Sri Seebi Narasimhaswami Temple
Dedicated to the lord Narasimha, an incarnation of the Hindu God Lord Vishnu, the temple is located in Seebi (Sibi), 20 km away from Tumakuru headquarters. According to the legends, the temple was built by a merchant who was travelling via Sibi and took a halt for relaxing and consuming food on a rock. It is believed that lord Narasimha appeared in the merchant’s dream in an unconscious state stating that rock is lord’s abode and a temple should be constructed there. Thus, a small temple was built here by the merchant. However, in the 18th century, the construction of a larger temple was initiated by three brothers namely Lakshminarasappa, Puttanna, and Nallapa, sons of Kacheri Krishnappa, Dewan in the court of Mysore king Tipu Sultan.
Seebi Narasimha Swamy Temple
Built in the Dravidian style of architecture, it took about 10 years to complete the construction of the temple. The highlight of the temple is the mural paintings on the walls and the ceilings depicting stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagwat Gita, and the Narasimha Purana. According to historians and critics, the murals painted in this temple are ‘folkish’ in character and are among the best from the Mysore period. The paintings also depict a Mogul influence.
Spread across a large area, the entrance is a three-tiered tower that leads to a closed mantapa which has many other minor shrines of other Hindu gods like Rama, Krishna, Ganesha, and Saptamatrika.
Seebi Narasimha Swamy Temple
The captivating and mesmerizing murals on the walls are divided into three rows. The top row depicts the stories of Bal Krishna, i.e the naughty and interesting playful stories from lord Krishna’s childhood. The second row depicts the grandeur scene from Maharaja Krishnaraja Wodeyar III with Nallappa. Nallappa was one of the sons of the Dewan Krishnappa. Interestingly, the third row narrates the tales from the court of Haider Ali and his son Tipu Sultan along with other important people like Kacheri Krishnappa, Ravanappa, and Venkatappa. Most of the renovation and restoration was incorporated in the late 18th century or early 19th century.
Seebi Narasimha Swamy Temple
Not to miss the water tank also called Gaja Pushkarini, in the temple premises which according to legends or Purana, is believed to have Gajendra Moksha episode happened here.
The Seebi Narasimha temple is a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India.
Temple Timings
Seebi Narasimha Swamy Temple
The temple is open every day from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm with a lunch break of almost 2-3 hours. The Abhishekam is performed at 9 am every day.
How to reach
Any destination can be best reached is by road to the closest proximity. Seebi Narasimha Temple also can be best reached by road. Tumakuru or Tumkur is the district and the temple is 20 km from the district centre.
By Air
The closest airport is the Bangalore International Airport. The temple is about 115 km from the airport and takes about 2 hours and 15 mins to reach. One can either hire a taxi /cab for travel from Bangalore either by Bus or train to Tumkur.
By Rail
Tumakuru Railways station is well connected with other major cities of Karnataka. The temple is 33 km from the Tumakuru railway station and takes about 40 minutes to reach by road. You can either hire a cab, an auto rickshaw, or take the state-run inter-city bus transport services.
By Road
The temple is located in Tumakuru taluk of Tumakuru district. The Tumakuru bus stand is around 33 km and takes about 35 minutes to reach the temple. If you wish to travel by road from Bangalore Majestic Bus stand/railway station, it takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes and is 102 km away.
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