Please Download Our Android App to Continue Editing

 This temple is dedicated to Vishnu, who is worshipped there as Varaha Narasimha. As per the temple's legend, Vishnu manifested in this form (lion's head and human body) after saving his devotee Prahlada from a murder attempt by the latter's father Hiranyakashipu. Except on Akshaya Trutiya, the idol of Varaha Narasimha is covered with sandalwood paste throughout the year, which makes it resemble a linga.

Simhachalam is one of the 32 Narasimha temples in Andhra Pradesh which are important pilgrimage centres. It was regarded as an important centre of Vaishnavism in the medieval period along with Srikurmam and others. The earliest inscription at the temple belongs to 11th-century CE recording the gift by a private individual in the era of Chalukya Chola king Kulottunga I. In the later half of the 13th century, the temple complex underwent radical physical changes during the reign of the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Narahari Tirtha, a Dvaita philosopher and Eastern Ganga minister converted the Simhachalam temple into an educational establishment of renown and a religious centre for Vaishnavism. It later received patronage from many royal families, of which Tuluva dynasty of Vijayanagara Empire is a notable one. The temple underwent 40 years of religious inactivity from 1564 to 1604 CE. In 1949, the temple came under the purview of the state government and is currently administered by the Simhachalam Devasthanam Board.

Simhachalam temple resembles a fortress from the outside with three prakarams (outer courtyards) and five gateways. The majority of the temple's present form is the one rebuilt by Narasimhadeva I. It faces west, an unusual case in the usual tradition of temple architecture. A prakaram covers the entire temple with two gateways on the northern and western sides. The temple has a five-tier rajagopuram (main tower) on the western gateway. Devotees enter the temple through a side door with a stairway, which leads into the Kalyana mandapa (wedding hall), which has 96 pillars. It has columns and walls on which the images of Vishnu, his consort Lakshmi, and the Azhwars are carved. Near the entrance, the footprints of Hindu saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu installed by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati in the year 1930 can be seen. In the end, a gateway leads to the main hall. Before the sanctum sanctorum, an altar with the images of Radha and Krishna can be seen.

The sanctum sanctorum of the temple is cubical-shaped whose walls feature sculptures carved in Hoysala style. Like the Konark temple, the three-tier vimana is shaped like a stepped pyramid with a proper carving of sculptures. The corners of the base of the vimana bear lion statuettes symbolizing Narasimha. On the eastern face of the vimana, images of Indra and Gajalakshmi are found. A gold-plated dome with a Vaishnavite symbol caps the vimana. On the southern wall of the Sanctorum, a sculpture of Narasimha killing Hiranyakashipu in Prahlada's presence is present. Narasimha is seen in a standing posture, a unique feature of the temple's architecture. The forearms lay on Hiranyakashipu whose is kept on the left thigh, and the rear arms hold a weapon and a conch. On the northern wall, a sculpture of Varaha is seen, which is similar to the ones found in the Belur Chennakeshava and Hoysaleswara temples. Krishna's images are found above these two sculptures. The southern wall depicts a scene of Kalinga Marthana and the northern wall has an image of Krishna lifting the Govardhan Hill.

In the northwestern corner of the temple, there are two halls named Vaisakha and Jyestha mandapas where special occasions are conducted. To the right of the northern entrance, there is a 16-pillared Natya mandapa (dance hall) where the pillars feature simhalalathas (lion heads) at their base. The temple has two jagattis (railed parapets). The outer jagatti around the artha mandapa carries a row of sculpted elephants denoting strength. The inner one, around the sanctum sanctorum, contains a row of swans Above this, scrollwork with sculpted figures and a row of simhalalatas are found. On the supporting pillars, simhalalatas are seen on elephant sculptures, with convolution-carrying figures in between. The eaves of the sidewalls feature stone-made filigree work. A study of the sculptures and pillars in the Kalyana mandapa revealed that basalt and schist were used in the construction The thirty-two manifestations of Narasimha, including the temple's deity, are carved on the pillars of the Kalyana mandapa. In the Mukha mandapa (main hall), there is a pillar named Kappam Stambham which is believed to have curative powers. It is consecrated using the Santana Venugopalaswamy Yantra and is known to grant unfulfilled wishes.

  There are two temple tanks: Swami Pushkarini near the temple and Gangadhara at the bottom of the hill.