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Introduction and History
Narasingam is a village located 8 km from Madurai on the road to Melur, in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is named for the nearby cave temple dedicated to Yoga Narasimha Perumal, at the foot of the Yanaimalai hills. This temple was constructed in 770 A.D. by Madurakavi alias Marankaari who was the minister of the Madurai King Parantaka Nedunjadaiyan . There is a front mandapam (court). The sculpture of Narasinga Perumal is carved out of the hill itself. The temple is a good example of the cave sculpturing of the Pandya Kingdom. In front of this there is a stone temple for the goddess Narasingavalli. This place, though not a Divyadesam sanctified by Azhwars’ hymns, is situated between two holy places — Alagar Koyil in the north and Thirumohur in the east.
According to the Sthala Purana for the Madurai Koodal Azhagar Temple, sage Romasa had installed the Narasimha icon in a cave in the hill. And the 87th chapter of the Uttara Kanda of the Brahmanda Purana says the sage did penance on the banks of the Padma Thadagam, as it was filled with lotus flowers, near the Gajagiri Kshetram (the present Anaimalai) seeking progeny, and wanted the Lord to appear in His Narasimha avatar. The Lord appeared as Ugra Narasimha and the heat that emanated from Him was unbearable. Even the celestials were affected by it and they all came to Gajagiri Kshetram and prayed to the Lord to calm down. The Lord could not be pacified and then they sought the help of Prahlada, whose arrival quietened Him to some extent. They prayed to the Goddess Mahalakshmi, who also took Her abode in Him as Narasingavalli, after which He became Yoga Narasimha. The Lord later granted the boon sought by the sage.
According to another legend, Lord Siva was afflicted by Brahma Hathi Dosham (a curse that descends upon a Hindu if he murders a Vedic Brahman) after He plucked one of the five heads of Lord Brahma. He was relieved of it after He took a bath in the holy water source there, also known as Chakra Theertham, and He worshipped Lord Narasimha. It is believed that taking a dip in the Chakra Theertham, which is near the temple, rids one of all sins.
The inscriptions at the temple are in ancient Tamil, Brahmi and Vattezhuthu. There are two inscriptions of Srivallabha Pandya (1101-1124 A.D.), which speak about the gifts made to the temple. There are also inscriptions of later Pandyas and one of them, belonging to the rule of Sundara Pandya, (1216-1238 A.D.) gives details about his conquest of the Chola country. Another inscription says that land gifts were made at Iyakkimangalam village for conducting the festival in the Anaimalai Temple. Later inscriptions are mostly incomplete. The Yoga Narasimha icon at the temple is six feet high, sculpted on the hill itself.
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Manyatas
The Thiruvilayadal Purana, written by Perumbatta Puliyur Nambi and later amended by Paranjothi Munivar, says that the Chola king, who could not win the battle against the Pandya ruler, sought the help of Jains. They created a giant elephant using their mystic powers and directed it to kill the Pandya king and destroy his capital. But the Pandya prayed to Lord Siva to save him and his capital. The Lord sent to him the “Narasinga Asthram” (the eight lettered word Namonarayana), which turned the elephant into a hill. To commemorate this event, a stone elephant was installed in Madurai near the Vaigai facing the north, which is found near the Yanaikkal bridge even today. Inscriptions in the cave temple say that Maran Kari, the minister of the Pandya king, started the construction of the temple in 770 A.D., which remained unfinished, either due to his death or due to some other calamity, and was completed by his brother Maran Eyinan later. He also built the Muka Mandapa and consecrated the temple.
Architecture
The fort around Azhagarkoil is also known as Iranyan Kottai, and even now a stone icon of Lord Yoga Narasimha is found atop its entrance. A big icon of Yoga Narasimha, found in the outer prakaram (closed precincts of a temple) of the Azhagarkoil temple, known as “Jwala Narasimhar”, is said to be ferocious. To pacify Him, regular Thirumanjanam (a bathing ritual) is performed with gingelly oil. A hole is found in the ceiling above the icon which is believed to let out the fire emanating from it.
