PLACES

NARSINGPUR

Narsingpur, with 1,638 inhabitants, is a small village in Vava  taluka, lving 11.26 km. (seven miles) to the north of Uran-Islam-pur and 8 km. (fice miles) from Sertoli, a railwav station on the Poona-Miraj route of the South-Central Railway. It is situated on the left bank of the Krsna with Bahe on the right 3,21 km. (two miles) down stream where a bridge has been built across the river. Heretofore only small boats carried the passengers which involved danger in the monsoons. The Krsna is indeed a boon to the village for not only does it provide drinking water but also has helped to bring large tracts of land under irrigation. A ghat has been built on the river bank. The village has a middle school. a post office and a multipurpose co-operative society for the villages of Narsingpur and Kole which is nearby. Due to its nearness to the Krsna river and the Sahvadris on one of whose spurs is Machindragad. it enjoys a congenial climate.

Narasimha Temple.

However, the village is noted for a remarkable double cellared temple of Narasimha from which perhaps it derives its name. It is right on the river bank and has for its protection a five bastion-ed masonry embankment along the course of the river. In order to minimise the force of the swirling waters directly heating against the embankment a solid open bastion has been erected a furlong upstream.

The superstructure has entrances on the western, eastern and northern sides, the last of which is surmounted by a drum chamber. now in a decayed condition. Near the western gate is a narrow dark flight of steps leading down in the first cellar, which is a sort of a four pillared mandap measuring 8.53 x 8.53x6.09 metres (28' x 28' x 20'). On the very first step of this stairway are inscribed the names of three generations. This cellar has two iharokas on the eastern and western sides and by virtue of its holding an idol of Jagadamba is called the Ambabai mandap. In the opposite wall is the passage leading down into the second cellar near which there is a small sahane ( ). Here in a niche is a disfigured image of a deity, past identificaton. The second cellar is 3.04x3,04x3.65 metres (10' x 10' x 12') wherein is a sixteen handed idol of Narasimha (man-lion incarnation of Visnu) carved out of a single block of stone. The image is well carved and executed, in that even the claws penetrating the belly of Hiranya Kasipu have been skilfully sculptured. Around the prabhaval, the Dasavatars are carved in relief. Near the right foot of the idol are carved images of Bhu Devi and Garud while near the left those of Pralhad and Laksmi. The gabhara has a ventilator opening right above the head of the idol and another on the wall facing it. Above, on the surface, there are two tulsi-vrndavans one of which is right on the head of the idol below and the other which is hollow is connected with the ventilator opening on the wall. In such an ingeneous way this second one has been arranged that a betel-nut, dropped from it, emerging out of the ventilator, bounces on the feet of the idol. This arrangement calls for tributes to the engineering skill of the artisan.

An annual festival is celebrated commencing from Vaisakha Suddha 7 and lasting for 10 days. On the last day the utsava-murti and padukas are taken in a procession to a spot on the river called Narasimha tirtha and after giving a bath they are taken round the village and back to the temple.

It is said and testified to by the Krsna Mahatmya and Sdmudre-suar Mahatmya that this idol was taken from the river bed. These holy books have some interesting stories to tell as to how and by whom the idol was taken out. The Krsna Mahatmya. in its 37th chapter, tells us through the mouth of Sage Vyas as relating to Sage Yajnavalkya that Parasara Rsi, his father, engaged himself in devout austerities on the Krsna river bank. Being pleased with his austerities Sankar appeared before him and expressed his desire to grant him a boon, Parasara Rsi in all humility expressed bis desire to accept the boon from the Narasimha incarnation of the Lord. Upon this, Sankar in accordance with the wish of His devotee appeared in the Narasimha incarnation, Parasara. on keeping the idol in front of him, began to perform religion rites with all devotion and at the end of it, it was imers-ed in the river at the behest of the God Himself. This spot came to be known as Jvala Narasimha Tirtha as fire flames were leaping out of the crown of the idol.

In about Saka 100. corresponding to 178 A.D., one Raja Bhim is supposed to have taken the idol out of the river. This view has bern substantiated by Krsna Mahatmya, which in its 45th chapter states that in the kingdom of Karnatak, in the village Anjan there lived a Brahman couple who had been cursed with deafness and blindness by a rsi for certain of their acts. To expiate from the curse they came to Jvala Narasimha Tirtha in the village called Kaundinyapur which has been identified with modern Narsingpur and engrossed themselves in religious mortification. This they did for full twelve years at the end of which period, God, having been pleased with their penance, appeared to them in a dream and told them to go to Raja Bhim who was then ruling at Kundal, and ask him to take Him out of the river. So saying the God vanished and surprisingly the couple was also cured of their disabilities. On narrating the dream to the Raja, no time was lost in taking the idols out of the river bed. Now Samudresvar Mahatmya mentions a king of Kundal or Kundinpur by name Satyesvar who established the temple of Sagaresvar about 9.65 km (six miles) from Narsingpur and who died on Caitra Suddha 5, Saka 310. It also gives a list of seven of his predecessors, who are also supposed to have Teigned in that country. Bhismaka has been named as the first of the predecessors and it is quite likely that Bhim is the corrupt form of Bhismaka. [But the story has no histotical basis.] It has been asserted that Satyesvar was a Yadava king and later in about 1187, one of the princes of this dynasty by name Bhillama established an independent kingdom at Devagiri, the modern Daulatabad. To his lineage belongs Ramdevraya who, it is said, ordered his minister Hemadri or Hemadpant to build a suitable shrine for the idol. The present temple might have been the result of that order and constructed in such a way as to preserve it from Musalman onslaughts which had just then started. It might have been built in about 1273 which corresponds with the regnal period of Ramdevraya. But definite evidence to substantiate this view is lacking and in its. absence the name of the builder should remain in obscurity. The superstructure above does not bear any resemblance to Hemad-punti style.

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