Nijaroopa Darshan 2024 at Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy at Simhachalam - Chandana Visarjana at Simhachalam Temple

Nijaroopa Darshan, also known as Chandana Visarjana, is annually held on the Vaishakh Shukla Paksha Tritiya at Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy Temple in Simhachalam in Andhra Pradesh. The ritual is held on the Akshaya Tritiya Day. In 2024, Nijaroopa Darshan is on May 10.

The main murti at the Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy is covered in sandalwood paste throughout the year. On Vaishakh Shukla Paksha Tritiya – third day during the waxing phase of moon in Vaishakh month – the old sandalwood paste is removed and a new coat is applied. Devotees get to have the darshan of the murti without sandalwood paste covering on the day.

Thousands of devotees visit the temple on the day to have a darshan of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy.

Legend has it that the original Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy at Simhachalam was built by Prahlada. After the end of Satya Yuga, the temple remained neglected. In the next yuga, Pururava of the Lunar Dynasty who was flying in his aerial chariot was pulled down near Simhachalam.

The king then discovered the murti of Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy covered with mud. He removed the mud from the murti. Suddenly there was a voice in the sky, which asked the king to not to expose the murti. The voice asked the king to cover the murti in sandalwood paste. The voice also said that the murti should be worshipped in its real form only once in a year.