'Jharni Narasigh Mandir' yet to recover from pandemic blow

Like any other sector, the temple tourism was badly affected because of the pandemic and some temples are coming back on track now but the 'Jharni Narasigh Mandir' at Bidar in Karnataka is yet to recover from the blow because the restrictions still continue thanks to the very nature of 'darshan' where the devotees have to pass through a cave filled with water up to the level of four to five feets.

The Jharani Narasimha Swamy Temple is located in Bidar district of Karnataka, about 130 km from Hyderabad. The temple is associated with Lord Narasimha, an incarnation (avatar) of lord Vishnu. The ancient temple is in a 500 meter tunnel under the Manichoola Hill Range situated at around 4.8 km from Bidar town. People from Telangana visit the temple in large numbers. The temple timings are from 8 am to 6 pm everyday and Saturdays generally witness heavy rush of devotees. The priests visit inside the temple for short intervals as the oxygen levels are low. However, the authorities have made arrangements for oxygen in the cave making it easier for the devotees now.

The devotees will have to pass through a cave with water flowing at a height of 4 to four and half feet for darshan the deity's image formed on the laterite wall at the end of the tunnel which is an architectural wonder. According to the priests it is a swayambhu and idol said to be of 'Shaligram shila'. It is a thrilling experience for the devotees attending the cave temple as Bats can be seen hanging on the roof of the cave and flying throughout the tunnel. It is still a wonder that no one has been harmed by the bats till date. The end of the cave temple is the sanctum sanctorum which houses two deities – Lord Narasimha and a Shiva Linga which the demon Jharasura (Jalasura) had worshiped.

However, the temple authorities have stopped the devotees from entering into the temple for the last two years because of the Covid cases. The authorities said that they were planning to allow the devotees inside the temple from January but the latest surge in cases because of the Omicron variant has stopped the authorities from doing so. "The very USP of the temple is to have darshan of Lord Narasimha Swamy Temple passing through the waters into the cave but the temple authorities are stopping, which is a bit disappointing thing but we cant do anything because of Covid cases," said an advocate K Siddharth, who visited the temple from Hyderabad. This temple is especially visited by many couples seeking children as this is one of its kind temples. He said that the facilities should also be improved in the temple because the temple has not seen development for so many years.

The temple is going through a phase of development as the authorities are taking up construction of multi-purpose halls, rooms, overhead tanks to ensure adequate water for the devotees. The stapathis from Bengaluru have been called for giving vastu advice. The authorities changed the entry route as per the vastu advice and provided a good parking area. The authorities wanted the devotees to come forward for donation so that facilities can be improved.