Singiri Kona, the solitude Narasimha Temple

S Balakrishnan *

There are some places that make an indelible impression within you. Singiri Kona is one such place. It is such a solitude and serene place with a small temple dedicated to Shri Lakshminarasimha, a sacred mini waterfall and a pond formed by it, that it gives deep inner peace. ‘Ekantham inithu” they say in Tamil, meaning ‘solitude is sweet’.

But for the Narasimha Temple there is nothing at all at Singiri Kona. For miles around there is no habitation … only the mighty rocky hills and greenery at the base and then it is only dry and rocky land mass spread around. The solitude could scare you, as I was scared. No cables crisscrossing, no electric poles nor the ubiquitous mobile towers as far as your eyes could reach.

In such a situation I could not help thinking ‘what will happen if the vehicle breaks down?’ For miles around on the way I did not come across any soul except a lone shepherd. Luckily, nothing of that sort happened and I heaved a big sigh of relief when we got back to Puttur Town with the familiar sights & sounds associated with our so-called civilization!

Singiri Kona is tucked in a ‘corner’ (hence Kona) in Chittor District near Puttur in Andhra. ‘Singh’ is Lion, as in many Indian languages. This Singiri Kona Narasimha Temple is situated in a very desolate corner that there is no public transport; one has to avail private transport only. As we take a diversion from Puttur town, the scenery becomes rugged.

By the way, Puttur is famous for traditional bone setting practices which is popularly known as Puttur kattu (bandage). It is said that this traditional practice of setting right fractures and dislocations was accidentally invented by one K. Kesava Raju in 1881; now his fourth generation is practicing it in Puttur.

As we proceed further from Puttur Town, after some 5 kms we approach the Narayana vanam (Narayana forest) from where a muddy ghat road leads to the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple at Singiri Kona, another 3.5 km away. The whole pathway appears so desolate that the film director sleeping within me said ‘What a perfect location for historical/period films, and especially for war scenes’!

While the small temple is atop a mound, at its foot is a mini waterfall and a pond formed by its water. The water is considered sacred and believed to contain medicinal properties as it flows down from the hill through the forest. For an angry (aakrosh) god like Narasimha, the serene and cool setting is so befitting. We missed enjoying a bath in the falls and a splash in the pool as we had not carried our luggage.

So we sprinkled the sacred water of Baala Theertham on our head and proceeded to climb the 50 or so steps to reach the temple that was under renovation then. Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy (God) appears here with His two consorts, Sridevi and Bhoodevi. This Narasimha temple is said to be 400-500 years ancient. What is unique is that He appears here in standing posture and with both His consorts, which is rare.

We were fortunate to receive the prasadam which is generally served to all the devotees visiting this temple, as it is located deep inside away from civilization. The Temple has a madapalli (kitchen) attached to it through which free anna dhanam (food)/prasad is distributed to the devotees.

While the temple is normally open from morning to evening, during peak monsoon period it remains closed. From Chennai, Singiri Kona is 102km away and from Tirupathi it is 44km away. Singiri Kona is situated in Eastern Ghats mountain range in which Tirupathi is also located.

The fourth incarnation among the ten avatars (dasavatar) of Lord Maha Vishnu is the Narasimha Avatar. Lord Vishnu took this avatar to save little prince Prahaladha from his father and king Hiranyakasipu who considered himself as the almighty.

It is interesting to note that these dasavatars follow the system of evolution of life on this planet – matsya (fish), kurma (turtle), varaaha (boar), Narasimha (half man, half lion), Vamana (short statured), Parasurama, Rama, Balarama, Krishna, and Kalki which is due at the end of the present Kali yug.

I have had darshan at a few Narasimha Temples but I consider Singiri Kona Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple particularly special, maybe for its solitude and serene nature. There are a few places that we long to visit again but it never materializes.

Sadly, Singri Kona could be one such place unless Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy desires otherwise, when I could enjoy a shower in the mini waterfalls and a splash at the pond that I missed earlier!

Will Lord Narasimha know of my secret plans?