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The
Lord's Glory
The
glory of Yoga Narasimhar in Sholingur,
is attributed to four temples in close proximity (two
hill temples, a temple at the foot of the hill and
a temple in the Sholingur town). Of these, the
two hill temples are the more prominent ones. The
salubrious location and the legend surrounding this
most powerful deity attract thousands of devotees
who throng to this hill temple every day. Miracle
cures of psychological ailments, couples being blessed
with children, upon the Lord's apparition in their
dreams, add to the sanctity of the temple.
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Sholingur
Thirumalai |
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Varadaraja
Perumal Temple |
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Anjaneyar protecting the sages |
This
holy place (Divyadesam) has legendary association
with Ramayana. When Lord Rama
was preparing to end his avatara, he asked Anjaneyar
(Hanuman) who was beside him, to reside
at Sholingur and protect the seven rishis who were doing
a penance. Hanuman slayed two demons who were trying
to disrupt the sages. The sages (rishis) were
praying to gain a glimpse of Lord Narasimhar, who appeared
before them within a Katigai (24 minutes).
Also sage Vishwamtirar earned his title Brahmarishi
upon praying at this site for a Katigai. The Lord also
gave salvation to Prahlada in this location. The belief
is that praying at the temple for a Katigai would relieve
a human being from the cycle of rebirth. |
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Lord
Narasimhar is seated in a yoga posture
and is in deep meditation in the Thirmalai,
or The Big Hill. |
The
Lord's consort Amrithavalli, listens
to the devotees prayers and helps them earn the Lord's
blessings. |
It
is Anjaneyar, seated in the nearby
hill, who sanctions the blessings to the devotees. His
abode in the nearby hill, is called Katikachalam. Consequent
to the Lord bestowing Anjaneyar with eternal strength,
Anjaneyar is unique here, in that he has four hands,
and he is holding the Lord's conch and charka in his
extra pair of hands. |
Yoga
Narasimhar
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Amrithavalli
Thaayar
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Yoga
Anjaneyar
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At
the foot of the Sholingur Big Hill is Varadaraja
Perumal Temple. Legend has it that
the Lord Narasimhar's consort emerged from a large water
tank next to the Varadarajar temple, seated on a thousand
petaled lotus, holding a Amritha creeper, symbolizing
immortality. Devotees bathe in the water tank before
climbing the two hills. The temple in the Sholingur
town is called Bhaktavatsala.
The
hereditary high priests called Dhoddacharyas,
initiate all rituals and prayers in the Big Hill temple
and their family resides near the Town Temple. The current
Dhoddacahrya, of the 23rd generation, is dedicated to
the cause of sharing the glory of the Lord Narasimhar
to all his devotees, in an interesting, informative
manner, through his renderings of the temple prayers,
in this web site, alongside the narration. The purpose
is to share with the reader the Lord's benevolent and
easy-to-access nature, by merely thinking about Him,
visiting His abode at Sholingur, and praying for 24
minutes (a Katigai) at the temple.
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