Yogananda Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple

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Coordinates: 16°43′N 79°49′E / 16.72°N 79.82°E / 16.72; 79.82
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Yogananda Lakshmi Narasimha Temple
Religion
AffiliationHinduism
DistrictSuryapet
Deity
  • Yogananda Lakshmi Narasimha (Narasimha)
  • Rajalakshmi Thayar and Chenchu Lakshmi Thayar (Lakshmi)
Features
  • Tower: Brahma Ananda Vimanam
  • Temple tank: Krishnaveni Theertham
Location
LocationMattampally
StateTelangana
CountryIndia
Yogananda Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple is located in Telangana
Yogananda Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple
Location in Telangana
Geographic coordinates16°43′N 79°49′E / 16.72°N 79.82°E / 16.72; 79.82
Architecture
TypeDravidian architecture

The Yogananda Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, also known as Mattapalli Narasimha Temple, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Narasimha, the half-man half-lion avatar of Vishnu, and his consort Lakshmi. It is located in Mattampally (also known as Mattapalli), a village in the Mattampally mandal of Suryapet district in the Indian state of Telangana. One of the Pancha Narasimha Kshetras, the temple is located on the banks of the Krishna River, and was built in the 11th century by Anumala Machi Reddy, the king of Thangedu region after the deity appeared in his dream and instructed him to do so. The main shrine houses a swayambhu (self-manifested) idol of Narasimha as Yogananda Lakshmi Narasimha, and was worshipped by sage Bharadvaja and other seers for hundreds of years before the temple was constructed. Lakshmi is worshipped here as Rajalakshmi Thayar and Chenchu Lakshmi Thayar.

Situated on the border of the Indian Telugu speaking states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Mattapalli Narasimha Temple is one of the few Vaishnava temples in India which are following the Vaikhanasa agama doctrines of worship in India, after the rise of the Pancharatra tradition in the 10th–11th centuries. It is also popular for providing free food and accommodation to the devotees, serving more than 100,000 pilgrims on a daily basis, and is hence referred to as Annalayam (Temple of Rice). The temple's committee is managed by the Chennuri family for generations, and is under administrative control of the Telangana State Government's Endowments Department.

Legend[edit]

Based on an inscription found in the temple in Devanagari script, the temple is estimated to be around 1100 years old.[1]

Per the local legend, the central icon is a swayambhu (self-manifested) idol of Narasimha, the half-man half-lion avatar of Vishnu, which was worshipped primarily by the sage Bharadvaja and other seers for hundreds of years in a cave;[2] it used to be their custom to visit the deity and seek blessings after bathing in the Krishna River, on whose banks the cave was situated.[3]

In the 11th century, a farmer named Anumala Machi Reddy lived in the area with his family. Once he instructed his daughter-in-law Bhavanasinidevi to assist him in sowing beans in the field. As she left for the fields praying to the god Shiva, she unknowingly gave away the beans to devotees of Shiva, who begged for alms. She used the sand particles as the beans whilst praying to Shiva. The resultant crop yielded golden beans, half of which Machi Reddy donated to the poor and used the rest to build the village of Thangeda (also known as Thangedu), declaring himself as its ruler.[2][3]

The cave now was a part of Thangedu; Narasimha once instructed Machi Reddy to locate the cave and construct a temple. Machi Reddy and his associates searched the forests, and were unable to find the cave. Machi Reddy then fell asleep; Narasimha again instructed him in his dream to follow the eagle perched on a bidi leaf tree before him, who will lead to the cave. Machi Reddy followed the trail of the eagle, and found the cave.[4] Another legend states that a sage named Sri Keshava Teertha Yateendra built a hermitage there and worshipped Narasimha for around 20 years before Machi Reddy commenced the construction; until then, Mattapalli was a tough pilgrimage with people climbing the rocks using carts with fewer devotees visiting the deity.[3]

