Namakkal Narasimhaswamy Temple

Getting there

• By air

  Salem Airport is the nearest of the three airports, with Trichy and Coimbatore further away.

• By train

  A broad-gauge line from Salem to Karur runs via Namakkal and started service on 25 May 2013.

• By road

  The temple is on the Namakkal-Salem road. Buses ply to cities in Tamil Nadu, including Salem, Erode, Trichy, Karur, Coimbatore, Chennai, Madurai and Dindigul.

Why devotees come here

Namakkal Narasimhaswamy Temple stands at the western foot of Namagiri hill in Namakkal town, Tamil Nadu. It is dedicated to Narasimha, considered an avatar of Vishnu. Its sanctum is rock-cut, and it is one of two rock-cut Vaishnava shrines on opposite sides of the hill.

Legend says Narasimha appeared before Lakshmi and Hanuman and made his abode in the stone statue at this place. Medieval historians record that Purandarasa, a Kannada Haridasa known as the grandfather of Carnatic music, visited here and composed a Kannada song in praise of Narasimha.

Historians believe the temple was built between the 6th and 8th centuries by the Adiyaman kings, judging from its architecture. Another account dates it to the 6th century, when Pandya or Satyaputra kings are said to have built it in rock-cut style. The temple follows the Dravidian style, and its square sanctum is rock-cut with a black background.

Inside the sanctum, Narasimha sits in the Asanamurthi pose, with Sanaka, Sanata, Surya, Chandra, Shiva and Brahma worshipping him. The two rock-cut Vaishnava shrines sit on opposite sides of Namagiri hill, not inside the summit fort. The Ranganathaswamy temple is cut into the eastern side of the same hill.

Festivals

• Tamil month of Panguni (March to April)Panguni Uthiram

  A fifteen-day festival when the presiding deities are carried around the streets in a temple chariot.

Tips for your visit

• Ranganathaswamy temple is cut into the hill's eastern side, so it is a separate visit from this temple at the western foot.
• The Namakkal Digambara Anjaneyar Temple lies opposite this temple, so the two can be visited together on the same trip.

Questions people ask