| Shri Laxmi Narsimha Temple | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Hinduism |
| District | Pune |
| Deity | Narasimha |
| Festivals | Narasimha Jayanti |
| Location | |
| Location | Nira Narsingpur |
| State | Maharashtra |
| Country | India |
  Location inMaharashtra | |
| Coordinates | 17°58′15.7″N75°07′55.6″E / 17.971028°N 75.132111°E /17.971028; 75.132111 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Peshwa |
| Creator | rebuilt by Raghunath Rao Vinchurkar |
| Completed | 1787 |
Shri Laxmi Narsimha Temple (popularly known asNira Narasimha) (Marathi:श्री लक्ष्मी नृसिंह देवस्थान), is one of the oldestHindu temples dedicated toNarasimha, anavatar ofVishnu, located inNira Narsingpur,Pune district,Maharashtra. The temple is located at the confluence ofBhima river andNira river, at the south eastern tip ofPune district, inIndapur taluka. Priests in the temple areDeshastha Madhva Brahmins and temple is under their control. They belong toUttaradi Math and rituals in the temple are followed as per Tantra Sara Sangraha ofMadhvacharya.
The temple is located at theghat at confluence ofBhima river andNira river. The construction of the ghat was completed in 1527. The current structure of the temple was built in 1787 with the help of Sardar Vitthal Shivdev Dani at a cost of about £45,000 (Rs. 4,50,000).[1]
The temple has been built inPeshwa architectural style in black stone. It took approximately twenty years for the completion of the temple construction. There are three main doors facing towards East, North and West. The western door is fortified likeShaniwar Wada and has thirty three steps leading up to the temple. There are twomurtis (icons) ofNarasimha in the main temple, one is made of sand and the other of black stone. Original murti was replaced by a duplicate one due to the fear ofAurangzeb.[2]
There is a big bell located near the west door. This bell was originally a church bell located at the Portuguese church ofVasai. In the year 1739,Bajirao Peshwa's younger brotherChimaji Appa capturedVasai from thePortuguese Empire and took the four church bells toPune. One of the bells was brought to the temple by Diwan Sadashiv Mankeshwar who was the inamdar of Tembhurni village.[3][4]
There are several small temples located in the complex. They are ofLaxmi,Prahlad,Ganesh,Dattatreya,Bhimashankar,VitthalRukmini,Raghavendra Tirtha,Shakambhari,Kashi Vishweshwar,Bhairava andRameshwar.[5]
Vaisakha Navratri is the biggest festival celebrated at the temple. The festival starts on the sixth day of the month ofVaisakha and ends on fourteenth day which isNarasimha Jayanti. A procession of Narasimha'spaduka is taken out on the fifteenth day followed byDahi Handi on the next day. The festival is marked byPravachan,Bhajan,Kirtan andIndian classical music concerts.[6]