Another legend associated with this temple is of Chennuri Giramma, one of the ancestors of Chennuri Sri Narasimha Rao, a former committee chairman of the temple. She lived during the rule of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and was a staunch devotee of Narasimha. When the Mughal forces tried to attack the temple, Giramma prayed to Narasimha, who apparently sent a swarm of countless bees onto the soldiers. The attempt to seize the temple proved to be a failure, and the Mughals gave up.[5] This story is recited at the temple as a part of its sthala purana, but there is no known historic documentation to support this legend.[5] The temple's committee is managed by the Chennuri family for generations, and is currently managed by Chennuri Mattapalli Rao.[6]

Architecture[edit]

The temple is located in Mattampally (also known as Mattapalli), a village in the Mattampally mandal of Suryapet district in the Indian state of Telangana,[7] and was previously a part of Nalgonda district.[8] It is situated on the border of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states.[8] The gopuram (main tower) of the temple is three-tiered and faces east, leading to the main shrine and the dhwaja stambha (flagstaff).[9] The temple's tank, which is part of the Krishna River (also known by the name Krishnaveni), is approached by the steps on the South side of the temple.[9][7]

The main shrine has two natural openings on the west and the north, and two hallways were later added to house the subsidiary deities of the temple.[10] The hallway leading to the sanctum sanctorum (which faces west), called the mukhamandapam, measures 24 feet x 45 feet and is composed of 21 pillars with a cement roof.[11] Another similar but smaller hallway is found near the Northern entrance with only five pillars.[8][12] It was built in 1973-75 with a dimension of 21 x 18 feet.[11] The north door to the sanctum sanctorum is named Vaikuntha Dwaram (gateway to Vaikuntha, the abode of Vishnu),[13] and features carvings of Ashta Lakshmi[a] and two images of Narasimha, one seated in a yogic posture and the other killing the demon king Hiranyakashipu.[14]

The central deity, Yogananda Lakshmi Narasimha, is one-foot tall seated in padmasana (lotus position).[12] The idol is an amorphous rock formation which has four hands holding the Sudarshana Chakra and the Panchajanya with his upper right and left hands respectively, as the lower left hand rests on his thigh and the lower right hand is not visible.[5][12] Narasimha is sheltered by the hoods of the serpent Adisesha.[8] The deity wears a body armor made of silver and a mustache,[8] along with plated eyes and a Urdhva Pundra which help denote the facial features clearly.[5] To the left of the central deity, there is a decorated Urdhva Pundra and two eyes, which represent Prahlada, a staunch devotee of Narasimha.[16] The idols of Rajalakshmi Thayar and Chenchu Lakshmi Thayar were later installed in the temple to cool down the central deity's rage.[2] The idol of Chenchu Lakshmi Thayar is a rock sculpture shown in a sitting posture on a lotus, with a crown on her head and her upper hands holding a lotus each; her lower hands are shown in the Abhaya and the Suchi postures.[12] The idol of Rajalakshmi Thayar is placed below the Chenchu Lakshmi Thayar (who is seated to the left of the central deity) in order to enable devotees offer their prayers to the goddess as the other idol is not made available to them.[12] At the feet of Narasimha, there is a rock sculpture of a bird named Chakri, a devotee of the deity; Narasimha wanted Chakri to remain with him and hence the bird is worshipped along with the deity regularly.[17] In front of the central deity, at a lower level, there are utsava (festival) idols of Narasimha and Lakshmi, as well as copper images of an anthropomorphic form of the Sudarshana Chakra and Nammalvar, one of the Alvars.[10]

There are small shrines dedicated to Hanuman and Garuda opposite the main shrine;[13] the former is worshipped here with the name Prasanna Anjaneya Swamy,[2] and as the temple's kshetrapala (guardian deity).[18] A distinct feature of the temple, that separates itself from other Hindu temples in Telangana, is the absence of a path for circumambulation around the sanctum sanctorum. Hence, the devotees choose the dhwaja stambha or the Prasanna Anjaneya Swamy shrine to complete the ritual.[12] The north hallway contains three shrines, each dedicated to the Alvars (a group of twelve Tamil poet-saints), Vaikhanasas (Sage Vikhanasa and his disciples Atri, Bhrigu, Kashyapa and Marichi), and to Andal (the only female poet-saints among the Alvars).[13] The temple also houses the Ramanuja Kutam or the kitchen where the Naivedya (daily food offering) is prepared.[12] In 1992, Mukkur Lakshminarasimhachariar of Ahobilam, a staunch Narasimha devotee and vedic scholar, came to Mattapalli to perform a yagna as part of a series of similar worships across multiple Narasimha temples in India. In 1995, he established the Mattapalli Narasimha Swamy Peetham and continued to perform various yagnas here until 2000. His descendant Srinivasan started the Swathi Narasimha Mahayagna Trust and constructed a yagnavatika along with multiple guest houses.[3]

