History of Narasimha

Narasimha is a fierce avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, one who incarnates in the form of part lion and part man to destroy evil and end religious persecution and calamity on Earth, thereby restoring Dharma.

Narasimha iconography shows him with a human torso and lower body, with a lion face and claws, typically with a demon Hiranyakashipu in his lap whom he is in the process of killing.

The demon is powerful brother of evil Hiranyaksha who had been previously killed by Vishnu, who hated Vishnu for killing his brother.

Hiranyakashipu gains special powers by which he could not be killed during the day or night, inside or outside, by any weapon, and by man or animal. Endowed with new powers, Hiranyakashipu creates chaos, persecutes all devotees of Vishnu including his own son.

Vishnu understands the demon's power, then creatively adapts into a mixed avatar that is neither man nor animal and kills the demon at the junction of day and night, inside and outside.

Narasimha is known primarily as the 'Great Protector' who specifically defends and protects his devotees from evil.

The most popular Narasimha mythology is the legend that protects his devotee Prahlada, and creatively destroys Prahlada's demonic father and tyrant Hiranyakasha

Narasimha legends are revered in Vaikhanasas, Sri Vaishnavism, Madhwa Brahmins but he is a popular deity beyond these Vaishnava traditions such as in Shaivism.

He is celebrated in many regional Hindu temples, texts, performance arts and festivals such as Holika prior to the Hindu spring festival of colors called Holi.

The oldest known artwork of Narasimha has been found at several sites across Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, such as at the Mathura archaeological site. These have been variously dated between 2nd and 4th-century CE.

The word Narasimha consists of two words "nara" which means man, and "simha" which means lion. Together the term means "man-lion", referring to a mixed creature avatar of Vishnu.

He is known as Narasingh, Narasingha, Nrusingha,  Narasimba and Narasinghar in derivative languages.

His other names are 
Agnilochana - the one who has fiery eyes

Bhairavadambara - the one who causes terror by roaring

Karala - the one who has a wide mouth and projecting teeth

Hiranyakashipudvamsa  - the one who killed Hiranyakashipu

Nakhastra - the one for whom nails are his weapons

Sinhavadana - the whose face is of lion

Mrigendra  - king of animals or lion.

Narasimha is always shown with a lion face with clawed fingers fused with a human body.

Sometimes he is coming out of a pillar signifying that he is everywhere, in everything, in everyone. Some temples such as at Ahobilam, Andhra Pradesh, the iconography is more extensive, and includes nine other icons of Narasimha:

Prahladavarada: blessing Prahlada

Yogananda-narasiṃha: serene, peaceful Narasimha teaching yoga

Guha-narasiṃha: concealed Narasimha

Krodha-narasiṃha: angry Narasimha

Vira-narasimha: warrior Narasimha

Malola-narasiṃha or Lakshmi-narasimha: with Lakshmi his wife

Jvala-narasiṃha: Narasimha emitting flames of wrath

Sarvatomukha-narasimha: many faced Narasimha

Bhishana-narasimha: ferocious Narasimha

Bhadra-narasimha: another fierce aspect of Narasimha

Mrityormrityu-narasimha: defeater of death aspect of Narasimha

The earliest known iconography of Narasimha is variously dated to between the 2nd and the 4th-century CE, and these have been found in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

Most images and temples of Narasimha are found in the peninsular region of India, but important ancient and medieval archeological sites containing Narasimha icons are also found as Vaikuntha Chaturmurti in Kashmir and Khajuraho temples,  while single face versions are found in Garhwa and Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) and in Ellora Caves (Maharashtra).

 Other major temples with notable icons of Narasimha are found in Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and the Vijayanagara Empire ruins in Karnataka.

Some of the oldest surviving Hindu temples, such as those found in Tigawa and Eran (Madhya Pradesh), dated to early 5th-century, include Narasimha along with other avatars of Vishnu.

Narasimha is a significant iconic symbol of creative resistance, hope against odds, victory over persecution, and destruction of evil.

He is the destructor of not only external evil, but also one's own inner evil of "body, speech, and mind" states Pratapaditya Pal.

In South Indian art – sculptures, bronzes and paintings – Viṣṇu's incarnation as Narasiṃha is one of the most chosen themes and amongst Avataras perhaps next only to Rāma and Kṛṣṇa in popularity. Lord Narasiṃha also appears as one of Hanuman's 5 faces, who is a significant character in the Ramayaṇa as Lord (Rama's) devotee.

Narasimha is worshipped across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh States in numerous forms.

Although, it is common that each of the temples contain depictions of Narasimha in more than one form, Ahobilam contains nine temples of Narasimha dedicated to the nine forms of Narasimha.

It is also notable that the central aspect of Narasimha incarnation is killing the demon Hiranyakasipu, but that image of Narasimha is not commonly worshipped in temples, although it is depicted.


Source - Wikipedia