Narasimha A monolithic statue of Narasimha at Vijayanagara . Narasiṃha ( `` man-lion '' ) ( also known as Narasingh , Narasinga ) ( नरसिंह in Devanagari ) is desribed as the fourth incarnation ( Avatara ) of Lord Vishnu within the Vedic / Puranic texts of Hinduism . He is worshipped in deity form by a significant number of Vaishnava groups throughout India ( especially in the South ) and is primariliy known as the 'Great Protector' , being a form of Vishnu who specifically defends and protects his devotees in times of need . Scriptural background The most famous story regarding Narashima is described in the Bhagavata Purana   : In his previous avatar ( incvarnation ) of ( Varaha ) , Vishnu killed a rakshasa known as Hiranyaksha . Hiranyaksha 's brother Hiranyakashipu , greatly angered by this , started to abhor Lord Vishnu and His followers . Further , he decides to put an end to Vishnu by gaining mystical powers through performance of a great penance for Brahma , the chief among the demigods ( devas ) . Brahma , pleased with his austere penance , then appeared before Hiranyakashipu and granted him a boon . Hiranyakashipu asked for the following : That he would not die on Earth or in Space , nor in fire or water , neither during the day or at night , neither inside a building nor outside , not by a weapon of holding ( i.e a sword ) or throwing ( i.e an arrow ) , nor by anyone created by Brahma . Thus being granted this boon , Hiranyakashipu then believed himself to be immortal and decided it was now time to avenge the death of his brother Hiranyaksha . Meanwhile , while Hiranyakashipu had been performing his penance , the divine sage ( rishi ) called Narada protected Hiranyakashipu 's wife after her home had been overtaken by a war party . While under the guidance of Narada , her unborn child ( Hiranyakashipu 's son ) Prahlada , was affected by his transcendental instructions even at such a young stage of development ( through the sound vibrations ) . Thus , Prahlada when born was gradually recognised as being a very devoted follower of Vishnu , much to his father 's disappointment . As Prahlada grows in age , his father Hiranyakashipu becomes upset at his devotion to Vishnu , who he sees as his mortal enemy . Eventually his anger leads him to attempt to kill the boy Prahlada in many ways , but each time Prahlada is protected by Vishnu 's mystical power . When asked , Prahlada refuses to acknowledge his father as the supreme lord of the universe and claims that Vishnu is omnipresent . Finally in disgust Hiranyakashipu points to a particular pillar and asks if his Vishnu is in it ? Prahlada answers , He was , He is and He will be . In an alternate version of the story , Prahlada answers He is in pillars , and he is in the least twig . Hiranyakashipu , unable to control his anger , smashes the pillar with his mace , and then following a tumultuous sound , Vishnu in the form of Narasimha appears from it and in defence of Prahlada moves to attack his father . In order to kill Hiranyakashipu and not upset the boon given by Brahma , the form of Narasimha was chosen . Hiranyakashipu could not be killed by human , deva or animal , Narasimha is neither one of these , as he is a form of Vishnu incarnate as a part-human , part-animal . He comes upon Hiranyakashipu at twilight ( when it is neither day nor night ) on the threshold of a courtyard ( neither indoors nor out ) , and puts the demon on his lap ( neither earth nor space ) . Using his nails ( neither animate nor inanimate ) as weapons , he disembowels and kills the demon . Even after killing Hiranyakashipu , Narasimha cannot control his fury . None of the present demigods were able to calm Narasimha 's fury , not Shiva , or the consort of Narayana , Laxmi . Thus , at the request of Narada , Prahlada was presented to Narasimha , and finally , he was calmed by the prayers of his devotee . He is invoked by His devotees in danger and there are testimonies of people who were saved by Him . There is one story in which He saved Adi Sankara from being sacrificed to goddess Kali by a Kapalika . Thus Adi Sankara composed Laksmi -Nrsimha stotra . Mood of worship Due to the nature of Narasimha 's form ( divine anger ) , it is