam Aho Balam Aho Balam’

and hence, the place has come to be known as Ahobilam.

Another version is that because of the great cave, the Ahobila, where Garuda worshipped and realised the Lord. The place itself is come to be called Ahobila.

Ahobilam Temple Holy Tirthas

Rakthakundam

It is said that Lord Narasimha after killing the demon washed his glory hands at this Tirtham and hence, the water is still reddish in appearance.

Lanjakoneru

This Tirtha is 4 km to the northeast of the shrine, en route to Bhargava. It is said that once upon a time a courtesan, on having the mere darshan of the Lord here, repented of her ways and built the Tirtham to wash off her sins.

RamaTirtham

This Tirtham is 8 km from Lower Ahobilam Temple.

Contributions towards Ahobilam Temple

Some inscriptions refer to Vikramaditya, one of the Western Chalukyan Kings of Kalyan (1076 AD–1106 AD), who worshipped the main deity of this temple. King Krishna Deva Raya also visited this shrine on his return from the conquest of Kalinga and made offerings to the deity.

The popular Legend about Prataparudra is that the King wanted to cast a gold Siva Linga but whatever be the cast, the final figure that emerged was the figure of Lord Narasimha. The king was deeply perturbed at this experience, and during his meditation, the Lord appeared and told him that it was futile to make a distinction between Siva and Vishnu and asked him to worship the Lord in upper Ahobilam, as the Lord was the same in whatever shape he was worshipped.

Ahobilam Temple Brahmotsavam

The annual festival takes place in the first fortnight of Phalguna Month, a fortnight after Sivaratri. The Padmasalis of the place claim the divine consort as a maiden of their class, and so they claim the right to perform Kalyanotsavam for the Lord.

Ahobilam Temple Timings

Lower Ahobilam (Diguva Ahobilam)

  • Morning Hours: 6:30 am – 1:00 pm.
  • Evening Hours: 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Upper Ahobilam (Eguva Ahobilam)

  • Morning Hours: 7:00 am – 1:00 pm
  • Evening Hours: 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm

How to reach Ahobilam Temple?

By Air

  1. The nearest airport is Tirupati, which is 229 km away.
  2. Hyderabad International Airport is at 333 km away.

By Train

  1. The nearest railway station is at Prodattur which is 60 km away
  2. Jammalamadugu Railway Station is 55 km away

By Road

  1. Direct bus to Ahobilam is available from Kadapa, Kurnool districts.

Ahobilam Temple Gallery

Reference Links:Temple History

49 comments

  1. Namaskaram, I intend to bring my aged parents (80+years) for darshan at Ahobilam. Please advise suitable days to visit (less crowd) & accommodation with food facility & known contacts to confirm booking. We are in Hyderabad & will travel by Car to reach Ahobilam by 3 pm. Thank You, Vijayaraghavan

    • Dear Sir,
      Please let me know the month so that I can let you know the dates when the crowd will be less. I will let you know by Today about accommodation and Food.
      Thanks,

  2. I want to have darshan of Lord of all Nine Narasimha. I am aged 60 years. Is it possible to visit all the temples. Will any body guide. Any trekking is required or Steps are there? Any temple accommodation is available for stay?

    • Dear Sir,
      Yes, you can achieve this. It is little slant but will not take more time for this. You can easily cover 9 Narasimha temples. There is also bus path to avoid steps
      Thanks,

  3. M V S RAJESHWAR RAO

    Namaskaram.We intend to visit Ahobilam and have darsan of nava(9) Narasimhas.We are planning to have a mini bus and reach(we will be around 12 persons).Most of us are above 60 and some have knee problemsbut can walk .Can we all have darshan of nine Narasimhas.Which will be convenient days when rush is not much.My mail id is : [email protected] whats app number is 919490190228 Areply will be highly appreciated.

