SIMHACHALAM
Simhachalam , it is a hill shrine in the city that is 16 km away from the City centre on the other side of the Hill on the north of the city.One of the most exquisitely sculpted shrines of Andhra Pradesh, Simhachalam temple is situated 16 km from Vizag among thickly wooded hills. The beautifully-carved 16-pillared Natya mantapa and the 96-pillared Kalyana mantapa bear testimony to the architectural brilliance of the temple. The image of the presiding deity, Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy, is covered by a thick layer of sandalwood paste. This is one of the oldest temple in India dedicated to Narasimha, one of the incarnations of Vishnu, built in 11th century by Kullotunga, an Eastern Chalukyan king. One Vijaya stamba is erected by Sri Krishna Deva Raya emerged victorious over the Gajapati kings of Orissa. One will find ancient telugu inscriptions in this temple. These inscriptions are probably one of the oldest telugu inscriptions. This temple is one of the most famous temples in India . Its architecture is Dravida (South Indian). There is a popular belief that this lord is protecting Vizag from natural disasters like Floods, cyclones, Earthquakes and Tsunamis. Till date there is not even a single death occurred due to natural calamities. Couples just before marriage go to this temple as a ritual. This temple is one of the most crowded temples of Andhra Pradesh.