Sri Yoga Narasimhar temple, Sholingur

About the temple

Located close to Chennai, Sholingur Sri Yoga Narasimhar temple is among the 108 divya desams of Sri Vaishnavas. Thirukadigai or Sholingur is among the Thondai Naatu divyadesams. The presiding deity is Sri Yoga Narasimhar. There are two hills here- Big hill called periya malai and Small hill called Chinna malai in tamil.

 

About the big hill : The presiding deity is Sri Yoga Narasimhar and one has to climb almost 1300 steps to reach the shrine. The utsavar deity Sri Bhaktavatsala perumal presides in the temple below the hill in the town.

About the small hill: The presiding deity of the small hill is Sri Yoga Anjaneya and there are 407 steps to the shrine. There are also shrines to Sri Ranganathar and Sri Ramar.

 

The main temple tank is called Takkan kulam or Brahma theertham. There is a huge hanuman statue and an arch welcoming the devotees there.

An average healthy person will take around 40 minutes - 1 hr to climb the big hill and around 20 minutes for the small hill.

How to reach

Sholingur is around 115 kms from Chennai..One can easily walk from the base of the Periya malai to base of Chinna malai. Following the options one can take

1. Catch any superfast train that stops at Sholingur station. Take a bus or auto outside the station..The temple is around 13 kms from the station. Buses going to the Sholingur bus stand stop at Takkan kulam stop. Share autos are available from the bus stop to the temple less than 2 kms away.

2. Local suburban trains to Arakonnam and Tiruttani and most of the superfast trains stop at Arakonnam. Share autos are available outside the railway station at Rs. 5 per person to the busstand. Private and Govt buses from there are available to Sholingur Takkan kulam stop (30 kms) and share autos from the temple tank take you to the temple.

3. Drive via Bangalore Highway to Kaveripakkam and from there reach Sholingur.

Ample Car parking space is available near the temple.

Sannadhis

Big hill :

Sri Yoga Narasimhar

Lakshmi Narasimhar, Chakratazhwar, Kannan, Adiseshan and Garudazhwar
Amritavalli thayar

Namazhwar, Ramanujar, Senaimudalvar and Saptha Rishis

Small hill :

Sri Yoga Chaturbuja Anjaneyar

Bala Ranganathar with Sridevi Bhoodevi

Sri Ramar with Sita, Lakshman, Chakratazhwar, Navaneeta Krishna

Specialty of the temple

It is believed that any person visiting the temple and spending 24 minutes on the hill will attain moksham.

The Lord is said to cure the devotees of Mental disability and chronic diseases.

There is a small window in the big hill temple from where Lord Narasimha gives darshan to Lord Anjaneya on the small hill.

The Lord is referred to as Takkan by Namazhwar in the paasuram wherein Takkan means the Lord who has the right to fulfill all the wishes of the devotees.

It is considered auspicious to go for a Girivalam around the hill on Pournami days.

Temple timings, where to stay 

The temple is open from 8 am to 5 pm on normal days and the timings vary on festival and special ocassions. There are lot of mutts and rooms available for devotees to stay.

Points to note :

One can easily finish off both the temples in half a day's time..so plan your trip accordingly. Although the steps have shelter now to protect the devotees from hot sun, it is better to stay early.

There are lots of monkeys on both the hill..the best way to stay safe from the monkeys is by not teasing them and not carrying anything in the hands that is visible..preferably dont carry anything..there is a shop midway that sells juices and snacks. Also different types of prasadam are available in the temple premises. So one neednt carry any food item with them.