considered essential that worship is given with a very high level of attention compared to other deities . In many temples only life-long celebates ( brahmacarya ) will be able to have the chance to serve as priests to perform the daily puja . Forms where Narasimha appears sitting in a yogic posture , or with the goddess Lakshmi are the exception to this rule , as Narasimha is taken as being more relaxed in both of these instances compared to his form when first emerging from the pillar to protect Prahlada . Symbolism Narasimha indicates God 's omnipresence and the lesson is that God is everywhere . For more information , see Vaishnava Theology . Prahlada 's devotion indicates that pure devotion is not one of birthright but of character . Prahlada , although born an asura , demonstrated greatest bhakti to God . Significance Killing Hiranykashyapu by incarnating as Narasihma is one of Vishnu 's major exploits . In Indian tradition of festivity this episode is related with Holi , India 's one of four most important festivals and hence the legend has a nation-wide popularity . In South Indian art - sculptures , bronzes and paintings , Vishnu 's incarnation as Narsimha is one of the most chosen themes and amongst Avatars perhaps next only to Rama and Krishna in popularity . Places of pilgrimage The main places of pilgrimage associated with Sri Narasimha are those places where the events described above are reputed to have taken place . These are : Ahobilam Antarvedhi Kadiri Simhachalam Yadagirigutta Mangalagiri Hemachalam , ( Mallooru ) , Warangal Namakkal Melkote Devarayana Durga Savana Durga Chintalvadi Ghatikachala ( Known today as Sholingur , derived from Chola singa oor ) Saligrama , Udupi Dist . The first seven are located in the present-day state of Andhra Pradesh in India . Namakkal , Ghatikachala and Chintalvadi are located in the state of Tamil Nadu and Devarayana Durga , Savana Durga , Melukote , Saligrama are in Karnataka . Temples dedicated to Narasimha Shri Yogananda Narasimha Swamy , Vedadri , near to Vijayawada Shri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy , Antarvedi , West Godavari District , AP Shri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy , Mallooru , Warangal District ( ~70KM from Bhadrachalam ) , AP Shri Lord Lakshmi-Narasimha Swamy temple , Korukonda , near to Rajahmundry Shri Narasimha temple , Malakonda , Prakasham District , AP Shri Prasanna Narasimha Swamy temple , Singarakonda , Prakasham district , AP Shri Narasimha Swamy Temple , Khammam , Khammam District , AP. The etymology of Khammam is said to be derived from the deity of the temple . Shri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple Sholinghur , Tamil Nadu . More information on Sholinghur temple . Shri Yoga Narasimha , situated on a hilltop fortress at Melkote , Mysore District , Karnataka ( Kannada for Mele- Top , Kote- Fort ) . The Fort , situated on a near vertical hill is a strategic area , overlooking the plains , giving the controllers a vantage point . Melkote is also the site of the famous Cheluvanarayana Temple and the Annual Vairamudi festival , where the deity is adorned with a crown of dazzling uncut diamonds . Ramanujacharya is said to have settled here to escape the Bahmani Sultan 's persecution . At Ahobalam , mythologically known as the birth place of Lord Narasimha , there exist Navanarsimha ( nine Narasimhas ) . This is also a deity at the village of Saligrama near Hassan in Karnataka : Ugra Narasimha Krodha Narasimha Malola Narasimha Jwala Narasimha Varaha Narasimha Bhargava Narasimha Karanja Narasimha Yoga Narasimha Chhatravata Narasimha/Pavana Narasimha/Pamuleti Narasimha See also Gaudiya Vaishnavism Prahlada Hanuman Lion External links The Story of Prahlada Bhagavata Purana - What Prahlada learned in the womb Bhagavata Purana - Lord Narasimha slays Hiranyakashipu Narasimha Avatar Vishnu as Narasimha Killing Hiranyakashyapu Photographs of Narasimha deity Lord Narasimha as Panchamukha Hanuman Hinduism | Dashavatara of Vishnu Matsya | Kurma | Varaha | Narasimha | Vamana | Parashurama | Rama | Krishna | Balarama | Buddha | Kalki Categories : Forms of Vishnu In other languages : Deutsch | Français | Italiano | Polski | Svenska | தமிழ் 