Religious significance[edit]

Mattapalli Narasimha Temple is one of the Pancha Narasimha Kshetras,[b] and is one of the few Vaishnava temples in India which are following the Vaikhanasa agama doctrines of worship in India, after the rise of the Pancharatra tradition in the 10th–11th centuries.[19] The temple is also known for conducting annadanam in its premises on a daily basis from the 11th century as per the temple inscriptions, and the deity is hence referred to as "Annalayya" (Lord of Rice), giving the temple its another name "Annalayam" (Temple of Rice).[2][c] Mattapalli has the second highest number of choultries after Srisailam Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Temple in the Telugu speaking Indian states, which provide food and accommodation to the pilgrims, serving food to more than 100,000 people per day on a daily basis.[3] The devotees who visit this temple pray to Narasimha mainly for improving their health, finding cure for life-threatening ailments and for warding away evil spirits.[2][8] One of the usual rituals in the temple is devotees performing 32 pradakshinas around the dhwaja sthambha, the Prasanna Anjaneya Swamy shrine and the bidi leaf tree under which the deity was found by Machi Reddy; they perform this ritual wishing for their desires to come true, and return to perform it again once their wishes get fulfilled.[2] The temple's legends say that Yama, the god of death in Hinduism, visited Mattapalli and performed this ritual, which gave it the name "Yama Mohita Kshetra" (Yama's beloved temple).[1] Another notable practice in Mattapalli is the usage of bidi leaves to worship Narasimha, instead of tulasi leaves (which is an important aspect of Vishnu worship in Hinduism), as the deity was found under the same tree.[2]

Worship practices and festivals[edit]

