Chennai to Ahobilam

19 October 2019: We embarked to Ahobilam around 5.00 am in a Toyota Innova - two families comprising six adults and 2 kids. This much awaited trip had been planned months in advance. Ahobilam is the land of the Nava Narasimhas nestling in the Eastern Ghats and located in Kurnool District approx.360 Km north (with a slightly westerly slant) of Chennai. Around 9.30 am we stopped over by the road side beneath the canopy of a sprawling tree. The ground was a bit slushy and slippery due to light incessant overnight rain. We consumed delicious idlis/molakapadi/coconut chutney/parathas & tomato thokku. Having satiated our hunger we continued our journey on NH5. The rest of the drive was largely uneventful and the weather was conducive - cool with slightly overcast sky. The driver was a pleasant but uninteresting guy, his driving a wee bit extra cautious. He was not a conversationalist and he had a tendency to slouch over the steering wheel at times. But overall he was in control and his eyes focused on the road and maintained a speed limit of between 80-100 Kmph. After a brief stop over for some coffee & a washroom break at one of petrol filling stations we motored on. We finally reached Lower Ahobilam around 3.30 afternoon. Due to heavy rush of pilgrims rooms were not available in the temple guest house. Rajasekhar & Satheesh went scouting for rooms elsewhere and were successful in locating two good rooms in a private guest house. Rooms were large and clean with attached bathrooms - and sufficient beds,pillows and bed linen to house 4 persons per room. Accordingly we segregated - ladies and kids were herded into one room and men into in the other. The owners are primarily caterers and live in the ground floor portion. They are contracted by the temple to cook massive amounts of food to be offered to pilgrims. They had kept ready a huge multiple tiered tiffin carrier similar to what film shooting crews used to carry in times of yore. We were famished and wolfed down the generous quantity of food served to us on paku plates. The food was so tasty - rice sambar, rasam, poduthooval, poriyal & butter milk. 
We visited the following three temples at Lower Ahobilam in the evening: Chatravata, Yogananda & Prahlada Varadar.
Chatravatha Narasimha Swamy: The deity is installed under a peepul tree and surrounded by thorny bushes. The temple was undergoing thirupani or renovation and was temporarily closed.
Yogananda Narasimhar: The legend is that after killing Hiranyakashipu the Lord taught Prahlada several yogic postures and hence the deity gets this name. Another special feature of this temple is the in the Navagraha sanctum there are also idols of Nava Narasimhars installed.
Prahlada Varadar Temple: We also visited this temple in the late evening. But more about this in the next post.
Some interesting and informative blog sites you may wish to read to learn more about Ahobilam:
 http://temple-of-secrets.blogspot.com/2013/09/ahobilam-nava-narasimha-temples.html

https://www.ahobilamutt.org/us/information/visitingahobilam.asp

Enroute to Yoganarasimhar Temp