Vajra Narasimha Temple, Kethavaram

Kethavaram is one of the Pancha Narasimha kshetras located in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh (India). It is the abode of Sri Vajra Narasimha Swamy and His eternal consort Sri Rajyalakshmi Devi. This temple is situated deep in the forest, atop the peak of Kethagiri, on the banks of River Krishna with no access by road to the temple.

The view of the Krishna Veni River with the paddy fields, from atop the hill is an unforgettable sight. It will awestuck you.

The Deity of Sri Vajra Narasimha Swamy is swayambhu i.e. self-manifested. The Lord manifested on a hill-top in Kethavaram. You have to climb 600 steps to reach the temple on the hill. One more temple was built at the foot-hill for the convenience of devotees.

Kethavaram is also called Kaataaram and Kethaaram in the scriptures.

History of Kethavaram Vajra Narasimha Temple

When the Lord appears, He does uncommon pastimes. Lord Narasimha’s appearance in Kethavaram is also uncommon.

The area of Kethavaram was ruled by King Ketha Varma. Within his kingdom, Lord Narasimha appeared in the dream of a Yadava King and informed the king about His presence on the hill of Kethavaram. The Yadava King informed King Ketha Varma about the dream.

On knowing about the Lord’s presence in Kethavaram, the King set out to find the Deity. He searched extensively through the forest of Kethavaram. Very soon, the King found the Deity atop the hill in Kethavaram and established the worship of Lord Vajra Narasimha after building a small temple.

A replica temple for Sri Vajra Narasimha Swamy and His eternal consort Sri Rajyalakshmi Devi was built at the foot of the hill for those devotees who could not climb the hill.

When workers were digging the earth to build kalyani, a stone cut one of the workers and caused bleeding. When the workers studied the rock, they found that it was a diamond rock. When they dug the ground looking for more diamond rocks, they found the Utsavar Deities i.e. festival Deities of Lord Narasimha. Hence, the temple came to be known as Vajralaya. Lord Narasimha here became Vajra Narasimha thereafter.

Deities of Kethavaram Vajra Narasimha Temple

To describe the Deities of this temple, we have to talk about the up-hill temple and the down-hill temple.

The up-hill temple is the original temple where Lord Narasimha appeared along with His eternal consort Sri Rajyalakshmi Devi. The Deities of Sri Vajra Narasimha Swamy and Sri Rajyalakshmi Devi are swayambhu i.e. self-manifested from a black rock. The Deity of Sri Rajyalakshmi Devi manifested a little away from Sri Vajra Narasimha Swamy’s Deity.

The most unique thing here is that Lord Ananta-Shesha has also manifested right above the Deity of Sri Rajyalakshmi Devi. Lord Ananta-Shesha is usually present above Lord Vishnu. He manifested above Lord Narasimha in Mattapalli, another Pancha Narasimha kshetra too. But Kethavaram is quite distinct in this matter.

On the right and left sides of Lord Vajra Narasimha are seated the 12 Azhwars of the Sri sampradaya. Six Azhwars on the right side of the Lord face the six Azhwars on the left side of the Lord. They have been carved on the rock itself. A Deity of Sri Hanuman is also present in the temple complex.

The down-hill temple houses the replica Deities of Sri Vajra Narasimha Swamy and His eternal consort Sri Rajyalakshmi Devi. These Deities are very mesmerizing to look at.

Architecture of Kethavaram Vajra Narasimha Temple

The temple does not have a grand architecture. Simple architecture in the Dravidian style has been used to build both the up-hill and down-hill temples. The roofs have simple carvings. The Uphill temple is in a ruined state with only cave remaining. The pillars, mantapa and the stairs are all dilapidated already.

Both the temples in Kethavaram which house three vigrahas of Lord Narasimha need a major attention of devotees with an access by road. The temples are almost about to fall apart due to negligence. There is only one pujari who lives across the river and who performs puja only on Saturday on the uphill temple.

Festivals of Kethavaram Vajra Narasimha Temple

Narasimha Jayanthi is the main festival celebrated at the temple. The celebrations are grand on this occasion. Other festivals such as Janmashtami, Rama Navami and Vaikuntha Ekadashi are also celebrated.

Festivals were conducted in grandeur during the times of the Kings beginning from King Ketha Varma.

Temple Timings of Kethavaram Vajra Narasimha Temple

Being situated in a forest area, there are no fixed temple timings here. The temple is opened for darshan when devotees visit the temple. A family living nearby takes care of the temple.

How to reach Kethavaram Vajra Narasimha Temple

Tirtha Yatra is the best bet if you desire to visit Kethavaram Vajra Narasimha Temple. You won’t have to worry about anything else. Best is to join the Bhadrachalam Yatra.

There is no road to reach the Kethavaram Temple. One can reach by two means – roadways & waterways. From the nearest village in Kethavaram auto rides available through the forest path which is extremely dangerous. From another nearby village one can take a boat if one is lucky to cross the river and then walk upto the hill.

Kethavaram is directly served by road from Satanapalle, which is the nearest town. State buses are available from Satanapalle.

You can generally use the following means to travel:

By Road: You can reach Guntur city in Andhra Pradesh and travel from there by state transportation to Satanapalle town and further on to Kethavaram.

By Rail: Bellamkonda is the nearest railway station. You will have to catch a local train from Guntur/Vijayawada to Bellamkonda which is 19.5 kms from Kethavaram by road.

By Air: Vijayawada is the nearest airport 131 kms away followed by Hyderabad at a distance of 247 kms. From these airports, Guntur city is the connecting point.

Sri Vajra Narasimha Swamy: The true diamond

The word Vajra was prefixed to Lord Narasimha as His Utsavar Deity was found amongst diamond rocks. The Lord truly deserves this title as He is the true Vajra found in Kethavaram. Lord Narasimha appeared in Kethavaram to shower His causeless mercy on all devotees.

Sitting on the top of the hill, He looks down eagerly to give darshan to His devotees. As you finish climbing the 600 steps to the temple, all your sins will undoubtedly vanish and enable you to embrace the Lord of Kethavaram all by your heart.