The temple is under administrative control of the Telangana State Government's Endowments Department.[22] The temple follows the Vaikhanasa agama doctrine of worship, and the priests belong to the Sri Vaishnavaite community, a Brahmin sub-caste.[23] It remains open from 05:00 AM to 12:30 PM and from 04:30 PM to 09:00 PM throughout the week.[23] The temple priests perform the puja (rituals) during festivals and on daily, weekly, monthly and fortnightly basis.[24] Every Friday, a special worship is performed to Andal in the evening at 06:00 PM and the devotees participate in the procession that follows the ritual.[8] The temple is usually busy with devotees during the Karthika (October–November) and Dhanu (December–January) months, with special rituals conducted during the same.[24] Narasimha Jayanthi is the most prominent among the festivals celebrated in the temple, and is a five-day event culminating in a boat ride of the temple's festival deities on the Krishna River.[24] Other festivals celebrated here are the annual Brahmotsavam, Vaikuntha Ekadashi in January and Kalyanotsavam, the annual marriage anniversary of the central deity, which occurs in May.[12] Before the commencement of Brahmotsavam, Adhyana utsavas are conducted to commemorate the deity, which last for three days.[8] Other festivals celebrated in the temple include Makar Sankranti, Rama Navami, Krishna Janmashtami, and Vijayadashami.[25] Mattapalli is also one of the places in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh states to host the Krishna Pushkaralu, a festival that normally occurs once in every 12 years, and special bathing ghats were constructed for the same in 2016.[26][d]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Ashta Lakshmi is a group of the eight manifestations of Lakshmi.[14] She presides over eight sources of wealth: spirituality, material wealth, agriculture, royalty, knowledge, courage, progeny, and victory.[15]
  2. ^ Pancha Narasimha Kshetras is a group of five Hindu temples dedicated to Narasimha in the Telugu speaking regions of India. They are located at Mattampally, Vadapally, Vedadri, Mangalagiri and Kethavaram.[7]
  3. ^ Annadanam is a practice of distributing free food at temples in India.[20] The practice is common in India, as the hermits and individuals provide free food to the poor and hungry on special occasions of religious importance.[21]
  4. ^ Pushkaram is a traditional 12-day Hindu festival focusing on ancestor worship. It is celebrated every 12 years at 12 Indian rivers when Brihaspati (the personification of Jupiter) enters Leo, the zodiac sign of Surya. Believers consider bathing in a river during Pushkaram auspicious.[27]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Durgaprasad, Dasari (3 August 2016). "కృష్ణవేణి తీరంలో పవిత్ర క్షేత్రాలు" [Sacred temples on the banks of the Krishna river]. Telangana Masa Patrika (in Telugu). Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022. {{cite magazine}}: Unknown parameter |agency= ignored (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Nagaraju A, Nalgonda (19 May 2022). "ఆ ఆలయాన్ని దర్శిస్తే ప్రాణభయం పోతుందట.. యమధర్మరాజు ప్రదక్షిణ చేసిన క్షేత్రంగా ప్రసిద్ధి.. ఎక్కడుందంటే?" [Visiting that temple helps overcoming fear of death... Yama apparently offered prayers here to the deity... it is located at?] (in Telugu). News 18. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e "మట్టపల్లి నృసింహునికి వెయ్యేళ్ల చరిత్ర" [Mattapalli Narasimha's thousand year history]. Nijam Today (in Telugu). 28 January 2022. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  4. ^ "యాదాద్రి కాకుండా తెలంగాణ‌లో ఉన్న న‌ర‌సింహ‌స్వామి ఆల‌యాల గురించి తెలుసా" [Do you know about Narasimha temples in Telangana apart from Yadadri]. Namasthe Telangana (in Telugu). 30 March 2022. Archived from the original on 5 November 2022. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Vedagiri 2004, p. 39.
  6. ^ "వైభవంగా మట్టపల్లి లక్ష్మీనరసింహుడి నిత్యకల్యాణం" [The Eternal Marriage Of Mattapally Lakshminarasimha In Glory]. Namasthe Telangana (in Telugu). 17 October 2021. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "Places of Interest – Suryapet Tourism". Suryapet district official website. Archived from the original on 23 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Deekonda, Ravi Shankar (17 October 2021). "Maha Kshetram – Mattapalli Yoga Laxmi Narasimha temple". The Hans India. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  9. ^ a b Vedagiri 2004, p. 44.
  10. ^ a b Vedagiri 2004, p. 40.
  11. ^ a b Narasimhacharya 1989, p. 208.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h "Narasimha Swamy Temple Mattapalli – Ancient Temple of Nalgonda". Explore Telangana. 5 November 2013. Archived from the original on 24 October 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  13. ^ a b c Vedagiri 2004, p. 43.
  14. ^ a b Vedagiri 2004, p. 41.
  15. ^ Vedagiri 2004, p. 42.
  16. ^ Narasimhacharya 1989, p. 207.
  17. ^ "Sri Narasimhar Temple". Dinamalar. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  18. ^ Vedagiri 2004, p. 33.
  19. ^ Vedagiri 2004, p. 60.
  20. ^ Vimal Kumar, R (18 April 2016). "'Annadanam' at temple existed 1,000 years ago". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  21. ^ Sharanya, CR (4 June 2017). "Even at 84, he feeds the hungry daily; doesn't take a penny". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  22. ^ "Ch. Mattapalli Rao, vs State Of Andhra Pradesh on 30 June, 2021". Andhra Pradesh High Court. 30 June 2021. Archived from the original on 8 November 2022. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  23. ^ a b Narasimhacharya 1989, p. 209.
  24. ^ a b c Special Story On Mattapalli Yoga Narasimha Swamy Temple (News). India: V6 News. 11 August 2017.
  25. ^ Narasimhacharya 1989, p. 210.
  26. ^ "2.5 lakh take holy dip". The Hans India. 14 August 2016. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  27. ^ Kumar, Ranee (26 July 2003). "Holy dip". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 July 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2022.

Bibliography[edit]

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