SIMHACHALAM

At a separation of 18 km from Vizag Railway Station and 128 km from Annaam, 208 km from Rajahmundry, 359 from Vijayawada, 607 km from Hyderabad, Simhadri or Simhachalam is a Hindu sanctuary situated in the Visakhapatnam City suburb of Simhachalam in Andhra Pradesh. This eleventh century sanctuary is devoted to Sri Varaha Narasimha Swamy, an incarnation of Vishnu and arranged over the Simhachalam Hills.

The sanctuary is accepted to have been developed in 1098 by the celebrated Chola lord, Kulothunga Chola. The ruler of Kalinga talented brilliant reinforcement to the statue. The Eastern Ganga King Narasimha Deva has developed the focal sanctum in 1267. Krishna Deva Raya, the Vijayanagara Emperor went by this sanctuary in the year 1516, as observed from engravings here. The sanctuary exercises are overseen by the Pusapati Gajapatis, for most recent three centuries.
The design of the focal holy place takes after Kalinga style. Looking towards west, it is a square holy place surmounted by a high pinnacle, a colonnade in front with a little pinnacle, a cut 16 pillared Natya mantapa. The sanctuary has engravings going back to 1098 AD on its dividers. The god is constantly kept secured with shoe glue.

The real type of the divinity is in the tribhanga act with two hands and leader of a lion, which can be seen just amid the 'Chandanotsavam' in April/May. Legend has it that the Ugra type of Narasimha as he murdered the evil presence Hiranyakashipu was fierce to the point that the picture is kept secured by shoe glue consistently.