The foot of the hill, where the Narasimha temple is located is known as Narasingam or Hasthigiri or Gajagiri. There one may find the Maha Mandapam, Garuda Mandapam and Mukha Mandapam of the Pandya period. The shrine of the Goddess Narasingavalli faces south, at the entrance. Inscriptions say that there was also an agraharam for Vedic Brahmins, but there is no trace of it now. The temple bustles with activity during the Narasimha Jayanthi festival, and on Masi Maham day, when Sri Kalamega Perumal of Thirumohur visits this place for the Gajendra Moksha festival. The temple is unique for its utsava icon of Narasimha in a standing posture with the Sudarsana and Panchajanya in His upper two hands while the left lower hand holds the Gathai (club weapon) and the right is in the Abhaya Hastha posture (blessing pose).
Temple Photos
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Presiding Deity
Bhagwan Narasimha with Weapons
Be A True Devotee
Worship your Isht in your tradition .
But passive worship is a total waste of your time and energy .
For True Worship ,a devotee MUST master the use of weapons the Deity bears.
Chakra, mace, Nails are the weapons of Bhagwan Narasimha.
Remember, for a Sanatani, Shastra (Weapon) and Shaastra (Holy Book) go together 🙏
A devotee must be learnt to use the respective deity’s weapons like Sword,Gada, Trishula etc..
How to use?
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Timing
7AM to 8 PM
The winter season is perfect to visit the place as it is so hot in Summers in South which can cause dificulties to visit.
Aarti Timing
Basic Facilities
Activities
Festivals
Famous Temples Nearby
Manthaiyamman Kovil
Kothandaramar Temple
Thavamuniyandi ThiruKovil
Bathrakaliamman Thiru Kovil
Near by Shops & Markets
Nearby Dharamshalas
Address: 6, W Veli St, Opposite To Railway Junction, Madurai, Tamil Nadu 625001
Hotels near Temple
Restaurants near Temple
Nearby Hospitals
Concerned Police Stations
Address: Y.Othakkadai, Narasingam Main Rd, Otthakadai, Anbu Nagar, Tamil Nadu 625107
Managment Commity
Miscellaneous information
Legal information
All necessary precautionary measures have been taken at the shrine premises and base camps adhering to COVID-19 guidelines.
Facilities to hold Functions
Library
Akharas
Mehants, Pujaris, Archakas and Sewayats
Gau Sewa, Birds and otheranimals Sewa
Langar Sewa
Gurukul/Vedic Pathshalas
Mitra Mandal Link for Advice/Guidance*
Modes of Travel
- Madurai East Rail Way Station , Kudalnagar Rail Way Station are the very nearby railway station to Otthakadai, Anbu Nagar.
- Madurai Airport is located around 12 km away from the city centre. It is served by domestic flights travelling to and from some major Indian cities. International flights from Colombo and Dubai serve the city of Madurai. Passengers can take direct or stopover flights and directly land at Madurai city.
- Madurai is connected by state and national highways. Inter-city and inter-state buses ply between Madurai, other major cities of Tamil Nadu and nearby states on a regular and frequent basis. Depending on choice, passengers can avail either government or private buses. Madurai has 3 bus terminals.
- Madurai Junction Railway Station connects Madurai with rest of India by an extensive rail network. Many direct trains connect Madurai with major cities and towns of the country. Super-fast day trains also ply between Madurai and Chennai regularly.
- Madurai airport is located at a distance of around 10 km from the heart of the city. It connects all the major cities of the country and solves a lot of problems of the visitors. You can always get flights from Madurai to Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Agra and other major domestic as well as international locations.
- Nearest Airport : Madurai Airport, Madurai.
- The Madurai railway station has very good connectivity with all the major cities of India. It solves each and every problem of the visitors about how to reach Madurai. You can get easy transport facility from the railhead to reach a particular destination.
- State as well as private buses connect the city with various cities of the country. Madurai is connected by well laid road network to places including Coimbatore (221km), Kochi (234km), Trivandrum ( 258km) and Bangalore (449km). One can book A/C busesas well as Non A/C buses.
Visitors’ views about the Temple
Address for Visiting and Donation Purpose
Arulmigu Yoga Narasinga Perumal Thiru Kovil
Narasingam Main Rd, Otthakadai, Madurai, Tamil Nadu 625107