  4. Dear sir,
    I wish to bring my ailing mother to visit Ahobilam on Friday. She does not have the capacity to stand or walk for more than 10 min at a stretch. Is it possible to arrange any special permission for her darshan. We are both ladies from Pondicherry and new to the place.

  5. sir,iam planning to visit ahobilam in this month. is it suitable to visit this month and please share about accomodation facility

  6. What is the temple visiting hrs pl

    • Dear sir,
      Ahobilam Timings, Opening and Closing Hours
      Diguva (Lower) Ahobilam: 6:30 am – 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm
      Eguva (Upper) Ahobilam: 7:00 am – 1:00 pm and 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm
      Remaining Temples: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

      thank you..

  7. Dear sir,

    Requesting you to let us know how many days it will take to cover Nava Narasimha’s and as well want to know about accommodation. We are total 4-5 people and want to visit in the month of August.

  8. We are planning to visit Ahobilam in this Navaratri..may be on 22nd..this month.. Navaratri kabatti crowd emina ekkuvaga untunda? Accommodation dorukutunda

    • HI Sir,

      yes crowd is expecting for accomadation you can contact 9393939510, they may suggest you the accomadation

      Thanks

  9. We want to visit Ahobilam with family- 2 adults and 2 kids on 15th and 16th Oct. is it a right time to visit ?
    We will be comingg from pune. What are nearby places to explore ?

    Thanks,

  10. I am planning to take my family (mother, spouse and two kids – one is 1 year old) to Ahobilam mid-december this year… Will i get milk primarily for my young kid there ? Kindly advice.

    • HI Sir,

      You can buy from out side sir any near by hotels you can get the milk

      Thanks

    • Yes you will….esp in upper ahobilam…they serve food free Fr all..n especially provide Fr kids they informed…I just visited today…you cld plan to stay one night here…be prepared for a trek..

  11. Hello Sir,

    We are planning to visit Ahobilam on 2nd December 2017 around 15 to 16 members inclusive of 3 kids. It would be of great assistance if someone let me know how to reach the temple premises. and any precautionary measures to be taken care. would like to know any accommodation facilities available.

  12. Hello sir,

    I am planning to visit Ahobilam.may I know whether any rituals like Pancha samskarana are performed for non Brahmins there.

  13. Hello Sir I am interested in visiting. Ahobilam temple by February. Whether the claimet suitable. I’m running 73 years is there any assistance like doli etc.to claim. Kindly confirm

  14. Rachakulla NARENDRA babu

    Sir please give full details temple opening days. Every day or not

  15. I want sri swamivari kalyanam date, timigs

  16. Hi,i am planning for Bramhostavam whole days i.e..21-02-18 to 3-3-18..
    so is there any accomdation from ahobilam Temple.

  17. what is the official website of the temple.

    • HI Sir,

      may i know your requirement and any information regarding ahobilam we will let you know.

      Thanks

  18. What is the status of falls In ahobalipuram

  19. Shall we have a private vehicle to see all the places or can we walk. How much is the distance, to cover all the temples in Ahobilam.

  20. How is the climate now status of rainfall ????

  21. HI Sir,

    you can contact at 9393939510 for any suggestions sir

    Thanks

  22. Is there any possibility to reach upper temple by car or any other transport ? we are senior citizens.

    • Dear Sir/Madam,
      you can find the transport on arriaval for booking please contact 9393939150.
      Thank you.

  23. I am from Hyderabad, Telsmgana. How do I come to temple from Hyderabad. Please send me information

    • Dear Sir/Madam,
      You can come by bus or by car if you need detailed information please call at 9393939150.
      Thank you.

  24. Good evening sir I am from Bangalore and wanted to visit Ahobilam temple by Road please let me know details about accommendation near places etc

    • Dear Sir/Madam ,
      You can book accommodation online please call at 8500 898 000 and you can check the tariff and book .
      Thank you.

  25. whether accommodation facilities are there to stay

    • Dear Sir/Madam ,
      You can book accommodation by checking the rooms online please call at 8500 898 000 .
      Thank you.