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Ahobilam, also referred as Ahobalam, is a region in Kurnool District of Andhra Pradesh. The place is one of the 108 Vaishnava Divyadesams in India and hence, is a major pilgrimage site of South India. Ahobilam is popular for its two temple houses, lower Ahobilam and upper Ahobilam. In Tamil, it is known as Thiru Singavel Kundram.
The town of Ahobilam is situated at an average elevation of 327 m above sea level and at distances of 40 km from Nandyal and 150 km from Kurnool. There are nine temples scattered across the town and around the Nallamala Forest Range. These ancient temples were built by the Sthapathis and are known for their architecture.
As the legend goes, this is the place where Lord Narasimha, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, blessed his devotee, Prahlada and killed Hiranyakashipu. The name of this place was derived from the local language and is based on a famous shlokam. The name was formed from ‘Aho’ which is an exclamation and ‘Bhilam’ which means cave.
There are a few temples in town, located in areas that are reached through trekking. A few temples are located inside the caves and some are located at places hard to reach, even by trekking.
Ahobilam has nine shrines dedicated to Lord Narasimha that are located within a radius of 5 km from the town. There is also a temple of Prahalada Varadhan, situated on the foothills of the mountain. The other prominent temples that attract visitors are Mukhalingam, Srikalahasti, Srisailam, Kapila Theertham, Bhadrachalam, Mangalagiri, Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple, Srinivasa Manga Puram, etc.
The nearest railway station, the Kadappa Station, is located 100 km away from Ahobilam and can be reached by bus or taxi. Kadappa Station is connected to major cities like Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad. There are also several buses available from different towns, but with limited frequency.
The best time to visit Ahobilam is between the months of August and December, when the weather is pleasant.
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