Sri Lakshmi Narasimha swamy

Overview

Mattapalli is located on the banks of river Krishna, in Huzurnagar Taluq of Nalgonda District in Andhra Pradesh, India. The Yoga Narasimha Swamy Temple Mattapalli is one of the most spectacular examples of ancient Telangana temples. It is located in Mattapalli or Mattapalli village in the Nalgonda district and is 25 km from the Huzurnagar Taluk. It is regarded as one of the Pancha Narasimha Kshetras. The temple houses the triple deities of Sri Yogananda Lakshmi Narasimha Swami, Sri Rajyalakshmi Thaayar and Sri Chenchu Lakshmi Thaayar.

About The Temple

The sanctum faces the west. The mukhamantapam has 21 pillars with a cement roof. Before the Vaikunta Dvaara (North door), there is a Mantapa with five pillars with a cement roof. It was built in 1973-75. It measures 21feet X 18 feet. The mukhamantapam before the sanctum measures 24feet X 45 feet. The height of the mukhamantapam is about 20feet. As there is no convenience to go around the sanctum, the devotees perform circumambulation (Pradakshinam) around the Dhwajasthambha and the stone image of Hanuman which faces the Lord. There is a Ramanuja Kutam (Madapalli or kitchen) to the north of the temple in the same premises where in, the naivedya to the Lord is prepared. There is an entrance to the temple which faces the south. There is a fleet of steps leading down to the river Krishna just outside the main temple but within the compound.

Description of the Garbhagriha

There is a rock above the door to the sanctum sanctorum. On it is the sculptured motif of Gaja Lakshmi with two elephants raising their trunks upwards on either side. The sanctum is a cave. The roof of the Garbhagriha is a big rock. The Lord manifested Himself on a rock, which is on the backside of the Garbhagriha. Another rock is spread like the hood of Sesha over it. The Lord is 1 foot in height. Seated in Padmasana, He holds Chakra in His upper right hand and Sankha in His upper left hand. He has kept His lower left hand on His left knee, and His lower right hand is not visible. On the left side of the Lord, ther are decorated three Namams ( Thirumann ), and two eyes, which are considered as the form of Prahlada, the ardent devotee of the Lord. There is a small lengthy rectangular rock of about 1 foot length at the feet of the Lord. The rock is said to be "Chakri", an ardent devotee of the Lord who was not given mukti when he requested for the same because the Lord did not want to be separated from him. So he was made into a rock like form and placed in the sanctum. Daily the abhishekam is performed to this rock also. To the left of the manifested Lord, there is a black, stone image of Lakshmi which is 1.5 feet in height, in a sitting posture on a lotus. She holds lotus flowers in her upper hands. Her lower right hand is in Abhaya posture and the left hand is in Suchi posture. Below the Lakshmi image, there is another image of Lakshmi, which is carved on a rock. As Lakshmi is not visible to the visitors, the image of Rajya Lakshmi is installed for the 'darsan' of the devotees. It was consecrated in 1975. She holds chakra in her upper right hand and Sankha in her left hand. She holds lotus buds in her lower hands. She is in sitting posture. She is 1.25 feet in height. She wears a makuta on Her head. Before the presiding deity, at a lower level, the utsava idols of the Lord are installed. There are also copper images of Sudarsana, Nammazhwar and another Azhwar. To the right side of the sanctum, leading to the north door, there are eleven black stone images of the Azhwars, seven of which face the west and the remaining four face east. There is a trench on the left side of the Lord at some distance in the cave, which it is believed to lead to the river Krishna through an underground passage.

Vimanam

Brahmaanandha Nilaya Vimanam

Theertham

Krishnaveni Theertham

About The Deity

The presiding deity is Yoga Narasimha Swamy, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The deity wears a silver body armor or Kavacham and has a moustache. As Vishnu is shown here as Narasimha the half man half animal incarnation, the face of the deity is that of a fierce Lion. Thayar name is Rajya Lakshmi Thayar.

Legend and Stories

The Maha Kshetram is in the midst of a dense and lovely forest, which instills awe and inspiration in the minds of the visiting pilgrims. In one of the caves adjoining the pilgrim town, the image of the Lord has been radiating glory from times immemorial. Legend had it that Sri Bharadwaaja Maharshi worshipped this deity everyday accompanied by several other sages. In those unknown times, only sages and gods could worship the self-revealed images of Narasimha in the cave. Later the sages who had the welfare of this world at their heart, decided to throw open this holy place to the common man. An auspicious time for it came in Kali Yuga. The deity was revealed in a dream to the devotee Sri Anumala Machireddi, the ruler of Thangeda which is 3 km off Mattapalli on the opposite bank of the Krishna river. The Lord wished Machireddi to reveal his image for the good of the mankind during Kali Yuga. The ruler accompanied by his pandits, searched all the caves on the banks of river Krishna, as ordained by the Lord, but could not trace the location of the deity. Sad and depressed, he fell asleep in the forest. Again the Lord appeared in his dream and ordained him to search further, in a designated area near an "Aare" tree hidden behind the foliage in a cave. Waking up, the ruler found the cave and the image of the Lord in a seated posture, with the wellspread hood of Sesha over his head, fully adorned with Shankha Chakra Gadha and as if the Lord was being worshipped regularly, with flowers, sacred leaves, fruits etc. Overjoyed, the ruler revealed the Maha Kshetram to the general public and constructed a Mukhaalaya.

More about Sri Anumala Machireddy

The name and fame of Machireddi has lived down to this day and we still see his benevolence and benefaction inscribed in the golden kalasams in the Siva temple of Srisailam,and others like Kasi Visheswara, Lord Gopala in Thangeda etc.However the fort of Thangeda is now in ruins.

An incident in history

Chennuri Sri Narasimha Rao, Chairman of the temple committee, said that one " Chennuri Giramma", belonging to his great-grand-forefathers was an ardent devotee of Sri Mattapalli Narasimha. She lived during the period of the Mughal emperor Aurangazeb. When Mughal forces were to attack the temple, she prayed to the Lord to dispell the danger. Then the Lord created countless bees which attacked and drove the Mughal soldiers away. Their attempt to capture this temple proved a futile exercise. However there is no historic recorded information to support this.

Festivals

1. Every year ‘Vykunta Ekadasi’ in the month on January.
2. Kalyana Mahotsvam during the month of May every year.
3. Narasimha Jayanthi
4. Brahmotsavam

Significance

Devotees pray to Lord Narasimha for wedding and child boons, cure from prolonged and terminal diseases, to begin any enterprise and for every endeavour they undertake in life. There is a belief that incurable diseases will be cured and the evil spirits will be driven out and all desires will be fulfilled by the Lord if one stays in Mattapalli for 11 days and 11 nights and performs 32 pradakshinams thrice a day with wet clothes having bathed in the Krishna river each time.

Accessibility

The nearest airport is at Vijayawada. Mellacheruvu Railway Station is the railway station closest to Mattapalli. Huzurnagar, which is 25 km from Mattapalli, can be reached by Bus, car, private taxis or even trains from Kodada and Miryalaguda. A state run bus also operates from Nalgonda. Several private vehicles are available from Huzurnagar to reach Mattapalli. There are many buses which ply to Huzurnagar from all the major cities of Telangana. From Huzurnagar, there are plenty of buses to Mattapalli.

Temple Address

Sri Narasimhar Temple,
Mattapalli,
Nalgonda,
Andhra Pradesh.