Prahalad, the son of Hiranyakasyap, had absolute faith in God. He had no doubt in his mind that the Parabrahma exists and exists everywhere. He believed that the very existence of the universe is an act of God, whereas his father believed otherwise. When challenged by Hiranyakasyap to prove the existence of Parabrahma, Prahlad said that God exists in every atom and even in subatomic particles. On hearing this, Hiranyakasyap retorts and asks Prahlad as to whether God is in the pillar nearby. Prahlad replies that God is not only exist in the pillar but also in the very words uttered by Hiranyakasyap and also in the sound of those words. Angered by this and to prove Prahlad wrong, Hiranyakasyap hits the pillar with his mace to break it. To honour the faith Prahlad had in the God, Lord Vishnu takes the form of Narasimha, half Nara [man] and half in the form of Simha [Lion], and comes out of the pillar and kills Hiranyakasyap—the Rakshas.
Lakshmi Narasimha
Vishnu took the Narasimha avtar in a ugra [angered] form to avenge the sufferings of true and faithful followers of God at the hands of Hiranyakasyap [representing the evil forces]. Therefore, to worship Narasimha is to worship the destroyer of evil forces. Since Narasimha is in ugra form, it was considered more appropriate to worship him in Santha [mellowed] swaroopa by common mortals. Lord Narasimha will be in santha swaroopi when Laksmi is with him [he is then known as Lakshminarasimha].
Lord Anjaneya is seen in yoga posture and facing Lord Yoga Narasimha who is on the other hillock. Another specialty of Yoga Anjaneya is that he has four hands- Chaturbuja roopa.
Yoganarasimha in Solingar
When he is in yoga form then also He is santha swaroopi; he is then called Yoganarasimha. At
Solingar—a corrupted version of the correct name, Sozhasingapuram He is in this Yoga form —a place
about thirty kilometres from Tiruttani in Tamil Nadu.
This place was originally known by the name Kadikachalam, since it was believed that if a person meditates for one "Kadikai" [meaning one Nazhigai—a unit of time approximately equal to 24 minutes] at this abode of Lord Narasimha, he is sure to attain Mukthi.
The temple for the Lord Yoga Narasimha, is situated on the top of a hillock. The hillock is 400 feet tall. The main entrance to the temple is north-facing. The Lord faces East and, with his benign looks, blesses all those who go there with devotion and faith. His consort here is known by the name Amirthavalli Thayar.
Yoga Anjaneya
There is another hillock—much shorter than the earlier one described in a short distence. It is about
half the height of the earlier hillock. On the top of this hillock a temple for Yoga Anjaneya. The
main entrance to this temple is also north-facing. The entrance to the main shrine of Lord Yoga
Anjaneya is west-facing. Lord Anjaneya is seen in yoga posture and facing Lord Yoga Narasimha who is
on the other hillock. Another speciality of Yoga Anjaneya is that he has four hands- Chaturbuja roopa.
He is seen holding has Chanku [conch] and Chakra [wheel—Sudershana] said to have been given by Lord
Yoga Narasimha himself on the two upper hands, Through the hole in the wall opposite to the Yoga
Anjaneys’s sannidhi, one can see the temple Gopuram of Lord Yoga Narasimha. The temple tank
[pushkarani] is known as Hanumantha Thirtham.
Legend
While there are temples for Yoga Narasimha at other places , Solingar is the only place where Lord
Anjaneya can be seen in Yoga posture. He is not only a Yoga Moorthi but also the Moorthi who
established Ahimsa Dharma. Madurai was then ruled by King Indirathuman and who was fond of hunting.
One day while the king was chasing a deer the deer entered the forest in Sozhasingapuram. When the
deer reached the top of hillock where presently Yoga Anjaneya’s temple is situated, it turned into a
Jothiswaroop and vanished. On seeing this wonder, the King prostrated before the Jyothi, and abonded
the path of himsa then took the path of Ahimsa. With Ahimsa as his weapon, he could bring down the
evil force, Kumbotharan, and bring peace to the people of Sozhasingapuram. It is said that Lord
Anjaneya appeared in the form of Jothi as per the wishs of Lord Yoga Narasimha, with a view to taking
King Indrathuman to the path of Ahimsa.
Neither of the Lords—Yoga Narasimha or Yoga Anjaneya—has Uthsavamoorthis. All the uthsavas of this Lords are performed at Lord Bhaktavatchalam temple, located in the centre of the town of Solingar. And town of Solingar is nearly two kilometres from the hillocks. This very spacious temple has been built during the regime of Nayakas. It has big Prakaras and tall Mantaps.
Location of the temple: "Sri Yoga Anjaneya Swami Temple, Sholingur"
Experience
Lord Yoga Anjaneya is believed to cure persons who are mentally ill, if they pray at this temple. All that the patient is required to do is to take bath in the sacred Hanumantha Thirtham and offer prayers to Lord Yoga Anjaneya. Sure to get cured.
SRI HANUMAN THINKS DIFFERENTLY, THINKS FAST
THINKS AHEAD AND ACTS FOR SURE
Ed [Prior to July 2001]
Updates: Sep 2019, Dec 2024