The town acquired its name and fame from a sage called Yadarishi, son of the great sage Rishyasrunga who did penance inside a cave with the blessings of Anjaneya on this hill between Bhongir and Raigiri in Nalgonda district.Pleased with his deep devotion, Lord Narasimha (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu) appeared before him in five different forms as Jwala, Yogananda, Gandabherunda, Ugra and Lakshminarasimha. They later manifested themselves into finely sculpted forms that later came to be worshipped as Panchanarasimha Kshetram. As the legend goes, the Lord appeared first as Jwala Narasimha (Lord as a flame), when Yadarishi was unable to face the intensity of this apparition, he appeared in a peaceful form as Yoganarasimha (Lord in a Yogic Padmasana posture with open palms on the knees). Not satisfied with the Lord appearing alone, Yadarishi sought to see him with this consort, so he is said to have appeared with Lakshmi on his lap, known as Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy and as being worshipped by Alwars, his ardent devotees.
To see these three forms one has to go through an entrance that narrows itself into a dark cave which in fact is surmised as the urga (fiery) form of Narasimha (the fourth form) because it was beyond the strength of a sage to see that form and gandabherunda ( the garuda pakshi or the eagle) is the fifth form of the Lord which is said to have been found sculpted in rock underneath the Anjaneya, known as 'Kshetrapalaka' (or the one who ruled over that hill). All these forms are known as " swayambhu" or self emanated. Yadarishi is said to have been granted his wish that the place where the Lord appeared will be known by his name as Yadagiri (giri means hill in Sanskrit, and gutta which means a hillock in Telugu seems to have been a latter-day suffix) and that Lord Lakshmi Narasimha will be worshipped for many years to come.
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