Jharni Narasimha Temple, Bidar

Jharni Narasimha Temple is the only underwater temple of Lord Narasimha in the world. Devotees have to pass through a waist deep water filled tunnel to have darshan of Lord Narasimha. A viral video on Social Media showcases this beautiful temple.

There are thousands of temples and the tirthas scattered all over the land of Bharatavarsha. The shastras enjoin that there are almost sixty thousand crores of tirthas. Every single tirtha is potent enough to grant liberation to its seeker. Particularly there are thousands of temples dedicated to Lord Narasimha especially in South India.

Each temple of Lord Narasimha is unique to itself offering its devotee the ultimate darshan and at the same time an opportunity to recreate or relax in the lap of the Lord. Well this is so true when it comes to the temples of Lord Narasimha in South India. If one happens to travel through South India, can easily relate with me.

There are temples of Lord Narasimha situated deep inside the forest, some of the banks of vast rivers, some in the caves which are unaccessible, some on the edge of the waterfalls, some below the ground and there is only one temple where Lord Narasimha is worshiped within the water. Yes this is Jharni Narasimha Temple.

Jharni Narasimha Temple is a unique temple of Lord Narasimha situated inside the cave. It offers devotees a fusion of thrilling and spiritual experience. The unique feature of this temple is that devotees must have darshan of the Lord in wet clothes only. You shall never find such a temple in the whole world.

The Jharni Narasimha temple dates back to Satya Yuga and is a home to Sri Jharni Narasimha. It is situated in the Manichoola Hill Range. The garbha griha of Jharni Narasimha Temple is located about 300 mts inside a cave.

The origin of Jharni Narasimha Temple

Let me first describe the origin of Jharni Narasimha Temple. What makes it so special. There lived a demon named Jharasura, an contemporary of Hiranyakashipu. He was a staunch devotee of Lord Shiva and lived in this cave. The garbha griha of Jharni Narasimha Temple also houses a Shiva Linga as mentioned in the Shiva Purana, which was worshipped by JharasuraThe demon Jharasura lived in this cave. He had excavated the cave using his fingernails. Even today his fingernail marks are still to be seen on the walls.

After killing Hiranyakashipu, Lord Narasimha sighted that the demon Jhara was creating havoc for all the citizens and was dwelling in this cave. After killing Hiranyakashipu, Lord Narasimha headed to kill Jharasura. After the duel, when Jharasura or Jalasura was counting his breaths on being slayed by Lord Narasimha, Jharasura requested the Lord to reside in the cave in which he was residing and to grant boons to devotees. Narasimha came to live in the cave to oblige his request.

Instantly, Jharasura turned into water and began gushing down the lotus feet of Lord Narasimha. The flow of water in the cave is unceasing ever since then and has never dried up. This water is trickling down by touching the deity of Lord Narasimha which is a Swayambu deity. After slaying the demon Jhara, Lord Narasimha got the name Jhara Narasimha. Jhara means water.

Devotees consider the Deity of Lord Narasimha very powerful and wish-fulfilling. As per the folklores, Vidura used to live here at Jharni Narasimha Temple and hence this place is also called as Viduranagara. The Great King Nala of Mahabharata had met Damayanti in this place.

Devotees carry kids into the temple on their shoulder. The water heals devotees who are suffering from skin problems. This temple is especially visited by many child seeking couples.

How to Reach Jharni Narasimha Temple

To receive immense blessings of Sri Jharni Narasimha not be bothered by any worries of travel, best is to travel with Tirtha Yatra on the Jharni Narasimha Yatra. Every arrangement is taken care and you have to just focus on the worship of Lord Jharni Narasimha in the association of like minded devotees.

If you wish to travel on your own, then take the following means

By Road: The temple is accessible by roads from the nearest cities like Hyderabad, Raichur, etc.

By Rail: The nearest Railway Stations are Hyderabad, Raichur, Gulbarga. From there you may hire a taxi or take a state transport to reach temple.

By Air: The nearest airport is Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad. Bidar is well connected to other major cities of the country via regular trains. You can easily get regular buses to Bidar from other major cities of the country.

Best time to visit the Jharni Narasimha Temple

The best time to visit this temple is during the winters. Summers are extremely hot in this part of the country. December-January is the best time to visit Sri Jharni Narasimha Temple