Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya temple in Mayapur, near Kolkata, where Vishnu is worshipped in the form of Narasimha, or half human, half lion

Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya temple in Mayapur, near Kolkata, where Vishnu is worshipped in the form of Narasimha, or half human, half lion

Mayapur, WB: Every day at sunrise, devotees start queuing up for worship outside the Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Temple in Mayapur, near Kolkata. As the day progresses, the queue gets longer. Despite the sultry heat, the crowd does not get impatient; devotees are either chanting the ‘Hare Krishna’ mantra or are talking to each other. On special occasions like Gauda Purnima and Narasimha Chaturdashi, the crowd trebles, but the mood remains upbeat.

Inside the temple, the priests are placing a rose here and a marigold there, adding finishing touches to the decoration of the idol of Narasimha. The temple doors are thrown open and devotees surge forward amidst chants of Hare Krishna and Hari Bol.

In his fourth avatar, Vishnu manifested as Narasimha, half-lion, half-man, to save Prahlada from his father, the demon king Hiranyakashipu. It is believed that after killing Hiranyakashipu, Narashima went to a pond fed by the Mandakini river, drank the water and washed his hands. Locals believe that the place, now called Narasingpalli, had a temple built in Satyuga in honour of Narasimha. Now it is a forest with lots of stones strewn around. The stones are believed to be remains of that temple. The spot where the pond was supposed to be, is a vast, dry, sunken area.

Om Namah Shivay.