Festival · Narasimha, the man-lion avatar of Vishnu

Narasimha Jayanti

The day Lord Vishnu came out of a pillar as Narasimha, the man-lion, to save the child Prahlada from his father Hiranyakashipu. On this bright fourteenth of Vaishakha devotees fast and worship him at dusk, the hour he appeared.

Narasimha Jayanti 2027
Tuesday 18 May 2027
New Delhi

For New Delhi, Tuesday 18 May 2027

Shukla Chaturdashi tithi

Begins
4:04 pm
Ends
4:03 pm, 19 May
Sunrise
5:29 am
Sunset
7:06 pm
Moonrise
5:21 pm
Moonset
4:09 am, 19 May

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

Full panchang for this day →

How it is kept

Customs vary by region and family

  • Fast through the day, leaving out grains
  • Worship Lakshmi Narasimha at dusk with a lamp and his mantra
  • Offer panakam, water sweetened with jaggery, and share it
Narasimha, the man-lion →

What it remembers

Narasimha Jayanti is the fourteenth day of the bright half of Vaishakha, in April or May. It is kept as the day Lord Vishnu came as Narasimha, the man-lion, to save the child Prahlada from his father, the tyrant Hiranyakashipu. He burst from a pillar at dusk, so devotees fast through the day and hold the great puja in the evening. His temples, from Ahobilam to Yadagirigutta, keep it as one of their greatest days.

A boon with no gaps

Hiranyakashipu’s brother had been killed by Lord Vishnu as Varaha. Bent on revenge, the king did fierce penance until Lord Brahma granted him a boon: he could be killed by no man or beast, neither by day nor by night, neither inside nor outside, neither on the ground nor in the sky, and by no weapon. Sure that he could not die, he made himself master of the three worlds and forbade the worship of Vishnu.

The child who would not stop

His own son, Prahlada, loved Lord Vishnu from the start, and would not give up his devotion for any teacher or threat. His father tried to have him killed, by soldiers, by elephants, by snakes, by poison and by a fall from a height, and each time Prahlada was kept safe. In the telling kept at Holi, his aunt Holika, who could not be burned, took him into a fire; she burned, and he came out unharmed.

Out of the pillar at dusk

At last the king asked his son where this god of his was. Everywhere, said Prahlada. In this pillar too? his father mocked, and struck it. With a roar Lord Vishnu came out of the pillar as Narasimha, neither man nor beast. It was dusk, neither day nor night. He carried the king to the threshold of his hall, neither inside nor outside, and laid him across his lap, neither earth nor sky. There, with his nails, which are no weapon, he ended the tyrant’s life. Every word of the boon was kept, and still it could not save him.

The child who calmed him

His fury did not cool. The gods praised him from afar, and even Goddess Lakshmi, the Bhagavata says, was afraid to go near a form she had never seen. So the gods sent the child. Prahlada bowed and prayed, and Narasimha grew calm and offered him any boon. Prahlada asked for nothing for himself, only that his father be forgiven, and he was made king.

Keeping Narasimha Jayanti

The day is kept with a fast and a puja at dusk, the hour he appeared. Many take the vow of the fast at midday, and the evening worship is the heart of the day. At home a short and calm puja is enough. Families keep it in many ways; follow your own tradition where it differs.

  1. Rise early and bathe. Take the vow (sankalpa) to keep the fast, many at midday.
  2. Fast through the day, leaving out grains, or eat simply, as your health allows.
  3. Before sunset, clean the place of worship and set a picture or image of Lakshmi Narasimha on a clean cloth.
  4. At dusk, light a ghee lamp and offer flowers, sandal paste and incense.
  5. Chant the Ugra Narasimha mantra, or read the story of Prahlada from the Bhagavata.
  6. Offer panakam, water sweetened with jaggery, with fruit, then wave the lamp in aarti and share the prasad.
  7. Give to someone in need, and end the fast after the evening puja or after sunrise the next day, as your family keeps it.

What you need

  • A picture or image of Lakshmi Narasimha
  • A ghee lamp and incense
  • Flowers and sandal paste
  • Jaggery and water for panakam
  • Fruit for the offering
  • Something to give

Across India

Ahobilam, Andhra Pradesh

Tradition places the story itself in these hills, among the nine shrines of the Nava Narasimha. His Jayanti is kept as a temple festival over several days, with special worship of the deities.

Yadagirigutta, Telangana

The great temple of Lakshmi Narasimha, rebuilt as Yadadri, keeps his Jayanti as a festival of three days.

Simhachalam and Mangalagiri

At Simhachalam, near Visakhapatnam, his Jayanti comes in the same bright fortnight as Akshaya Tritiya, when the sandal paste is taken off his image. At Mangalagiri, in Guntur district, pilgrims pour panakam for him on the hill.

ISKCON temples

Devotees fast until dusk. Around that hour the deity is bathed in a great abhishek, and the fast is broken after it.

When it falls

Shukla Chaturdashi of Vaishakha. Kept on the day this tithi holds in the evening.

These are the usual rules. A few days can differ by a day in your tradition, so check with your temple.

Narasimha Jayanti in the coming years

New Delhi, India time

  1. 2027Tuesday 18 May 2027
  2. 2028Sunday 7 May 2028

Questions

When is Narasimha Jayanti in 2027?

Tuesday 18 May 2027, in New Delhi. In a few places it can fall a day apart, so the date above is worked out for your city.

When does Narasimha Jayanti fall?

Shukla Chaturdashi of Vaishakha. Kept on the day this tithi holds in the evening.

How is Narasimha Jayanti kept?

Families fast through the day, leaving out grains, worship Lakshmi Narasimha at dusk with a lamp and his mantra and offer panakam, water sweetened with jaggery, and share it. Customs vary by region and family.

Who is honoured on Narasimha Jayanti?

Narasimha, the man-lion avatar of Vishnu. The day Lord Vishnu came out of a pillar as Narasimha, the man-lion, to save the child Prahlada from his father Hiranyakashipu. On this bright fourteenth of Vaishakha devotees fast and worship him at dusk, the hour he appeared.

Why is Narasimha Jayanti kept at dusk?

Because Lord Narasimha came out of the pillar at dusk. Hiranyakashipu’s boon said he could not be killed by day or by night, so the man-lion came at twilight, between the two. The day’s main puja is held at that hour.

How is the Narasimha Jayanti fast kept?

Many fast through the day, leaving out grains. Some end the fast after the evening puja, as Sri Vaishnavas and ISKCON devotees do; others keep it until sunrise the next day. Follow your family’s custom, and eat simply if a full fast is not right for your health.

What is panakam?

A cool drink of water sweetened with jaggery. It is offered to Lord Narasimha on his Jayanti and shared as prasad, and at Mangalagiri pilgrims pour it for him on the hill.

How is Narasimha Jayanti linked to Holi?

Both remember Prahlada. Holika Dahan recalls the fire his aunt Holika took him into, from which he came out unharmed, and Narasimha Jayanti the day Lord Vishnu came out of the pillar as the man-lion to save him.

Which temples keep Narasimha Jayanti in a big way?

His temples in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana above all: Ahobilam, where tradition places the story, Yadagirigutta with its three-day festival, Simhachalam and Mangalagiri. Lakshmi Narasimha temples elsewhere hold special worship too.

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